233 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN. January 15, 1861. 
Heating a Tank ( O . W . H., Norfolk). —We do not recollect saying 
tint you could not grow Cucumbers and Vines in the same place, but rather 
stated how.it could be done. What we stated was, that early Cucumbers 
a id Apricots could not be so managed. In heating your pit you would 
require just double the piping you propose—two for top heat; and if 
entering into the boiler for bottom heat all the cross pieces must be removed, 
and a hole left at the end next the boiler for a return-pipe. The boiler 
should be several feet below the tank, and tbe pipes should be as high as 
the tank. It would be better still if the pipes returned through the tank. 
But then you might do without a tank at all. For nicety it would be as 
well to have the top and bottom heat independent of each other. We 
should have no difficulty in heating such a house from the tank alone, 
with merely connecting-pipes between the top of the boiler for the flow and 
the bottom for the return—a division along the middle of the boiler, with 
the exception of a six-inch opening at the farther end. In that case, sup¬ 
posing the wooden tank were covered with slate, we would place three or 
four inches of rough rubble over it, and leave an inch opening at each side 
to let the heat rise into the atmosphere of the house, a few slips of wood to 
fit the openings giving us the power of having much or little top heat as 
wanted. As you have the tank this last would be the simplest way.. 
Colouring Brickwork inside Peach-house (H. M. H.). —No colour is 
so good as white with a slight admixture of blue. It looks aerial and well, 
and increases by reflexion the amount of light in the house. Pink or any 
fancy colour is not in good taste, nor does it look well in a garden structure. 
The Crystal Palace is a bluish-white inside. 
Potatoes for Forcing {A. B. C.). —The two best are Ash-leaved Kidney 
and Fox’s Seedling. For three early Melons you may grow Beechwood, 
Bromham Hall, andTrentham Hybrid. Any of these, if the summer proves 
favourable and the plants have been kept growing in pots, might be turned 
into the hotbed in May from which the Potatoes were gone, with a fair 
prospect of a crop. Covering the surface over the rows of Peas and Beans 
with fine coal ashes to the depth of an inch will exclude mice. 
Budding Roses (J. Briscoe). —In our No. 610, p. 155, full directions are 
given too long for repetition. You can have it by post for four postage 
stamps. 
Names of Pears (T. O. F.). —No. 1, St. Germain; No. 2, Winter 
Nelis, unripe. The two Pears you mention had not been tested to Dr. 
Hogg’s satisfaction when his “ Fruit Manual ” was published. 
Name of Plant {An Old Subscriber). —The plant sent you from South 
Wales is Bryum ligulatum, or, as it is more fashionable to call it, Mnium 
undulatum. 
POULTRY AND BEE-KEEPER’S CHRONICLE. 
POULTRY SHOWS, 
January lfith and 17th. Poulton-le-Fylde. lion. Sec., Mr. J. S. Butler. 
Entries close January 1st. 
January 25th and 26tli. Cumberland and Westmorland. Secs., Mr. 
M. W. Hastwell and Mr. W. T. Armstrong. Entries close January 12. 
January 30th and 31st. Ulverston. Secs., Mr. T. Robinson and Mr. J. 
Kitchen. Entries close January 19th. 
February 6 th and 7th. Liverpool. (Poultry and Pigeons). Sec., Mr. 
A. Edmondson, 4, Dale Street. Entries close January 19. 
March 13th and 14th. Plymouth. Sec., Mr. W. R.Elliott, 5, Windsor 
Villas. Entries close March 1. 
June 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th. Bath and West of England. 
N. B.— Secretaries will oblige us by sending early copies of their lists. 
POULTRY MANAGEMENT IN SEVERE 
WEATHER. 
Certain truths are constantly repeated till they become tire" 
some, yet spite of repetition and truth they are neglected. Who 
does not know that to treat an indulgence in some unwholesome 
but toothsome dish is sure to produce discomfort ? Or that the 
three or four extra glasses for friendship’s sake generally bear 
their fruit in the morning ? 
Those who have accomplished their threescore, it may be 
threescore and ten years, can count their visits to their medical 
man, their complaints, and if he were an intimate friend his 
kindly remonstrance and the assertion fully corroborated by the 
conviction of the patient that there was really nothing seriously 
the matter ; indeed, nothing that a little medicine and a little 
abstinence would not remove. Such a one will laugh at 
Punch and the periodical visit of the doctor to Master Adolphus J 
the day after Twelfthnight. “ Not much the matter, only he ate t 
Garibaldi, a windmill, Lord Clyde, and Tom Sayers off the 
twelfth-cake.” Spite of his laughing, he deliberately takes the 
chair on the second Thursday in January, presiding over the 
“ Monthly Moisteners.” 
“ My dear,” says Mrs. Freedraught, “ I like you to go out 
and enjoy yourself; but recollect what Dr. Driver said last time.” 
Freedraught is a good husband, and lives on the best of terms 
with his wife, but is just a leetle impatient on these occasions, 
and pettishly sends Dr. Driver to Jericho, although he knows 
his wife is right. He knows he will commit excess, and he 
knows he will modestly allow his good wife to send for the 
doctor in the morning, because he will assure her it is not what 
he ate or what he drank, nor is it the headache; lut he is 
really ill. 
Miss Margaret Malcolm keeps poultry, and is so impatient 
for her Cottage Gardener every Tuesday that it has passed 
into a byword in the family. But enthusiastic as she is, the 
frost lasts longer than her patience. At first, during the first 
week, she was careful every morning to gather up all the crumbs 
and crusts, to soak them in warm milk and water, and to hurry 
from the table as soon as hie use nee allowed, in order to feed her 
pets. Then just as she gathered scraps of knowledge from The 
Cottage Gardener, so she gathered scraps of meat from the 
table at luncheon all for the fowls’ food. But the human mind 
and appetite must have variety. In one of our poultry excur¬ 
sions lately we had occasion to visit the fatting-house, and found 
two fowls provided with meal, sugar, suet, and new milk enough 
to last them three weeks. 
“ Mrs. Flamingo,” said we, “ these birds have too much food 
by half.” 
The old lady smiled half cunningly, half incredulously, and 
said, “They would never have too much of a good thing.” 
“ But,” we said, “ they will be tired of the sight of it.” 
“ What! ” cried the dame, “ tired of such food as that! ” 
“Yes,” we answered ; “ and you would be tired of turtle and 
venison if you bad it every day.” 
“ Would I ? ” muttered the poultry-feeder. “ Tired of turtle 
and Tension ! Try me, that ’s all.” 
The old lady did not believe in the necessity for a change; 
but she was wrong, and the same thing every day becomes more 
than tiresome. 
The frost continued, and Miss Margaret Malcolm sickened at 
the petits soins her poultry required, 
Saturday morning at breakfast-time word was brought that a 
hen, which should have come off that day, had not hatched ; 
that the eggs had been tried, and all were found to be chilled; 
that the best Dorking cock had his comb and toes frozen ; and 
that the man hoped she would come directly after breakfast. 
“ I declare,” said Miss Malcolm, “ I don’t know what to do. 
I am tired of it.” 
“ Consult The Cottage Gardener,” said her brother, rather 
quizzingly. 
“ I am tired of The Cottage Gardener,” was her reply. 
“It is the old story over and over again, and you have just 
heard the result.” 
Nevertheless, the favourite paper was read, and the little hints 
of last week were profitably adopted. She was surprised to find 
how readily the birds fed by lamp-light. She was amused at 
the decided preference they showed for beer over water; and 
she was delighted at the improvement a few days made in 
their appearance. We advise all our friends to follow her 
example. 
Like all other pursuits, poultry-keeping only gives success as 
| the reward' of painstaking. Using one,; the other is certain, 
j It is, however, important that the birds, when the severe weather 
ends, should be in perfect and thorough condition to fulfil all 
duties as breeders. As it is, the cold will make most yards 
three weeks or a month late iu bringing out their early chickens; 
it is, therefore, most essential that the first fine day should find 
the birds full of condition. As they will pass much of their 
time in their houses let them be provided with a large dust- 
heap, and let it lie where full light can stream upon it, and 
where it will catch any little suushine we may have the good 
fortune to see. We hope ere another paper issues from the 
press the weather will have changed ; if it has, do not discon¬ 
tinue your generous feeding. It will be some time before there 
is any natural food, and at this season birds must not lose 
ground. 
Our thrice-told tale is over, our old advice is repeated. 
Writing by the light of a lamp at eleven a.h., thermometer in 
tbe room two degrees below freezing, and fog outside the colour 
of peasoup, we claim some merit for having endeavoured to 
accomplish our task cheerfully, oven though there may be no 
startling novelty in it. 
SOUTH OF IRELAND POULTRY, PIGEON, 
AND BIRD SOCIETY. 
The first Exhibition of this Society was held at Cork on the 
2nd and 3rd inst., in the new room of the Athenaeum, and was 
as successful as its best friends could desire. 
The Judges appointed on the poultry were—J. Blandford, 
Esq., Ducloyne, and Wm, Corbett, Esq., Castle Connell; and 
