TEE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
Eebiiuary 5. 
3.'58 
MAKING THE MOST OF AN AVENUE. 
“ Having ju'^t planted an avenue of Oaks, which are 
planted about ten ^ arfls apart in tlie row, and twelve yards 
from row to row; wliat I want to know is, whether three 
more trees miglit he lAanted between each two Oaks,, 
(tlie latter to be permanent,) and what kinds. Would a 
1‘uplar in tlie centre, and a Scotch Fir each side, look well ? 
The ground is under tillage at the back of the rows from the 
carriage-road. The object is to have something ornamental 
and profitable.—A SuisscRiBErv from tiif. first.” 
[To plant a Black Italian Poplar in the centre between 
every two Oaks would be a good 2 iiece of economy, as tliere : 
would be time and room for the timber and “top and lop” i 
to grow to a size “ to pay” before the Oaks are in the way; 
but there is no room left for two Scotch Firs. There are ' 
only fifteen feet between the Poplar and the Oak on each 
side of it; and a Scotch Fir would reduce the space to that 
occupied by many Currant-bushes. AVilhout an eye “ to pay j 
for keep,” two Scotch Firs between every pair of Oaks would 
look better, as an avenue, than the Poihar and Oak; and 
as to the soft-wooded Pofilars, they are not worth jdanting 
on such terms. The Black Italian Poplar is the best 
timber we have for the body of carts. It is light, tough, 
and durable.] i 
VINES IN POTS. 
“ AVill yon, or.any of the departmental wiiters of The 
Cottage Gardener, have the goodness to answer the fol¬ 
lowing queries through its jiages. I have got some young 
A ines, in jiots, which I intend iilanting into a vinery, to he 
started forcing about the beginning of February. Should I 
turn them out of their jiots just now, or retain tliem until i 
they have pushed before planting out?—I. T.” i 
[As this is your first trial, and the plants are young, 
depend upon it if you turn them out of the pots at once 
you will get into a great bother with them. Some of them 
will “ throw up ” fruit, and, of course, will not grow any 
more ; but two-thirds of them will sliji through your fingers, 
and grow, and not fruit or flower for eighteen months at , 
least; and before your fruit is half ripe, the fruiters are 
over-crowded, overshadowed, and “ done for.” But if you 
get the ATnes all to “ start” in the pots,you mayjvlant them 
out as fast as they “show,” and they will do four times 
better than in pots—not so much the fruit as the splendid 
suckers you will have next summer. Alind and let the 
bottom-heat not get over 80° ns the highest point. They , 
cannot stand so much heat as if in pots.] ■ 
POULTRY SHOWS. 
Windsor Poultry Exhibition. At Windsor, <lth, 5th, and 6th of 
.lune. Secs, Thos. Chamberlain, and Henry Thompson. Entrie.s 
will close May lOth. 
N.Ii.— Secretaries v’ill ofjh'i'c if.s hy sending early copies cf their lists. 
ON TEE FEEDING AND GENERAI. MANAGE¬ 
MENT OF POULTRY AT PUBIJC EXHIBITIONS. 
There is not a doubt to any really reflective mind that 
this is one of the most impoiTant matters connected with 
a poultry exhibition; yet, strange to say, very frequently it 
]iroves quite the most carelessly managed of all the duties 
that especially deserve the consideration of the committee. 
AN hen we rellect on the great outlay frequently incurred in 
obtaining the most perfect specimens we are accustomed 
to meet with at a ^loultry show, combined with the jiersonal 
effort necessary to kceji uji the condition” so indisiicnsable 
to success, the grave importance of the subject is much 
magnified ; how much more so, then, if ive for a moment 
consider the almost irreparable loss incurred by the owner, 
should disease, or death, ensue from indifference or mis¬ 
management during their tenqiorary confinement. A jicn of 
fowls may, from this cause, become all but valueless, sinnily 
because it proves, afterwards, hnpossible to replace the lost 
bird with another that will “ match ” those still remaining. 
The writer has known several instances of this mishap 
occurring, where a little foi'esight and circumspection would 
have certainly prevented the disaster altogether. No doubt, 
one great and almost universal error of exhibitors them¬ 
selves consists in over-feeding poultry when about sending 
them away for competition; this invariably entails un¬ 
merited comidaints against the conductors of the show, 
although the eventual loss may as constantly rest upon the 
actual offender who forwarded them thus over-gorged. It 
is well known throughout all animated nature, that great 
excitement disturbs and—if excessive—absolutely destroys 
digestion for the time being, and, also, that food retained 
for a lengthened period without undergoing the usual 
decomposition, gradually consolidates into a crude mass, 
always impairing (and sometimes completely ruining) the 
constitution. It is well, then, for parties on the eve of 
despatching poultry of any kind to an exhibition, to pause 
and consider the amount of terror and excitement to which 
their favourites are about to he subjected. The jolting of 
land carriage to a railway station commences their excite¬ 
ment; whilst, during the time they may be awaiting the 
coming train, scarcely a bystander passes without pryingly 
examining every basket; at length, when placed in a van 
with other fowls during the transit, it is impossible for 
those who have not yet witnessed it to imagine the different 
results on tlie various specimens. Some birds will timidly 
cower half-hidden in the straw, or hay, jAaced beneath 
them, without moving during the whole journey, and these 
generally arrive in by far the best condition; others, more 
irritant (and, perchance, less domesticated), dash wildly 
about, and, by their desperate but futile efforts to obtain 
their liberty, add most excessively to the fears of their 
fellow jirisoners. All are more or less disturbed ; for it is 
only a few “old stagers” (long accustomed to be on travel) 
that make themselves at home on these occasions. Nor is 
the excitement lessened on their arrival; of course, the 
immediate proximity of strange birds, the clamour of cock 
crowing, together with the unavoidable unpacking and 
placing in the pens, all combined, tend greatly to increase 
rather than lessen their fears and irritability. If at this 
moment hard corn lies profusely scattered about the exhi¬ 
bition pens, long abstinence, and the rivalry that now 
prevails throughout, causes many fowls to feed upon it to 
excess, and, from their lieated temperament, to drink most 
immoilerately; the corn just swallowed, of necessity, becomes 
greatly enlarged, and the crojT propiortionably distended, 
intlamrnaiion quickly takes ivlace, their thirst increases, and 
the difficulty is hourly augmented by almost continuous 
draughts from the, water-troughs. From these causes we 
have frequently seen birds, arriving in apparently rude 
health, transformed, by the following day, into listless, 
inactive groups, in nowise engaging the attention of visitors, 
or purchasers, and still more unfortunate in securing the 
distinction all amateurs covet at the hands of the judges. 
Many readers will, no doubt, easily call to mind various 
instances within their own recollection, where combs- almost 
black from imiieded circulation, rutiled plumage, and the 
most extreme prostration, were distressingly obvious to every¬ 
one, all which is entirely the product of the ill-judged 
management we have cndeavoiu'ed faithfully to delineate. 
These various consequences are not over coloured ; for how 
many an exhibitor could add liis own individual testimony 
to the personal loss and discomfiture he has experienced, 
either direelly during the exhibition, or in spite of every 
care and attention he could devote to his ailing favourites 
upon their return. In most extreme cases, the issue is a 
fatal one. The whole may be obviated by avoiding al¬ 
together giving (dry hard corn whatever to iioultry during 
public exhibition. 
During a show of two or only three days duration, every 
necessary want may be supplied by giving barley Hour, 
mixed as dry and hard as 2 'ossible, to the iioultry; it is 
indispensable to take cave no more water is allowed than 
necessary to make it friable with ease, as most fowls strongly 
object to any substance that i»roves adhesive to their bills, 
whilst some, if it is offered in this state, will obstinately refuse 
it altogether. Another advantage of mixing with as liUh: 
water as possible, arises from the improbability of the food 
