September G, 18(54. ] 



JOURNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



199 



Aquatics in Pots (Ri/yhy). — You may grow some in pots or pans without 

 holes in them, or these closed up. if you place a few inches of stiff loam at the 

 bottom. We have grown many kinds in pans, 1 foot 6 inches wide and 1 foot 

 deep, without any holes of course at the bottom, this and the outside being 

 glazed. At the bottom we placed from 4 to 6 inches of stiff loam two-thirds, 

 and spongy boggy peat one-third, and in this compost we put in the plants, 

 one or more in each according to the size, making them secure with a few 

 stones upon the roots, or fastening them with pegs. Sufficient water was 

 then added to allow of the lea"es floating, or just covering them if of erect 

 habit, adding "more water as growth advanced until the pan was full to the 

 brim. Aquatics require a light and airy situation, and the temperature 

 necessary for the species. Rain water is the most suitable for them, though 

 hard water will do if exposed to the atmosphere some time prior to using 

 it. You name Pontederas, of which Pontedera eordata and P. angusti- 

 folia are all but if not quite hardy, but they do well in a greenhouse tem- 

 perature ; P. azurea, from Jamaica, requires a warm greenhouse ; and 

 P. lanceolata a temperature of at least 45° in winter to do well ; P. crassipes, 

 from Guiana, requires the heat of a warm stove ; and P. dilatata the or- 

 dinary heat of a stove ; Thalia dealbata, from South Carolina, does well in 

 a warm greenhouse. In addition to these you may have Richardia 

 iethiopica maculata, a fine-leaved kind, and the species; Peltandra vir- 

 .giniana, the majestic Papyrus elegans, the Two-spined Water Caltrops 

 (Trapa bispinosa), which is a biennial; the Two-horned (T. bicornis), a 

 perennial from China ; Sagittaria graminea, S. Doniana, and S. lancifolia. 



Insects, Destroyino ( V. 67. C.).— Syringing the foliage of the Dianthus 

 with tobacco water made by pouring a gallon of boiling water on an ounce 

 of shag tobacco will free them of the aphis, but it may be necessary to repeat 

 the dose. Water freely at the roots with weak liquid manure, which may 

 be made by dissolving 2 ozs. of guano in a gallon of rain water, and (his 

 with frequent sprinklings of"water overhead should enable your plants to 

 outgrow the enemy. As the seeds of the Kaulfussia did not come up they 

 must have been bad or sown too deeply. Insects had nothing to do with 

 destroying them. Give the ground a dressing of qnieklime in the spring, 

 or in the autumn if the ground be then dug, and another dressing of soot in 

 the spring, which should be mixed with the soil or forked-in, and this will 

 improve the soil and render it distasteful to worms and grubs. 



Flower-garuen Plan (J. W. Boyd).— We have r.o fault whatever to find 

 with the proposed plan of the flower garden in front of the range of houses. 

 Such a plan would look best with slate, stone, or Box edgings, and gravel 

 between. There scarcely seems room enough for grass between the beds. 

 Well planted, the pair of similar groups, of five clumps each, would look 

 well. We cannot say so much for the proposed arrangement on the south 

 and lower level of lawn. Why should the Wellingtonia be placed in the 

 centre of the diamond in the middle I and what beauty can there be in the 

 four acute-angled triangles round it? As the Pinus tribe flourish so well 

 with you, suppose that you place the Wellingtonia on the open lawn, and 

 two Araucarias and two Deodars in the four corners, so as to give them 

 room to grow, and then have a couple of ovals or circles for the Sikkim 

 Rhododendrons. The roundness of their outline will contrast favourably 

 with the acute ancles on the upper terrace, but which there are quite at home. 

 jT» re t ' ie l nner platform made into a flower garden, we would have a 

 different style from that adopted on the upper platform. We are pleased to 

 hear of the health of the Vines, Araucarias, Rhododendrons, &c. The only 

 e ??>f nati0n wllicQ we can offer as t0 3* our n °t finding flower-garden plans 

 at the p.tges you mention, is that you must have taken up the wrong volume. 

 Ihe references are quite correct as applied to Vol. VI., to -which they belong. 

 Wall Trees Infested with Insects {S. T.).— Any time after the leaves 

 have fallen up to the middle of February undo the trees from the wall, and 

 it the mortar be much perished point up the nail-holes; and when this is 

 done paint the wall from top to bottom with half a peck of lime, an equal 

 quantity of soot, and 2 lbs. of sulphur vivum, made into the consistency of 

 thick paint by a sufficiency of urine heated to boiling point. This solution 

 well rubbed into every hole and crevice of the wall will be a dish that few 

 insects like. In addition to this the trees should be dressed with a solution 

 of sulphur vivum 2 lbs., soft soap 2 lbs., and 1 lb. of the strongest shag 

 tobacco. Boil the tobacco in water for an hour and let it stand until cool, 

 re . stl ' a ' n ' and dissolve the soft soap in it, and add the sulphur and 

 sufficient hot water to make it five gallons at a temperature of 160°. 

 "ith this paint every shoot and stem, rubbing it well into every hole and 

 crevice of the bark and joints of the wood, being careful not to dislodge the 

 'ruit-buds. The wash should he applied with a brush, and in winter before 

 the buds begin to swell. An effectual mode of exterminating ants is to mix 

 arsenic with sugar and water to the consistency of treacle, or equal quan- 

 tities of honey and arsenic, either of which the ants greedily devour ; but 

 care must be taken that no animal have access to it. Guano will drive 

 them away, and lime water will dislodge them. See remarks on this 

 subject in Nos. 178 and 179. 



Names op Plants (4. 21.). -Tour "Thistle" is not a Thistle, but Trago- 

 pogon pratensis, or yellow Goat's-beard. The otherplant is Helianthemum 

 vulgare, common Rock-rose or Dwarf Cistus. (Alpha, Acton).— 1, Poly- 

 podium vulgare cambricum ; 2, Lastrea dilatata. (_E. F.).—l, Spiranthes 

 autumnahs; 2, Asplenium trichomanes ; 3. Doodia caudata; 4, Onychium 

 auratum ; 5, Doodia media. (If. D., Richmond).— Tour plant is not a true 

 Bignonia, but belongs to the allied genus Pithecocteniura. As far as we 

 can make out it is an undescribed species, but we will endeavour to ascertain 

 more about it. The flowering of the Ailanthus is not an uncommon event. 



judges fully bears that out. The Club, we know, has many 

 enemies, but I am pleased to say treble the number of 

 friends ; and, as a member of it, I fearlessly assert its sole 

 object is " a fair field, and that the best birds may win." 

 Its rules, with which so much fault is found, I admit are not 

 faultless ; but, then, my principle is not to cry the whole 

 thing down, but join, and then remedy the fault. Poultry 

 shows are surely few enough (at least, of this stamp), and 

 keep getting less, so that, instead of opposing, it should be 

 the earnest desire of all exhibitors to work together to 

 establish such Shows as these on a sound and firm basis. I 

 fearlessly maintain a more suitable building, or a better 

 manager than Mr. Douglas (if his equal), cannot be found. 

 As regards the appointment of Judges, I, for one — and I 

 never heard but the one opinion — consider it far better the 

 Judges' names should not be published, or that even they 

 should be selected so long in advance. Three gentlemen will 

 be at Islington of well-acknowledged repute, and who have 

 the confidence of exhibitors in general. They were once 

 large and most successful breeders, though now retiring 

 from the arena as exhibitors. 



" An Exhibitor " seems hard put to, to find fault when 

 lie wants to know who guarantees the payment of the prizes. 

 Have the former Shows broken faith with their supporters ? 

 I challenge "An Exhibitor" to prove anything at all 

 against them ; and I doubt not, if there be many of his 

 class, which I do not for one moment suspect there are, the 

 whole of the money would be lodged in some bank, or the 

 Editors' hands. 



In conclusion, I would fain urge exhibitors to pull together 

 and support such Shows, and not condemn anything with- 

 out a trial. I trust to see such a gathering that has never 

 before been witnessed in the metropolis. — A Steward. 



POULTRY, BEE, and HOUSEHOLD CHEOUICLE. 



THE AGRICULTURAL HALL SHOW AND 

 THE POULTRY CLUB. 



I did not intend to enter into the above controversy, but 

 the letter of "An Exhibitor " demands some notice, so I 

 trust you will allow me a short space' in your columns. 



What the motive can be for attacking the Show I cannot 

 conceive. I believe the Show to be got up on the most im- 

 partial principle, and the fact of asking the Club to select 



DEWSBURY POULTRY AND PIGEON 

 EXHIBITION. 



Tear by year this Show has risen in public estimation, 

 and without a doubt the meeting just held has been the 

 most successful of any. This is a matter of congratulation, 

 but at the same time it is the just reward of the efforts 

 made by the directing Committee ; and with care it is pro- 

 bable that the Dewsbury future shows will stand high in 

 the ranks of our poultry exhibitions. 



There is one little comment to be made on the arrange- 

 ments. The pens might be improved ; and as the wirework 

 is fast becoming imperfect, we would suggest in future 

 shows either to renew it altogether, or to provide new wire 

 folding-pens. These would soon give a return of the first 

 outlay if lent out to neighbouring shows on hire, or even, in 

 fact, by the advantages they would afford to the Dewsbury 

 Show alone, if laid by from year to year. August 31st, 

 the day of the Show, was one of those eccentric vicissitudes 

 of weather for which our fatherland is so proverbial. At the 

 earliest dawn everything promised most favourably. About 

 six o'clock a.m. a scudding shower caused a little anxiety, but 

 it was so transient that all fears were soon banished by a 

 temporary sunshine. At eight, however, the most gloomy 

 apprehensions were hopelessly indulged in by the reputedly 

 weatherwise. It rained for an hour incessantly, and so 

 violently that the workmen employed could not possibly go 

 on, and every one deplored the now apparent certainty of 

 complete failure. Every object as far as the eye could reach 

 was completely drenched, and as an aged agriculturist ob- 

 served in our hearing, " this is a glorious rain for our turnips 

 and pasture lands, but it's certainly settled the Show." We, 

 as did all others, rejoiced to find his prophecy unfulfilled, for 

 between nine and ten a good sharp breeze arose, the sun 

 shone with redoubled power, the roads and grass were soon 

 equally dry, matters progressed rapidly, and though the 

 Show was a little delayed, the event proved that, nothing 

 daunted, one continuous throng of visitors filled the grounds 

 from midday to nightfall. 



As to the quality of the Poultry and Pigeons all were 

 exceedingly good, but the old birds did not show to the 

 advantage they will do when they have attained full feather. 

 We purpose, therefore, confining our remarks to a few only 

 of the principal pens that had somewhat renewed their 

 plumage. In Cochins Miss Beldon exhibited some first*rate 



