278 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ October 4, 1877. 



sary watering is thorough. If any doubts exist about a plant, submerge the 

 pot in water, and if bubbles come freely to the surface it is a certain sign 

 that the centre of the ball is dry, and the pot must remain under water till 

 bubbles cease rising. 



Eesioting Rose Cuttings and Bedding Plants in "Winter (S. B.). — 

 Take-np the Hose cnttirgs and pot them immediately, and they will be well 

 established in the soil by the time of your removal. Bedding plants may 

 be taken out of the pots, the looBe soil removed, the plantB packed in 

 hampers, and repGtted at the end of the journey with perfect success. 

 Especial care must be taken to pad the sides of the hampers with moss or 

 hay to exclude frost, and not to overwater the plants when they are repotted. 



Variegated Ash and Cobchorus japonica (Idem). — Both the yellow 

 and white variegated forms of the Ash are uow well known and widely dis- 

 tributed. The first is Fraxinue aucubfe'olia, and the other F. argentea varie- 

 gata. Corchorus japonica variepa'a is also quite common. It will be better 

 recognised under the more familiar name of Eerria. It is readily propagated 

 by cuttings, young plants often being turned to good, account in flower beds 

 and borders, the slender growth and variegated foliage having a sprightly 

 and very ornamental appearance. 



Terra Cotta Stove (J. C. B.).— Our correspondent asks for information 

 from any reader who has used one successfully without piping to heat a very 

 small greenhouse. 



Celosias [E. #.).— The roots must be kept active. Apply a little tepid 

 liquid manure. 



Sea Sand for Gardens (An Old Subscriber}.— The valae and usefulness 

 of such sand for the propagation of cuttings and raising seedlings altogether 

 depends upon the proportion of saline particles which it contains, a super- 

 abundance being likely to prove fatal to tender growth of seedlings. You 

 can, however, readily test it before accumulating any quantity, and we shall 

 be glad to learn the result. Sand impregnated with oxide of iron is fatal to 

 most, but not quite all seedlings. The seed vegetates freely enough in it, but 

 the cuticle of the seedlings is destroyed so quickly that every plant dis- 

 appears in a few day3. The smd and half-decayed mussel shells will un- 

 doubtedly prove highly beneficial (o your stiff loam. 



Najues of Fruits. — Our best authority being absent our correspondents 

 must wait a week or two for the identification of fruits they have sent. 



Names of Plants (J. G. G.).— 1, Aspidium angulare; 2, Asplenium flac- 

 cidum; 3, A. Hookerianum (?); 4, Dicksonia antarctica or a close ally; 

 5, Blechnum occidentale ; 6, Onychium japonieum. (R. A. P.). — 5, Cystopteris 

 fragilis; 6, Polypodium Phegopteris. {John),— 1, Pteris serrulata; 2, Pteris 

 cretica; 8, Lygodium japouicum; 4, Selaginella uncinata. (W. W. A.).— 

 Ceratopteris thalictroides. {E. H. B.). — Tritonia aurea. (Qrilloote).— Hedy- 

 chium. (J. <?.).— 1 and 3, Nephrodium dilatatum; 4, Probably Nephiodiuin 

 ffimulum; 2, Indeterminable. (J. P.). — 1, Veronica spicata; 2, Isolepis gra- 

 cilis; 3, Achillea millefolium, iff.'.— Aster Tradescanti? (I. £.).— Nican- 

 dra physaloides. (21. B.).— Ljsimachia vulgaris. [John Horton,).— It is 

 probably a Cotoneaster. {Murck).— The Field Sow Thistle (Sonchus ar- 

 vensis). 



POULTKY, BEE, AND PIGEOK 0HE0HI0LE. 



THE OXFORD POULTRY SHOW SCHEDULE. 



The sixth Oxford Show is to take place on October 24th and 

 25th. The career of this favourite Show has been a successful 

 one. It has increased in popularity and strength until now it 

 has become nearly the second in importance. We hope Oxford 

 has not yet gained the summit of its success, and that when it 

 does reach it that there it may remain. Too large a committee 

 generally do more harm than good, but when only the names of 

 two or three gentlemen appear upon a schedule as the commit- 

 tee many wonder why more neighbouring fanciers have not 

 embarked in the enterprise, and are wont to fear that some sort 

 of private speculation has been the cause. We can tell of one 

 or two great shows which began with a certain number of com- 

 mitteemen, and allowed that number from various causes to 

 decrease until only two or three gentlemen remained, who, 

 having the veins in their own hands, tried to ride roughshod 

 over exhibitors, and they failed. We trust this may never occur 

 to Oxford. There are many good fanciers in the city and its 

 environs, and we hope that, aB the number from any cause 

 lessens of the present Committee, the ranks may be replenished. 

 It has not been done hitherto, for we can remember other names 

 in the list which do not now exist; some because removed by 

 death, and others from resignation; and now we learn that two 

 more of the number intend to take their names from the list 

 of the Committee after this Show. We have even heard that 

 the Secretary has in contemplation the removal of his name as 

 well. For the sake of this Exhibition we must here publicly beg 

 him to continue, for there is no other gentleman connected with 

 the Show who could manage the working of this Exhibition. 



The schedule this year is better than ever. Its excellent 

 classification is remarkable, for nearly every existing breed is 

 here provided for. There are as many cups for the poultry as 

 there are weeks in the year, while Pigeons have also a very 

 large number; and for all these pieces of plate, liberal prizeF, 

 and the entry fee is only 6s. a pen for poultry and 3s. 6d. for 

 Pigeons. We do trust all exhibitors will note this, for in these 

 days of frightfully exorbitant entrance fees a show whose prize 

 money is large and the opportunities of obtaining it so inexpen- 

 sive requires hearty support. Among the rules we note that all 

 the modern improvements are in vogue here, and we see that 

 the Committee rightly reserve the power to refuse any entries 

 and to elect an additional Judge if required, but we confess we 



see with regret that the price of a catalogue is raised to Is. It 

 is far too much, and we heard at Ipswich loud and frequent 

 complaints of the price of the catalogues, though they were, as 

 they are at Oxford, got up in first-class style. Among the various 

 classes for poultry we will only touch upon the particular ones. 

 Black Cochin breeders will hail their class surely with gladnes3 

 after the insult they have received at the Alexandra Palace, 

 where they are entirely omitted, while their cross-bred allies 

 the "Long-shins" have a class and a cup. Black Bed Game 

 cockerels here have a £10 cup and pullets a £a 5s. one, while 

 there is also a £3 one for undubbed cockerels. Polands, Blacks, 

 Silvers, and Golds, each have a cup, and so have Browu and 

 White Leghorns, Silkies, Sultans, Andalusians, and Malays. 

 For the Variety class there remain only La Fieche, Minorcas, 

 Chamois, Polands, and such odds and ends. The Waterfowl 

 have grand opportunities of showing themselves. There are 

 classes for Aylesburies, Bouens, Black East Indians, Pekins, 

 Call, Mandarin, and Carolinas, and any other variety not before 

 mentioned. Pheasants, too, have a class, and Turkeys and Geese 

 each a cup. Six selling classes with an entrance fee of 5s. per 

 pen and twenty-three prizes finish this section, where the awards 

 will be made by Messrs. Hewitt and Teebay ; and the various 

 classes each gentleman will adjudicate upon, as well aB the 

 allotted portions in the Pigeons to Messrs. Allsopp, Esquilant, 

 and Jones, will be next week announced in these columns. The 

 entries will close on Saturday, October Gtb, but entries posted 

 on that day will be in time. The Pigeons have seventy-five 

 classes, of which Dragoons have eighteen, CarrierB eight, Tum- 

 blers six, Antwerps seven, wis five, Jacks five, Pouters five, 

 Turbits four, Magpies three, Fantails two, and Nuns, Archangels, 

 Swallows, and the Variety class one each. — W. 



THE AQUARIUM PIGEON SHOW. 



SECOXD NOTICE. 



In resuming the subject of the Aquarium Show I would begia 

 by stating that I never at any show saw the birds better looked 

 after. F^od supply, water supply, sand, all excellent. There 

 are some occupations — would there were more — suited to women, 

 and among them the care of birds, but until recently I never 

 saw this work in the hands of a woman ; but at the last Show, 

 as at this, the chief feeder was a daughter of the late Mr. Cum- 

 mins, a fancier of former years. Well did Miss Cummins do 

 her work; she delights in the birds, and loves to be among 

 them. Such a good feeder is a gain to fanciers, and I hope to 

 see her employed at other shows. 



In future poultry exhibitions at the Aquarium I hope the 

 Pigeons will have the gallery, where they could be well seen 

 and no pens be one above another. I now am standing in front 

 of the Blue Pied Pouter cocks. Here the chief object of interest 

 is the bird who wins Captain Hill's challenge cup value fifteen 

 guineas, the same bird to win it three times. The same owner 

 and bird have won it twice — Mr. MoCulloch of Belfast; but Mr. 

 Baker's bird won this time. Both on Tuesday and Wednesday 

 this bird was so hopelessly out of show when I saw it — a mere 

 mass of misery, with its crop hanging, that I could not jadge of 

 its merits ; as show, or even move, it would not. " Sick and 

 sad " was my verdict. The other bird of Mr. Baker's does not 

 call for particular notice; but, as recorded last week, the very 

 highly commended of Mr. Fulton will be the bird of the future. 

 The Black Pied. — These are getting more slender, but are they 

 quite as good in colour by the orossing to get the slenderness ? 

 This first was also, with Bbape and half-moon, also of a good 

 colour. The Yellow and Bed cocks. — FirBt a Yellow, second 

 Yellow also, but poor in colour ; third a Bed; very highly com- 

 mended (567) capital as a Pouter, but too gay in crop. The 

 White Pouter cocks formed an excellent class, one getting cap. 

 The third (Mrs. Ladd) was sadly in moult. If the White cocks 

 were good the White hens were even better. Messrs. Bidley 

 and Dye were the moBt successful. The Blue Pied hens were 

 less to be remarked, while the Black Pied shot clear above them, 

 the cup hen having limb, colour, and shape, and being altogether 

 excellent. The Yellow hens— first Bidley &Dye, the best Yellow 

 in the Show. The other colour and marking cock or hen had as 

 Al a good Mealy of the true colour, with the usual Mealy excel- 

 lence in shape, good globe, and great length. The Pigmies were 

 in both classes very numerous, and the effort to breed them of 

 standard markings seems to be more and more successful. The 

 first hen was really a good Blue Pouter in miniature colour, 

 bars, and shape ; and the third cock was the same, but not so 

 good; while the third hen was a fair Biue but bishoped. 



Passing on I reach the Carriers. As showing how rare is very 

 great excellence in fancy birds, as in everything else, here were 

 only three to compete properly qualified as having won not less 

 than three first prizes of value. Mr. Ecroyd's bird, which cost 

 him £100, was winner, but the two next were close upon his heels, 

 particularly the Duu. There the three birds stood, the cream 

 of the Carrier world. Among the old Black cocks Mr. Hedley's, 

 though ragged with moult, was first, as he deserved to be ; a fine 

 three-year-old bird. Ab a class the old Black cooks were excel- 



