1 
COUNTRY GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION. 
43 
October 1(5. 
or the birds will sometimes bury their eggs; and it may | 
also be necessary to prop np or secure a dangerously-placed 
nest. I would particularly advise the removal of all old 
* nests as soon as the young birds leave them, and avoid the 
! use of old 7naterials, or huy, for building purposes. 
I Goldfinches and Bullfinches are usually too busy and 
: prying to be allowed to as.sociate with the breeding birds, ; 
; though I have known several honourable exceptions; but j 
i it is advisable to exclude all unnecessai’y gentlemen from ^ 
j the good ladies’ establishment.—B. P. Brent. i 
j {To he contiinicd.) 
QUERIES AND ANSWERS. 
GARDENING. 
i PLANTING A SCREEN-BANK. 
I 
“ We have an embankment that divides the kitchen-garden 
from the pleasure ground, with a south-west aspect, on the 
top of which, to shut out the kitchen-garden, are planted 
Mountain Ash in arches. In the summer time these look 
vei’y well when covered with Nasturtiums and other annuals; 
but I purpose to fill the spaces between the arches with 
evergreen Roses : will you favour me with the names of the 
j sorts I should have for this purpose?—A Young Gardener.” 
[A capital idea. Plant Fcliciti iierpefuelle, Myrianthes, 
I Princess Louise, Princess Marie ; also Ponna Maria, and 
■ Rampant, both pure white.] 
AN OXALIS IN POTS. 
“ I have planted some Oxalis bulbs in 48-sized pots, and 
purpose plunging them in the open borders, which are well- 
drained, and covering with about two inches of ashes. Will 
tliey thus stand the winter ? I am also serving some Ixias 
similarly.— Caroline.” 
[That depends on the kind of Oxalis, for some of them are 
quite hardy, and others very delicate in constitution, and 
the least frost would desti'oy them. Keep the frost from 
them, and from the Ixias, and you have nothing to fear. It 
is an excellent plan to have them in pots, because you can 
remove tliem without harm as soon as they are out of 
bloom.] 
HEATING FROM A CISTERN. 
“ I am erecting a small Cucumber and Melon-house, to 
, he heated with hot-water; the length is thirty-two feet by 
I ten and-a-half, inside measure. I shall have a partition 
in the middle. It is proposed to have the furnace at the 
back of the range, and work it, right and left, from the boiler 
into a llow-pipe from the boiler into a sfnall cistern, and to 
take tlie pipes from the cistern for top and bottom heat. Tlie 
question I beg to ask is, where would be the best situation 
for the cistern ? I shall have a pit in each partition, five feet 
wide, for soil for the plants, and take a How and retui’n- 
pipe close to the front wall for top-heat, and a flow and re¬ 
turn through the pit for bottom-heat. I shall have a path 
close to the back wall, from end to end, and a door in the 
partition close to the back wall. I shall have a saddle- j 
boiler. What sized boiler would it require to heat such a i 
house ?—J. Y.” j 
[A middle-sized lioilcr will do. Your plan is very similar | 
to one described and commented on by Mr. Fish, in a late i 
nttmber, which answers well. Place your cistern inside one > 
of the divisions, as near the boiler as you can, and also as I 
near the glass as possible, as the more fall you have from ! 
your cistern the better will the pipes wmrk. From one to i 
two feet above the upper pipes, for top-heat, will be desirable. , 
Be sure that the top of your boiler is lower than the i 
loivest part of the pipes you use for bottom-heat. See what : 
was lately said upon having air-pipes inserted in the highest ; 
points of the water-pipes. We think you thoroughly uuder- 
. stand what you are doing ; if not, write again.] 
USES OF THE SUNFLOWER. 
“ Can you, or any of your readers, give me some inform¬ 
ation relative to the Sunflower? 
“ I have this year grown a large number of plants, intend¬ 
ing the seed for my fowls ; but I have heard that the plant 
is likely to become a valuable article of commerce; that the 
seed is used for fatting animals in the place of oil-cake— 
tlie leaves and seed being boiled together—and that the 
stalk, also, is manufactured into string. Can you inform 
me where this is done? as I should be happy to dispose of 
my stems, and also of some of the seed, ivhich is very fine 
and large. Should the stems be in their green or dry 
state ? I imagine the former. If the leaves are not boiled 
with the seed, (as in my case the seed is thrown down raw 
' to the fowls) are they of any other use?—A Country 
Curate.” 
[We shall be obliged by information relative to any of the 
above points.] 
POULTRY SHOWS. 
Bedford. November 7tli and 8th. Secs., J. T. K. Allen, Esq., and F. 
A. Lavender, Esq. Entries close October l6th. 
Birmingham.^ 1 Ith to nth of December. Sec., J. Morgan, jun., Esq. 
Entries close November 10th. 
Dorchester. 24th and 35th of October. Sec,, G. J. Andrews, Esq. 
Ddrham and North Yorkshire, at Darlington, 6th and 7th of De¬ 
cember. Sec,, J. Hodgson, Esq. Entries close November igth. 
Lancashire (East). At Colne, Oct. 31st, and Nov. Ist. Secs, 
Messrs. T. and E. Booth, Marsden, near Burnley. Entries clos 
October I7th. 
Nottinghamshire, at Southwell, 19th and 20th of December, Sec‘ 
R. Hawksley, jun.^-Esq., Southwell. Entries close November 20th. 
South Durham and North Riding of Yorkshire. At Darlington, 
December 6th and 7th. Sec. Jno. Hodgson. 
Taunton and Somerset. Nov. 23rd and 24th. Sec, Wm. Buncombe, 
Esq., Taunton. Entries close November 3rd. 
N.B .—Secretaries will oblige us by sending early copies of their lists. 
The editor of an obscure country paper complained of 
the obstinate character of the late Emperor of Russia, 
who would persevere in his headstrong career, although 
he, the editor, warned him of the consequences every 
week. In like manner, we shall be disposed to com¬ 
plain, that many of our suggestions are either not read, 
or they are not attended to. 
At almost every Show, where one person exhibits 
three pens, they are so sorted and made up as to ex¬ 
hibit mediocrity in each,—generally consisting oi one 
very good bird, one good one, and one inferior. Now, 
the best bird, taken out of each, would have made one 
first-rato pen. We know no yard that could, at one 
Show, send out three Prize Pens. The object should 
always bo to make sure of the head prize, if possible; 
and to do this, the very best birds are wanted. Again, 
at late Shows, how many pens lost all chance of suc¬ 
cess by one hen being disabled and half-eaten by her 
companions. This would be avoided it they were used 
to be together sometime before the exhibition. 
We like to see the owners of better birds than com¬ 
mon send several Pens; and, though the elite of the 
yard may be “ not for sale,” or protected by prohibitory 
prices, yet some not so choice should be put at mode¬ 
rate sums, within the reach of those who sigh for but 
cannot afford others. We cannot impress too strongly 
on exhibitors, especially young ones, that although the 
prospect of success is often entirely done away with by 
