September 30. 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
423 
Mooneys I am not able to describe, but presume the 
feathers are more bordered with black, giving them a scaly 
appearance. 
Most of these varieties should have the neck of the 
; ground-colour, without speck or mark, and the tail black, 
marked with the prevailing colour—it being in the breast 
and body feathers, generally, that the beautiful markings 
show most distinctly. I have heard of a black-nec-ked 
variety, but never had any. The chicken, when first 
hatched, are of a creamy white, with a few black spots on 
the head, and in a few weeks appear covered with alternate 
stripes of dark and light. The cocks often do not show the 
markings like the hens, or not so distinctly, they, frequently 
being almost entirely of the ground-colour,, with a black 
mark or two on the wings, and the tail nearly black. 
A dark sort of fowl is also kept by some few persons, and 
called by them Everlasting-layers, reported to be a good 
laying kind, their eggs being rather larger than those of the 
Dutch Every-day-layers. These are a cross between them 
and the Spanish fowl, but do not lay quite so well as the 
true breed. Some are single-combed, but most of them 
have a peculiar-shaped comb, appearing like two single 
combs united at the extremities. 
I wish, however, particularly to call the attention of my 
readers to the differences between the Polands, Hamburghs, 
and Dutch Every-day-layers. The first has a very large 
tuft of feathers on the head, and no comb whatever; the 
second has a tuft, and a small double comb, and evidently 
owes its origin to the first and third; and tho third has no 
tuft, but a full rose comb of coral redness. 
The Rev. Edmund Saul Dixon appears, in his “ Orna¬ 
mental and Domestic Poultry,” not to discriminate between 
the Poles and Hamburghs; and, consequently, is incorrect 
in applying the name of Hamburgh to the Dutch Every¬ 
day-layers, which has caused much confusion. Mr. Trotter, 
in his prize Essay on Poultry, in the Royal Agricultural 
Journal, has, I consider, rightly named them, as well as 
Mr. Richardson, in his excellent little work, “ The Domestic 
Fowl; ” but I am sorry to find the confusion is attempted 
in the later editions of the same work. Rut again, in “The 
Poultry Yard,” one of a series of shilling books published 
by Charles Knight, entitled the “ Country House,” the three 
sorts are distinctly explained ; but even there the term 
Spangled is applied to quite opposite markings.—R. P. 
I Rrent, Bessels Green , near Seven Oaks. 
GARDENING IN JERSEY. 
Wide prospects may sometimes be seen through small 
openings. The following slight incident will exemplify the 
fruitfulness of many of the Jersey gardens. Riding, this 
summer, outside the omnibus which goes from St. Heliers 
to Goroy, I got into conversation with an Englishman, who 
resided with his wife and two children on the Island. 
“ That’s my cottage,” said he, as we saw it in the distance; 
and truly a sweet spot it was. “ You have probably a good 
garden too,” I remarked. “ Garden,” he exclaimed, “ yes, 
hut that’s the drawback ; I cannot manage it, it gets the 
master of me. I am obliged to cultivate it to prevent 
weeds ; but the growth of vegetables is so rapid and luxuri¬ 
ant, that I am unable to consume them fast enough, and as 
for selling anything, why I asked at market to-day what 
they would give me for a crop of young cabbages, as fine 
ones as you ever saw; twopence a dozen was the offer! so I 
shall alter my tactics, and grow in future, root crops, as 
onions, parsnips, carrots, potatoes, &c.; these I cau stow 
away for winter use.” Jersey produces fine garden vege¬ 
tables in quick succession, and perhaps a crop more of 
certain kinds may be got oft' a given space than in England, 
owing to the fostering influence of the climate ; but then, 
in England each crop continues longer in perfection. Thus 
are our blessings equalised. Cider averages about 21s. per 
hogshead, and is sold retail at Id. per quart. At Guernsey, 
as the steamer hove to on her return, to take in, and dis¬ 
charge, goods and passengers, a large basket of flowers was 
handed up the ship’s side ; “ they will be Is. Gd.,” said the 
waterman. I afterwards traced them to the cook’s cuddy, 
and found they consisted of nine large bouquets, for which 
the cook obtained sixpence each at Southampton. Flowers 
were among his weekly perquisites. He was washing kidney 
potatoes when I accosted him ; these he said were “New¬ 
foundlands,".and procured at Jersey. They were superior to 
the ash-leaved kidney, less subject to disease, boiled better, 
and where he found one defective among them, he found 
five in any other sort. He thought that they were of com¬ 
paratively recent introduction. S. P., Rmhmere. 
STRAWBERRY PLANTING. 
In the last monthly part of The Cottage Gardener 
there were some very good remarks on strawbery planting 
in smaU gardens ; but as the plan I have hitherto pursued 
with success differs from them, it may benefit some of your 
readers to know it. 
As recommended in the number alluded to, I take off the 
runners as early as possible, and plant them in nursery 
beds, where they remain until February; they are then 
removed, with a ball of earth to each plant, to the fruiting 
beds. The reason for selecting that month is, because it 
allows time for getting off any crop that may be on the 
ground, and for properly preparing the ground for the 
strawberry plants. This year I have adopted another plan, 
by which, I think, I shall almost gain a season. When top¬ 
dressing my old beds on the 28th of February last, I 
observed some runners rooted in the walks, and, as I 
intended making p, new plantation, it struck me that those 
runners would make good plants against August, I, there¬ 
fore, planted them into a nursery bed, where they remained 
until last week, when they were removed to the fruiting 
ground in the manner above stated, and true enough they 
were the best plants I ever put out, and doubt not but I 
shall have a full crop the first season ; indeed, my faith in 
them is such, that I have planted them out at full distances, 
my tisual practice being to remove every other plant the 
second year. 
A Lover of Gardening in all its Tranches. 
TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
Plans or Flower-beds.— We shall be obliged by our subscribers 
sending us plans of their Flower-beds , and Geometric Gardens, as we 
wish to publish, in our next volume, a series of engravings of such as we 
can recommend, with a catalogue of the flowers we would plant in each 
bed. We have abundance of plans, but we are not so conceited as not to 
know that there are many others we should be pleased to adopt as 
excellent. 
Geometric Flower Garden (.Suburban).— A piece of ground, 40 feet 
wide, and 300 feet long, enclosed on all sides, cannot well be laid out as 
a flower garden, otherwise than in the geometric style. Edgings, or no 
edgings, to beds or borders, on grass, is altogether a matter of taste ; we 
like them better without. When the beds are on gravel there is no choice, 
they must have edgings to keep the soil from mixing with the gravel. 
Avoid triangular shapes as much as possible; all sharp angles are great 
defects in flower-beds, as plants cannot be managed properly in such 
angles. The best plan would be to grub up all the fruit trees and hushes, 
trench the ground four feet deep, if the loam is so deep, and replant with 
young stuff of the best kinds now in use. Trees and other things 150 
years old are not worth the trouble of doctoring, anyhow ; and they will 
never repay you, or give satisfaction, if you do. 
Wintering Scarlet Geraniums (Gosforth).—' You cannot follow 
“ Harry Moors’s plan ” with those now in the borders. His plan is to 
keep them, from year to year, in large pots or boxes, without changing the 
soil, and trusting to strong water, and a fresh top surface every year. 
We shall follow Harry’s plan to the letter, this winter, with all our port¬ 
able scarlet geraniums. Those in the borders, we have just cut their roots 
all round, six inches from the stem ; and after the first sharp frost we 
shall take them up, and pot them, and keep them green all the winter. 
You cannot do better than do likewise, as you have the use of the 
windows; but first read the many ways set forth in former volumes. 
Forcing Fritillarias (R. F.). —There has been a good deal said 
about Fritillarias in our former volumes, but you did not know how to 
look for it. All the Crown Imperials (may we say, many of the Imperial 
Crowns ?) are Fritillarias—that is, chequered like a chess-board. What 
you mean, however, are the varieties of Fritillarici meleugris. No doubt 
but these could be forced a little, like Hyacinths, only they would not 
stand so much heat. They grow in any good or indifferent garden soil, 
and require the same treatment as the Crocus. They would not be in 
character in a bed with hyacinths. 
Gkai-e Hyacinths (Ibid).— The family name for these is Muscari. 
The white one is a variety of botryoides, anil if this species was followed 
up, it would run into as many varieties as the Hyacinth itself. They 
make nice edgings for beds of any spring bulbs, and, like the last, require 
the same treatment as crocus. 
Best Flowers ( Windflower ).—No one could answer your question, 
except for him or herself, it is such a matter of taste ; but we shall treat 
generally on the subject in our next volume.. The b es f time to pot 
Culumnea Skinnerii is about the middle of April, if it was growing fast; 
and another shift at the end of June, hut not later. 
