THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
November 17. 
132 
I bines, anil blue pieds, are generally esteemed for their scar- 
| city, though they will not usually come up to the properties 
of the foregoing feathers." 
[“ According to Mr. Moore, a Carrier is reckoned to 
have twelve properties, ifcc. and all in that small portion 
of the bird—the Head; allowing no property to test 
the Carrier by that standard, laid down with regard to 
the wonderful symmetry and elegance of shape; although, 
in former times, it was called, by the Gentlemen of 
the Fancy, ‘the King of Pigeons,’ for its elegauce and 
sagacity. An umpire, unequal to the office he was filling, 
might award the prize from a general appearance of the 
bird (its elegance and symmetry of shape) although it was 
not laid down as one out of the twelve properties to test the 
; Carrier by, and I think we are greatly indebted for the 
j judicious remarks of Mayor. After all, my brother Fanciers, 
I will be candid, and inform you, that I do not believe the 
Carrier to be an original bird, but bred up to the highest 
possible pitch, by the Fancier, from the Horseman—when 
at this high pitch, or standard, then it was called a Carrier, 
nor is it possible to prevent the degeneration by any art 
whatever, which I shall endeavour to prove when I come to 
the Horseman.] 
[“Mayor, p. 84. But in my opinion, the above twelve 
properties would be better, and not so liable to be confused, 
if they were reduced to five properties, vix.— 
“ 1st. The Beak. 
“2nd. The Wattle. 
“ 3rd. The Head. 
“ 4tb. The Eye. 
“ 5th. Length and thinness of neck, and length of body. 
“ But as the gentlemen of that Fancy have not yet taken 
upon them to fix a proper standard, as has been done for 
the Almond Tumbler and the Pouter, the above is sub¬ 
mitted to their consideration. The reducing the twelve 
properties to five simplifies, and is generally adopted by the 
Gentlemen of the Fancy who are appointed to the office of 
, Umpire.] 
(To he continued .) 
TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
Cinerarias (C. J. A.), —You have a dozen seedling Cinerarias, and 
have kept them in a window facing the sun, and instead of flourishing, 
and, ns you expected, showing flower, they are very unhealthy. Any 
grower of Cinerarias would have anticipated this. Your treatment, as 
far as you have described it, is decidedly wrong, and this is not the 
season to set them right. All you can do is to repot them, rubbing off 
part of the old soil, and set them in a cold frame for a tinie ; or, if you 
have not that convenience, place them in a north vvindow for a month, 
till they make fresh leaves and growth. Watch for green flies and 
destroy them. Cinerarias require, during autumn and winter, the coolest 
treatment—36° to 40° of heat are sufficient. In fact, any low tempe¬ 
rature, not actually at the freezing point, will suit them. 
Dahlias, Rats, and Roses (Scintillax). —We never heard of rats 
destroying Dahlias in winter stores, nor of Roses being killed with too 
much rotten dung. We, ourselves, once planted some Rose-trees on a 
heap of dung, thirteen yards long, five yards wide, and four feet deep, 
without one single particle of soil, and they succeeded wonderfully, as 
long as they could he left; but, no doubt, some kind of fresh dung would 
kill anything, and if the holes made in the stony clay for your Roses 
will hold water, your Roses certainly will be killed, sooner or later. If 
the water drains readily away, never fear, for over-rotten dung all Roses 
delight in. 
Lantana crock a ( Parson's Wife). —You are, unfortunately, too late; 
but try and save a couple of the old plants ; prune them close to the 
hard wood, and shorten the whole plant; pot them in leaf-mould, sand, 
and light loam, and keep them fully as warm all the winter as a Gera¬ 
nium in growth. Force young cuttings from them early in March, in a 
cucumber-bed, and the young plants will be fit for the bed early in June. 
August is the right time to make cuttings of these bedding Lantunus. 
Did you ever try Lantana Scllowii for a "bed ? Three-year-old plants of 
it do best, and it makes a pretty bed indeed. 
Rhododendrons, Azaleas, Heaths, and Conifers (H. B .).— 
The following are twelve kinds of well-marked varieties of Rhododen¬ 
drons, which you can buy at, or under, three shillings a-piece— Bicolor, 
Album grandiflorum, Candidum, Chandler scarlet, "Everestianum, Gut- 
tatum, Hyacinthiflorum, Jacksonii, Lttciferum, Macranthum, Fictum, 
and Splendidum. For six very good, hardy Azaleas, take the Ghent 
ones, such as Amabilis, Aurea splendens, Ne plus Ultra, Candidissima, 
Calendulacea coccinea, and Speciosissima. Six of the best hardy Ericas 
you might pick up on the hill behind your house in North Wales; but if 
you would rather pay for the feather of a far-fetched bird, take Herbacea, 
Strictu, Variguns rubra, Mediterranea, Vulgaris aurea, and Vulgaris 
dumosu. We saw nine kinds of Heaths on Chobham Common, and we 
keep them purposely out of this list, although just as good as any in it. 
For six “ most graceful Conifers,” at a low figure, take Abies Douglussii, 
Pinus insignis, Araucaria imbricata, Cedrus deodara, Cryptomeria 
japnnica, and Cupressus mucrocarpa, alias Lambertiana. 
French Beans and Strawberries (T. W. A.).—First-rate gar- 
deners have their earliest French Beans and earliest Potatoes on the 
dinner-table on the first of January ; and next morning they move the 
earliest Strawberries, that are to he, from their winter quarters into a 
somewhere that is kept a few degrees warmer than a cold frame; hut, 
judging from surmises, we would venture to suggest the 20 th of next 
March as the most befitting time for you to begin French Beans and 
Strawberries. We once knew a superior forcing-gardener, who once made 
a great mistake, by boasting among the craft, at a public dinner, that his 
earliest beans were always ready for the Christmas dinner. “ Sure enough, 
then,” said an Irish gardener, opposite, 41 my early beans are always a 
twelvemonth, all but seven days, earlier than yours.” 
Pillar Fuchsias and Pillar Geraniums [Ibid).— Take a two- 1 
year-old Fuchsia of the strongest kind, cut it to the surface of the ball, 
shake all the soil Irorn it, but do not cut many, or any, of the old roots, 
only the small fibres, pot it in a good, rich, light compost, and after 
watering, plunge it into bottom-heat of from 75° to 80° in a close place; 
let six or eight shoots from the stool rise nvo pairs of leaves, and rub oti 
the rest, if more come. Now select the strongest shoot, and stop the 
rest, but do not cut them all away, as some foolishly do. Keep the 
centre shoot going, in heat and moisture, as fast as it will grow, till the 
flower-buds appear by the end of next April; and if the bottom threatens 
to be bare of shoots for a yard or so, let two or three of your reserve 
suckers crow so long as to cover the naked parts. The height of the 
pillar will be proportionate to the kind, and to your skill in filling-up the 
details of management. Geraniums must only be grown as standards 
the first year; the side-shoots will form the pillar afterwards ; grow them 
also in heat. 
Colour of Shangiiae’s Legs (G. G. Spencer).— Regarding the 
yellow leg as a specific feature in the Shanghae fowl, we should certainly 
consider the fact of that member being “ white ” as a fatal bar to dis¬ 
tinction in the prize-list. 
Various ( Pliilanthe ).■—Yon w ish for creepers suitable for the back 
wall of a conservatory, twelve feet high, but no artificial heat. You do 
not say how long it is. Nothing very tender will do in such a place, i 
Jasminum revolutum, yellow and sweet; J. grucile. white and sweet; 1 
Passifloru cwruleu, blue ; Clematis coerulea, blue. The rest are strong- \ 
growing, rather herbaceous in their character; put down in the order in [ 
which they will bloom from spring to autumn:— Muurandya Bar - ! 
clayana, purple ; M. Hcndersonii, pink; M. alba, white; Rhodochiton 
volubile, dark purple; Tropwolum pentaphyllum, orange, red, and , 
green ; Lophospennum erubesccns, rose-coloured; L. Hendersanii, car¬ 
mine; L. spectabile, variegated ; Ecremocarpus scaber, orange. Again, 
Fuchsias would soon cover such a wall, or Scurlet Geraniums, and either, 
by being kept dryish in winter, would prevent injury, except from very 
severe frosts- Good lists have already been given of creepers for green¬ 
houses, but they would he unsuitable for a conservatory without heat, ns 
the finest things might all he worthless after a night’s frost. White and 
black Vines, for such a house, ar a—Black Hamburgh, and White or 
Royal Muscadine; but. if you give the heat from sun the Vines would 
like in summer, it will be too much for herbaceous climbers on the back- 
wall. Were it not that you object to Camellias . they would do better than 
anything else, as they would stand cold in winter and heat in summer. 
Fuchsia serratifolia (Ibid).—' This will bloom in winter. See an 
article to-day by Mr. Fish. You ask for the 44 Handsomest and best ever¬ 
green creeper for the east end of a cold conservatory, against which you have 
a rockwork, with threejets of water playing spray fashion over Ferns, both 
British and foreign.” We fear, that in your case, we are carrying 44 salt 
to Dvsart,” and 44 shoes to Northampton.” But what do you mean by 
cold ? Do you use fire-heat, or not ? We can place ourselves just looking 
at your rock-work, and if it had been out-of-doors, we would have been 
tempted to cover the wall with a huge bush of double Whin ur Furze. 
As it is in the house, and if not heated, we would try Soltya heterophylla, 
which is very interesting with its pretty blue flowers ; but if the house is 
heated, though not a climber, but easily trained, we know of nothing more 
suitable than the Acacia Armuta. 
Cyclamens ( Reo. 11. M. Evans). —These, received from Smyrna, had 1 
better he potted in sandy loam, with a little peat, neither wet nor dry, 
and kept in that state, in a cool house, until they begin to grow, when 
they will want more w ater, and full exposure to the light. 
Addresses (B. W.). —Those you require are—Capt. W. W. Hornby, 
R. N., Knowsley Cottage, near Prescot; and Graham Vivian, Esq., 
Singleton, Cornwall. 
Poultry Fountains (B. B .).—There are several, but none of them 
deserving the price required for them. The best plan of supplying water 
is in a long iron trouvli placed behind a row of palings, through which 
the poultry can put their heads and reach the water. 
Dorkings (James Rollins). —The topknots at once demonstrate that 
your birds are not pure Dorkings. 
British Wild Flowers (Myosotis).— It is probable that they will 
be published in a separate form. 
Shanghaes (A Subscriber).— You were certainly misinformed. Buff 
Shanghaes, or, as you call them, Cochin-Chinas, are most in request. 
White Com B.—Chirurgus, of Oswestry, says, “ Perceiving a Cochin 
Pullet affected with a white scurf on one side of the face, which gave her i 
very much the appearance of a Spanish fowl’s white face, and not liking 
that this complaint should spread (as I understood it will) over the | 
comb and neck, I had recourse to a remedy recommended in your pages, j 
viz., cocoa-nut oil and turmeric, in the proportion of one drachm of the I 
latter to two of the former; and I am glad to say, that ill three or four 
applications she has been cured. 
Names of Plants (A. B.).—Abies Cephalonica and Rhododendron 
Dauricum. (A. B.) I. Asplenium Trichomaues, or common Maidenhair 
Fern. 2 . Eucomis punctata, Spotte 1 Eucomis. 3 . Edwurdsiu grundi- 
flora, Large-flowered Edwarsia, 4 . Viburnum npulus, Guelder Rose. 5 . 
Quercus robur, Stalkless-fruited Oak. li and 7 . Varieties of Quercus 
ccrris, which wc may he able to name next week. 
Error. —At page 71, on the cost of covering walls ten feet high with 
glass—for £\ per running yard, Mr. Appleby says it should he £\ per 
running/oo<. 
London: Printed by Harry Wooldridge, Winchester High-street, 
in the Parish of Saint Mary Kalendar; and Published by William 
Somerville Orr, of Church Hill, Walthamstow, in the County of 
Essex, at the Office, No. 2 , Amen Corner, in the Parish of Christ 
Church, City of London.—November 17 th, 1853. 
