Oduber 10, 1872. ] 



JOURNAL OF HOETICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEE. 



295 



not syringe overhead, but sprinkle the stage and other surfaces with water once 

 or twice a-day. Of syringing overhead it is very impatient, but during the 

 growing season it cannot have too moist an atmosphere ; do Dot wet the plant 

 overhead, but water it freely. Slight shade from bright snn from March to 

 October is necessary ; keep the plants about a foot front the glass, and admit 

 air moderately. 



Clisiber for Ferxery (Quisquis). — You do not say what the temperature 

 of the fernery is. It may be that of a stove. A fast-growing climber for it 

 is Passiflora calycina, with blue and purplish red flowers. The growth is very 

 rapid, and the foliage dense. P. Decaisneana has magnificent leaves, and 

 the largest flower of all the Passion-flowers. It is of rapid growth. For a 

 greenhouse fernery, Tacsonia Yan-Volsenii, T. mollissima, and Passiflora 

 Countess Nesselrode are all free-growing — in fact, of very rapid growth ; the 

 first and third have very ornamental flowers. Plant out in a border of two 

 parts fibrous loam, one part each sandy peat and leaf soil, with a free ad- 

 mixture of sharp sand. The border should be well drained. 



Names of Insects (J. B.). — The black objects on your gnawed Pear leaves 

 are the cast and dried skins of the slimy larva of the little black- winged Saw- 

 fly, Selandria aethiops. (A Subscribe}-). — The little red insects which cover 

 some of the bunches of your Grapes are the small species of mite so injuri- 

 ous in hothouses, generally miscalled the red spider. — I. 0. Yv\_ 



Names of Fungi IDownie). — 1, Lactarius quietus; ic smells, as Berkeley 

 says, like bugs, and we cannot recommend it for the table. Under trees. 



2, Agaricus fascicularis, poisonous — smell it. On old stumps. 3, Agaricus 

 granulosus, pretty and common. We do not know its qualities. Mossy pas- 

 tures. 4, Hygrophorus virgineus, edible. Pastures. 5, Agaricus phalloides, 

 poisonous — smell it. Under trees. We request that all correspondents who 

 send fungi for naming will keep numbered duplicates for reference, or our 

 time and trouble are thrown away. — W. G. S. 



Names of Fruits (Centurion).— Pears. — 1, Cbaumontel; 2, Prevost; 3> 

 Beurre d'Aremberg; 5, Bonne d'Ezee. Apples. — Keinette Boyale and Pit- 

 maston Nonpareil are correct ; that from an old tree is Kavelstone Pippin. 

 (-V. T. Smith). — 1, Passe Colmar; 2, Beurre d'Aremberg; 3, Ne Plus 

 Bleuris. (J. K. Y.i. — 1, a local variety, worthless; 2, Scarlet Leadington; 



3, Unknown. (P. D. M.). — 1, Kerry Pippin; 2, Braddick's Nonpareil; 3, 

 Beauty of Kent; 4, Flemish Beauty; 5, Beurre d'Amanlis ; 6, Louise Bonne 

 of Jersey. (S. H. H.i. — Longville's Kernel. (A. Atkinson). — 1, Bedford- 

 shire Foundling ; 2, Carlisle Codlin ; 3, Cellini; 4, Calville rouge d'Ete; 

 5, Christie's Pippin; 7, Early Julien; 8, Striped Beefing. (W. Miiller).— 

 1, Mere de Menage; 2, Eibston Pippin; 3, Belle deNoel; 4, Not known, 

 evidently worthless. (S.P.I. — 1, BeunvDiel; 2, Beurre^ d'Aremberg; 3, Louise 

 Bonne of Jersey ; 5, Beurre de Capiaumont ; 6, Brown Beurre. . 



Names of Plants (A. B.). — No. 1 is Cupressus torulosa; No. 2, Pinus syl- 

 vestris nucinata. (Lady By ng). — Acer platanoides, the Plane-like or Norway 

 Maple. iG.R. G.). — Your Fern is Cyrtomiumfalcatum. Notrare. (J.H.Ley). 

 1, Asplenium angustifolium ; 2, Aspidium acrostichoides. (A Subscriber). — 



1, Pellaea hastata; 2, Asplenium marinum. (M. E.). — 1, Asplenium flaccidum ; 



2, Onychium japonieum ; 3,- Athyrium Filix-fcemina; 4, Davallia novae- 

 zelandiae ; 5, Monstrosity of Lastrea Filix-mas; 6, Indeterminable; 7, Pteris 

 arguta. (George Strickland). — Asplenium Trichomanes, and a seedling of 

 some Lastrea. (P. D. G.). — Indeterminable. 



POTJLTEY, BEE, ATO PIQEON 0HE0NI0LE. 



THE CBTSTAL PALACE POULTRY SHOW- 

 SELLING CLASSES. 



Some of the readers of " our Journal " may remember a few 

 remarks I made in the issue of January 4th this year regarding 

 the immense selling classes at the Crystal Palace Show then 

 just over. I strongly advocated the division of the classes into 

 large, medium size, and Bantams ; I also urged that there was 

 great room for an extension of classes in which purchasers might 

 obtain good birds at moderate prices, but not confined to the 

 ridiculous figure of 40s. I suggested, in fact, an entire show 

 composed solely of such classes, in which the price should be 

 limited to five or six guineas. Among the objects I named 

 which would be thus secured were — 1, That such classes would 

 attract really good birds, which could be secured by amateurs at 

 a moderate and fair price ; 2, That owners would have a good 

 chance of clearing off much stock without such a great sacrifice 

 as ordinary selling-class prices involve ; and lastly, That such 

 classes, without the evils of handicapping, would provide a fair 

 field in which beginners or inexperienced amateurs who had 

 fairly good birds might make a good fight without the certainty 

 of being outdistanced by the champion birds of the year. Both 

 of my propositions, I am glad to see, are to a great extent adopted 

 in the present Crystal Palace schedule. 



The ordinary selling classes (price not to exceed £2) are now 

 divided almost exactly as I suggested. There is a class for 

 cocks, one for hens, and one for cock and hen, devoted to the 

 large varieties of Dorkings, Brahmas, and Cochins, three similar 

 classes for the other varieties except Bantams, and a class for 

 cock and hen for Bantams only. In addition to this there is for 

 Dorkings, Cochins, and Brahmas a selling class a-piece, in which 

 a cock and hen are to be shown, the price not to exceed five 

 guineas. Why such breeds as Game and Spanish have not the 

 same privilege does not seem quite clear, but perhaps as an 

 experiment it may be wise to try it gradually. 



Regarding the general classifications this year there will be 

 more difference of opinion. I allude chiefly to the change of all 

 the hen classes to single birds. I confess that for myself I do 

 not like it. The change initiated by Birmingham of showing 

 cocks and pairs of hens separately was unquestionably a step in 

 the right direction, but a single hen is a different matter. It 



will check sales, as a single bird is not of the same use for exhi- 

 bition as a pair, while a single bird is far from the same evidence 

 as to skill in breeding which is afforded by the exhibition of a 

 nicely matched pair. Many can show one bird who could 

 not show two; but many people, also, will not like even the 

 necessity for separating favourite pairs of birds which have 

 always been together and are used to the same pen, and alto- 

 gether I rather doubt if this innovation is much liked. Carriage 

 will be saved, no doubt, but the show will to the fancier be far 

 less interesting than usual as regards the hen and pullet classes. 

 The addition of a. fourth prize in some cases is a step in the 

 right direction, but such prizes are allotted in a very capricious 

 manner : thus, Black-red Game Bantam cocks have a fourth 

 prize, hut Black-red Game have not. — L. Weight. 



BREEDING LIGHT BEAHMAS. 



The best specimens at the different shows induce me to think 

 that the breeders of this noble bird are committing great mis- 

 takes in breeding too much from what is called fashionable 

 strains. I find a loss in weight, size, and colour, poor legs, and 

 very light hackles. They ought to tlirow a dash of strange blood 

 in from a pure bird with much darker feathers and stouter make. 

 If this first crossing be not sufficiently effective, and if the mark- 

 ings or the size and health of the produce required more im- 

 provement, another cross similar to the first must be again re- 

 sorted to, and again brought back to the original type. 



I have no confidence in the permanence of a cross in the light- 

 marked breed. I mean to assert, however, that by rational 

 selection of larger and darker marked cocks with light hens, and 

 by chance in breeding from the birds which show the best 

 qualities and present the greatest likeness to one another, one 

 could, in course of time establish a strain reproducing itself with 

 something like fixity. Thus having created what we call the 

 breed, and though their acquired properties have in course of 

 time gained something like fixity, yet there is always a tendency 

 for them to lose in strength and dwindle away. It is this ten- 

 dency which it is the task of breeders to counterbalance and to 

 correct. 



Inexperienced persons are apt very often to overlook the 

 general qualifications of a bird in their ardour for cultivating a 

 single quality or developing a single point of form ; but one 

 must always have in mind that it is a common law of Nature 

 that the superior and extraordinary development of some par- 

 ticular part of an organism cannot be obtained except at the ex- 

 pense of the rest, thus committing great errors which it takes 

 years to eradicate. It must also be borne in mind that it has 

 been asserted by physiologists that the young partake more of 

 the male's external form and of the female's internal organs. — 

 W. J. Ford, Humberstone, Leicestershire. 



CUPS FOB THE GBEATEST NUMBEE OF 

 POINTS AT PIGEON SHOWS. 



I obsekve in your paper of last week a paragraph announcing 

 the date and referring to the schedule of Devizes Show. I notice 

 there is a silver cup offered to the exhibitor gaining the greatest 

 number of points in Pigeons. Now, is this offered in order to 

 increase the number of entries, or to bring together the best 

 birds ? If for the latter, that object will be attained; but if for 

 the former, then I think the Committee will be disappointed — 

 for we find of late, wherever a cup is offered to the exhibitor 

 gaining the greatest number of points, that three-fourths of the 

 entries are made by one or two professional dealers. Take, for 

 instance, the late Worcester Show. Two cups were offered to 

 the exhibitor gaining the greatest number of points in Pigeons ; 

 and good as the schedule was, we find out of the first seven 

 classes there are forty-three entries, out of which twenty-seven 

 are entered by two professional dealers, and the remaining six- 

 teen by eight amateurs. 



At Colchester Show, held in the beginning of this year, there 

 was a cup given to the exhibitor gaining the greatest number 

 of points in the Pigeon classes, and what do we find is the 

 result ? I will repeat the words of the Field — " We cannot 

 understand why committees will offer these cups. They always 

 lead to borrowing and dishonest exhibiting, and lessen greatly 

 the total number of entries, as exhibitors and breeders of one or 

 two varieties will not show when they are aware that, to win 

 the points, cup birds will be borrowed from every possible 

 quarter by the competitors. This was the case in this compe- 

 tition, where the winning stock of a well-known dealer who was 

 not nominally an exhibitor made its appearance in the pens of 

 one of the competitors." This is certainly sufficient evidence 

 to show that if committees of Pigeon shows intend to have a 

 good show they must either give at least four silver cups or 

 none at all. — Salisbury. 



Norfolk and East of England Poultry Show. — This is to 

 be held in the Corn Hall, Norwich, December 11th and 12th 



