JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
140 
f February 17, 1881. 
its tender sappy stage of growth being most open to the insect’s attacks. As a 
further precaution, the plants before being placed in the ground should be dipped 
up to the leaves in a puddle formed of half soot and half garden soil, which 
adheres to the stems and roots and renders them distasteful to the insects. 
Peach Tree Buds Dropping (IF. F.. Rei<jate).—The system of forcing 
you appear to have adopted is a very satisfactory one, and should not be the 
cause of the buds falling from your tree. There are many minute causes which 
will result in Peach trees throwing off a number of their buds, which can 
scarcely be determined without a thorough knowledge of the treatment of the 
trees after they shed their foliage, and the condition of the roots and growth. 
Dryness at the roots during the resting period will cause the buds to fall soon 
after starting, and many failures result from this cause alone. Again, if the 
trees have been suddenly changed from the treatment they would receive while 
resting to that of closing the house to maintain a given temperature with in¬ 
sufficient air, that is sufficient to cause the buds to fall from some varieties, 
while others would not be affected by such a sudden change. The Royal George 
is much better adapted for early forcing than the Noblesse, and is not so likely 
to east off its buds if kept a little too close as would be the case with the latter 
variety. In forcing the Noblesse in an early house more air should play about 
the tree from first starting, or the buds are almost sure to fall as soon as there 
is the slightest move perceptible. It is not really suitable for a very early house, 
and does much better in a cooler position. IV ben forced early it must be very 
carefully and gradually brought forward with abundance of air night and day 
if success is to be looked for. If the wood has been crowded in the trees, or 
left too thickly so that sun and air could not penetrate to thoroughly ripen it, 
the buds are always liable to fall when the trees have been started early. The 
flow pipe being pressed into the bark of your tree is certainly prejudicial to its 
well-being, and may be the cause of the buds falling. If the, tree has been 
planted the number of years you say, and has never been lifted or disturbed, the 
roots may have penetrated into bad soil, or if the border has become sour in 
any way the buds are almost sure to fall. It would be well to carefully lift the 
tree after its growth is made, and some time before the foliage falls, bringing 
the roots nearer the surface, and adding some fresh soil about them. It should 
be kept well syringed and shaded for a time after lifting to keep the foliage 
fresh until fresh roots are formed. It would not be wise under the circum¬ 
stances to lift it now. Heavy cropping for a 1 number of years is a sure cause of 
failure and proves in the long run a gigantic evil, and judging from the number 
of fruits you say has been taken from the tree is sufficient alone to cause the 
failure. What appears to be light cropping for a few years in the end often 
proves too heavy, and exhausts the energies of the trees until they force upon 
cultivators a season of rest—" free from the strain of fruit-bearing so as to 
recruit themselves. 
Vines for Planting (A Reader, Ayr )_Shorten the canes at once as you 
propose, and dress the wounds with styptic or painter’s knotting to prevent 
bleeding. Keep them in a cool house so that they may start in to _ growth gradu¬ 
ally, and when the growths have fairly started, say half an inch long, turn the 
Vines out of the pots, removing all the soil from the roots, lay them out quite 
straight in the border, cover them 4 inches deep with soil, give them water at a 
temperature of 100°, and then mulch the surface of the border with manure. 
The soil in which they are planted should be fresh turfy loam, and if a fourth of 
wood ashes or charred refuse can be mixed with it, it will be an advantage. The 
stems of the Vines should not be buried much if any deeper than they are now 
in the pots. 
Names of Plants (>?. B.). —1, Phaius grandifolius ; 2, b’enecio macroglossa ; 
3, Fittonia Pearcei. {Inquirer ).—'The specimen with rose-coloured flowers is 
Centropogon Lucyanus; the other appears to be a garden variety of Helleborus 
atrornbens. {Amateur). — 1, Pteris cretica albo-lineata ; 2, insufficient, but 
probably Pteris arguta ; 3, apparently a small specimen of Phlebodium aureum. 
Stewarton Hive Management (/. A'.).—You would increase breeding 
space by putting your second box (body box) under the full one, at the same time 
closing its door and allowing the bees to enter through the lower box only. 
The slides will all be withdrawn from the lower box, but short stops— i.e.. small 
pieces of slide, will be inserted to prevent the escape of bees. Whenever it may 
be necessary to separate the boxes or remove supers a thin wire must first bo 
passed between them to cut all comb attachments. Bees build comb to the 
bottom of sections when they can pass freely under them, but not in any 
other case, and this is a rule of universal application, therefore the body boxes 
would be united as you suspect. A book by the Rev. E. Bartrum on the manage¬ 
ment of the Stewarton is now in the press and will be shortly issued by Longman 
and Co.—F. C. 
COVENT GARDEN MARKET.—FEBRUARY 16. 
OUR market remains the same as last week. 
Apples. J sieve 2 
Apricots. box 0 
Cherries. lb. 0 
Chestnuts. bushel 12 
FRUIT. 
8. d. 
Figs. 
Filberts. 
Cobs. 
Gooseberries 
Grapes 
dozen 0 
IFft. 0 
lb 2 
| sieve 0 
3 
d. 
6to4 6 
0 0 0 
0 0 0 
0 IS 0 
0 0 0 
0 0 
0 0 
0 0 
8 0 
Lemons. IS* case 12 0 18 0 
Melons . 
Nectarines.. .. 
Oranges . 
Peaches . 
Pears,kitchen 
dessert. 
Pine Apples .. 
Plums . 
Walnuts . 
ditto . 
s. d. s. d. 
each o OtoO 0 
dozen 00 00 
^ 100 0 0 
dozen 0 o 
0 0 
0 0 
dozen 2 o 
dozen 2 0 
1 0 
1 sieve o o 
bushel 0 o 
v ioo o o 
3 0 
4 0 
2 0 
0 0 
0 0 
0 0 
VEGETABLES. 
Artichokes. dozen 2 
Asparagus. bundle 0 
Beans,Kidney .... ¥>100 1 0 
Beet,Red. dozen 1 0 
Broccoli. bundle 0 9 
Brussels Sprouts.. J sieve 0 9 
Cabbage. dozen 0 6 
Carrots. bunch 0 4 
Capsicums. ^100 1 6 
Cauliflowers. dozen 0 0 
Celery . bundle 1 6 
Coleworts_doz. bunches 2 o 
Cucumbers. each 0 6 
Endive. dozen 1 0 
Fennel. bunch 0 3 
Garlic . ^fb. 0 6 
Herbs. bunch o 2 
Leeks. bunch 0 3 
d. s. d. 
0to4 0 
0 0 0 
2 0 
3 6 
0 0 
0 4 
s. d. s. d 
punnet 1 0 to 1 6 
Mushrooms .. 
Mustird&Cress .. punnet 0 2 
Onions. bushel 3 6 
pickling. quart 0 0 
Parsley. doz.bunches 6 0 
Parsnips. dozen l 
Peas . quart 0 
Potatoes. bushel 3 
Kidney. bushel 4 
Radishes.... doz .bunches 1 
Rhubarb. bundle 0 
Salsafy. bundle 1 
Scorzonera . bundle l 
Seakale . basket 
Shallots 
Spinach 
Turnips 
0 
0 
9 
0 
6 
4 
0 
« 
0 
%» IF. 0 3 
0 3 
5 0 
0 0 
0 0 
2 0 
o e 
0 0 
bushel 3 
bunch 0 
Vegetable Marrows each 0 0 
POULTRY AND PIGEON CHRONICLE. 
THE COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGES OF FATTENING 
BULLOCKS AND SHEEP. 
It has always appeared to us that farmers in general have 
held ideas upon this matter which were vague, and frequently 
not founded on calculation, so as to enable them to form a just 
estimate of the advantages of keeping sheep for fattening purposes 
in preference to bullocks, and vice versa. A friend once told us 
that since we .had a discussion upon the subject he had seen 
many farmers, and had been surprised at the apparent difficulty 
most of them experienced in answering the question addressed 
to them in reference to it, and likewise at the wide range of the 
replies. The question was, “ How many sheep do you consider 
equal in consuming powers to a bullock ? ”• Some replied five, 
and other ten—a very wide difference to exist among practical 
men. We therefore undertake the task of giving the home farmer 
a series of calculations, which, although the subject is extremely 
intricate and complicated, we have based not only upon our own 
experience, but they are supported also by the able assistance of 
many practical agriculturists, and in consequence may be accepted 
as a close approximation to the truth. As evidences of the com¬ 
plicated and difficult task we have undertaken we propose only 
on the present occasion to draw comparisons between bullocks 
and fatting sheep during the winter months, and upon such food 
as usually forms the diet of these animals on the arable farms 
of different districts of the kingdom. The cost and feeding of 
bullocks and sheep of various ages and at different periods of 
the year would,--indeed, be a large subject, and it is from that 
circumstance we desire to limit our observations and calculations 
on-this occasion to the comparative advantages of fatting bullocks 
and sheep on parable farms only, chiefly because we intend on a 
future opportunity to take up the same subject, referring only to 
fatting on the grass and pasture farms. In order to carry out our 
intentions we shall confine our comparisons and calculations to 
the feeding of’cattle and sheep in the winter months, because 
root-feeding at this period of the year is the basis of fatting for 
both these kinds of stock. We purpose limiting the period of 
fatting by taking the period of twenty weeks, say from the middle 
of October to the middle of March, so that the best time for winter 
feeding may be chosen for the purpose. 
In commencing we introduce a few remarks upon ascertaining, 
if possible, the particular stock best adapted to arable farms in 
general, and which yield the most profit in consuming roots and 
other crops for the purpose of manuring the land. No doubt 
some farmers will consider that the keeping of stock seldom 
yields a profit in itself, and will view it chiefly as an agricultural 
operation, whereby we may dispose of certain vegetable products 
of the farm, which frequently cannot be sold in any other way 
than by the production of live stock, and also as a means whereby 
we may be enabled to manure our arable land. As the basis of 
our arguments relating to this interesting and important subject 
we will proceed to give a statement of our estimates of cost of 
feeding and the food consumed by both oxen and sheep in the 
manner which they are treated upon arable farms in general— 
namely, the oxen under cover and the sheep in the open field, and 
by taking it in this way it is no proposal of ours, or whether it is 
fair or unfair. It is sufficient for the practical statement which 
