29-1: 
THE COTTAGE GAllDENER. 
January 19. 
atmospheric warmth can he snppliocl, a hoil a foot thick is 
sutlieient. A good, hut not severe heating or treading may 
also bo given this, and the. spawn scattered over it, or rather 
dibbled in, and the top coated over witli an inch or so of 
good sound loam, is ifll that is wanted. Observe, the loam 
liad better not be applied if any danger of over-heating 
exist, which, however, with well-prepared dung, can hardly 
be the case. Watering will, in a manner, depend on the 
dryness of the atmosphere, and other causes; hut a dry, 
harsh air is inimical to the growth of this plant; and, if 
it needs must be so, the bed must be covered over with 
loose hay or litter, which must be frequently sprinkled with 
water. A heavy watering may sometimes he given to an 
old exhausted bed with advantage, because, if accompanied 
by increased heat, a large second growth occasionally takes 
place—but, of course, this is not of long continuance; but, 
for many reasons, it is advisable to try it before Anally 
condemning an old bed. Those now in bearing will need 
occasional watering only, for, in a usual way, the moisture 
with which the dung has been charged with is sullicient 
for the support of the crop, until a later period, or until 
Ai’o-heat or other cause has rendered watering necessaiy, 
of which it will itself give tokens. .Toiin Hojison. 
SIIANGIIAE EOWI.S. 
After reading the statements of “ G alius,” conceniing our 
pets, the Cochin-China fowls, will you allow me to give you 
a correct calculation of my own fowls. I have sixty Cochin- 
China pullets, and ten cockerels; Afty Dorking and Spanish. 
My fowls are fed from Indian corn, barley-meal, and wheat; 
they have as much as they can eat; and, during the experi¬ 
ment, were fed from my own hands; and, including every 
grain of corn, my pets have not cost me more than one- 
penny-farthing per week; my Dorking and Spanish cost 
two-pence; they were fed by a contidential servant; T can 
vouch for his calculations being correct. The weight of my 
largest Cochin cockerel is eleven pounds, the smallest six- 
and-a-iialf. I think, Mr. Editor, if you could see my beau¬ 
tiful ])ullet, Bessy, weighing eight-pounds-and-a-quarter, a 
pet of my husband’s, you would not allow another word to 
be said against our friends ! “ Gallus ” alludes to the eggs 
of the Cochin fowls being inferior to the Spanish, llis 
taste for eggs must be very diA’erent from others. My 
friends say it is a great luxury to have a Cochin-China egg 
for breakfast. I feel inclined to think his birds are not 
pure, but I am not going to argue with “ Gallus ” about his 
birds; my object is to convince the readers of The Cottaoe 
O.ARDENER, that Cochin-Chiiia fowls can be kept for one- 
penny-farthing per week each, and n-ell. My fowls are kept 
in separate walks. I do not allow’ the Dorking and Spanish 
to molest my pets with their vorncions appetites. AVe do not 
intend to keep any but Cochin-China fowls, as they are the 
most useful. Augusta. 
TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
We request that no one will write to the departmental writers of 
The Cottage Gardener. It gives them unjustifiable trouble and 
e.^pense. All communications should be addressed To the Editor of 
the Cottage Gardener, 2, Amen Corner, Paternoster Row, London.** 
Error. —In the advertisement of t\iQ English Flower Garden, m our 
number for December, it ought to have been stated, that it is embellished 
with a coloured figure of Skhnmia jnponica, and not of a Skinneria. 
Potted Hyacinths {Wareham). —Your Hyacinths, “though not 
above an inch high, many of them are showing the fiower-hud,” and you 
take alarm. Your management, “keeping them in a dark closet for a 
month,” was quite right, and you could not report more favourably if 
you had sat up to watch them, day and night since they were potted. 
They will be all right, unless tlie flowers begin to expand at the dwarf 
height you mention. 
Taylor’s Hives {An Old Subscriber). —The bars are half-an-inch 
thick, and the same throughout. The floor-board figured in The Cot¬ 
tage Gardener for February 12th, 1852, overhangs the sides of the 
box all round, three-quarters-of-an-inch. The length of opening, b and 
c, are three inches. The width of groove, a, two inches. Each box has 
its own top and floor-board, and the zinc slides run between them. The 
top of each box is secured by three screws. The glasses are round, with 
flat tops, and may be had of Messrs. Neighbour, one large, or two small 
ones, may be used. 
Gatheriwg Apples and Pears (An Irish Subscriber, Dublin ),— 
Your enquiry about the proper time to gather Apples and Pears opens a 
very wide question, which may scarcely be settled in a few lines. The 
ohl maxim was to be ruled by'the colouring of the seed, and we are not I 
aware of any safer guide. We believe that to be an indication, in ' 
general, of certain chemical changes having taken place, or being in ' 
])rogrc88, which constitute ripeness, and point in many fruits to their 
iiaving attained keeping properties. But there are several exceptions, 
and as yet, we have all much to learn, doubtless, with all our experience. 
There are the Pear, also the 
let them ripen on the tree and they are not worth eating. As a 
general rule, fruit should be easily removed when ready to gather. As ' 
to preservation afterwards, they require a cool, tolerably dry and dark , 
situation, with a guarantee against frost; a constant temperature of 50°, 
would, doubtless, be capital. No fermentation may bethought of; no 
bruising or rough handling allowed, ' 
Fruit-trees for Cumberland \W. R.). — Pears. — Beurre 
d’Amaulis, Dunmorc, Williams’ Bon Chretienne, Muirfowl Kgg, 
Althorpe Crasanne. We do not say those are certain to succeed, but we *, 
should try them. In your Apples, why have you put American Newtown • 
Pippin? Why I it *has greater need of a south-wall than a Peach! ■ 
Add Damb Abbey Pearmain, Williams* Pippin, Fearn’s Pippin, Mank’s > 
Codlin, and Beauty of Kent. ; 
Physams edulis. — G. S. has obligingly sent as, requested. He 
says!—“ The seeds keep best in the fruit. They have not ripened kindly ' 
this year, hut if fully swollen in the autumn they ripen very well in-doors. ' 
To make the preserve worth eating, it is necessary to boil the fruit a very 
long time. When slightly cooked, as in a tart, they are not worth much.” I 
Dorking Fowls (G. E .).—No one knows that these “originally had i 
a double or rose comb.” We believe the contrary, and that all double j 
combs arc really malformations, however much they may be prized in 
some varieties. The fact you mention, that “double rose combs arc 
extremely difficult to retain in the hens even of white Dorkings,” sup¬ 
ports our opinion. Any configuration retained with difficulty is not 
natural. We quite agree with you that single combs and double combs 
should be in separate classes. 
Highest Price of a Shanghae Cockerel. —We are informed that 
Mr. George sold his light cinnamon cockerel, at Birmingham, for ^€‘20. 
Vines and Flowers in Greenhouse (A New Corrrespondeyit ),— 
This can be done, though it requires much care to save the flowering 
plants from being drawn. If you buy our back numbers 92 and 127, 
you will find much information on the point. 
Fuchsias Budding (Picciola). —Do not disbud them. You may 
keep the soil damped, but must not commence fully watering them until 
you can move them into the light and warmth. The mildness of the 
season occasions their growth ; in Hampshire, Fuchsias in the open 
ground are coming into leaf. Very weak guano-water will benefit your 
l>otted Hyacinths, but they will not bloom until next year. 
Fry’s Cucumber. —Such a notice is an advertisement. 
Work on Poultry (Rhodon and A. HI .).—The illustrations will be 
exactly what you require. 
Greenhouse Building (R. Bradbury ).—We will readily insert your 
description, but we must liave full particulars, dimensions, &c. What 
“ apparatus ” did you put into the fire for heating the water ? 
Oysters (G. Jones ).—It is quite certain that the natural position of 
the Oyster is with t\\Q fiat valve of the shell downwards. 
Blooming Cinerarias early in March (An Enquirer), —These 
should be showing their flower-stalks now. If not, keep them rather 
warm with plenty of air, and give no more water than will just keep them 
from flagging. Forcing the bloom thus, however, w-iil not improve the 
healthy appearance of the foliage, but manure-water, after the flowering- 
stalks are rising, will give you strong blooms. 
New Greenhouse (W. E .).—The fresh damp walls will be nothing 
in your favour; but as you have flues, you need suffer nothing on tlmt 
account. Put a small fire in the flue at first, so as gradually to dry and 
settle the matters used in its formation, and then get a good fire on, 
w’hich will help to dry the walls of the house. Anything like plastering 
at present would be out of place, but you may wash with a solution of 
quicklime. After a day’s firing you may introduce the plants. In dull 
weather for the first season put on a little fire, and give plenty of air, 
using no more water than will be necessary. Here you had better get 
your Geraniums, Fuchsias, and Verbenas, and even your Roses if you 
have room; though Roses and Fuchsias too will do very M'ell in the cold 
pits along with Pinks and Carnations. For covering the fruit-wall 
outside of such a house, 2 ft. 4 in. from the ground, so as to be 
gay in summer, and green in winter, many things might be tried. 
In the south of the island you might try the broad-leaved Myrtle, 
and in the climate of London, the Japan honeysuckle, trained length- 1 
wise, would be sweet and interesting. In ordinary circumstances, \ 
China roses, well pruned every year, would be half evergreen in i 
winter, and rich with flowers for pretty well nine months out of 
the twelve. We would recommend two dark ones, Cramoise supeideure 
and Fnbmer, ard two white ones, Mrs. Bosanquet and Aime Vibert. ; 
For the bed in front of such a house, 2 ft. 4 in. broad, and 22 ft. long, * 
have Winter Aconites, Cromtses, Syiowdrops, Hepatiens, Tulips, \ 
Hyacinths, and Narcissus, for winter and spring ; and in May, fill with ' 
bedding plants, such as Scarlet Germiium, with an edging of Mangle*s , 
Variegated, or Variegated Alyssum, or low-growing yellow Calceolaria, 1 
or Lobelia Speciosa. This, however, is only one of many modes, as you | 
will have already perceived from our pages. Any farther inquiries upon i 
any specific subject will receive due attention. We have no doubt you 
will soon realise the benefit of the observations you have made abroad. i 
London j Printed by Harry Wooldridge, Winchester High-street, 
in the Parish of Saint Mary Kalendar; and Published by William 
Somerville Orb, at the Office, No. 2, Amen Corner, in the Parish of 
Christ Church, City of London.—January 13th, 1853. 
