390 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER, 
[ October 27, 1881. 
them you would probably have better results than lifting the plants; but if 
they must be lifted and transplanted the work should be done at once, planting 
them so that the leaves of one plant nearly but not quite touch those of the 
others. 
The Spindle Tree (II. P. 7 ).).—The specimen submitted to us is a small 
branch of the common Spindle Tree (Euonymus europasus). so called from its 
wood being used long ago for making spindles. It is called Prick-wood and 
Prick-timber, from being used for toothpicks and skewers. The wood is said 
to be used by musical instrument makers. For skewers and toothpicks the 
wood should be cut when the shrub is in bloom, for then it is tough and not 
easily broken ; it is also used by watchmakers for cleaning watches. The berries 
act as an emetic and purgative, and are fatal to sheep ; and when powdered 
and sprinkled on the hair destroy pediculi; sometimes it is made into an oint¬ 
ment for the same purpose. No animals except the goat will browse upon the 
plant. 
Violets in Greenhouse (C. Diamond). —Violets will succeed on the shelf 
of a light greenhouse in the winter provided the house is not too warm. But 
your description of a house “ heated three times a week ” is much too indefinite 
for us to understand its temperature, and if the system is adhered to through 
the winter few greenhouse plants can be expected to survive, or at least remain 
healthy. We can understand furnaces being “heated three times a week” for 
household purposes and ovens for baking, but the method as applied to heating 
a greenhouse is quite new to us. Violets should be potted in a compost of two- 
thirds of rather strong turfy loam and one-third of leaf soil or old decayed 
manure. 
Storing Ice (Mrs. S. Fairborn ).—As you have not an ice house you may 
preserve ice in stacks. A correspondent has described the following method 
which he has carried out successfully for a number of years. “After getting the 
ice in proper working order, and the weather continuing frosty, we begin to 
take it off the pond and cart it home to the s^ick, which is built on level ground, 
but has the advantage of being shaded by trees and bushes from the strong 
sunshine. We begin the stack by emptying the carts on its foundation ; after 
which there are plenty of hands ready to begin pounding the ice with light 
wooden mallets sufficiently small to pack all large pieces firmly, thereby excluding 
from the interior of the stack as much air as possible ; this should rather be a 
little over than under done. The people on the stack pound away till the whole 
is finished, and as the ice draws towards a point, one or two drop off as the rosm 
for working becomes less, and begin breaking the ice at the bottom before throw¬ 
ing it up to those who remain. As the work proceeds we now and then throw a 
quantity of water over all, so as quickly to congeal the whole into a solid mass. 
We stack in this way from 100 to 110 cartloads every year, and it keeps perfectly 
well over twelve months, sometimes for a longer period, and we have to open 
the stack nearly every day during summer. Before covering-up, if the weather 
will allow us, we leave the stack exposed at least twenty-four hours to the frost; 
if otherwise, we cover it at once. For covering we use dry wheat straw; cover¬ 
ing to the depth of 48 inches at least, and all put on at once. We leave no air- 
pipe through it, and we have no trouble in consequence of its heating or ferment¬ 
ing. We leave the whole in a conical shape, neatly strapped down to carry off 
the rain. This may be thought a waste of straw by some, but no less thickness 
of thatching will enable us to attain our object. The straw, however, will not 
be altogether lost, as a farmer will know well what to do with it after it has 
done duty on the stack, when he has his cattle in the fold. We have no faith 
iu having only twenty or thirty cartloads in a heap, however well protected and 
stored. There should not be less quantity than a hundred loads for a stack, if ice 
is required all the year round.” If the ice is stored in a dry or freezing state 
snow may be mixed with it, but if stored during a thaw snow is a disadvantage. 
Snow alone cannot be satisfactorily preserved for any lengthened period. 
Growing Mushrooms (Idem). —They may be grown in any house, shed, 
or cellar having a temperature between 50° and 60°. The material, horse stable 
manure with the long litter forked out, should be spread in a shed to be dried 
somewhat aud sweetened, then made into a bed that should not be less than 
4 feet wide and 6 long, or the heat will not be retained in winter. The bed 
must be made as firm as possible by heating aud treading. It will probably 
heat violently, and not until the heat is declining must the spawn be inserted, 
pressing in lumps as large as pigeons’ eggs 8 or 9 inches apart. A few days 
afterwards cover the bed with fresh loam and beat it firmly down with a spade, 
the firm soil being an inch thick, then cover the bed with hay or soft straw, 
which must be regulated in thickness by the heat of the bed or the shed in 
which it is placed. The great points to be attended to in growing Mushrooms 
are an equality of temperature and moisture. 
Names of Fruits.—We have many times notified that only six varieties of 
fruits can be named at once; still large packages reach us, the contents of which 
cannot be examined. Some fruits are not mimed because the sender’s name 
does not accompany them, and we cannot always determine to whom the re¬ 
spective parcels belong, even by the aid of letters received by post. Fears, we 
have previously intimated, ought to be ripe or approaching ripeness when sent, 
or a number of them cannot be identified. All packages must be carriage paid; 
unpaid parcels are sent every week that are not taken in. 1'he fee for naming 
fruit to non-subscribers is 5.«. It is important that these conditions be attended 
to for preventing disappointment. ( L. Watts). —The Pear is Beurrd Diel, the Apple 
American Mother. (II. J. IF., Taunton). —We have carefully examined such 
of the Pears as were not decayed, and we have failed to recognise any of them. 
We suspect they are from imported trees which have been selected without refe¬ 
rence to their adaptability to this climate, as not one of them pos-esses any 
merit to warrant their being retained in cultivation. (G.S.). —4, Cox’s Orange 
Pippin ; 5, Princess Charlotte; 8, Stunner Pippin. (II. C. Prinsep ).—34, 38, and 
39, Marie Louise d’Uccle; 40, Dunmore ; 41, Thompson's; 50, Napoleon. (J. Gara- 
icay A Co.). —It is not Cornish Gilliflower; it is evidently not a variety of any 
merit. (.4. P .).—The Apples are undoubtedly Blenheim Pippin. (D. Walker ).— 
1, not known ; 2, Bergamotte Buffo; 3, Beurre Hardy ; 4, Josephine de Malines ; 
5, Beurre d’Aremberg. (J. F. L.). —Hollandbury. (J. W.).—2, Golden Beinette ; 
3, Franklin's Golden Pippin ; 4, Scarlet Nonpareil; 5, Reinette de Canada. ( Peter 
Morris). — Apples. —1, Selwood’s Reinette; 2, London Pippin. Pear.— Baronne de 
Mello. (A. Harding). — Apples .—1, Adams’ Pearmain ; 2, Borovitski; 3, Cox’s 
Orange Pippin; 4, Bedfordshire Foundling (?) ; 5, Minshull Crab; 6, Court of 
Wick. Pears. —1, Marie Louise; 2, Crasanne ; 3, not known. (R. P.W.). —We 
are still of opinion that the Apple received is Stamford Pippin. The Pear is cer¬ 
tainly not Doyenne Defays, which is a delicious variety, aud yours is worthless. 
(Ramalho). —The Apples sent are not ripe and have not come to their flavour. 
It seems to be a good keeper, and has the character of beintr a good-flavoured 
Apple when ripe. (I. E.). —1, not known; 2, Margil; 3, Golden Russet; 4, 
Scarlet Nonpareil. (J. T.). — Pears —not ripe. Apples— 4, Beauty of Kent; 7, 
Emperor Alexander; 8, Newtown Spitzenberg; 9, Blenheim Pippin ; 10, not 
known ; 11, Sam Young ; 12, Golden Noble. (Centurion). —If you send six 
varieties at a time they shall be attended to. When fruit is sent by the peck 
and even bushel it is impossible for us even to examine it. See the above con¬ 
ditions, which have been inserted in many previous issues. 
Names of Plants (II. P. D .).—Euonymus europteus, the Spindle Tree. 
See reply above. (Reader ).—Pyrethrum uliginosum. (.4. H. G .).—Cotoneaster 
bacillaris. The fruits, though not hurtful, would have been of little use for 
the purpose you mention. (IF. //. IF.).—1, Resembles a Melastoma, but is not 
sufficient for identification ; 2, Escallonia macrantha ; 3, Pyrus japonica. 
Bees Nearly Starved (A Subscriber ).—We fear your prospect is not 
encouraging. When the weather is cold bees can only maintain their necessary 
heat by keeping in a close cluster; and with food in abundance at the bottom of 
the hive they still may starve, because if they were to separate from one 
another in order to take it they would die of chill. Your only chance is to give 
food at the top of the skep, and this should take the form of barleysugar put in 
at the top hole and covered down very carefully so that no heated air is allowed 
to escape. You may in this way by attention keep them going until we near 
the spring, when syrup may be supplied. As soon as we get a genial day lift the 
hive from its stand, and, driving the bees up by smoke, pour some good syrup 
upon the combs held sideways so that it runs into the cells, but avoid pouring 
it over the bees ; this will give them a little store to help them over their 
difficulties. Cover the hive well to keep them as warm as possible. 
Bees not Taking Food (E. T .).—See reply to “Subscriber.” If the 
hive is light it is desirable, of course, to add to the resources which are to last the 
winter, but if syrup be offered it should be rather less watery than that you 
mention. With barleysugar you may succeed in wintering the stock even if 
now it has scarcely any sealed store. Flour cake may be given later on. 
POULTRY AND PIGEON CHRONICLE. 
IMPROVEMENT OF THE HAMPSHIRE AND WEST 
COUNTRY DOWN SHEEP. 
(Continued from page 369 .) 
Having previously alluded to the best style and character of 
certain flocks of these sheep and their breeders which have been 
available for the past twenty-five years we must refer to a valu¬ 
able class of sheep called the Somerset Downs, which were com¬ 
mon to that county for a number of years following the attempt 
made by the Somerset breeders to establish the Down breed, and 
to discard the horned ewes entirely. They thought that the}’ 
could give up the horned breed and obtain all the advantages 
they required from a Down stock. They, however, soon found 
their mistake, for the Down ewes of the pure breeds, either of 
Hampshires or Sussex Down, would not bring their lambs early, 
although reared on the same soil and climate where the horned 
ewes had always done so from time immemorial. The far larger 
portion of the farmers returned in consequence to the breeding of 
horned stock. At the same time it must be observed that they could 
not raise lambs enough from the Downs. There were, however, 
about that period some farmers who reared stock of the cross 
between the horns and Downs by the use of the Down ram with 
their horned ewes, and this was done to some extent in both 
Dorset and Somerset. They had no definite object in view like 
that which we shall presently show is our object in introducing 
the subject—that is, the fixing a new type and character of sheep, 
and therefore they did not continue the cross. In consequence of 
the cross and the use of the Hampshire or Sussex rams with ewes 
of this cross we found numerous instances where remarkably valu¬ 
able stock was to be oblaine 1 at the Appleshaw and Weyhill fairs 
in Hampshire. Wc have purchased ewes of this cross at various 
times, and they answered well ; lambing in December, bringing 
plenty of twins, and being excellent nurses, they reared lambs of 
the best quality for Easter. 
In looking back to the period when we had a choice for selec¬ 
tion of some of these cross-bred stock it induces us to believe that 
a new and improved fixed type and character of sheep would be 
very desirable at the present time for the improvement and reno¬ 
vation of the Hampshire and West-country Down breed of sheep. 
