218 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
January 1. 
society has imposed the task of my making something 
like a “ formal introduction.” It would be very unfortu¬ 
nate for me if that introduction required an eloquent 
appeal; much rather let it he one of apology for Laving 
entered into the company of men not less remarkable 
for their literary talents than their sound practical skill; 
these qualities, so rarely combined, confer an honour on 
any individual entering the ranks of so distinguished 
a corps, that I confess having entered on the duties of 
my department with some diffidence : the more so, from 
the high position my worthy predecessor held in the 
eyes of the world. Fortunately, the department assigned 
me is the one in which literary merit is less required 
than any other. The language of poetry, so inseparably 
connected with that of “ flowers,” has seldom descended 
to notice the more substantial products of the garden; 
and the whole calling being less refined than the other 
portions of the ancient craft, will, I trust, be accepted 
as some excuse for the absence of that grammatical lore 
in which the Kitchen-Garden Calendar may be deficient; 
but as we are told, the critical taste of Goldsmith, to 
whom the MSS. of Abercrombie were submitted for 
revision, sent them to the press unaltered, saying, the 
simplicity of the author’s style was most befitting his 
subject, 1 am the more encouraged, from such a high 
authority, to contribute to a journal bearing such an un- i 
ostentatious title, but which has furnished directions | 
equally applicable to the garden of a prince as to the 
peasant; and hoping, from the observations of a good | 
many years, spent in gardening in five counties of 
England, to be able to assist the amateur in adding 
to the substantial fare of his table, or the gentleman’s 
gardener in augmenting (or prolonging the season of) 
his various productions, not forgetting that all-im¬ 
portant class by whose name this Journal is known. 
Having drawn these remarks to a greater length than 
I anticipated, I must conclude with the hope that the 
year 1852 (which this number ushers in) may be as 
favourable to gardening, and to the readers of The Cot¬ 
tage Gardener, as is the wish of the writer of its 
Kitchen-Garden department. 
J. Robson. 
MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION. 
CALCEOLARIA KAYII. 
I aii glad to see such a prominent notice taken of Cal¬ 
ceolarias, and am happy to confirm the remarks of those 
who have spoken of “ Kayii,” which has done remarkably 
well with me, perhaps owing to the situation in which I have 
grown it, the flower-garden here being situated on a rich, 
loamy soil, rendered more damp than most gardens are, by 
being close to, and very little elevated above, a piece of 
water of considerable size, which is, I think, very essential 
to the growth of the Calceolaria, and some other things. 
My beds had all been renewed in the spring—in fact, the 
garden had been revised and altered, so that my plants had 
all the benefits of fresh loam, which had been trenched to a 
considerable depth. It was rather fortunate for me that we 
had so much dry weather in summer, otherwise I fear many 
of my Geraniums, Verbenas, &c., would have become too gross 
to be ornamental; but, as it was, they did tolerably well, but 
none better than this very useful Calceolaria, which is, I 
think, a great acquisition to the flower-garden. Its large 
trusses of flowers of rich bright yellow, must ever make it a 
favourite, when purity of colouring is required, and I know 
of nothing to equal it in this respect.—A Young Gardener. 
PRODUCE OE COCHIN CHINA FOWLS. 
The Cochin China Fowls being the breed respecting 
which accurate information is most required, it seems worth 
while to give a few authentic facts. In the first place, as to 
weights, here follows a list of those of Mr. Sturgeon’s birds, 
taken shortly before the late Birmingham Exhibition. Of 
course, after at least a week’s restraint and over excitement, 
they would be found lighter, and would require some little 
time to recover their original condition. 
WEIGHTS OF MR. STURGEON’S BIRDS. 
Cock and three hens. First prize and medal for unusual 
merit, at Birmingham, December 1851. Cock 11 lb. 2 oz. 
Hen 8 lb. 10 oz.; do. 8 lb. 5 oz.; do. !) lb. 
Two cockerels and four pullets. First prize and medal 
for unusual merit; all hatched third week in April, 1851. 
Cockerel, 10 lb. 12 oz.; do. 101b. 8 oz. Pullet, 0 lb. 4 oz.; 
do. 7 lb. 1 oz.; do. 7 lb. 8 lb.; do. 6 lb. 1) oz. 
Two cockerels and four pullets. First prize. Cockerel, 
101b. 12oz., hatched in April; do. 91b. 14 oz., hatched in 
March. Pullet, 71b. 13 oz.; do. 01b. 11 oz.; do. 01b. 
12 oz.; do. 0 lb. 7 oz.; all hatched the last week in February. 
Two cockerels and four pullets. Second prize. Cockerel, 
91b., hatched third week in April; do. 10lb., hatched third 
week in April. Pullet, 0 lb. 8 oz ; do. 7 lb. 7 oz.; do. 7 lb. 
12 oz.; do. 0 lb. 11 oz.; two pullets hatched in February, 
and two in March. 
Two cockerels and four pullets. Third prize. Cockerel, 
9 lb. 4 oz.; do. 9 lb. 12 oz. Pullet, 8 lb. 4 oz.; do. 7 lb. 
3 oz.; do. 7 lb. 7 oz.; do. 0 lb. 11 oz.; all hatched third week 
in April. 
The second piece of statistics respects the productiveness 
of the race. Mr. Punchard, of Haverhill, Suffolk, calculates 
that between the Christmas-days of 1850 and 1851, he will 
have obtained from 35 hens, and their progeny, at least six 
thousand eggs ! A note of them, with the respective dates 
at which they were collected during the year, is appended. 
35 HENS-EGGS FROM THE FARM, COMMENCING CHRISTMAS 
1850 to 1851. 
Jan. 
1 
Eggs. 
. 200 
May 
3 
Eggs. 
. 100 
Aug. 
30 . 
Eggs 
. 100 
5? 
10 
. 200 
99 
10 
. 80 
Sept. 
G . 
. 160 
99 
.17 
. 105 
99 
17 
. 70 
99 
13 . 
. 150 
99 
24 
. 93 
99 
24 
. 70 
20 . 
. 100 
99 
31 
. 107 
99 
31 
. 50 
27 . 
. 160 
Feb. 
7 
. 120 
June 
7 
. 50 
Oct. 
4 . 
. 140 
99 
14 
. 140 
99 
14 
. 50 
11 . 
. 140 
99 
21 
. 150 
9» 
21 
. 100 
18 . 
. 100 
99 
28 
. 120 
28 
. 90 
25 . 
. 130 
March 
8 
. 1G0 
July 
5 
. 70 
Nov. 
1 . 
. 120 
99 
15 
. 110 
12 
. 70 
8 . 
. 120 
99 
22 
. 90 
99 
19 
. 100 
99 
15 . 
. 120 
99 
29 
. 110 
20 
. 100 
oo 
. 120 
April 
5 
. 120 
Aug. 
2 
. 90 
99 
29 . 
. 140 
99 
12 
. 90 
99 
9 
. 70 
Dec. 
6 . 
. 160 
19 
. 70 
l(i 
. 110 
99 
20 
. 70 
99 
23 
. 100 
Total 
5445 
Several pullets laying. 
It may be observed, that birds, to attain these weights, 
and able to throw off this amazing superfluity of nutriment, 
; must not only be liberally, but judiciously fed. To the 
growing chicks, the materials necessary to form bone, as well 
as flesh and sinew, must be supplied. At Birmingham, a 
Cockerel otherwise perfect, was supposed to have suffered 
the accident of some injury or fracture in the legs, but he 
was only rickety. His frame abounded in all requisites, 
except phosphate of lime to steady his drumsticks. It 
should be remembered, that quadrupeds suck in this build¬ 
ing material of their skeleton, with their mother’s milk, 
which contains it in sufficiency, but that gallinaceous birds 
must take it with their food. Therefore, calcined oyster- 
shells, broken egg-shells, chopped bones, pollard mixed stiff 
with milk, and such like, should be allowed to be eaten ad 
libitum. Coarse barley-bread is for many reasons an ex¬ 
cellent and convenient thing to feed young fowls with. It 
is a little, not much trouble, to get prepared, and those who 
once try it will find its usefulness.—D. 
