369 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, March 16, 1858. 
is no comparison between the good looks of the two at table; 
therefore, to decide the point of merit, all that is necessary is 
to try the two kinds from seeds this season. 
The two are in the market under one name. We had a 
specimen of each of them at the Meeting in Regent Street, 
and the one which I said long ago was the best, and is the 
best-looking of the two, was exhibited by the Messrs. Bass 
and Brown, of Sudbury, Suffolk. Others may also have this 
kind on sale, and without knowing the difference, the public 
will not be able to decide w'hich is the best Vegetable Marrow, 
after all our pains. To assist in the comparison, I shall ask 
for a few seeds of the Custard Marrow from the Horticul¬ 
tural Society, and if the Messrs. Bass and Brown will be 
good enough to send me a packet of “ the Artichoke Marrow,” 
I shall try them both against an American kind, which Dr. 
Beck assures me is better than either.—D. Beaton. 
STRIKING CUTTINGS IN SAND AND WATER. 
I know our old friend, Mr. Beaton, likes to “ give honour 
to whom it is due,” and will, therefore, thank me for sending 
the enclosed extract from the third volume of the “ Midland 
Florist,” published in 1849. It is stated to be Mr. Wyness’s 
system of cultivating Verbenas, copied from the “Florist.” 
From this it will be seen that Mr. Kidd’s plan is not “ per¬ 
fectly original,” although perfectly successful to my knowledge, 
as I have adopted it for some years for various kinds of 
flowers.— Frank. 
“Fill shallow pans (such as are used for placing under 
flower-pots) to within a quarter of an inch of the top with 
silver sand, and pour in water sufficient just to cover the 
sand. Then make the cuttings in the usual way, and push 
them into the wet sand; put the labels to them, and place 
them in a hotbed frame, where the heat ranges from 65° to 70°, ! 
always keeping the sand wet. The advantages to be realised 
by propagating the Verbena in this way are, that the cuttings 
never require to be shaded in the brighest sunshine, conse¬ 
quently the young plants are not drawn up long and lanky; 
the cuttings never stop growing from the time they are put 
in until they are ready to pot off, which is in about six or 
seven days; when they may be drawn out of the wet sand 
with a bunch of roots, without injuring a single fibre.” 
THE ANGOLA RABBIT. 
i 
This, known by some as the Angora , or French Rabbit, 
has its foreign origin suggested by the names. It is a distinct 
and remarkable variety, its chief peculiarity consisting in the 
long shaggy hair, with which it is covered. 
It is found of all colours, but the white, with pink eyes, is 
generally considered the most attractive and valuable. The 
true bred Angola Rabbit has short ears, carried erect; but 
specimens are to be met with, not unfrequently, of lop-eared 
shaggy Rabbits, which are the result of a cross between the 
true bred Angola and the lop-eared Rabbit. These Rabbits 
will sometimes attain a large size, but they are not so often 
bred for table purposes as for curiosity. We often meet with | 
them at public Exhibitions, and there they form a striking 
contrast to the little Himalayan, or the more graceful and j 
fine-coated lop-eared specimens. Classed under the head of ! 
“any other variety,” the white Angola is often a dangerous rival 
in the Show pens ; and we have sometimes wondered to see how 
little this curious variety has been encouraged and cultivated. ! 
THE PRUSSIAN RABBIT. 
| 
At the Nottingham Show, January, 1858, a pair of Rabbits 
were exhibited under this name. They were remarkably small 
in size, and beautiful in their proportions; they were both 
white, with pink eyes; their ears were very short, and carried 
erect. The heads of both buck and doe were rounder than in 
any other variety. 
They were timid little creatures ; so much so, indeed, that 
the noise and inspection of the visitors at the Show were suffi¬ 
cient to destroy one of this very interesting pair of Rabbits. 
They are the only pair I have seen, or heard of; and I believe j 
that they were imported, but whether directly from Prussia, j 
or not, I was unable to ascertain.—P. Boulton. 
