May C. 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
01 
and liis dancing about on tiptoe when vexed (when driven 
away from his meat) betray him at once, •/. e., when full 
grown ; as chicks, I am not aware that there is any percep¬ 
tible difference. I keep now the Chinese breed of fowls, 
exclusively, with a few Dorking hens, whose eggs I use for 
setting in preference to the Chinese, finding the chickens 
stronger, earlier in feather, and sooner ready for table, and 
fatter birds, than the thoroughbred Chinese ; but after the 
first cross they become good-for-nothing. I shall be happy 
to send you any further statements from time to time, if you 
think it worth your while to accept them. 
Stock January 1, 1851. 
One Chinese cock, hatched 1819 ; 1 Chinese hen, hatched 
INI!) ; 2 Dorking hens (one barren), 1 white hen (common 
sort), 1 silver pheasant hen, 1 brown hen, age not known— 
bought for sitters; 4 white Dorking hens, hatched 1850 ; 
:! pullets (common sort), hatched 1850; 4 Chinese cocks, 
hatched 1850; 4 Chinese pullets, hatched 1850 ; 4 Dorking 
cocks, hatched 1850; 3 Dorking pullets, hatched 1850; 10 
chickens (killed), hatched 1850 ; 1 pair Guinea fowls 
(killed), hatched 1849 ; 1 drake, hatched 1849 ; 1 duck, 
hatched 1849; 5 ducks, hatched 1850. 
Total or Layers in 1851.—Hens, 19 ; ducks, 0. Total, 25. 
RECEIPTS. 
COLLECTED. 
SOLD OR USED. 
Eggs. 
Eggs. 
Price. 
Chicks. 
& Ducks 
Price. 
I 
£ 
s. 
d. 
£ 
s. 
d. 
January 
49 
28 
0 
2 
2 
5 
0 
8 
0 
February 
92 1 
83 
0 
5 
3 
1 
0 
2 
0 
March 
209 
258 
0 
12 
8 
1 
0 
i 
0 
April 
206 
140 
0 
7 
0 
4 
0 
5 
0 
May 
270 
250 
0 
11 
0 
2 
0 
0 
0 
June 
248 
100 
0 
7 
9 
July 
192 
142 
0 
7 
14 
14 
0 
19 
3 
August 
143 
158 
0 
9 
54 
13 
0 
17 
0 
September 
80 
92 
0 
5 
0 
12 
1 
0 
0 
October 
18 
77 
0 
0 
3 
9 
0 
10 
0 
November 
39 , 
18 
0 
1 
0 
8 
0 
15 
0 
December 
47 J 
69 
0 
5 
9 
13 
1 
3 
0 
Totals 
1719 
1481 
4 
1 
5 
82 
0 
10 
3 
Eggs collected .... .... .... 1719 
Ditto sold .... 1481 
Ditto set .... 140 
Total 1021 
Leaving 98 eggs unaccounted for—that is, broken, used 
for nest eggs, Ac. 
£. s. d. 
Total received—Eggs.4 1 5 
Chickens and Ducks .. 0 10 3 
£10 11 8 
PAYMENTS. - 
£. s. 
Barley-meal, 80 stones, at Is. per stone. 4 0 
Bran, 18 sacks, at 5s. per sack (2 at 4s. Gd. per 1 q 
sack) .. .. .. .. .. .. J 
Barley, 7 bushels (at 3s. 3d., 3s. Gd., and 3s. 9cl .} ^ - 
per bushel) .. .. .. .. .. j 
Oatmeal, 4 pecks and £ stone .. .. .. 0 G 
ltice, 4 lbs. .. .. .. .. .. ..00 
Sharps, 9 stones .. .. .. .. ..07 
d. 
0 
0 
3 
0 
G 
G 
Total £10 8 9 
£. s. d.. 
Total received .. .. 10 11 8 
Do. paid .. .. 10 8 9 
Profit 0 2 11 
A Durham Vicar. 
[This is an encouraging account; for tire produce of eggs 
and chickens is small; the prices charged for them very 
low; and the prices charged for the food very high. We 
wish others of our readers would send similar accounts.— 
Ed. C. G.] 
TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
*** We request that no one will write to the departmental writers of 
The Cottage Gardener. It gives them unjustifiable trouble and 
expense. All communications should be addressed “ To the Editor of 
the Cottage Gardener, 2, Amen Corner, Paternoster Row, London,” 
Deodara Cedar—Pampas Grass. —A correspondent, (J. W. W.), 
writes as follows:—“ In answer to J. C. W’s enquiries respecting Deodar 
Cedars, 10 feet in height, I cannot do better than refer him to Messrs. 
Luccoinbe and Pince’s collection of hardy Conifene, in their gardens 
near Exeter, as more likely to afford him such specimens as he requires 
than any I have ever seen elsewhere. Mr. Pince has a number of Deo¬ 
dars 8 or 9 feet high (I am writing from memory), at from one to three 
guineas each ; the price depending not only on the height, but the regu¬ 
larity with which they are furnished with branches. He has still larger 
specimens of Pinus insignis , and, I must add, that all his large plants 
are plunged in crates or boxes, and regularly shifted to ensure a safe 
removal. Can any correspondent oblige me with information as to how 
I can procure either seeds or plants of the Pampas Grass?” 
Rookery.— In answer to the query of J. H. B. S., page 50, another 
correspondent, ( H .), says, “ I am of opinion, from constant observation, 
that the cause of decrease in the rookery mentioned is not the absence of 
the smell of gunpowder exactly, but of the killing effects of the shot. 
Rooks will naturally return, year after year, to the same nest in which 
they reared their young the previous spring; so also will the young rooks 
of the former year try to take possession of the nest in which they were 
reared. The consequence of never thinning them off for several springs 
is a continued fighting among the young and old rooks at the time of 1 
building for the possession of particular nests, to the great detriment of 
the colony. No doubt J. H. J3. S. has often witnessed such fights in his 
rookery, which not unfrequently end in the disputed nest being entirely 
deserted.” 
T. J. C. says, “ In answer to J. H. B. S., I beg to say that I have been 
a gamekeeper, and have had the care of a rookery ; and I believe that the 
best plan is to shoot the largest part of the young ones yearly, for when 1 
too many are let fly they not only get into danger and get killed them¬ 
selves, but the old ones, in trying to take care of them, get killed also. 
In building pigstyes for breeding sows, if the bottom of all the walls 
were constructed thus: ^ there would not be half the danger of the ! 
sow lying on the young pigs against the wall, for by this mode the hol¬ 
lows would not be large enough for the body of the sow to get in. 
Prolificacy of the Common Pheasant. —Upwards and Onwards 
says:—“ In answer to a correspondent, who enquires ‘Whether I ever 
knew a common pheasant lay so many as 50 eggs in one season ? * I beg 
to state that about eight years since, the late Sir Charles Goring had con¬ 
fined in a pheasantry, for the purpose of producing eggs to be hatched 
by bantams, a cock, and two hen pheasants (common), and in one season 
they numbered 103 eggs between them! I have read somewhere of 
another fruitful pheasant, bent on population, which, in one season, pro¬ 
duced 74 eggs 1 With the exception of the silver bird mentioned in my 
article, we never had one lay so many. Pheasants confined usually lay 
a greater number of eggs than those at large, though possibly there 
even events do sometimes happen which, were they observed and made 
known, would tend considerably, like other events, to enlighten society.” 
Angle of Greenhouses (J. Murdoch). —Your house must either be 
lofty, or have rather high upright glass in front, to be a lean-to, have 
room for paths, and also for a stage eight feet at its base in the centre. 
This we should have judged better of by a section. To the first question, 
whether a platform or a stage will hold most plants ? we say (not forget¬ 
ting the old planting problem), undoubtedly the latter, if plants of 
moderate size are to be put out. If all large ones, it will make less dif¬ 
ference, though even in a lean-to house more light will be given. Such a 
house is best fitted for holding great quantities of small plants, and then 
in the second place, instead of raising the angle of the stage above 40°, 
we would reduce it to little more than 35°, so as to approach nearer to the 
angle of the roof. The use of the house should regulate the angle of the 
stage. Even for largish plants two platforms would be superior to one. 
Platforms are best in span-roofed houses. 
Greenhouse ( A Subscriber ).—As far as we can judge, you are acting 
perfectly right. The house standing north and south will be best, but 
we have only just found the plan, and will return to the subject more in 
detail. 
Pits, with Tank, and Lead Pipes {An Anxious Beginner ).—We 
have not time before this goes to press to examine the plan in vol. iv«, 
as you have not mentioned the page ; but we have no doubt that with or 
without tan the pit will answer, but we will give a full answer to your 
questions next week. 
Fruits for North of Ireland (I. N., Omagh). —Your case is well 
stated, and we answer your queries seriatim. Your clearance is good, 
but you will surely require some organic matter in addition to the “ gas- 
lime.” You must pursue a high course of culture through the summer, 
and plant your trees in October. The climate of the north of Ireland is 
well known to be unfavourable to the production of our tender fruits; 
not from want of warmth so much as from excessive moistness and defi¬ 
ciency of solar light. “ Never despair,” however, seems to be your 
motto. Let us advise you, in addition to a cautious selection of fruits, to 
plant all your fruit trees above the ground level. The evil you must 
guard against is the tendency to produce too much spray, and you must, 
therefore, keep the roots well in check. Pray look at our “ platform ” 
articles, in back numbers, the advice iu which is too copious to repeat 
here. Let the bottom of your prepared stations be only one foot below 
the ground level, planting on the surface, and covering to one foot above 
the level. You may at once lay in some maiden soil from old rest soils ; 
