THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
345 
j February 20. 
! rated with salt, and dried. Pigeons are often seen to fight 
over it, and in a short time leave nothing remaining of it 
but the hones. The tail of a cod ought to suffice for fifty 
pigeons, and if other fish are made use of, the same pro¬ 
portions may he followed. 
It will not do to give pigeons the first water that comes to 
hand; for example, that from a pit is very prejudicial to 
them when it contains any saline matters, which is the case 
with most of the water in the pits in Paris; hut when it is 
pure, on the contrary, it is better for them than any other. 
Bad water is known by soap not dissolving in it, and when 
it does not cook vegetables well. River water may not 
only he given to birds, hut to every animal; however, if this 
cannot easily be obtained, they will do very well with the 
same that man makes use of. Sometimes pigeons will stray 
eight or ten leagues from their dove-house, and go down to 
the sea shore to peck the saline efflorescence left by the 
waters on the downs and rocks which are covered at high 
tides. They wander still farther in search of salt water. 
{To be continued.) 
DOMESTIC PIGEONS. 
EIGHTEENTH RACE. 
Turbit Pigeon (Columba turbita). —This is a very small 
race of pigeons, but little larger than the turtle dove, with 
which Buffon pretends that it produces mules or mongrels. 
Their beak is short, and their head resembling a toad’s—that 
is to say, that in the handsomest varieties the eyes are ex¬ 
tremely prominent in the upper part of the skull, where 
they form two very strong protuberances, as well as the 
occipital bone, which forms a third, and gives their head a 
resemblance to that of a toad. Although they have a dif¬ 
ferent physiognomy from the preceding race, their feet are 
naked; they have the general and elegant form of the 
Jacobins, from which they differ in their cravat, and in their 
not having any cowl. These birds, although rather heavy, 
sustain their flight for a considerable time in a straight line, 
and always return to their dove-house, whatever distance 
they may be from it. This has caused them to be preferred 
for some time in Belgium, where they are very commonly 
made use of as carriers. Those whose surprising and rapid 
flight the periodicals speak of, belong to this race. They 
set them at liberty in Paris, and fourteen hours afterwards 
they arrive at their dovecote in Liege, although these 
two towns are seventy-two leagues apart. 
French Turbit {Columba turbita gallica ).— The body is 
always white, except the cloak, which may be purple, 
chamois, streaked, red, or grey. It is a very pretty pigeon, 
well made, and having a very clean appearance. It does not 
couple freely with other species, or produce well, because the 
excessive smallness of its beak often deprives it of the power 
of feeding its young, which cannot be reared by others, 
having the same defect as the parents. They also allow 
themselves to be easily seized by birds of prey. In conse 
quence of all these reasons, added to the smallness of their 
stature, they are but little reared in the neighbourhood of 
Paris; however, in Belgium, we find several dove-houses 
tenanted by these birds, especially with the variety that has 
a white body and blue wings; the Belgians also prefer it to 
carry dispatches. 
English Turbit {Columba turbita anglica). —A short beak; 
simple filament round the eyes ; iris black ; plumage of an 
amethyst blue, with black bars on the wings. This pretty 
variety is very pure, for it cannot be crossed with any other 
without entirely losing its colours. It is the most esteemed, 
and the one that produces the most. 
Black Turbit {Columba turbita maura). —It very nearly 
resembles the preceding, but has a black cloak. 
White Turbit {Columba turbita alba). — It is like the 
others, but its cloak is white as well as the rest of its body. 
Crested Turbit {Columba turbita cristala). —This pretty 
bird is only common now in Germany, and differs merely in 
its tuft. 
{To be continued.) 
PEA SOWING. 
I should premise that my garden is formed over a partly 
exhausted brick-field, the subsoil of which is a heavy clay, 
while the upper stratum I may call a heavy loam. Now, in 
such a soil, I find well-decomposed manure of but little use, 
whereas vegetable manures, with a small quantity of the 
above, are most useful, for I have often traced the most 
vigorous roots occupying the places formerly held by a stick 
or stalk now decomposed. 
My garden is small, but with the six sowings of peas as 
under, I contrived to have them from the 10th of June till 
the 4th of November. With peas and our Michaelmas goose 
I feasted six persons, and on the 14th of October had a 
similar dressing. On the 4th of November I gathered about 
half a teacup-ful, and douht not that had I sown on the 1st 
instead of the Gth of August, and in an open instead of a 
sheltered quarter, I should have had ten times as many. 
My times of sowing were as follows:—1. 1slier wood Railway, 
beginning of February. 2. Bishop's New Longpod, middle of 
March. 3. Bedman’s Imperial , middle of April. 4. Knight’s 
Tall Green Marrow , end of May. 5. Bishop's Longpod , end 
of June. G. Bishop’s Longpod , Gth of August. I was not 
quite satisfied with Isherwood Railway pea, and this year 
have begun (3rd of February) with the Longpods, round the 
edges of 48 pots, and which, when fit, I purpose turning out 
entire, at about 18 inches apart, for as to putting peas into 
my ground in its present state it is not to be thought of. 
If one of your talented coadjutors would undertake the 
management of a frame, I mean a greenhouse frame , he 
would give pleasure to thousands, for with such a structure, 
and without any artificial heat, except that given out by a 
bottle of hot water, I have had flowers throughout this 
winter, and I am convinced that the capabilities of the 
frame are not valued as they ought to be. Shall I send you 
a sketch of mine ? [By all means, and state your mode of 
managing. Ed. C. G.]—S. F. 
ANAGALLISES: THEIR NEGLECT AND LOSS. 
In speaking of this plant as a bedder, it is generally 
understood to be “ blue.” Yet there are other colours 
equally distinct, if not equally pretty; and, considering the 
utility of the plant for flower-garden purposes, I am asto¬ 
nished at so little improvement in the varieties often seen in 
cultivation, as the “blue” commonly grown is no better than 
the same colour was twelve years ago, when I first used it in 
a separate bed ; but, somehow, seeds of it do not germinate 
so freely as those of many other things, which perhaps 
accounts for the deficiency of varieties, yet we ought not to 
lose distinct kinds when once obtained, yet I never hear 
of, or see, the pale variety which some years ago used to go 
under the name of bicolor, or bicolor grandiflora, which in 
point of colour much resembled a pale petunia, or (if that 
term be indefinite) the Nierembergia angustifolia. In fact, it 
so much resembled the latter, that I suppose it has fallen 
into disuse, owing to the latter being easier kept through 
the winter, and in other respects equally useful; but then, 
with such a desirable colour, what were our hybridisers 
doing not to make use of it to introduce other shades of 
colour, as has been done in the petunia? Now, besides this 
