November 22, 1888. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
455 
be well and thoroughly mixed together. The peat and loam should be 
chopped with a spade into moderate-sized pieces, but upon no consideration 
should it be sifted. Orange trees, when growing, should be kept in a 
temperature of 60° or 65°, and treated to copious showers from the syringe 
two or three times in the day ; indeed, at any time, saving when they are 
in flower, occasional syringing is very beneficial, though it must be resorted 
to in a less degree during the blooming period than in the growing season. 
These plants can withstand uninjured a very low temperature, but are 
certainly better if kept at about 48° during winter. The Citrus family must 
have good exposure to the sun to induce them to flower and fruit freely ; yet, 
as the leaves will become yellow.and sickly-looking if fully exposed, they 
must have a certain amount of shading during the brightest part of the day 
■during summer. 
Ranunculuses (J. C .).—The tubers may be safely stored in a mixture of 
sawdust and cocoa nut fibre refuse, quite dry or in dry sand. The best 
•season for planting is in the early spring, as soon as the most severe frosts 
have passed and the ground has become tolerably dry. Some time about 
the end of February or the first week in March, rake the surface of the 
bed in the morning of the day previous to that fixed upon for planting. 
Supposing, then, that the weather is propitious, and all things prepared, 
commence by drawing with a hoe a drill across the end of the bed 
inch deep ; if deeper the roots will be weakened the succeeding 
year, by forming a kind of stem nearer the surface ; and if shallower, the 
plants are more liable to be struck with drought. The drill being drawn 
the right depth, plant the whole of No. 1, and press each tuber slightly 
<1 own into the ground; plant them, if large, 4 inches apart in the row; 
if small, 3£ inches will be a sufficient distance. Draw a second drill 
5 inches from the first, and so on until the bed is finished. Cover the crowns 
•of each tuber with fine sand. This will cause the tubers, when they are taken 
up in July, to come out of the ground quite clean for keeping. Then, with 
a short-toothed rake, draw the soil over the tubers, and when it is level, 
with the head of the rake gently press the soil pretty closely upon them. 
The soil should be retentive of moisture. The best kind is the virgin 
mould of some alluvial soil on the banks of a river or some lowland pas¬ 
ture. It should be of a rather close texture, without any small stones or 
sand amongst it. If the situation is low, with a wet subsoil, it must be 
well drained; but if the subsoil is dry there is no necessity for drainage. 
If the soil should be thought too poor, a small addition of decayed cow- 
dung will be advisable; but it must be so decomposed as to appear like 
a. black powder. Let it be thoroughly mixed with the soil at the present 
time, and again forked over in the spring before planting. 
Culture of Vallota purpurea (W. El). —An experienced grower has 
■described the following successful practice in these pages :—The compost 
employed should consist of turfy loam with a little decayed manure and leaf 
soil, with sufficient coarse sand to keep the soil open. In potting place three 
bulbs in a well-drained 6-inch pot; if bulbs are scarce have one in a 3-inch 
pot, but I recommend the former practice where possible, as the plants will 
flower profusely and make a beautiful display. In potting place some of 
the roughest of the compost over the drainage, then three parts fill the pots 
with soil, and press it down gently to prevent it sinking too much. If 6-inch 
pots are used place the bulbs a little distance apart to allow the growth of 
■offsets. Tie the bulbs to a small stick to keep them steady, give a good 
watering through the rose of a watering can, and transfer the pots to the 
greenhouse, assigning them a position near the glass, and the bulbs will soon 
■commence growing. Never permit them to be insufficiently supplied with 
water, and in the summer months they should be sprinkled overhead. When 
the pots are quite full of roots and the flower stems appearing, weak vuano 
water may be given twice a week. After flowering remove the flower stems, 
as they exhaust the bulb ; the pots can then be placed in any sunny part of 
the greenhouse, so as to have the bulbs well ripened. The soil must not be 
allowed to become dust-dry at any time, not even in the winter months. The 
"Vallota is increased by offsets. The small bulbs can be taken in the spring, 
and are either potted singly in small well-drained pots, or placed in pans in 
a compost of half loam and leaf soil with a little sand, and if placed in a 
warm part of the greenhouse they will soon produce roots. To flower the 
plants well they must be rootbound, and three bulbs in a 6-inch pot will not 
require a larger pot for three or four years providing the drainage is open. 
Names of Fruits ( Arthur T. Clarice). —Very curious. You will see 
something like it in next week’s Journal. If not the Stoup Leadington we 
<lo not know what it is. (R . A. Turriff ).—1, Devonshire Quarrenden ; 2, 
■Gravenstein ; 3, not known. Pear, Beurrd Diel. (F. M.). —1, Winter 
Oolman; 2, Red Doyenne; 3, Cockle’s Pippin; 4, Round Winter None¬ 
such ; 5, Ashmead’s Kernel. {Fifteen-years Subscriber). —1, Beauty of Kent; 
2, Yorkshire Greening; 3, Flanders Pippin ; 4, Doctor Harvey; 5, Lemon 
Pippin; 6, Gloria Mundi. {G. B. C. W.). —It certainly is not Fearn’s 
Pippin, and on further examination we should say it is a local variety. 
We saw nothing like it at the Apple Congress. Several parcels of AjJples 
which arrived late on Wednesday morning will receive attention in the next 
issue. 
Names of Plants (G. Q.).— 1, Cestrum aurantiacum ; 2, Aspidistra lurida 
variegata. ( J. C.). —Polyporus aiustus, a lather common species in some 
parts of the country. 
COVENT GARDEN MARKET.— NOVEMBER 21ST. 
Little alteration to quote this week. Best Apples coming shorter and commanding 
better prices. Kent Cobs Sat. Vegetables in good supply. 
FRUIT. 
s. d. s. d. 
Apples.J sieve 1 6 to 4 0 
„ .. .. per barrel 0 0 0 0 
Apricots .. .. box 0 0 0 0 
■Chestnuts .. .. bushel 10 0 0 0 
Figs . dozen 0 9 10 
Filberts.lb. 1 0 0 0 
Cobs. per B. 1 6 0 0 
Grapes .... .... ft. 1 0 3 0 
Lemon. case 15 0 21 0 
s. d. s. d. 
Melons'.each 2 0 fo 3 0 
Nectarines .. .. dozen 0 0 0 0 
Oranges. 100 6 0 10 0 
Peaches. dozen 0 0 0 0 
Fears, kitchen .. dozen 0 0 0 0 
„ dessert .. dozen 10 5 0 
Pine Apples English., ft. 2 0 3 0 
Plums and Damsons .. 0 0 0 0 
Strawberries.ft. 0 0 0 0 
VEGETABLES. 
8. 
d. 
s. d. 
s. 
d. 
3. 
d. 
Artichokes 
. dozen 
a 
0 to 4 
0 
Mushrooms .. 
punnet 
1 
0 to 
1 
6 
Beans, Kidney 
ft 
0 
0 
0 
0 
Mustard and Cress 
punnet 
0 
2 
0 
0 
Beet, Red .. 
. dozen 
1 
0 
2 
0 
Onions. 
bushel 
2 
6 
3 
3 
Broccoli .. .. 
0 
9 
1 
0 
Parsley .. dozen bunches 
3 
0 
4 
0 
Brussels Sprouts 
. { sieve 
1 
6 
2 
8 
Parsnips. 
dozen 
1 
0 
2 
0 
Cabbage .. ,. 
0 
8 
1 
0 
Potatoes. 
cwt. 
4 
0 
5 
0 
Capsicums 
100 
1 
S 
2 
0 
„ Kidney . 
cwt. 
4 
0 
5 
0 
Carrots .. .. 
0 
4 
0 
0 
Rhubarb. 
bundle 
0 
4 
0 
0 
Cauliflowers ., 
. dozen 
2 
0 
3 
0 
Salsafy. 
bundle 
1 
0 
0 
0 
Celery .. .. 
1 
8 
2 
0 
Scorzonera 
bundle 
1 
6 
0 
0 
Coleworts doz 
bunches 
2 
0 
4 
0 
Seakale. 
basket 
1 
9 
2 
0 
Cucumbers ,. 
. each 
0 
4 
0 
0 
Shallots. 
0 
3 
0 
0 
Endive .. 
1 
0 
2 
0 
Spinach. 
bushel 
2 
6 
3 
8 
Herbs .. .. 
0 
2 
0 
0 
Tomatoes .. .. 
0 
3 
0 
4 
Leeks 
0 
3 
0 
4 
Turnips. 
bunch 
0 
0 
0 
0 
Lettuce ., .. 
. score 
1 
0 
1 
6 
IMPROVED DAIRY CATTLE. 
(Continued from page 43d.) 
After having given our experience and confirmed it by 
undoubted authorities, amongst whom are Mi'. W. Houseman, 
Mr. Ledgard of America, and also Mr. D. E. Wheeler of Lake 
View Farm, Natick. These gentlemen, together with various 
eminent breeders of the Guernsey cattle both in the island and 
in various parts of the kingdom, tell us plainly that without 
great care in selection of the bulls for use we may not obtain 
what we require—viz., the assurance of the quality of cream for 
butter-making as the result of the potency of the male animal in 
breeding from any animal either of pure blood or partially mixed 
breed. In selecting our bulls the type and character is of the 
greatest importance, and to illustrate our model we will speak of 
a bull shown at the Tunbridge Wells Exhibition of the Bath 
and West of England Society in 1881, of the pure Guernsey 
blood, which we find well portrayed in the Agricultural Gazette of 
August 8th, 1881, fig. 13. Tliisanimal exhibits great length of body, 
deep in the fore quarter, with a fine arched neck and crest, which 
is heavy, and finds its basis near the shoulder-top ; we therefore 
do not expect in the male animal the same bare and narrow 
shoulder point which we so much value in the cow t s as one of 
the indications of true milking capacity. It often, however, 
that it has a tendency to lower the chine and depress the outline 
when bulls are the offspring of deep milking cows, but it should 
be understood also that it is one of the corrections or alterations 
we require in the conformation of our improved animal, which 
we have a right to expect may be the result of a cross with the 
Shorthorns from careful selection, and by keeping steadily in 
view the objects which we require. 
It is now necessary to take up the question of mating the 
animals, for we have chosen six Shorthorn heifers of fifteen or 
sixteen months old, as before stated, as to colour, type, and 
parentage; we have also chosen two pure-bred Guernsey bulls 
two years of age. We have now the opportunity of mating the 
animals so as to obtain the advantage of correcting any slight 
deficiencies of form from either side by mating the animals with 
this object, and this idea may be parried out with the same 
animals if mated with judicious variations the second year. In 
every instance if a heifer does not Drove pregnant by the first 
mating, be sure to change the bull (as we have two for use) in 
order that we may have if possible no barren or unfruitful 
animal, for such must be discarded when found. After all the 
heifers are proved or supposed to "be pregnant they should be 
carefully kept on grass or roots and hay, without cake or artificial 
feeding stuffs of any kind or quality. The same moderate 
system of feeding should be adopted with the bulls, although 
they will not, or should not, be running at liberty on the 
pastures, as they may be soiled with green fodder, such as 
Trifolium, Clover, and Ryegrass in their pens. 
The construction of pens for all the male animals of the 
Channel Island cattle requires consideration, because, although 
the Guernsey bulls are more docile and better tempered than 
Jerseys or any cross-breds, yet the benefit to be derived, as well 
as the security from injury to the animals or their care taker, 
is so great, that we always advise a hovel under cover of about 
12 or 14 feet square, and an outer yard adjoining of about lb or 
18 feet square, for service when females are admitted. The plan 
we adopt in separating the outer part from the inner shed is to 
