330 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION, August 25, 1857. 
Cuttings of Phloxes (M. F.).- Every inch of a Phlox will make a 
j cutting and even their flower-stems if cut into two or three-inch 
lengths, and planted in sandy earth, either in pots or under bellglasses, 
in the open borders, properly shaded and watered. 
Name of Insect ( W . L.).—The Lace-winged Fly; not at all un¬ 
common. 
A Correction. — te On referring to page 149, Vol. XVIII. of The 
Cottage Gardener, I noticed an error in a paper of Mr. Appleby’s, and 
which I believe has never been corrected. He says, 4 1 was much pleased 
with two octagon vivariums, &c., sent by Messrs. Sanders and Doughty, 
of London, &c., and Mr. Alford, Portland Road,’ &c. The names of 
the makers of the aquaria referred to are Messrs. Sanders and Woolcot, 
of Doughty Street, London, and Mr. Alford Lloyd, of Portland Road, 
London.”—S. H. 
Tamarix Gallica ( Cbwes).— This, the French Tamarisk, is found on 
the rocks, cliffs, and sandy shores of the southern and western coasts of 
England. In Cornwall it is plentiful on St. Michael’s Mount, and every¬ 
where about the Lizard Point, but chiefly on the banks of earth called 
Hedges. In Hampshire on the beach near Hurst Castle and Freshwater. 
In Kent it forms the ornament of Sandgate, flourishing upon its sandy 
banks, and flowering thrice w’ithin the year. In Suffolk by Languard 
Fort. In Sussex on the cliff to the east of Hastings. This elegant 
shrub is frequently found in sandy places in France on the shores of the 
Mediterranean Sea, and of the Atlantic Ocean as far as Poictiers. It is 
also found upon the banks of rivers in the south of Europe, north of 
Africa, and west of Asia. It is likewise a native of Tartary, Barbary, 
the Himalayas, and Japan. It is the Myrica of the Greeks, and the 
Tamarix of the Latins. Its bark is slightly bitter and astringent, and 
its ashes contain a great quantity of sulphate of soda. In the south of 
Russia and in Tartary it assumes a great variety of forms, according to 
the soil and situation. The tops of the dwarf plants are there eaten by 
sheep in preference to any other food, and the stems of the larger ones 
are used as handles for whips. Evelyn tells us that it was considered of 
old one of the unfortunate trees, and under malediction, and theretore 
used for wreaths to put round*the heads of malefactors. He says, also, 
that drinking vessels were made of the wood. This pretty Cypress-like- 
looking shrub forms one of the most ornamental hedges imaginable in 
localities where it can enjoy the sea breeze. The case of pruning or re¬ 
ducing the hedges to a certain thickness and height should be performed 
with a knife, not with shears. 
Diseased Pear Leaves {W. M.).— Apply the lime and sulphur 
immediately, and at any time, but the mixture will adhere to the leaves 
best whilst the dew is on them. You have allowed the trees to be in¬ 
jured a fortnight needlessly. 
Parsnip Wine ( Home-made ).—To make six gallons of wine put 
eight gallons of water into a boiler, and add thirty pounds of sliced 
Parsnips. The Parsnips must have been previously scrubbed quite 
clean, all fibrous roots and brown specs cut away, each root split length¬ 
ways into quarters, and these sliced into two-inch lengths. Boil for 
about two hours, or until the slices of Parsnip are all tender ; but it is 
indispensable that the slices are not bruised or reduced to a pulp. Do 
not cover the boiler, but let the pungent essential oil of the Parsnips 
pass away with the steam. Strain the liquor gently through a hair 
sieve into a tub without bruising the slices. Add immediately three 
ounces of white argol, stirring the liquor for some minutes to complete 
its dissolving; then dissolve in it eighteen pounds of loaf sugar. Let 
the liquor remain until cooled to about 72°. Put into the liquor a toast 
formed of a slice, three quarters of an inch thick, from a two-pound loaf, 
and well soaked with fresh yeast that is not bitter. Do not stir the 
toast into the liquor, but merely let it float upon it. Cover the tub with 
a flannel, and keep it in a regular temperature of from 50° to 55°. When 
fermentation has commenced take out a bowlful of the liquor, and pour 
it in again gently, to spread the fermentation, and, when this lias in¬ 
creased, agitate the liquor more strongly in the same way. As yeast 
forms on the surface skim it off. When this formation of yeast has 
been taken off twice put the liquor into a six-gallon cask. If a sweet, 
rich wine is required fill the cask up till it runs over at the bung-hole, 
and reserve some in a bottle tied down with bladder. As yeast flows out 
from the bung-hole fill yp from the reserve bottle. YVhen this flow 
ceases paste a piece of brown paper over the hole, and after a week put in 
the bung, loosely at first, but tightly after the sound of fermentation 
ceases. For making a dry wine let the liquor ferment in the tub two 
days longer than for the sweet; skim it before putting it into the cask, 
and do not fill the cask with it to moie than two inches from the bung- 
hole ; cover this hole with a piece of slate, and frequently stir the yeast 
into the liquor. Have a reserve in a stone bottle or bottles tied down. 
Ferment in the temperature as before directed. When it does no more 
than hiss or sing put in the bung, and roll it over three or four times ; 
then loosen the bung, and replace the cask on the stand. Repeat this roll¬ 
ing after lour or five days, and continue it until the hissing subsides to a 
scarcely audible fretting ; then bung down firmly, and rosin it over closely. 
Antirrhinums (D. R. White).—We have nothing to add, as to the 
characteristics of these flowers, to what we have stated in “ Florists’ 
| Flowers for the Many.” We do not think it necessary for the inner 
surface to differ in colour from that of the tube. 
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., Ilolmefield, Halifax, 
Entries close August 15th. 
Skptemder 2 nd. Dewsbury. Sec., Harrison Brooke, Esq. 
September 4th. Sowerby Bridge. Sec., F. Dyson, Esu. Entries 
close August 26th. 
September 7th, 8 th, 9 tli, 10 th. Gloucester. Sec., Mr. H. Churchill, 
King’s Head Hotel. 
September 9 th. Heckmondwike. Secs., Mr. G. H. Rhodes and 
Mr. Fred. Brearley. Entries close August 31st. 
October 1st and 2 nd. Worcester. Sec., Mr. G. Griffiths, 7> St* . 
Swithin Street, Worcester. Entries close Sept. 19 th. 
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 6 th and 17 th. Nottinghamshire. Entries elose 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, tmd 13th, 1858. Crystal Palace. 
January 19 th, 20 th, 21 st, and 22 nd, 1858. Nottingham Central. 
Sec., Mr. Etherington, jun., Notintone Piace, Sneinton, near Notting¬ 
ham. 
February 3rd and 4t,h, 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. 
CEEVE CCEUES AND THE IE CIIOSSES. 
Since I first began to devote any attention to poultry it 
has been my invariable practice to test the value of the 
various crosses of the breeds that I have been keeping. 
For the last two seasons I have had a run of Creve Cceurs, 
and it may he remembered, by some of my readers, that I 
was the first to call attention to their merits in a translation 
from the French, inserted in Yol. XVI., p. 265, of The 
Cottage Gardener. To the account there copied I have 
but little to add. My own extended experience enables me 
to state positively the following facts regarding them ;— 
That they are unsurpassed by any other variety as table 
fowls, being large, white-fleshed, short-limbed, and very full 
breasted ; that they lay larger eggs than any other variety 
whatever, not even excepting Spanish. My birds of last 
year did not begin to lay early; hut, as my poultry diary 
shows, the four hens averaged nearly three eggs a day for 
months, viz., 93 eggs in March, 89 in April, and 82 in May, 
not one of them becoming broody until late in June. 
It is, however, to the extraordinary merits of the cross¬ 
bred birds as table fowls and early layers that I wish to call 
attention. My first brood of nine cross-bred chickens was 
hatched on March 2nd, 1857; they were bred from a 
Cr6ve Coeur cock and Dorking and Cochin hens. The clutch 
were never in a house in their lives, the hens being cooped 
in wet weather under a large, dry, open shed, the young 
ranging the field at will, and running out in the late snow 
we had this last spring. On May 26th I killed a cockerel of 
the brood caught up out of the yard; he weighed 4 lbs. 6 ozs., 
and when trussed for roasting exactly 3 lbs. One of the 
pullets, of which there were four, began to lay on the 1st of 
August; the others I purposely kept low in flesh, as I wished 
to show them at the Crystal Palace Exhibition, but the 
pair sent there have both laid since their return. The 
weight of the cockerel shown at the Exhibition was 7 lbs.; 
that of the pullets rather over 5 lbs. each. As table birds 
both the Dorking and Cochin cross are first-rate ; the latter, I 
Avas pleased and surprised to find, had very white skin and fat, 
and were plump, full-chested birds. I may mention that the 
cock at the Show was the Dorking, the pullets the Cochin cross ; 
and the latter, although of such rapid growth, Avere bred 
from rather small Cochin hens. My object in sending a 
mismatched pen Avas tAvofold. Firstly, I wished to shoAV both 
crosses; and, secondly, for private reasons I purposely 
designed to disqualify the pen from any chance Avhatever in 
competition : this I effectually did by sending a clean-legged 
cock and leather-legged pullets. 
For the information of those avIio did not see the birds I 
may add that the Cochin-bred pullets are black, Avitli a silvered 
hackle, and that the cocks have a larger proportion of light 
feathers in their hackle and saddle. 
To those avIio Avisli to breed birds for profitable purposes, 
and require large table IoavIs and early eggs, I cannot re¬ 
commend a better cross. Three Dorking and three Cochin 
hens, with a Creve Cceur cock, would give a supply of table 
fowls that, for rapid growth, large size, hardihood, and early 
laying, Avould, I am confident, surpass any other A^ariety; 
and when cooked they Avould he found plump and white in 
skin and fat. Of course as exhibition foAvls they would be 
worthless, although it Avould render Poultry Shows of more 
practical utility it a prize Avere offered, in the extra variety 
