October 27. 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
71 
Weight of Geese and Ducks (P.).—,A young early-hatched Goose 
of the Toulouse or Embden breeds, should have reached, with good keep, 
14 lb. (live weight) at Michaelmas, but the common breed, at this same 
age, would rarely be above 11 lb. 6 lb. would be a fair average live weight 
for an Aylesbury Duck, but many birds exceed this considerably. 
Plants for Roof of Wardian Case ( F. C. F. G.). —No Orchids 
would live long in your Wardian Case. You wish for forced plants to 
grow from the root. Try the following :— Lycopodium Louisiana. 
Epiphyllum trunentum , Tradescanlia discolor , and Aspleniurn flabelli- 
folium. All these will droop downwards, and grow in a small basket, if 
the plants are chosen small at the first. 
Keeping Hothouse Grapes (T. R .).—Hothouse Grapes are best 
preserved on the vine itself, the house being kept cool and dry after the 
fruit is ripe. To keep off birds, wasps, and flies, the bunch should be 
tied round, or placed in a fine white net bag, the meshes of which are so 
fine as none of the above devourers of grapes could get to the berries. 
They should be examined frequently, and all mouldy berries removed as 
they appear. The foreign Grapes are kept in bran, but they soon lose 
their flavour and become worthless. The English hothouse Grapes, any 
time, fetch nearly as much more as the foreign fruit; but our own fruit 
cannot be kept any way so well as being on the branch that produced it. 
Glass-covered Walls (J. Whiting).— You wish to know at what 
distance the glass on a glass-covered wall should be from the wall. 
Those at Trentham are 3£ feet to 4 feet, quite up to the top, the glass in 
front being upright. The one Mr. Appleby mentions as being seen at 
Woodlesford doing so well, was, as near as he can recollect, 4 feet from 
the wall at the base, and sloping-up to a wooden projection from the 
wall, about nine inches wide; but we have just heard of a better con¬ 
struction in North Wales, and have written for the particulars, and will 
communicate the answers. The cost of such a facing of glass, with a 
narrow glass roof, the wall 10 feet high, and the glass 4 feet from the 
wall at the base, and 2 £ at the top, is about £l per running-yard, fixed 
complete, without reckoning any little bricklayer’s work there may be 
necessary. 
Diseased Dorking (E . //.).— 1 The hen described as moping and 
spiritless, eating little, and not laying, is, most probably, suffering from 
disease of some important internal organ. In the absence of further 
information it is not very evident what organ is affected. As an altera¬ 
tive, a grain of calomel may he tried, followed by a teaspoonful of castor I 
oil. Both medicines are readily given mixed with barley-meal.—W. B.T. 
Protecting Pits (F. Counihum, and others).—See an article to-day | 
by Mr. Fish. 
House for many Purposes ( T. S.).— If your object is to grow I 
Cucumbers and Vines in pots, in a house in which you wish to keep other 
Vines on the rafters dormant, then have the main Vines planted out-of- 
doors, and the wall-plate so arranged that you can take the tops out at 
pleasure. 
Conservatory Vinery (A Friend). —Seep. 21. You are quite mis¬ 
taken as to our wishes ; you only please us by such questions, as they 
show us we are not labouring in vain. We will think the matter over; 
meantime—First. Large pots will do as \tfell as the small brick pits for the 
plants on the back wall. Secondly. Place the plants in the bed, the tallest at 
back, and just so near that they do not touch, giving more room as they 
want it. Thirdly. One Lycopodium , such as denticulatum , would do 
better for the edging than several; but you could introduce comparatively 
hardy ones in other places. Fourthly. We like your dividing the bed in 
two, with a path in the middle, rounding the beds there, so as to have a 
rock-work opposite the opening in front for Ferns and Mosses. We see, 
by that, that you do not mean to have a shelf. What would you say to 
inserting early bulbs in the rock-work ? They would look very pretty ; at 
the risk of narrowing the beds, we would almost recommend you to have 
two other jutting-out pieces, one on each side of your contemplated central 
piece, but not so large as that. A sweep inwards, the widest part about 
fifteen inches, in the centre of each bed, would give you a regular serpen¬ 
tine walk, and great variety in a small place. We shall retain this last 
note, so that we may refer to it in case more should be wanted. 
Game Fowls with Bantams (W. R. R.). —An immediate mongrel 
race would be the certain result of allowing Game Fowls and Bantams to 
run together. The characteristics of a good gold-laced Bantam would 
comprise the rose comb, uniform, clear lacing, on a bright golden bay 
body-colour, the square tail tipped with black, clean blue legs and feet, 
with an erect, corpulent carriage ; 17 ounces for the male, and 14 ounces 
for the hen, being the usual standard. Look to the article on “Ban¬ 
tams,” in the “ Poultry Book.”—W. 
Covenants in a Lease (Clericus L.). —The only advice that we 
can give you, is that you should ask the steward of some large land-pro¬ 
prietor, in your neighbourhood, what covenants he finds most advisable 
to introduce in a lease. Having ascertained this, you had better employ 
an attorney to draw up the least. This, in the end, is usually the 
cheapest and most satisfactory mode. 
Gas Stove for a Greenhouse (F. H. L.).—We have no objection 
to a gas stove for merely excluding frost, if care is taken to have a suffi¬ 
cient tube for carrying away the gases produced by burning the gas, so 
that none of them contaminate the air of the house. We objected to 
stoves, with patent or other fuel, that have no chimneys for the escape of 
the gases produced. 
List of Poultry Shows (E. Archer). —We continue this whenever 
we have spare space. The petty feeling winch withholds some advertise¬ 
ments of them from our columns needs no comment. 
Weight of Shangiiae Chickens. — A Subscriber, whose address 
we have, says :—“In The Cottage Gardener of Sept. 8 th, in speak¬ 
ing of the weights of Shanghae chickens, it is stated, authoritively, 
‘ Shanghae cockerels or pullets never weigh more than one pound for 
every month, until they are eight months old.’ Of course, you will be 
glad to receive any examples of exceptions to this rule, and to lay them 
before your readers. A ‘ fancier,* in this town, has a cockerel and three 
pullets. The pullets were hatched March the 24th. The cockerel within 
a few days of the same time. The pullets are all nearly the same size, 
and I have just seen one of them and the cockerel weighed. Their 
united weight was eighteen pounds ten ounces. The cockerel being ten 
pounds two ounces; the pullet seven-and-a-half pounds. I may say 
that the pullet does not weigh to advantage, just at present, as she is 
broody, and has begun to moult. The pullets have laid regularly for the 
last two months.” 
Diseased Fowls (H. C. S ., Spondon ).—It is the roup. You will 
find the mode of treatment in preceding numbers. 
Coloured Plates (Sylva ).—Quite impossible to be done. It can 
be done when the copies required are a few hundreds, but not when they 
are wanted in thousands. Thanks for your other hiuts. 
The Cottage Gardener (T. F.).—The two volumes for 1852—3, 
bound in gilt cloth, you can have for seven shillings each. Any number, 
any part, or any volume, can now be had. We never heard of a self- 
feeder for poultry. It is as impossible for us to tell you the value, or 
probable returns, of any kind of poultry without seeing them, or knowing 
their pedigree, as it would he for you to answer the same question as to 
any animal of which you know nothing but the name. You shall be 
informed about Fuchsias next week. 
William Adams (C.). —Thanks for the ten shillings, which were 
gratefully received. 
Pears Splitting ( Leylonensis ).—If your Doyenne Pear is grafted on 
a Quince stock, that is sufficient to account for the fruit splitting. We 
have many such instances, and all showing that the stock does not afford, 
on some soils, and to some varieties, a sufficient supply of sap to the 
fruit. If your Pear is not on a Quince stock, the deficient supply of sap 
is caused by the roots being defective. Manure the soil, and keep it 
mulched over in the spring and summer. 
Corallines (Dowains).—We would aid you if we could, but we know 
little or nothing about them. 
Cultivation of Fungi. —A Lover of Cryptogami enquires—“ Can 
Fungi be cultivated ? I mean the flaming beauties one sees in damp 
places at this time of year.” Any of our readers will oblige by stating 
the results of their experiments on the propagation of Fungi. 
Names of Plants (Margaret). —It is no Phlox, but Plumbago 
LarpenteE. (Clericus). —Your low-growing shrub is Cineraria muritima. 
Mr. Beaton (vol. vi. page 9b) appropriately calls it “the Frosted Silver 
Plant.” (A.B.C .).—No. 10 . Aloe verrucosa, or Warted Aloe. No. 13. 
Begonia sanguinea. (A. B.). —The white-flowered Acanthus molli ^ 
the yellow Heliunthus multiflorus. > 
Names of Fruits (A Surrey Subscriber).— Pears.— No. 1. Beurr£ 
Capiaumont. 2. Williams’ Bonchretien. 6. Autumn Bergamor. 7 . 
Autumn Bergamot. 8. Maria Louise. 9- Swan’s Egg. 10. Easter 
Beurre. 11. Easter Beurre. 12. Swan’s Egg. Apples. —No. 2. 
Scarlet Nonpareil, fi. Blenheim Pippin. 7* Dutch Codlin. 8. York¬ 
shire Greening. 10. Cockle Pippin. 11 . Beauty of Kent. 12 . Graven- 
tein. 13. Hawthornden. 14. Northern Greening. 15. Monk’s Codlin. 
17. Boston Russet. 18. Autumn Pearmain. 20 . Ribston Pippin. 22. 
Margil. The others were either so far decayed, or the labels lost, that 
we cannot complete the list. 
Error at page 32, “ Names of Plants.” In answer to “ A Constant 
Reader 2 should be Aristotelia maqui var. variegata . 
CALENDAR FOR NOVEMBER. 
FLOWER GARDEN. 
Anemones, plant for succession bloom. Auriculas and Polyan¬ 
thuses, put under shelter (See October). Bulbous Roots, finish 
planting in dry weather; pot for latest forcing, and for plunging in 
flower-beds, be. Carnation layers, finish planting and potting ; secure 
the pot at once from rain. Climbers of all sorts, plant, prune, and 
train. Compost, prepare and turn in dry weather. Crocus, pot large 
lumps from the borders for forcing. Chrysanthemums, against walls 
or fences, secure from frost. Half-hardy bulbs in borders, secure from 
frost and rain by a boarded covering. Dahlias, cut down after frost, 
and let roots remain as long as it is safe ; when taken up, dry them in 
open sheds, &c., before storing, where frost and damp cannot reach them. 
Dress the beds and borders, and put mark-sticks to bulbs and other 
roots, to guide you when digging. Edgings, plant. Evergreens, 
finish planting, b. Fibrous-rooted plants, finish dividing and 
planting, b. Fork over borders, See. Gladiolus : all the old sorts 
may yet be planted; most of the new do better planted in spring. 
Grass, cut very close the last time; kept clear of leaves; and roil. 
Gravel, weed and roll. Hedges, plant, clip, and clear at bottom. 
Hoe and rake shrubberies, and bury the leaves, See. between the plants. 
Hollyhocks, finish planting. Layering, perform at intervals, if fine 
weather, till March. Leaves, gather for compost, Ike. Marvel of 
Peru, take up and store like Dahlias. Mulch round trees and shrubs 
lately planted. Plant perennials and biennials (See October), Plant¬ 
ing, deciduous shrubs and trees, perform generally, and finish as early as 
practicable. Potted Plants, for forcing, plunge in the earth of a well- 
sheltered border facing the sun. Prune shrubs and trees generally. 
Ranunculuses, plant for earliest bloom. Seedlings of them, in boxes, 
&c., remove to a warm situation. Weak Roses, prune without delay ; 
very strong ones, delay pruning till March ; tender ones, secure from 
frost with moss, fern, &c. Shrubs of all kinds, plant, stake, and mulch. 
Suckers, from Roses and other shrubs, separate and plant. Tigridias, 
save from frost as long as possible; should not be dried till January or 
February. Tulips, finish planting, b. D. Beaton. 
