THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION, December 23, 1856. 207 
acquainted with the shrubs and flowers there, to arrange 
them so as to keep up a well-distributed bloom throughout 
the season ? Too long, I fear, to he of advantage to either, 
even if he was a reading man, and depended on that and 
his practical experience alone; for shrubs and flowers come 
into bloom at different times on different soils, and I find on 
the same soil position or aspect will make a fortnight 
difference. Therefore I adopted the following plan:— 
On the 1st of January, 1856, 1 entered in a book what 
shrubs and flowers were then in bloom, distinguishing those 
that had received a little assistance in bottom-heat. For each 
month, dividing the month into b, m, e, I carried a small 
memorandum-book in my waistcoat pocket, and as the blooms 
came out I entered the dates in it, and copied them off into 
the regular book when convenient. 
By thus doing, on looking over my list, I can ascertain 
the correct names (thanks to your kindness), with the time 
of their blooming here, of 163 shrubs and flowers, exclusive 
of Roses. With this list before me I can very easily make 
my arrangements to my satisfaction.— The Doctor’s Boy. 
GLASS LABELS. 
We have recently received from C. Pemberton Carter, Esq., 
of Kennington Hall, near Ashford, in Kent, some labels or 
tallies made of glass, for sticking into the soil after having 
the name of the plant inscribed upon them by means of a dia¬ 
mond pencil. The dark colour of the soil acts as a back¬ 
ground, rendering the inscription very legible even at a dis¬ 
tance, and the legibility would be still further increased if 
the back of the glass were painted black. They are made 
of plate glass three-sixteenths of an inch thick, are six 
inches long, and one inch and three-eighths wide ; but, of 
course, they can be made of any other size desired. It must 
be a large stone, and thrown against it with great force, that 
would break this kind of label; and it has this great merit 
—it is invisible from a distance, getting rid of the eyesore 
occasioned by numerous opaque or light-coloured tallies. A 
country glazier offers them at sixpence per dozen. 
GOLD FISH—THEIR. HABITS AND AILMENTS. 
Finding from your correspondent “ Z. Z. Z.,” and “ A 
Young Gardener,” that some information is wanted about 
Gold Fish, I think that perhaps some little experience 
which I have had in them may be useful. I would first 
remark that the three varieties of the tribe Cyprinus which 
are so common — the Carp ( C . carpio), the Prussian Carp 
(C. yibelio), and the Gold Fish (C. anratus), resemble one 
another very much in form and habits. They all thrive best 
in one kind of situation—they all bite at one class of baits. 
In general form they are similar. The cunning of the Carp 
is proverbial. In Sir W. Jardine’s Naturalist’s Library we 
find Mr. Yarrell says of the C. yibelio, “ Though known to be 
very numerous in some situations, little success attends the 
angler who endeavours to catch them, as they seldom bite 
freely.” As to the Gold Fish, “ With rod and line they are 
rarely easy to take ; the drum-net takes very few; with the 
drag-net they are as difficult to take as the Carp, going to 
the bottom, close to the sides, and over the top of the net if 
possible. You cannot drive them into a trammel-net even if 
you hit them with a stick. They will, with a net close at 
hand, sometimes come so near to the side, and so obstinately 
keep their position, that you may easily catch them with 
your hand.” 
With regard to the attacks of which “ Z. Z. Z.” speaks, 
and the chasings mentioned by “ A Young Gardener,” I 
agree with the latter in attributing it to spawning; but 
whether it is through jealousy of the males is a matter for 
consideration. It is remarked by Izaak Walton ( Complete 
Angler, chap, ix.) “ that they (Carps) might breed, he had, as 
the rule is, put in three melters for one spawner.” Also, in 
another part, as a quotation from Janus Dubravius, “ Then 
three or four Carps will follow one female; and that then 
she, putting on a seeming coyness, they force her through 
weeds and flags, where she lets fall her eggs, or spawn, 
which sticks fast to the weeds, and then they let fall their 
melt upon it.” 
My own observation of Gold Fish points to a similar con¬ 
clusion, particularly as I think your correspondents will 
remark that the position of the fish is always the same, 
viz., the pursuers, or males, to be alongside the females, a 
little higher up and a little further back, which one would 
imagine to be the most suitable for this natural office, and 
not to indicate warlike attack. Further, I have seen no 
case where the attacked (?) was not running away, which 
would not be likely to be always the case in warfare. As to 
the cannibalism spoken of, fish in general are admitted to be 
the most voracious of created beings, and it is quite possible 
that when pressed for food they may so satisfy their hunger; 
hut I do not think such are the natural habits of the Gold 
Fish any more than of the Carp ; but, though some deaths 
may occur from such a cause, there are other very frequent 
causes of mortality. The Gold Fish are very subject to 
deformities and diseases of various kinds. As to deformities 
Badham, in his Ancient and, Modern Fish Tattle, remarks, 
“ Not a few labour under vai'ious personal defects, such as 
lame fins and goggle eyes, or else have the mouth, and 
sometimes the whole body, screwed to one side; ” to which 
I may add, that I have frequently caught them entirely 
without a dorsal fin, with the caudal fin not only bifid, but 
trifid and quadrifid, and once with the anal fin entirely 
absent. 
With regard to diseases the last-mentioned author speaks 
as follows of the C. carpio : “ He is subject to a mossy 
efflorescence above, and to small pox beneath, the scales ; to 
worms and internal ulcerations of the liver; to visceral 
obstruction, from feeding too freely on chickweed ; to malig¬ 
nant pustules and sympathetic carbuncles; to a morbus 
pedicularis; to a slimy exudation from the eyes, ending in 
blindness;” and, according to M. Comte Achard, “a une 
fievre epidemique, contagieuse, inflammatoire et gangre- 
neuse! ” Whether the Gold Fish has all these malignant 
tendencies I cannot say, but I have no doubt that some of 
these are causes of mortality, having observed some of them, 
and I think, whatever disease the Carp may have, the Gold 
Fish is likely to be subject to. Certain it is that even in the 
most favourable situations many die from disease. 
As to food I believe the most favourite diet with the Gold 
Fish is the same as with the Carp — vegetables. Badham 
says of the Carp that “ he is a great lover of vegetables, and 
that salad leaves and salad seeds constitute his favourite fare, 
upon which he fattens quicker than upon any other aliment.” 
I have found grass seeds in the stomachs of Gold Fish which 
I have opened. They eat the leaves of the yellow and of 
the white water-lily, and any other vegetable, I think, that 
comes in, their way. In manufacturers’ reservoirs I imagine 
their chief food to be a green, slimy vegetable (?) substance, 
which is deposited by the water after having been used for 
condensing. Should there be any further information wished, 
if able, I shall be glad to give it.— Piscator. 
[Many thanks.—E d. C. G.] 
QUERIES AND ANSWERS. 
ARRANGEMENT OF A YINERY. 
“ I am not exactly in the position of the good-natured 
Sheffield filesmith, but I am often in a fix. I have pulled 
down an ugly-looking flue at the back of my little Yinery, 
and am taking one up the back walk, having excavated the 
entire, which gives me a border three feet and a half wide, 
to the depth of one yard from the surface, and am filling it 
with a compost in the proportion of four small loads of 
sound turf, two of rotten stable manure, and one of mortar 
dressings. Shall I add any bone dust? In it I propose to 
grow one or two Yines on the back wall, and, perhaps, a 
Peach and a Nectarine—too many by half, possibly; but 
I have plenty of plants, and I can cut them away. Of Yines 
I have strong plants of Black Hamburgh ; Chaptal, akin to 
Muscadine, with shouldered bunches ; a Muscat and purple 
Constantia. These latter I should like; will they do ? 
Not if one of your contributors is right in confining me to 
Hamburgh or Muscadine. There will be eighteen inches of 
depth of soil under the flue passing in the necessary slope 
from the wall, which I hope to be able to keep moist enough. 
Now, for the covering to the walk, it will have a rise of six 
