438 



JOUBNAL OF HOBTICULTUBE AND COTTAGE GARDENEE. 



[ December 1, 1870. 



destroyed after the shoots overtop the wall. It is, however, very hardy. 

 You may safely plant it when 6 or 8 feet high, and it should not be more 

 than 8 feet apart. They need no attention beyond planting now or early 

 in March, watering daring dry weather in summer. 



Select Tea-scented R^ses for Out-door Coxture.— Gloire de DijoD, 

 Abricote, Vicomtessa de Cazes, Devoniensis, Adam, La Boule d'Or, 

 Madame Levet, Jaune d'Or, Belle Lvonnaise. Adrienne Chriatophle, 

 Monplaiser, and Madame Damaizm. Keane's " In-door Gardening " will 

 suit you for the management of the greenhouse ; and for florists' flowers, 

 "Florists' Flowers for the Many." The former can be had poBt free from 

 our office for twenty postage stamps, and the latter for 4£d. 



Plant foe Covering- a Sloping South-west Border (A. Z.).~ Plant 

 CotoneaBter microphylla. Ivy is very fine for such purposes, but in our 

 opinion does not equal the Cotoneaster, which has pretty white flowers in 

 May, followed by bright red berries in autumn, and it is of close dwarf 

 growth. The irregular growths should be removed in August. 



Disa grandiflora not Thriving (J. <?.).— -We think your plant is be- 

 coming unhealthy. We should advise your at once examiuing the soil, 

 and if that is at all saturated or sour replace it with fresh, and let the 

 drainage be thoroughly effective. Water carefully, but keep the soil 

 regularly moist. It is well to set the pot in a saucer of water, raising the 

 pot on three pieces of sandstone. At this season the water should not 

 reach the pot. A cool airy greenhouse is the most suitable position; the 

 temperature ought not to fall much below 45°. Spring is tne best time 

 to shift the plant into a larger pot. We think your plant is suffering 

 from want of heat. Avoid a close atmosphere. 



Oak-leaved PELARGONirm: Leaves Yellow (Yellow Oak Leaves).— 

 The present condition of the plants is probably due to the great heat to 

 which you are subjecting them ; 50- to 60 : is quite hot enough for a stove. 

 The old leaves that are bronzed now will soon fall, the heat having caused 

 their ripening; and the golden colour, which we presume is in ihe young 

 leaves, is caused by their growing so quickly at this unnatural season. 

 Probably they will come to their natural colour when placed in alight 

 airy position in a house with a temperature of 40' to 45°. The old leaves, 

 however, will all fall. 



Transplanting Vines I J.).— It is not too late for removing your Vines- 

 We have not found the fruits sent. Are you sore they wive left at our 

 office ? 



Training Vines (M. H.).— Your proposed plan will answer very well. 

 You might take a part crop from the top part of the two Frontignans the 

 first year or two, until the new rods from the Black Prince became strong 

 enough. You might also utilise the stems of the Frontignans, if you 

 thought proper, by grafting the other young shoots on them. We have 

 no doubt the rods will soon be strong enough without that trouble. It is 

 seldom that the White Frontiguan shrivels up. It is, though small, one 

 of the best- flavoured Grapes, and a free bearer. 



Moving Vines (SI. HA.—The Vines planted twelve years ago may be 

 removed, but we do not advise your doing so. It is better to plant young 

 Vines, which will be better and come into bearing nearly as soon as 

 those which are lifted. The best time to lift them is early in March, 

 taking them up carefully and covering the roots with mats to protect 

 them from sua and wind. In planting spread out the roots carefully. 

 No shortening of the Vines is necessary beyond the usual pruning, which 

 ought to be done in December. The best compost for Vines is the top 

 2 or 3 inches of an old pasture where the soil is a good liaht loam; of 

 that chopped up rather roughly nine cartloads, old lime rubbish one cart- 

 load, eight bushels of half-inch bones, a like quantity of charcoal as 

 lumpy as possible, and two bushels of calcined oyster shells, the whole 

 well mixed. The sods are beat used fresh. Th.e Vines will not fruit next 

 season. 



Vines (J. Mackenzie, M.D.). — All the Vines you mention, with the ex- 

 ception of Chasselas Vibert, Furtado, and Royal Ascot, require a high 

 temperature. These will do in a house with the heat ordinarily given to 

 the Black Hamburgh. The foliage of Mrs. Pince is deeply and finely cut p 

 Vines with End3 Growing (G. F. B.).~ In your case, as you must 

 cut the rods of your Vines back, we would either remove the part of the 

 ends with green leaves now, or take away the leaves. The wood, we have 

 no doubt, is ripe enough, and a period of comparative rest will suit the 

 Vines now. As to keeping plants in the house, see note in page 412. 

 Clear lime water is the best thing you can U3e, and the safest means yon 

 can try for dislodging worms from pots plants. If yon cork-up the drain- 

 hole for a few hours and saturate the soil, the application will be more 

 effectual. Do not, however, allow the cork to remain. 



Manuring Vines (M. B.). — Vines with their roots entirely inside the 

 house need manuring,^ and it is best given as surface-dressing. We 

 would use an inch of your poultry-yard manure all over now, and when 

 that is pretty well washed in, by the early part of the summer, you could 

 add a little more. If the roots are all inside, they will have no watering 

 except what you give them. If the soil is rather dry now and you mean 

 to start in December, we would use water at from 6j" to 70° in tem- 

 perature. 



Destroying Fairy Rings on Lawns (C.H.).— See No. 499, October 20th, 

 page 315. 



Select Potatoes and their Culture (One wishing to improve kim- 

 self and others). — Four varieties of Kidney Potatoes— Ashleaf, Rivers's 

 Royal, Veitch's Improved, and Myatt's Prolific are good varieties ; Lap- 

 stone, Milky White, and Berkshire Kidney; and of Round— Early Oxford, 

 Dalmahoy, Flour Ball, and Bovinia for size, though it is inferior to 

 Victoria. Your soil being very stiff we advise your manuring it at once, 

 and having it deeply turned up, and as roughly as possible, for the winter. 

 The mixing with road Bcrapings would be advantageous. We would not 

 give the dressing of bone dust until planting time, and then you may 

 sow it broadcast. It is good, but for Potatoes we consider Peruvian 

 guano preferable, 2 to 3 cwt. per acre being a good dressing. 



Liquid Manure for Geraniumsand Camellias (Idem).— Guano water 

 is beneficial to any kind of plants needing vigour ; it should be given of 

 the strength of 2 ozs. to the gallon once or twice a week. At this season, 

 however, it is not required. For Camellias swelling their buds, liquid 

 manure formed of sheep's dropping is best — one peck to 30 gallons of 

 water ; cowdnng, one peck to 20 gallons of water answers well. 



Compost for Mrs. Pollock Geranium (Agnes). — When it can be had 

 fresh loam from turf is undoubtedly the best compost when enriched 



with a fourth of well-rotted manure, adding a sixth of silver sand. To 

 your strong loam add one-fourth of leaf soil, and a like quantity of sharp 

 sand. This compost, with good drainage ought to grow them well. The most 

 likely cause of the greenhouse Pelargoniums having but few flowers in a 

 truss is weakness, which may be a result of poor soil, and quite as likely 

 of a weak growth occasioned by growing them too far from the glass, 

 and not giving a sufficient amount of air. They can hardly have too 

 much air and light. 



Eucharis amazonica (S. P.).— By plunging the pots in a brisk bottom 

 heat it is likely they would start for flower or throw out flower scapes, 

 but the flowering will be entirely dependant on the previous treatment. 

 The essentials are to give the plants plenty of heat, and an abundant supply 

 of water and moisture when makiog new growths, and then place them 

 in a light airy position, but in a good heat, giving no more water than is 

 Deedful to keep the leaves from flagging. This treatment continued for 

 three or four months, and the plants then returned to bottom heat and 

 moisture, will generally ensure a good bloom; but keeping them con- 

 stantly growing seldom results in anything but the production of leaves. 

 To have Strawberries ripe at the end of March, forcing should be com- 

 menced early in January, and the plants should now be under cover in a 

 cold frame or cool house. 



Valve of Hot-water Pipes (H.).-We do not think it matters whether 

 the valve in your pipes is on the level or between two pipes, the one per- 

 pendicular to the other, or in a slanting direction, provided no impedi- 

 ment is given to the free circulation. Valves are chiefly necessary for 

 flow-pipes to different places, leaving the returns to look after themselves. 



Names of Fruits (C. 22.).— 1, Winter Greening; 2, Vicar of Winkfield ; 



5, Devonshirp Buckland ; K, Glou Morijeau ; 7, Chester Pearmain ; 8, Old 

 Colmar; 9, Robinson's Pippin; 10, Downton Pippin. (A. S. D. H.).~ 

 Pears— 1, Beurre Derouineau; 2, Princess Charlotte; 3, Lewis; 5, Ne 

 Plus Meuris ; 6, Beurre Defai*; 7, Old Colmar; 8, Worm-ley Grange. 

 Apples— 1, Toker's Incomparable ; 2, Waltham Abbey Seedling ; 3, Here- 

 fordshire Pearmain; 4, Golden Winter Pearmain ; 5, Golden Reinette; 



6, Court-penduplat ; 7, Reinette Franche ; 8, Grange's Pearmain. (F. J.). 

 1, Margil; 2, Golden Nonpareil; 4, BrarJdick's Nonpareil; 5, Golden 

 Russet; 6, Passe Colmar. (John J. Harper). — Golden Russet. 



POULTRY, BSE. AND PIGEON CHRONICLE. 



1370- 





1869. 



1870 



294 



other distinct breeds. 



23 



. IB 



72 





336 



. 374 



S2S 





142 



. 174 



2fil 





116 



. 120 



27 





S* 



. 36 







50 



. 67 



107 





482 



. 453 



195 







63 





2453 



2578 



BIRMINGHAM POULTRY AND PIGEON SHOW. 



This, the twenty-second Exhibition, was superior in numbers 

 of poultry, but inferior in numbers of Pigeons, to its predeces- 

 sor. It commenced on the 26th of November, and concludes 

 to-day. In quality, though there were some grand exceptions, 

 the birds were much inferior to those of last year. There were 

 1971 entries of poultry last year, anil 2125 this year ; 482 entries 

 of Pigeons last year, and 453 this year. 



The following is a comparative statement of the entries in 

 this and last year : — 



1869. 



Dorking 331 . 



Spanish 79 . 



Cochin-China 260 . 



Brahma Pootra 233 . 



Malay 18 . 



Creve-Creur, Houdau, 



and LaFleche 97 . 



Hamburgh 181 . 



Polish Fowl 56 . 



The first-prize Rouen Duck3 were again heavier than the 

 Aylesbury, the drake and Duck weighing 19£ lbs., being 6 ozs. 

 more than last year. Mrs. Seamons's prize Goose and gander 

 weighed 62i lbs., just 5 lbs. heavier than the heaviest last 

 year. But America whipped us in Turkeys, Mr. Simpson's 

 bird, of New York, weighing 36J lbs., which was just 1 lb. 2 ozs. 

 heavier than the second-prize cock belonging to Mr. F. Lythall. 

 The heaviest last year weighed 3if lbs. 



DORKINGS. 



1. The old Grey cocks numbered twenty-two, exactly the same as 

 last year. Mrs. Arkwright came first with a grand old cock, weighing 

 13 lbs. ; he had one foot deformed, but in spite of this fault no other bird 

 came near him. The second prize was a very fine dark bird, with good 

 legs. Third prize a very dark cock, with a good body, but very bad feet 

 and toes. Fourth prize a fair average bird, but out of condition. The 

 last entry in the class (22) was a bird of fine frame, but very tender 

 on the feet ; indeed, nearly all the class seemed much afflicted in this 

 way, and, except the prize birds, very moderate in quality. 



2. The cup cockerel was a very neat bird with remarkably perfect 

 feet, but would not have been large even for a Silver-Grey ; he was 

 onlv entered at three guineas, and the award was generally thought an 

 error. Second prize a fair, good bird, but toes rather faulty. Third 

 also a good bird with imperfect feet. Fourth prize deserved the position 

 well, and ought perhaps to have been higher. Fifth prize a fine-framed 

 bird, but one foot very bad indeed. We liked the sixth prize much 

 better, and thought it more deserving than the cup bird. The greatest 

 error in this class, however, was in passing over (94) a beautiful bird 

 every way, and which ought to have had at least the second prize, if 

 not the cup. This was a good class. 



3. The first prize hens were a grand pen, good in frame, legs, and 

 feet. The second prize scarcely deserved the honour, one hen having 



