OCTOUER 9. 
COUNTRY GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION. 
27 
plants; but could you not also mention wbat loild plants 
that flower that would do to place on Rock-work on the 
edge of a pond ? you would then make that answer com¬ 
plete.—G. Waeeiner.” 
[Such a cistern, for such a purpose, is at the Zoological 
Gardens in the Regent’s Park. We can only advise you the 
mostiDi’obable way to succeed in cultivating Marine Ahjce. It 
will be necessary, as they are plants that generally grow under 
water, to 2 E'Ovide a vessel, or tank, to grow them in. And, 
again, as they are mostly inhabitants of the sea, they must 
have sea-water to grow in. Now, as many of them are very 
beautiful when seen in water, it will be desirable to have a 
medium transparent enough to allow the eye to view tiieir 
beauties. This medium is easily suggested to the mind, 
namely, glass. A large tank then might be formed, in the 
shape of a parallelogram, with blue slate on three sides, and 
the fourth should be glass; or, if expense is no object, all 
the sides might be glass. The sides might be formed at the 
glass-works, with a groove at each corner of the sides to 
dove-tail the ends into, made water-tight with a cement that 
will bear the action of the water. Or, still better, an entire 
glass tank might be ordered at any of the glass manufac¬ 
turers, of such a strength a,s would bear being sent entire in 
a thick wooden case. 
We merely suggest these various modes, any of which 
would answer your purpose. The glass would require fre¬ 
quently cleaning, to clear it of confervte, which also would 
soon render it foul and oqaque. 
The bottom should be covered with stones jiicked out of 
the sea; and the iflants should, as far as possible, be brought 
from the briny element growing on pieces of stone, or sea- 
rock ; for if they are forcibly pulled off the rocks, it is very 
doubtful whether they would grow^again when put into the 
marine tank. If you enter upon the culture of these beau¬ 
tiful sea plants, and are successful, we should be obliged by 
a history of iho means adopted, and the success achieved. 
Plants for the rocky margin of a pond. If the rock- 
work is considerably elevated out of the water, that element 
will be of no use to such plants as delight in wet soil. 
Lower down the rocks, approaching within a foot of the 
water, so that the roots will And their way into it, the fol¬ 
lowing wild iffants will thrive in the situation you describe:— 
Acorns calamus. Sweet Flag 
Rutomus umbellatus 
Com arum palustre 
„ „ variegata 
* Ficaria ranunculioides .. 
„ „ pleno 
„ verna 
* These plants love the shade as w 
Galium palustre .. 
Menyanthes trifoliata 
Myosotis i^alustris 
Pedicularis palustris 
„ sylvatica 
Ranunculus flammula .. 
„ hederacea .. 
,, jiantothrix 
Scrophularia aquatica .. 
Swertia perennis .. 
Teucrium scordium 
EVERGREEN EDGINGS. 
The Tamarisk is a plant which seems to me well de¬ 
serving of a trial for this purpose. It is an indigenous 
iflant, with fine evergreen leaves, almost like a compact 
form of Asparagus in its appearance. It grows wild in a 
few pdaces on the southern and eastern shores of this 
country, and bears with perfect impunity the keenest blasts 
and the sea air, so fatal to the growth of most other ever¬ 
greens. Although not often cultivated, it grows and flowers 
luxuriantly in inland situations. The cottagers by the sea¬ 
side train it over porches, or clip it into compact, neat 
hedges of all heights and sizes, presenting at all times a 
dense mass of lively green, and they say that slips of it 
strike with ease and certainty at any season.—L at^mek. 
Although accurate judgnieut, and a knowledge of what 
is required in a pen of fowls, is unquestionably neces¬ 
sary to success in showing for prizes, yet, in many in¬ 
stances, the diffusion of such knowledge tends more to 
promote discontent, and to increase difficulties, than 
otherwise. 
Eormerly, in almost every class, the difference between 
the successful and the unsuccessful was so great, that 
the owners of the latter at once acquiesced in decisions, 
and admitted their justice ; but now the difference is so 
trifling, that although perceptible when pointed out, 
yet the leaning there always is to our own, leads us to 
j diminish the small discpualification, till in our eyes it 
I disappears; and if we toll the truth, we must confess 
tliat too often we are more disposed to impugn judg¬ 
ments tlian to admit our lack of merit. 
It has been said, that one of the capital failings of the 
once powerful Bourbon family was, that “ they learned 
nothing and forgot nothing”—adversity was no teacher 
to them. The same may be said of exhibitors who can¬ 
not learn more from defeat than success. We will be 
bold to say, there is not one of our celebrities who has 
not, at times, wanted the spur to keep him up to the 
mark, and felt it in the shape of an unexpected defeat. 
The easy victories of former days were not appreciated 
as the more difficult ones are now. It is not the im¬ 
mense number of pens congregated together at Birming¬ 
ham that makes a first prize so valuable; it is the 
known fact that the best birds in England are there, 
and the successful have rrotbing to fear at any other 
show. 
There will always be two classes in every competition. 
One fond of the pursuit, or loving the excitement, and 
I careless of money ; the other, seeking profit, while be in- 
' dulges his hobby, or, at least, trying to make it self-sup¬ 
porting. To both, the harder the victory, the more gra- j 
tifying. To the first, because he is successful over good I 
exhibitors; the second, because the very difficulty of I 
the achievement makes it valuable. j 
But we would not be thought to discourage a third 
class; those who have little hope of becoming owners 
of pieces of plate or silver medals. There are second 
and third prizes, and high commendations, which are 
far from being valueless. Birds distinguished in this 
way are almost always sold, and at more than remune¬ 
rating prices, and many a pen that has at first disap¬ 
pointed its owner by its want of success, has, ere the 
close of the first day’s show, made amends by realizing 
a goodly sura. Buyers would rather make their purchases 
at an exhibition than elsewhere; and we believe many, 
who show everywhere, who have told us that they 
never send to one without making a profit. It is un¬ 
questionable, that moderate birds sell better there than 
anywhere, and every now and then some one who has 
sent only for sale is surprised to find himself the owner 
of a first-prize pen. 
-L 
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