420 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
August 29. 
would not be too moist for some of them ? and oblige—A 
Tees.” 
Lycopodium Circinatum 
„ Yentriculosum 
„ Arboreum 
,, Densum 
„ Cmsium - 
„ Formosum 
Anemia Fraxinifolia 
Asplenum Molle 
„ Compressum 
„ Bulbiferum 
„ F.beneum 
„ Belangene 
[All these Ferns will do equally well for a Wardian Case; 
but watch for more hardy kinds in the forthcoming descrip¬ 
tive lists from Mr. Appleby. Scientific growers of the Fern 
tribe never use Wardian cases for them; and as one Fern 
among the smaller ones is as good as another for the rest of 
the world, we would never plant stove Ferns in these cases. 
It is a ■'mistake altogether to suppose, or to believe, that 
Ferns or other plants ought to be kept quite close in a 
Wardian case, if it can be helped. If a single blade falls off 
in one of them it is a sure and certain sign of very bad 
management, and of too close confinement. In a warm 
room a Wardian case ought to have abundance of air from 
bed-time till the family come down to breakfast, all the year 
round, except in very cold weather, and then once every 
other day when the room is warmest. More than one-half 
of what is done and said about Wardian cases is worse than 
absolute nonsense. They are most excellent contrivances 
for keeping a selection of beautiful-leaved plants in living 
rooms; but the monstrous ignorance about living plants 
living well, without plenty of fresh air, is worse than down¬ 
right quackery. Plants merely exist on long voyages in 
j closed eases, but they do not live well, nor anything like it. 
Such cases are greenhouses or stoves on a very small scale, 
and ought to be regulated accordingly in respect to heat, 
air, and moisture.] 
CANTUA DEPENDENTS. 
“ I have a plant of Cantua Dependens that I would gladly 
see in llower, but am afraid that 1 cannot manage it. I have 
observed Mr. Beaton’s remarks at page 135 (No. 205), and 
have there learned to expect the bloom, if any, next season, 
from the wood of this year’s growth. 
“ My plant is a standard some thirty-six inches in height, 
and I have no cool frame that would hold it, so that I have 
set it out-of-doors, at the north side of a wall only a little 
higher than itself, and have been giving it water only when 
very dry; and, in consequence, I have now short stubby¬ 
looking shoots on it instead of the rampant growth of former 
years. Bo you think that I have any chance of getting my 
plant to flower next spring in a cool greenhouse?—J. A.” 
[You seem to be just on the right road for success with 
Cantua dependens. A cold greenhouse will do for it as well 
as a cold pit, provided you watch it in the spring, and see 
that the place is not too warm for it, as the least forcing may 
cause it to run again too much to wood.] 
POULTRY. 
j 
CINNAMON SHANGHAES. 
1 “ Can you inform me whether, at Poultry Shows, prizes are 
ever given for Cinnamon Shanghaes (either light or dark), or 
whether they are invariably given to the light Buffs ? as the 
class in which they are both exhibited is for Cinnamon and 
Buff. — Mandaein.” 
[Cinnamon Shanghaes, both of the darker hue as well as 
those termed “ Silver,” would unquestionably have equal 
chances to the favour of a duly-qualified poultry judge with 
the buff birds. If on the other points they were on a par, 
colour would be considered as deciding the question ; and 
here the cinnamon too often suffer from injudicious match¬ 
ing, which would transfer the laurels to their adversaries. 
Buff birds, however, form the great bulk of those exhibited 
in this class, and hence their more frequent victories ; but 
that “prizes are invariably given to the light buffs, to the 
exclusion of cinnamons equal in figure and condition,” is a 
proposition to which our assent cannot be given.—W.] 
HAMBURGHS AT LINCOLN. 
“ Having observed your comments on the class of Ham¬ 
burgh fowls at Lincoln, ‘ Hamburghs very bad,’ I am induced 
to ask the writer of that article where the beauty consists, 
as every breeder of that kind is quite at sea, and believes 
there must be defects not visible. As every person is aware, 
who keeps the feathered tribe, there is a time when they 
change the feathers, and previous to this they look to great 
disadvantage, this happens according to the age of the fowl 
and kind of food ; but judges and critics should be very 
mindful what they say to the disparagement of these birds, 
but should, by a well-regulated judgment and practical 
experience, encourage, and not condemn, first-class birds. 
“ I am informed, of good authority, that the Golden-pen¬ 
cilled exhibited at Lincoln, were the birds from which the 
likeness was taken for “ The Poultry Book.” Some of the 
Silver-pencilled have taken, I may almost say, dozens of 
prizes, yet were not good enough in the eyes of the judges. 
There were two or three pens of both Golden and Silver- 
spangled which might defy competition. Those that got the 
second prize for Silver-spangled, were well deserving of the 
first; and the other pen of Mr. Dixon’s, of Bradford, the 
second. On the Golden 1 will not comment, but certainly 
say the awards were very far from right. At Bipon, the same 
partiality existed, with this difference, that at Lincoln, the 
judges were in favour of dark, at Bipon, of light birds ; but 
here there was a better show of Hamburghs than at Lincoln, 
there being old and young. 
“As in the present variable opinion of judges it will behove 
the Committee of the Birmingham Show to state the leading 
features that will decide the judges, as the handsome prizes 
they offer will be sure to cause great numbers to exhibit, 
and I trust that their views may be so well propounded that 
‘they who run may read.’ 
“ Having a very good eye for remembering good birds, 
when once I have seen them, makes me think I could con¬ 
vince some writers, that what they have praised one month 
they have called decidedly bad within a year. 
“Respecting the merits of Siianghae, and Spangled or 
Pencilled Pheasant fowls, or Dorkings, whatever your 
opinion south may be, you will find Shanghaes go quite out 
of date in three years. "Where you want good table fowl 
nothing will beat Dorkings, nor as layers the Hamburgh 
fowls; and a keeper of poultry should have some of both, 
since the pure Hamburghs will not sit. 
“Farmers near here would not have Shanghaes as a gift 
to keep; I could get very good birds for 5s. to 10s. a piece.— 
Alfeed Goodman, Gledlow House, near Leeds.” 
[Not having been eye-witnesses of the late Poultry Show 
at Lincoln, we cannot speak on our own authority; the 
judges, however, were gentlemen with whom “ Hamburghs” 
are a well-known class, and the source whence our report I 
was obtained may confidently be relied on for the same 
accuracy and impartiality. The alteration that a single 
month may effect in a bird has oftentimes been the source 
of keen disappointment, and so long as “ condition " remains, 
as it must, a recognised point of merit, it will continne 
materially to influence the chances of success on different 
occasions. 
We entirely coincide with you in the expression of your 
opinion, that a recognised standard of merit in the different 
classes is an essential, the absence of which will be no 
longer tolerated. The concurrent authority of many ex¬ 
perienced persons will be required to sanction any such 
regulations that may be promulgated, but there is surely no 
cause to doubt the practicability of either obtaining such 
definite opinions of competent persons, or of subsequently 
acting on them.—W.] 
HOUSEKEEPING. 
RHUBARB WINE. 
“ In answer to the query at page 388 :—To every pound 
of Rhubarb stalks, when bruised, put one quart of cold 
spring water, let it stand three days, stirring it twice a day ; 
then press and strain it through a sieve, and to every gallon 
Adiantum Cuneatum 
„ Formosum 
„ Pubescens 
„ „ Australe 
Blechnum Occidentale 
„ Orientale 
Diplazium Pubescens 
Onychium Lucidum 
Pteris Arguta 
Phlebodimn Aureum 
Gymnogramma Sulplmrea. 
