October 13. 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
31 
attempt it; and having produced some birds of the required 
colour, will he venture to say that it could be perpetuated 
from them? Will the offspring of birds thus crossed come as 
true to feather as those from the pure branches ? I can 
only say, that my experience (as instanced in the case of my 
first pair of Greys) has proved the contrary; and I should 
think, from the “ many years experience in all poultry 
matters ” which he professes (and which I do not), that he 
must be quite aware of this fact as applied to all cross-bred 
birds. This brings to my mind, that in my former letter there 
occurred a misprint—the word point there printed should be 
parent —you will then see that he is answered on this point 
in anticipation. If your correspondent doubts the fact of 
these birds being imported from America, be can have ample 
evidence of the truth of it, if ho will take the trouble to 
enquire; and I believe I am not wrong, or committing a 
breach of confidence, in stating, tliatthere are, at this moment, 
on the passage from New York, some of the finest birds that 
could be procured in America, consigned to a gentleman of 
high standing in the poultry world. 
I think, your correspondent “ Verax ’’ is scarcely 
justified in putting down as humbug the opinions of men 
perhaps as well qualified as himself to form one; the only 
grounds he gives for doing so, is having been imposed on 
himself; but if some unprincipled person has foisted cross 
for pure bred birds on him, that is no reason he should con¬ 
demn the whole; in fact, his admission of the half-bred birds 
being sold to him as pure, is, in my opinion, a tacit acknow¬ 
ledgment of the existence of pure birds somewhere, but he 
has not been fortunate enough to procure them, if he had, 
we should, perhaps, have heard from him in a different spirit. 
And now, sir, perhaps you will permit me to say a few words 
on your remarks, and will endeavour to do so in all fairness 
of spirit. 1 n your paper of the 22nd, you say, in reference to 
the admirers of Brahma Poutras, “ that they will soon expose 
their own follies,” alluding to the difference of opinion as to 
the Pea or Single Comb being most desirable. Why should 
you condemn, as a folly, the mere fact of another person 
admiring that which you do not? and if there be a difference 
of opinion on the subject of the comb, does not the same 
remark apply to the Dorking family ? And I have never known 
you to denounce the man who preferred a single to a Rose- 
combed Dorking, or vice versa. You also warn your readers 
against another folly, viz., giving high prices for these birds. 
Why should you do so ? You have never found fault with 
the prices given for Buffs ; on the contrary, when any birds 
have realised extraordinary prices, you have always, rather 
triumphantly, called attention to the fact; and it is not very 
long since you also mentioned having sold some early 
chickens of your own at rather high prices; and, I am sure, 
no one envied or found fault with you for having done so. 
It is, no doubt, a laudable thing for a journalist to protect 
his readers, and warn them against imposition ; but, in this 
case, I trust you will pardon me for saying that your zeal for 
the public good may, in my opinion, have carried you a little 
too far. I believe the Greys will become great favourites 
with the public, but they should be left to take their chance 
with others, and not be written down through prejudice 
(such I believe your correspondent’s feelings to be). For 
myself, I can only say, I should never have dreamed of 
troubling you with any remarks of mine, but for his letter, 
and am quite content to let the subject drop, and allow the 
birds to stand on their merits, of which they possess not a 
few, and which the numerous poultry shows afford such 
opportunities of being brought before the public. 
P. Jones, Jtin. 
[We have nothing to object to in the tone of this letter, 
and have only omitted one sentence, attributing motives to 
a third party, which motives no one need endeavour to dis¬ 
cover—what we have to deal with are facts. Mr. Jones, Mr. 
Sbeehau, Dr. Gwynne, and some others, think highly of the 
Grey Shanghaes ; others, more in number, and high autho¬ 
rities among poultry fanciers, think quito the reverse of their 
merits. Time will show who is correct. If they do prove 
such highly meritorious birds as their possessors would have 
others join them in believing, then not one word will be 
published by us against prices commensurate being paid for 
them. What we have warned our readers against, and we 
repeat the warning, is giving high prices for birds or eggs 
until their high merit is established.—E d. 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.” 
Preventing Freezing between Glass-lappings. —The following 
suggestion of “ A Worcestershire Man ” is certainly worthy of a trial— 
“ Too much depth lap over in the panes of glass, in greenhouses, is very apt 
to cause the wet to get between the laps, and to freeze, and crack the 
panes. Would not a little salt brine poured on, so as to soak between 
the laps, prevent the freezing?” 
Temporary Residence for Governesses ( Ctericus). —This is 
quite out of our track, but happening to know something of its manage¬ 
ment, and of the lady, Miss Welch, who superintends its affairs, we can 
Tecomnrend it for your support without any reservation. You had better 
write to her at 19 A, Osnaburgh Square. 
Caterpillar (Olga). —The caterpillar that comes nearest to your 
description, we think, is that of the Goat Moth ( Cossus ligniperda). 
Had it not a goat-like smell ? 
Tan as a preventive of Caterpillars. — F. B. R. will be obliged 
by E. C. informing him at what season he applies the tan to the 
I trees, in what quantities, and whether under each tree separately, or all 
I over the surface of the bed ? 
Chloroform for stupifying Bees (Mudgee). —Try one drachm; 
if that is not enough, it is easy to use a little more. Do not sprinkle the 
bees with either syrup or anything else ; put the hive over as before as 
soon as the bees begin to revive. 
Oxalis spectabii.is (A New Subscriber). —We suspect your species 
i is identical with the Braziliensis of The Cottage Gardener’s Dic¬ 
tionary, a small, rose-coloured species from Brazil. It would do well 
I in a cold frame, or even in a border secured from frost; but, unless you 
had much of it, we would advise keeping it under shelter. You may 
plant when you like, but forbear giving water until vegetation in the 
bulbs commences. By merely attending to this, the whole genus may 
be brought into bloom at almost any time, by altering, by little and 
little, their resting period. 
Wintering Geraniums (Ibid).— You may keep such as Ajax, Plato, 
Ike., in a frame ; but you will have considerable trouble in keeping them 
dry enough. You must not attempt to grow them much, until the day 
changes in spring. Bee remarks on pits , Ike., last week. 
Hydrangeas not blooming (0. P.). —The wood had not been suffi¬ 
ciently matured last season. If you had stopped their growth some time 
before pruning them, and had shortened or removed a few of the upper 
leaves, kept the plants rather dry, and the stems fully exposed to the sun, 
it is likely that every bud you left after pruning would have given you a 
shoot surmounted by a head of bloom. Keep this ripening of wood 
process in view now, or you may have the same complaint next year, as 
your plants are growing well. In fact, the wood ought to be firm at the 
i base of the shoots before now. We have some out-of-doors, but the 
cold, damp autumn last year left the wood so spongy that we have 
' vigorous growth, and but little or no bloom. 
Camellias and Orange-trees (Ibid).—We have so often alluded to 
; these, in almost every imaginable circumstance, that we hardly know of 
one additional wrinkle we could give you. We will think the matter 
over, however, and try ; but we should know better how to suit you, if 
! we knew the points on which you chiefly wanted information. 
Raising fine sorts of Calceolaria (Ibid). —You must first of 
! all buy the best to be got, and then carefully hybridize the flowers; 
; allow only a few seeds to ripen on the best plants; sow these carefully, 
soon after being gathered ; keep with great care over the winter ; bloom 
I in small pots; and keep those only that are decidedly superior. This is 
the mode for fine florist’s varieties. If you want them for the border, a 
shrubby habit, flowers rather small, and with little or no opening in the 
I slipper, must form criteria of excellence. For them, the mother plant, 
I at least, should be of a shrubby habit. 
Converting a Greeniiodsf. Vinery into a Conservatory Vinery 
( A Friend).—By the sketch given, we are informed the house is nine feet 
wide, and seventeen feet long. We presume there is a brick wall, front 
and ends, some two-and-a-half feet in height; front sashes tliree-and-a- 
lialf feet high, making a height of six feet altogether, and that the hack wall 
is some twelve or fourteen feet high. We also presume that the Vines 
are brought in at the front wall, the roots being in a border outside. The 
door is in the end, some two-and-a-half feet wide, and placed a foot or 
fifteen inches from the front of the house, and thus leaving room tor a 
narrow shelf there for small plants, if deemed advisable. It in anything 
we have surmised wrong, or a more detailed account of your other glass 
conveniences might alter our opinion, we would be glad to hearfrom you, 
as we would wish to give all the help possible in the circumstances. 
Now, in answer to your questions—First. It is perfectly practicable retain¬ 
ing the Vine on the rafters, “to convert the greenhouse into a con¬ 
servatory, by removing the stand, and substituting a border six feet wide, 
and the length of the house.” But, second. The proposed mode of planting 
it with ” Fuchsias, Camellias, Orange-trees, Dcutzias, Azaleas, Ac., and 
covering the back wall behind with Camellias, Jasmines, &e, is open 
to some exception. The beauty of such a house would consist in having 
plants that would suit the treatment given to the Vine, premising that 
but little in the way of forcing was given to that fruit. Now, a Fuchsia, 
in such circumstances, would grow freely, and, for the first months in 
spring, it would blow freely, but afterwards, from the shade of the Vine, 
the blooms would lose in richness of colour, and luxuriance of foliage would 
so increase, until all the space would soon be occupied with a few plants, 
