THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION, August 11, 1857. 
301 
tlieir sides like old ones. Be this as it may, Ave have already 
spoken of the queen Avasp, whose manner of laying eggs is 
closely allied to that of the queen bee. The eggs of both 
produce queens, drones, and workers. The eggs which 
produce male and female of the yelloAv pest are laid in the 
same comb, the cells of which are all of the same size—proof 
enough that large cells do not alter their sex; and Ave may 
safely say, if a drone’s egg were put into a queen’s cell it 
Avould produce a king instead of a queen bee. 
It is vain to try to explain the cause why eggs produce the 
different sex. It is analogous to the germ of animal life: 
Ave know nothing further.—J. Wighton. 
TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
Corridor of tiie Crystal Palace. — “S.P., Rushmere, was not 
| aware of the fact that the row of Rhododendrons along the border of 
the colonnade at the Crystal Palace is temporary, He saw the second, 
or perhaps the third set of plants that have been in the row since last 
Christmas. The best plants are taken out of the shrubberies and put 
in the row in January or February to bloom in April. After they are 
j past their best they are removed to make room for a second lot, and so 
on. Sir Joseph Paxton told the writer, and the writer saw it stated in 
The Cottage Gardener, that herbaceous plants, spring, summer, 
| and autumn flowers for borders, would be ‘ taken up ’ there as soon as 
more pressing things could be settled. We know of no better example 
of flower gardening to appeal to in this country. If Ave have a better, 
where is it? ”—D. B. 
Phlox subulata. —“ In looking over the list of plants in The 
Cottage Gardener I see, at page 220, Phlox subulata mentioned as 
being bright pink, which is not correct, as that is a light pink with a 
portion of white. I have no doubt the plant called subulata in the list 
is either ovata or crassifolia, If poultry-keepers would feed their 
chickens with boiled rice they would have no occasion to call tobacco 
smoke into requisition.”— An Old Subscriber. 
[Chickens must have something besides rice, for there is little or no 
nourishment in it.—E d. C. G.] 
Poppies (P. Q.). —When the box arrived it was filled with a mass of 
petals : two flowers only remained perfect, and they fell to pieces in un¬ 
packing them. They seemed very beautiful, and looked like immense 
quilled China Asters. They are doubtless very handsome. 
Pot Pourri (Sarah). —This, we presume, is what you mean by 
“a perfume made of sweet-scented leaves, &c., for fancy jars.” Mix 
half a pound of common salt with a quarter of a pound of saltpetre, a 
quarter of an ounce of storax, half a dozen cloves, a handful of dried 
bay leaves, and another handful of dried lavender flowers. This basis 
of the Pot Pourri will last for years, and you may add to it annually 
petals of roses and of other fragrant flowers gathered on dry days, as 
fancy may dictate. By the same rule you may add, if approved of, 
j powdered benzoin, chips of sandal wood, cinnamon, orris root, and 
musk. We have known a very excellent Pot Pourri made in winter 
1 with a pound of dried rose petals bought at a chemist’s, mixed with 
j lour ounces of salt and two of saltpetre, on which were put eight drops 
| of essence ol ambergris, six drops of essence of lemon, four drops of 
’ oil of cloves, four drops of oil of lavender, and two drops of essence of 
I bergamot. 
Hollyhocks (P. M'Kcany). — These sometimes come single if 
allowed to decrease in vigour after being originally double. Cut doivn 
the stems as soon as the bloom is passed, and give the plants a good 
mulching with decayed dung, and frequent waterings with liquid 
manure throughout the autumn and spring. The suckers you planted 
Avill come true, and so will plants raised from eyes as directed at 
| page 271 . 
Pit for Propagating (J. S.).— Heating by a flue will be cheapest, 
and answer under good management. Heating by tank or pipes would 
be best, and if you combined both you would lose little heat. Thus, 
I get a retort boiler for 50s., the flue from which to go through part of 
the house; twenty-four feet of four-inch pipe or so will enable you to 
keep out frost. To propagate as in a hotbed you will require as much 
more for bottom heat. We presume you have studied all the details of 
propagating and other houses in this book, and therefore we could not 
advise you better than you know, but if on any point you consider we 
could assist we shall be happy to do so* Be sure of a sale, or there 
will be little profit in your undertaking. 
Diseased Cucumbers (A. S.).— You will find a long article in 
No. 427 by Mr. Fish, and much by other contributors in the same 
volume. Mr. Fish says he has seen, nothing of the disease since. Try 
fresh seed next year, fresh soil, and thoroughly scrub and clean the 
house. Then in dull weather do not use too much heat, and give 
plenty of air, leaving a little on at night; but, above all, do not feed the 
i roots too much. 
Green-edged Petunia (T. P.).— Yours is one of the green-edged 
Petunias, which are now so common that some of them turn up in 
almost all packets of seeds bought in Loudon. Some people admire 
them, and we recorded our own opinion of them in 1852 or 1853. When 
they were first exhibited at the Regent’s Park Show we cultivated a 
few of these green-eyed monsters to please our friends. We have one 
which is nearly as thick as a calf’s ear. Yours is one of the best we 
have seen, and if you keep the pollen of other Petunias from it, ten, 
twelve, or fifteen per cent, of its seedlings will come green-edged also. 
We have several of them in our own seedling bed. 
Dielytra spectabilis (J. R.).~ If the plants are in largish pots 
1 we would give a little water until the leaves got yellow, then refrain, 
and top dress next year. If the pots are small and the leaves fresh 
repot now, but if beginning to brown refrain until next spring. If in a 
twelve or fifteen-inch pot that will grow a fine specimen for years ; but 
why flower them in pots out of doors when they would do as well in 
the borders ? The having them in pots is to flower them early in the 
house. 
POULTRY SHOWS. 
August 26 th. Bradford. Secs., M. Brooksbank and H. Beldon, 
Esqs., 12, Queensgate Street, Bradford. Entries close August 18th. 
Aug. 29 th. Calder Vale. Sec., W. Irvine, Esq., Holmefield, Halifax, 
Entries close August 15th. 
September 2nd. Dewsbury. Sec., Harrison Brooke, Esq. 
September 4th. Sowerby Bridge. Sec., F. Dyson, Esq. Entries 
close August 26th. 
September 7th, 8th, gth, 10th. Gloucester. Sec., Mr. H. Churchill, 
King’s Head Hotel. 
September 9th. Heckmondwike. Secs., Mr. G. H. Rhodes and 
Mr. Fred. Brearley. Entries close August 31st. 
October 1st and 2nd. Worcester. Sec., Mr. G. Griffiths, 7, St. 
Swithin Street, Worcester. Entries close Sept. 19 tli. 
October 7th. South West Middlesex Agricultural Society. 
At Gunnersbury Farm, Ealing. Sec., J. Gotelee, Hounslow. 
November 30th, and December 1st, 2nd, and 3rd. Birmingham. 
Sec., John Morgan. Entries close the 2nd of November. 
December 1 6th and 17th. Nottinghamshire. Entries close No¬ 
vember 18th. Hon. Sec., Mr. R. Hawksley, jun., Southwell. 
December 30th and 31st. Burnley and East Lancashire. 
Entries close December 1st. Secs., Mr. Angus Sutherland and Mr. 
Ralph Landless. 
January 4th, 1858. Kirkcaldy Poultry and Fancy Bird 
Show. Sec., Mr. Bonthron, jun,, Thistle Street. 
January 9th, 11th, 12th, and 13th, 1858. Crystal Palace. 
January 19 th, 20th, 21st, and 22nd, 1858. Nottingham Central. 
Sec., Mr. Etherington, jun., Notintone Place, Sneinton, near Notting¬ 
ham. 
February 3rd and 4th, 1858. Preston and North Lancashire. 
Secs., Mr. R. Teebay and Mr. H. Oakey, Preston. 
N.B.— Secretaries will oblige us by sending early copies of their lists. 
JUDGES. 
Holding the position we do in the poultry world it will 
easily be believed that no question which affects it can be 
indifferent to us. We do not pretend to more knowledge of 
the subject than some of our readers and contributors, but 
the facilities we have for acquiring an insight into the 
opinions of most of the leading amateurs and exhibitors of 
the day, the experience we have had, the wish of our sub¬ 
scribers that we should give our opinion on the question, and 
the earnest desire we have to settle any differences, and to 
establish a pursuit every way pleasing and important to us 
on a firm and unquestionable footing, induce us to approach 
the vexed question of Judges. 
First, which is preferable, a single Judge or several ? 
We write this without any letters before us, and without 
reference to any that have appeared, that is, any particular 
reference. We wish to treat the question impartially. We 
do not believe in all the compacts and iniquities attributed 
to Judges. Where they exist let them be fearlessly and 
openly exposed; but we do believe that three or even two 
Judges offer a security to exhibitors against unfairness that 
they cannot have where there is but one. Admitting for 
argument’s sake, hut for that only, that one Judge has a bias 
for certain pens ; admitting farther that he knows those 
pens—a most difficult thing in a large show; admitting, 
again, that he would dishonestly award an unmerited prize, 
we say that his colleagues, honourable men, and equal to 
their duties, would not allow it. Honours must be given 
by plurality of voices, and this is one of the securities of 
several Judges, that two will always out-vote one. 
We have no hesitation in saying decidedly Ave think it 
better there should be several. Tavo or three Judges can 
award the prizes in less time than one. If, after the pre¬ 
liminary examination of a class, all are agreed that one pen 
unites all the qualities requisite for the first prize, there Avill 
be no doubt of the correctness of the decision. If, in a large 
class, three are all agreed, after one walk down, on the best 
pens, they can, without doubt, proceed to adjudicate, and do 
so correctly. One may overlook a defect in an apparently 
perfect pen ; it is possible two may do so, but the third will 
have seen it. Three Judges will aAvard in a class in half 
the time that it would take one to do it, and far more 
correctly. We do not speak of small local shows, where the 
good birds are the exceptions, but of competitions such as 
