THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, January 5 1858. 
223 
In your circumstances, you have a double chance, as you 
may try both grafting and inarching; having the latter to fall 
back upon, if the first should not succeed. Proceed thus 
with your buds. Leave two on the shoot for a scion ; place 
the other close to the side of a small GO-pot, and plunge it 
in a hotbed. As soon as it appears above ground, it will 
begin to root; and a3 soon as the little pot is filled, transfer it 
to a larger, and so on ; encouraging it to grow as fast as you 
can, by heat, moisture, and frequent repotting : make sure 1 o 
use heated soil at every shifting, until the shoot is large and 
firm enough for the inarching. You thus secure a nice plant, 
whether you want it or not. Now, as respects the grafting, 
suppose you do it early, fully eight days before the sap begins 
to move, whether you force, or do not force. Suppose that 
the scion will fail—and we have met with such cases; then, ere 
long, a number of shoots will break from the old stem. These 
must be gradually removed, so as ultimately to leave only 
one j and that must be encouraged as the stem on which to 
inarch the young plant. Grafting involves least trouble: 
and, although, just like other grafting, a failure will now and 
then occur, it comes not oftener among Vines than among 
other plants, if the right times are chosen. If it fail, you 
may fall back on the inarching. Where a Vine has several 
stems, we have sometimes grafted some, and inarched others ; 
and it would be difficult to say which did best.] 
OLD GERANIUMS. 
My best thanks to Mr. Wm. Baxter, of Riccarton, for his 
most valuable testimony and aid, at page 182, in support of The 
Cottage Gardener, to chace and drive away the notion that 
young Geraniums are better than old ones for all that these 
are good or useful for. 
I am almost certain that I saw the beginning of the Riccar¬ 
ton collection he mentions, as far back as 1828. Did they not 
come under the management of Mr, Robert Watson, who is 
now dead, soon after that date ? If so, I have seen them for 
certain. I also saw five kinds of Geraniums, grafted on one 
head, in that place at the same time. But, where is Riccarton 
which has given the name Riccartoni to the best of our 
hardiest Fuchsias ? It was a seedling raised there by Mr. 
Watson, was it not P The Riccarton I mean, and the only 
Riccarton I know, is a little out of Edinburgh, on the south 
side ; and when Mr. Baxter gets over the “ Merry Christmas 
and Happy New Year”—which is not an easy task in Edin¬ 
burgh —I wish very much he would give us the exact measure¬ 
ments of some Holly hedges in that neighbourhood ; and then 
tell the Edinburgh gardeners, that I have a rod in pickle for 
them, about the way they dress up them forced Hyacinths. 
I mean, padding the bottom of the leaves with moss to keep 
them on their legs ; and “ making it believe ” all the while, 
the moss is only to hide the soil. 13 that Scotch-like ? or is 
it Scotch all over the pots .and pads to boot ? or what ? 
And, in answer to our friend Mr. Thomson, of Ipswich, 
page 183, about the Lobelia speciosa , I may have stated my 
doubts about that kind ripening seeds ; but itw r as the Ra/nio- 
soides to which I particularly alluded—which I never knew to 
seed. The Horticultural Society sent out seeds, two years 
since, under the name of Lobelia ramosoides ; but those in my 
packet were quite misnamed.—D. Beaton. 
TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
Stop-cocks v. Plugs {Corvus). —We shall be glad to hear from you 
on this subject. Surely no gentleman will object to his gardener 
trying experiments founded on reasonable grounds, and having utility 
for their object. 
Description op Fruits (A Young Gardener ).—There is no such 
work. Mr. Hogg’s “ British Pomology” is such a book as you want; 
but the only part yet published, is that which treats on the Apple. 
You will there find about 1000 varieties of Apples described, and many 
of them figured. 
Pears for a North-west Wall (IF'. Clarke). —The best covering 
you can have for your wall, will be a Thompson's and a Beurre diet 
Pear. 
Name of Plant (IF. 0. JJ.). —The name of your plant is Solanum 
pseudo-capsicum, or VvTnter Cherry Nightshade. A common, shrubby, 
greenhouse plant of the olden times, being introduced in 1596. Its 
little orange-like fruits and capsicum-like evergreen foliage, make it 
ornamental in the greenhouse or conservatory during the winter 
months. The culture of any common greenhouse plant suits it. If 
your Azaleas and Camellias are in good health, and going on well,,weak 
manure water once a week will be beneficial to them. 
POULTRY SHOWS. 
January 9th, lltli, 12th and 13th, 1858. Crystal Palace. Sec. Mr. 
W. Houghton. Entries close December 12tb. 
January 13th and 14th, 1858. Duplin. Secs., T. M. Hutton and R. P. 
Williams, Esqrs., Council Rooms, 212, Great Brunswick Street! 
Entries close November 21st. 
January 20th, 21st and 22nd, 1858. Nottingham Central. Sec., Mr. 
Etherington, jun., Notintonc Place, Hneinton, near Nottingham’. 
January 20th, 21st, and 22nd. Liverpool. Secs., G. W. Moss and 
W. C. Worrall, Esqrs. Entries close Dec. 19th. 
February 3rd and 4th, 1858. Preston and North Lancashire. 
Secs., Mr. It. Teebay and Mr. II. Oakey, 25, Fi: hergate, Preston. 
Entries close January 10th. 
February 10th and 11th. Ulverstonk. Secs., T. I Lob in son, and J. 
Kitckin, Esqrs. Entries close January 25th. 
N.B.— Secretaries will oblige us by sending early copies of their list:.. 
CRYSTAL PALACE POULTRY SHOW. 
Fortune is not so blind as people may imagine, or may 
please to imagine. Nor is success a thing of chance, to be 
bandied about. Wherever it is found to be honestly attained, 
then it will be seen that those who have benefited had within 
themselves all the required elements. We are thus “full of 
wise saws and modem instances,” because extremes meet; 
and after the gaiety of Christmas we are unusually solemn 
and sapient. “ Where on earth,” says a friend at our elbow', 
“ are you floundering?” We answer, “To Fairy-land.” “And 
where is that ? ” rejoins he. We say, “ To the Crystal Palace.” j 
“(Jocks and hens again?” “Yes,” w r c say, “and a glorious 
sight.” “ Well,” answers be, and gives in, “ I did enjoy the 
last, and shall go again.” One thousand and seventy-three j 
pens of poultry to be seen and admired—the pleasure of 
meeting one’s friends — the tournament of Birmingham over 
again, v/ithin twenty minutes of London — the lovely sight 
of a happy crowd — beautiful gardens — the Palace — the 
music — all united, make this entertainment unique. It i3 
the holiday time; the year i3 young and fresh ; and w r e are 
sure those who may visit this Exhibition, induced thereto by 
our remarks, w r ill thank us for a pleasant and a happy day. 
Such are not common, nor are they without their influence. 
MARKINGS OF HAMBURGH FOWLS. 
I was glad to find, by “ J. H.’s ” letter in your last, that 
breeders of Golden-pencilled Hamburghs are beginning to 
stir themselves as to what are the true points to aim at in 
perfecting that handsome variety of poultry. 
I confess (speaking as one myself), I am quite bew’ildered 
what birds to select to send to a Show; as, of late, I see little 
unison in the prize birds of the principal Show's. In saying 
this much, I, of course, exclude such well-known points in 
the cock as rose combs well-piked, pure white ear-lobe, good 
bronzed tail, or blue legs ; or same in the hen, except having 
pencilled tail, and neck hackle yellow buff. These are points 
on which all are agreed. 
But which is the true pencilling in the hen ? And is buff 
yellow the true colour for the cock’s neck hackle? or red ? or 
yellow almost lost in that colour ? And are the saddle 
feathers, body, or wing-coverts, to be free from any but Van¬ 
dyke-coloured feathers ? and are these to be light or dark ? 
These are queries I cannot solve by inspecting prize birds ; 
and now that competition is so close in this class (more 
chickens were shown at Birmingham than in any other class, 
but Dorkings and Red-breasted Game,) it is of great import- j 
ance to know what are the true points. And if you would 
give us your opinion on these questions, it would help us ; and 
still more so, if breeders were certain that Judges would go by 
them, if they disagreed among themselves, as, by “ J. II.’s” 
letter, they seem to have done at Birmingham. 
"Why should you not give us detailed points of each variety 
of poultry? If these were also published in a small book for 
the waistcoat pocket it would be very useful to breeders at 
Poultry Shows, and to amateur Judges at small local exhibi¬ 
tions.—C. E. 
[In spite of all that can be laid down a3 characteristics, I 
