220 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
July 1. 
They are round, compactly built, medium sized birds; they 
are good for the table, and are said to be good layers. The 
eggs have white shells, are of good size and flavour, and are 
rather thick in shape. The distinguishing mark of the 
Poland breed is a large, round, compact tuft on the head, 
designated in the newly-hatched chickens by a round lump 
on the little pole, perceptible from the very first. This tuft, 
or top-knot, is much less compact and handsome in the 
cocks than in the hens. In tine weather it gives a very 
pretty appearance to them, but looks miserable enough 
when the weather is wet. The black Poland fowls have the 
plumage of a deep, velvety black, and very soft to the touch. 
Tuft, pure white ; legs and beak, dark grey. The spangled 
varieties are the golden, yellow spangled with black; and 
the silver, white spangled with black. The spangling 
should be equal, the tuft on the head being also spangled. 
For perfection of beauty, the golden spangled Hamburgh 
fowls should have yellow beak and legs, and with the silver 
spangled the legs and beak should be white, or very pale 
grey. Perhaps those who are in the habit of rearing these 
fowls, and have had more experience with them, will say it 
is as difficult to get together a number so perfect, as the 
amateurs of the Cochin-China fowls find it to raise a great 
many of a delicate, pale buff, without speck, or spangle, or 
pencilling of any other or darker colour. 
Another kind of Poland, the white with a black tuft has 
often been mentioned, but it is, I believe, seldom seen; I 
have never met with it. Supposing the tuft to be quite 
black, and the white to be pure, it must be singular in ap¬ 
pearance and very beautiful. 
It is hoped that those persons who are well acquainted 
with the game and Poland fowls, will kindly remember that 
discussion is desired, and that they will favour us with such 
corrections or additions to these descriptions, as may appear 
to them necessary. Anstek Bonn. 
FLORISTS’ FLOWERS. 
Pansey (R. R. C -, Stamford. No. 3).—A rich purple self; eye 
yellow and small; form very good ; medium size. Not differing from 
many others, but quite their equal. 
Gladiolus (W. H. 7 '.).—The potato in which it had been stuck had 
broken loose and beaten it to pieces. 
Fuciisia (J. Willison ).—Sepals brilliant dark crimson, shining and 
stouter than any variety we remember; corolla purple, softening to pink 
near the bottom ; size large. If the sepals redex well, and the habit of 
the plant is good, it is an acquisition. 
TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
Forcing Strawberries (Countryman) — The most successful of our 
strawberry forcers endeavour to obtain their runners as early as 
possible ; for that purpose a few plants are planted out, very wide, on 
some suitable place. The flowers all picked off as they show themselves, 
and the pots, filled with good soil, placed to receive the runners as soon 
as they appear, which of course is much sooner when there is no crop, 
than when there is one. The runners from plants forced the same 
season are generally deficient in vigour, and seldom succeed well; one 
of the principal points to be attained, is to get the plant well established 
in the pot, and to form a bold prominent crown ; large pots are less 
likely to accomplish this than smaller ones; 48s, or it may be, 32s, are 
quite large enough. A description of a pit suitable for forcing strawberries 
was given by Mr. Errington some time ago; but if you have not the 
number by you, we may say that bottom-heat and plenty of top air are 
the principal agents at work. A pit for strawberries ought to produce 
melons afterwards. 
Melons Cankering (Ibid).— You will see an article by one of our 
departmental writers, on “ Glass,” which will partly explain the most 
probable cause of your melons becoming brown ; but cankering at the 
stem is another affair, and we fear you over-watered them during the dull 
seasons. We have some time in June encountered canker early in the 
season, to counteract which we applied quick-lime to the part, W'hich, 
acting as a caustic, often cured the evil. 
Pines Blotching (Ibid). —There must be something radically wrong 
in your pine-pit, otherwise the leaves ought never to have been blotched 
with the little sun we have had prior to receiving your letter. Examine 
your glass, and see if you cannot discover some defects in it. 
Bottled Apricots and Peaches (E. L.).— The fruit must not be 
quite ripe; cut with a penknife, near the stalk, a small hole, and take 
out the stone ; dip them into boiling water, taking care that they do not 
break, take them out as they rise in the water, and put them immediately 
into cold water; when cold, drain them on a sieve. Boil some syrup, 
skim it, and put it gently over the fruit, leaving them room to float, 
boil them three or four times very gently, and put them carefully with 
the syrup in a pan. Next day drain them from the syrup, which is then 
to be boiled, and thus made thicker; put the fruit back into it, boil them 
gently twice, skimming well. Repeat this for three days, and the last 
time boil the syrup until it is a little thicker, but not too much so. Boil 
the fruit in it again gently ; put the fruit into the bottles or jars, and 
cover it with syrup. 
Cochin China Eggs.— Will A Subscriber, who at page 173 com¬ 
plains of the dearness of these eggs, send us again his address, which 
has been mislaid. We have a letter for him. 
Bees (T. Farquhar). —Ants may be prevented creeping to the hives 
by having a ring of coal tar painted round the pedestal of the stand, and 
renewing it as often as it becomes dry. You cannot keep out earwigs, 
for they can fly. 
Golden-pencilled Hamburgiis. — J. F. wishes to know where he 
can obtain some chickens of the genuine breed. 
Orchard-house (Tyro). —In our No. 120 , you will find full direc¬ 
tions for erecting one. If eight feet high behind, it should be thirteen 
feet wide, and three feet high in front. You must refer to advertisements 
in our back numbers as to dealers in glass. You may grow fruit trees 
all round them, and all over the floor, if in pots, according to Mr, 
Rivers’s plan. 
Liquid Manure (A Subscriber). —The undiluted drainings of a stable, 
consisting chiefly of horse urine, will be quite strong enough for liquid 
manure if mixed with four times its measure of water. You may use it 
quite fresh poured in a trench about the roots of your roses, flowering 
geraniums, and kidney beans. 
Insects (J. F. B .),—The insects you enclosed are a species of Snake 
Milipede (Julus pulchellus ), of which you will find a drawing and de¬ 
scription in Number 38 (vol. ii., page 139). We do not think they injure 
the roots of peas, nor any other living vegetable, but that they come to eat 
decayed or injured parts, just as you find them in the holes formed by 
slugs, ike., in ripe strawberries. This is our opinion, against or in favour 
of which we shall be glad to receive any statement of facts. 
Rabbits (W. B.). —It is very uncertain work destroying rabbits to 
save your crops, which they invade. You had better run a galvanized-iron 
net, if practicable, round the boundary. 
Tenant Removing Trees.— A Worcestershire Man says, “ I am 
glad you have set at rest this deteriorating question. I remember a case 
tried at Warwick assizes, some years ago, for removing shrubs, trees, 
and box-edging, from a garden at Leamington, planted by the tenant; 
verdict for the landlord, the plaintiff. Chief Justice Best told the jury 
‘ that, prima facie, the premises were let to be improved, and not after 
years occupation to be denuded of ornaments and comforts, and so re¬ 
duced to the state of newly-made premises, and even worse. If landlords 
agree that a tenant may do such things, common law becomes inopera¬ 
tive, and the special agreement will, of course, prevail; but it is the policy 
of the law to improve, not to allow the retrogression and deterioration of 
. property.’ When a nurseryman steps into the shoes of an ordinary 
I tenant, he will fall within the same rule of law, therefore, it is incumbent 
t upon him to have a clear understanding with the ground landlord as to 
| his right to remove, for, otherwise, coming in under non-exemption, he 
i could not plead the exemption in favour of trade.” 
Cochin-China Chickens for Exhibition (An Intending Exhi - 
; bitor). —Give them all the food and exercise they will take, varying the 
former as much as possible. Crushed corn, barley-meal, boiled rice, See., 
and a little cooked meat daily, chopped very fine. Keep the cockerels 
apart from the pullets. The young cockerel’s voice will be quite right 
shortly. 
Bees (Ibid). —Let the super-box be placed upon Taylor’s hive three 
weeks after the swarm was hived. 
Bees (C. S .).—It is not simply placing a glass upon a hive that will 
prevent swarming. The bees must be induced, by guide-combs being 
fixed, to commence working at the top of the glass, and, when well esta¬ 
blished in it, ventilation in some way must be afforded. Perhaps the 
most simple manner will be to raise the glass from the hive about an 
eighth-of-an-inch all round, and the hive the same from the floor-board. 
J. P. 
Bees (A Country Curate). —There has been an unusual disposition 
amongst the bees to swarin this year, which is always the case in a rainy 
time; but this seasou much greater attention than common has been 
necessary to prevent it, and, indeed, in some cases it has been impossible. 
In your case all appears to have been done that in an ordinary season 
would have prevented swarming. It would be well to transfer the supers, 
of whatever kind, from the stocks to the swarms, where they will be 
filled if favourable weather sets in. A much better price may be obtained 
for really fine honey in glasses, in the months of June and July, than Is. 
per pound, even of honey-dealers in London.—J. P. 
Queen Bee’s Piping. —“ A Country Curate,” in reply to C. R. R., 
says—“ I have not yet heard the piping of young queens in the interval 
between the compulsory return of a first natural swarm—the old queen 
having been destroj'ed— and its reissue. But I know no reason why 
piping should not occur, as is usual before the issue of a cast; indeed, 
we might a fortiori expect it, as it is only when there is a considerable 
population in the hive that piping is heard; for then, if ever, the bees 
can afford to place a strong guard over the cells of the often full-grown 
but imprisoned princesses, who are impatient of confinement.” 
Exchange of Rose-buds. — Mr. James Riley, jun., of Chichclcy, j 
near Newport Pagnel, having a moderate collection of roses, is willing to 
exchange buds of them for buds of varieties he does not possess. 
Kidney Beans (A Constant Subscriber). — The two seeds you 
enclosed are those, we think, of the Prague variety. They are sold by 
most largely dealing seedsmen in London and Edinburgh. 
Rumfless Fow'ls. —This variety may be obtained by applying to Mr. 
Samuel Hill, Victoria Boiler Works, Heywood, near Manchester. 
Strawberry Runners (J. C.). —We never employ the runners from 
barren plants ; if we require runners very early and strong, we pick the 
blossoms off from the requisite number of fertile plants. These then 
produce runners as strong and as early as the barren plants, and for the 
same reason—whenever you remove one mode of a plants propagating 
itself, you increase its energy in any other mode it may possess. 
Names of Plants (H. B .).— No. 1. Gaultheria procumbens. 3. j 
Menziesia polifolia. Of 2 and 4, send us better specimens when in 
flower. 
London: Printed by Harry Wooldridge, Winchester High-street, 
in the Parish of Saint Mary Kalendar; and Published by William 
Somerville Orr, at the Office, No. 2, Amen Corner, in the Parish of 
Christ Church, City of London.—-July 1st, 1852. 
