August 5. 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
297 
adhering to it, and would die literally of dirt. It may be 
easily reared from the nest in the same manner as the Sky¬ 
lark, which I need not repeat; but the grand secret to keep 
the Woodlark in health, and, in fact, most granivorous birds, 
but particularly the Woodlark, is to strew the bottom of the 
cage with old mortar, powdered roughly, so that the pieces 
be as large as ordinary shot; these it greedily picks up, and 
devours in large quantities, and are most essential to its 
welfare. I have noticed, while their pans have been filled 
with ordinary food, if there was no mortar in the cage before, 
the instant the powdered mortar was put into the bottom of 
the cage, the birds began swallowing several pieces; no 
doubt these act by way of trituration in their gizzards, and 
render their food digestible; be this, however, as it may, 
they die without it. A tuft of grass, by way of a small turf, 
is exceedingly desirable, as these birds, like the Skylark, 
partake of green food occasionally.—W. Rayner. 
NOTES ON VEGETABLES AND NEW 
VARIETIES. 
(Continued from page 203.) 
Parsley. —This is an excellent herb to grow in the cot¬ 
tager’s garden, as it improves so many dishes. The Extra 
Jiuc Curled is certainly the best sort, but I bought a new 
sort I saw advertised in The Cottage Gardener last 
season, by Mr. Duncan Hairs, called the New French 
Fringed; it is a very excellent variety, and appears to be 
much hardier than the common curled species. It seemed 
to be growing all through the winter, and it must be very 
valuable to gardeners, who use much of this herb for gar¬ 
nishing, ifcc. 
Teas. —New sorts are coming out every season, almost 
every seedsman having a new variety to offer, but I am sorry 
to say, that in nearly all instances they are identical with 
the sorts which I have grown before. I bought, last season, 
nearly every one I saw advertised, but found that in many 
instances they were all one sort, at least, I could perceive 
no difference in them. I sowed some of each of about a 
dozen sorts of Early Peas, many having new and high- 
sounding names. Among the dwarfs there was one variety 
that certainly deserves notice, as it is a different and a good 
variety— Bishop's New Longpod; it is a variety of Bishop's 
Dwarf, blit much better. I sowed the Morning Star, Prince 
Albert, Early Warwick, and Ward's Early Conqueror, the 
last week in January, two rows of each variety, and I found 
that Ward’s Conqueror was the earliest of them all, and was 
fit to gather six days before either of the other sorts, though 
sown the same day. Fairbeard's Champion of England is a 
very good pea, and is the earliest of the wrinkled marrows. 
Burbidge's Eclipse and Slubb’s Dwarf Marrow proved both 
one sort, but it is a good, useful pea for small gardens, and 
grows only three feet high. Hair's Dwarf Mammoth is 
also a very good dwarf pea, and is an excellent bearer. 
I bought and grew nearly all the tall branching marrows 
that I saw advertised last year, and found them to be nearly 
all one sort, at least I could not perceive the slightest differ¬ 
ence in several of them. The following sorts seem one 
variety :— British Queen, JVard's Incomparable, Pond’s Incom¬ 
parable, Durey's Superb Marrow, Superb Branching Mam¬ 
moth, Tall Indented, Tall White Marrow, and Queen Victoria. 
Wades’ King of the Marrows is a different sort, being green 
seeded, and is a very good variety, but grows ten feet high. 
All the above sorts want sticks as high as scarlet runners, 
but they require to be sown very thin, and are immense 
bearers. The Incomparable Marrows are a very capital sort 
for the cottager, for if stuck well and high they bear a good ' 
crop, keep good till the pods arc nearly white, are very large ! 
when boiled, and so very sweet that children are very fond | 
of them. I can highly recommend this pea to the cottager, i 
I grew a pea last season, called the American Dwarf, from 
which I gathered a nice disli the 10th of November. 
Vegetable Marrow. —I wonder that more cottagers do 
not grow this excellent vegetable, as it will thrive in almost 
any odd comer of the garden, provided the soil is good, and 
it certainly makes a very nice supper for a family, stewed 
with some small slices of bacon. J. K. T. 
POULTRY. 
For some years I have kept a quantity of poultry. I find 
the Chittaprats the best layers, but they are not sitters ; this 
next year I shall have game hens for sitting, and a turkey 
hen. I believe a turkey makes a better mother of chicks 
than any bird, and I think I have always found chicks 
brought up by a turkey forwarder than others, and it must, 
I think, be from their finding them more insects, and, 
perhaps, having more warmth. I have not found Guinea 
fowls such enemies to other poultry as pea-fowls; I have 
kept all these, but this year I have dismissed the pea-fowls, 
although I was sorry to lose them, the male bird being a 
splendid fellow. He destroyed a great many chickens, and, 
being a very early riser, generally had all our early straw¬ 
berries, and the young shoots in the garden, many of which 
he plucked off for mere mischief. 
I also keep pheasants; last year one pheasant (a pied 
one) laid me seventy-two eggs. I was not fortunate in 
rearing many young ones. 
I believe, with good management, there may be a great 
profit on poultry, but the “Durham Vicar’s ” case is not a 
singular one in having a servant who is wasteful of the 
food; very few servants are as careful of these things as if 
they were their own.—A n Amateur. 
FLORISTS’ FLOWERS. 
Felargonium ( Otterburn ).—Form of flower good ; lower petals pale 
peach-blossom, contrasting strikingly with the deep blood-coloured upper 
petals. Petals rather flimsy; but if age in the plant gives them sub* 
stance, it will prove a very excellent variety. 
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 .” 
Turtle Dove, Gold Pheasant (An Original Subscriber).— The 
wild Turtle Dove can be kept readily, and will breed in confinement. The 
better plan to insure success is to bring up a pair from the nest. Next 
year they will pair, and I have no doubt will prove productive. I kept 
them, and bred for several years. They will also pair with the Collared 
Turtle. I have raised a progeny from them. The hen Wild Turtle does 
join in chorus, but her note dirters from the male bird by being more 
feminine. I fed mine upon hemp and canary seed, or off corn or bruised 
wheat. I do not know, from practical experience, whether the Gold 
Pheasant will cross with the Bantam. I think it not unlikely, providing 
both the birds were brought up together from the egg.— William 
Rayner. 
Camellia (A Subscriber). —Your Camellia, no doubt, is one called 
Henri Fabvre ; at least that variety bears a flower that agrees with your 
description. Camellia Hendersonii is one also of the same colour, except¬ 
ing the pale edge. Broken sandstone, powdered fine, and sifted, would 
answer well for many plants, but not for heaths, unless it be pure white 
sea sand, which, if the particles of salt are clean washed out, would also 
answer for strong-growing coarse-rooting plants, but not for what are 
generally called American plants, such, for instance, as Rhodcndrons and 
hardy Azaleas. Your plants are grown, you say, in a greenhouse and 
when in flower are removed into a conservatory, and plunged in a raised 
bed of earth; they look well through winter, but in warm weather the 
leaves turn black. There are two things that will cause this: viz. the 
want of a free circulation of air, and too much moisture in the in¬ 
ternal atmosphere. Your top ventilation is not sufficient in hot weather, 
and the moisture arising from the bed of earth becomes foul air, which, 
being confined, injures the leaves, and causes them to decay so quickly 
that they have not time to fall off before they turn black. Now the way 
to remedy this, is to increase the top ventilation, and cover the soil with 
clean sand at once, renewing it whenever fresh plants are put in. Insects 
will cause the leaves to decay before they are duly ripened in the course 
of nature. Should you have any upftm your plants, destroy them at once ; 
but most likely it is foul air that injures them—correct that, and, no 
doubt, your plants will continue healthy through the season. Your letter j 
has been inadvertently mislaid, or it would have been answered sooner. | 
Sion House (B. A.). — Your letter has been answered by post, j 
Noblemen and gentlemen must apply to the Duchess of Northumber¬ 
land, for an order to see the grounds at Sion House, Isleworth. There 
is no appointed place this season for orders, as there was during the Great ! 
Exhibition year, 1851. 
Name of Orchid (W. S. IK.).—The orchid flower you sent came in . 
very good condition. It is a fine variety of Oncidium Wentworthiunum , 
probably the variety known as 0. Wenthworthianum Lmdleyi, which has 
not yet flowered in any collection near London. 
