THE COTTAGE GARDENER 
Dkcember 2o. 
22 () 
artificial pitch, why not insist on that conflition'? First of 
all, leani from the farmers how stone and Dutch turnips can 
he grown without a fibre, save the point of the rat’s-tail-like 
I'oot from the very centre of the bottom of the bulb; then 
apply the knowledge to the liner roots; and may you have 
success.] 
y. n . 11 — 1 , ■■ ■ ■■■■ 
POULTRY SHOWS. 
TREATMENT OF 1IA13ROT1IAMNUS FASCICULA- 
TUS, RASSIFLOllA CfERClACA, JASMINUM NU- 
DIFLORUIR, ROCK PLANTS, AND TROPfEOLUM 
TRIOMITIE DE GANDE. 
“ ‘ X. Y. Z.’ has a plant of IFabrothamnus ftiscicuhdKs, jnst 
bought, about eighteen inches high, healthy, but apparently 
a little pot-bound. What should he do with it? 
“Also Passijlora Cwndca and Jasminum nndi/lorimi in the 
same state. 
“ Which is the best time to purchase and plant out Hock 
phinls, such as Saxifrages, Aubrietias, Heliantheniums, and 
all the numerous tribes of liorbaceous plants for this pur¬ 
pose ? 
“jA plant of Tropwoliun Triomphe de Gaiide bought in 
October, has few or no leaves, and looks anything but satis¬ 
factory : please give the treatment.” 
\_IInbi-othamiius fascioilatus. — This, health}', but pot- 
bound, should be potted about the middle or end of 
IMai’ch ; when three or four feet high it may be planted out 
against a pillar. M’e do not consider it equal to elcgans. 
Passijlora Cariilen and Jasminum nudijlorum may also 
be so treated. The other should go o)it-of-doors against a 
wall, instead of shifting it, but it will be as well protected 
over the winter in its small state. 
llocTc plants, and herbaceous plants, when to purchase and 
plant. For the general stock, we would prefer from the 
middle of March to the first week in Ayiril; itnless they 
could be got by the middle of October. We would rather, 
in general, prefer the spring. 
Tropnsolum Triomphe de Gande has few or no leaves. 
Treatment has been given more than once; we presume it has 
been kept too cold. Take cuttings in May or June, strike in 
a close pit, or mild hotbed, pot off, harden, grow, and train 
out-of-doors until the middle or end of September, then 
house, and give an average of 45” at night, and 55” to GO” 
during the day, when there is sun.] 
ACONFIUM OR DELTHINIUM CHEILANTHUM.— 
HENS BECOMING BROODY. 
“ Please to tell me what the colour, height, and time of 
flowering of Aconitnm chelanthijidium. This variety is not 
named in The Cottage Gaudeners’ Dictionary. 
“ Is a Cochin hen likely to be broody without having ever 
laid an egg? My groom says it is common, but I cannot 
believe it.— Annie.” 
[The species of Aconite (AcouUum) and Larkspur (Del¬ 
phinium) are very difiicult to distinguish one from the other, 
and tlic limits of each are so difficult to define, that different 
authors apply them ditferently. Hence it is that one species 
is included in a diffei'ent genus in many books. In The 
Cottage Gardeners’ Dictionary we followed the more 
weighty authorities, and your plant is there called Delphi¬ 
nium chcilanthum. No proper authority ever wi'ote it Chelan- 
thijoliurn. It is a nice border flower, from Siberia, with a 
deep blue flower, and in rich soil will rise two feet or more; 
but we have seen it in bloom not fifteen inches high. The 
height a good deal depends on a dry or wet summer. It 
blows about iMidsummer, earlier or later, accoi’diiig to tlie 
season. 'The roots are as poisonous as those of any of the 
group of Aconites. We never heard of a hen becoming 
broody before she had laid; and certainly such a pheno¬ 
menon never occurred within our own experience ] 
Essex. Dec. 27tli, 28tli, and 2ptli, at Colchester. Secs. Blr. G. E 
Attwood, and Mr. W. A. Warwiek. Entries close December I5th. 
I EIants (Sodtii). nth and 15th January, at Farehani. Sec. James 
I James, Esq., Eareham. Entries close December 31st, 1855. 
Liverpool. I6th, l/th, and 18th of January. Sec. W. C. Worrall, 
j Esq., (i. Lower Castle Street. Entries close December 2Uh. 
j Preston and North Lancashire. Jan.gthand ,10th, at Preston, 
i Secs. Messrs. Burnett, Leigh, and Hayhurst, Preston. 
Vale of Aylesbury. January 2nd and 3rd. Secs. J, D. Muddiman, 
and Jas. Allen. Entries close December 20th. 
N.B .—Secretaries vtill oblif'c us by sending early copies of their lists- 
We again treat of tho great Rirmirighain Exhibition ; 
I because, on reflection, we find ihcre arc things tliat 
escaped us in the hurry of our last week's report, and 
because many topics of interest arc connected witli tlie 
conclusion, which was hardly arrived wlien last we 
' went to press. Our remarks will, of necessity, be dis- 
; cursive, and we shall endeavour to speak of all tliat 
may interest tho general reader, or be of use to the 
amateur or exhibitor. 
We will begin by congratulating the poultry world on 
the accession of numbers of the aristocracy and higher 
classes to the ranks of those who compete, and we do 
so, because, if experiments are to be made by which tlie 
less favoured by fortune are to benefit, they must be 
i made by tbose who have the means and time to devote 
I to them. It has been so in cattle, in agriculture and 
flowers, and it will be so in poultry. The attendance of 
the upper classes during the show, and the interest they 
took in it, were liighly gratifying. Dorlciiigs seemed 
their favourites, as Lord Robert Grosvenor took the 
second prize for adults, and the Countess of Clicstcrficld 
tho first for single Cocks. 
How many times Ave have written and printed tliat 
fowls sent to exhibitions with visible marks will be dis- 
([ualified, and yet there were numerous instances. It 
gives much pain to the judges, and often loses a jirize 
for the owners. We cannot too strongly urge, that how- 
I ever desirable it may be so to distinguish them in the 
yard as to prevent their getting the mark oft', yet it should 
I be removed by the owner before they are packed up. 
I Tliere was an excellent show of Cottagers Poultry,— 
^ far the best we have ever seen, — and birds of every 
breed were there. Good Dorkings, Spanish, Cochins, 
Hambiirghs of all sorts, and Game. Many of them 
would have stood well in general competition. We rejoice 
at this ; and nothing would give us more pleasure than 
to see the first prizes scattered, gladdening alike the 
hearts of the noble and the poor. IMany a good Cot- 
I tager’s Christmas dinner will be the result both of the 
1 prizes and tfie sale of the pens. 
■ And this brings us to the subject of sales. 'The amount 
realized for poultry sold was TLltfiO. Now, if it be 
' taken into consideration that there is a great reduction 
I in the price of nearly every breed, as compared with 
former years, if we except the Dorkings, it will bo seen 
i that the number of birds sold must be very great. It 
was a good idea to allow the pens to be divided,because 
it suits both seller and buyer. Many will gladly pur¬ 
chase one bird at a good price, who would not like to 
buy four; and many an exliibitor can spare either cock 
or ben, who cannot part from them all. It is in these 
things the Birmingham Council become the oracle of the 
jioultry world. Tliey are firmly seated, and their posi¬ 
tion enables them to try experiments which less im¬ 
portant societies may copy, but dare not originate ; and 
this is another of their claims on the mass of amateurs. 
I 
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