u 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, October 5, 1858. 
height of vonr chimney ; be glad you have such a draught. 
You may regulate to a very nicety, by having a close door to 
your ashpit, and an iron damper across your chimney in the 
most convenient part. When the fire is lighted and burning, 
the damper will allow you to regulate the draught to a very 
nicety, more especially if little or no air is admitted by the 
ashpit door.] 
PACKING FRUIT FOR TRAVELLING. 
The following judicious directions have been published by 
the Pomological Society :— 
“ Fruit should be protected against injury from pressure, 
by being packed in boxes or stout baskets ; very light baskets, 
and frails, are frequently used, and damage more or less is in¬ 
variably the result. 
“ Against injury from shaking, or turning over, it. should be 
guarded,—Firstly, by using cases of moderate dimensions in 
every direction, or larger cases with partitions in them, that 
there may not be too great a bulk to move about within the 
package ; secondly, by laying the separate articles so closely 
and compactly together, that they shall just keep each other 
steady, without crushing: This last is, perhaps, the most 
important matter of all,—no fruit suffers so much as that 
which is loosely packed. Common sense, of course, dictates, 
that in packing soft and solid fruits in the same case the latter 
should be laid iu the bottom ; if, however, the box is turned 
upside down on its journey, this arrangement becomes value¬ 
less ; and, to guard against such casualties, horizontal parti¬ 
tions of thin deal should be dropped into the box between 
layers of soft and solid fruit, and secured in then* position by 
nailing or otherwise. 
“ Fruit is also frequently damaged in flavour by being 
packed in moss, brown paper, straw or hay chaff, or other 
substances which impart their aroma and flavour to all deli¬ 
cate and absorbent fruits which are surrounded by them. If 
such materials are used, the fruit should first be separately 
enclosed in tissue, cap, or writing paper, cotton wool, leaves, 
or other scentless material. 
“ The bloom of certain fruits is best preserved if they are 
packed in young nettle-tops, partially dried. Stout cartridge 
paper is also excellent for the purpose, as it keeps them steady, 
without pressure upon more than a small portion of their 
surface, and its stiffness prevents crushing. 
“ Pine Apples travel with least injury to the crown if folded 
up in a piece of stout cartridge paper, and firmly, but not 
tightly secured by matting. 
“ Grapes carry best if tied down to the bottom of a shallow 
box, in the manner first used by Mr. Fleming, of Trentham, 
at the London exhibitions. The next best method is to en¬ 
close each bunch separately in a piece of stout cartridge 
paper,—folding it up somewhat like a grocer’s pound package 
of sugar,— and placing them as close together in a box as they 
will lie without crushing. 
“ Melons should be enclosed in cap paper, placed in a box, 
and surrounded by chaff, bran, or dry sawdust. 
“ Peaches, Nectarines, and Apricots should be carefully en¬ 
closed in a piece of tissue paper, and kept separate from each 
other by cotton wool. The two former should always be ac¬ 
companied by leaves ; and information should be sent as to 
the size of the flowers,—whether large or small. 
“ Plums, when the bloom is important, should be rolled up, 
six or eight together, in a piece of cartridge paper, and tied 
round with matting. When the bloom is not important, they 
may be packed in Strawberry, or similar leaves. The first 
should always be accompanied by leaves and wood. 
“ Cherries, Gooseberries, and Currants travel very well under 
general circumstances, if laid together in small shallow 
baskets, or punnets, covered with leaves, and tied over with 
paper. 
“Strawberries, Raspberries, and Mulberries should be packed 
in shallow boxes or punnets, each fruit being separately sur¬ 
rounded by one or two Strawberry leaves,” 
NURSERYMEN’S CATALOGUES. 
We have received the following:— A List of Lulls and 
other Flower Loots, by E, O, Henderson and Son, Welling¬ 
ton Load , St.John's Wood. This is something more than a 
mere “list;” for, besides its comprehensiveness, it is inter¬ 
spersed with copious and judicious remarks on the cultivation 
and arrangement of these plants in the flower garden, and 
with ample descriptions of the different varieties.— A Descrip¬ 
tive Catalogue of Selected Loses, by John Cranston, Kingsacre, 
Hereford, embraces all the best varieties, and contains very 
excellent descriptions of their colours and characters.—The same 
may be said of the Descriptive Catalogue of a Selection of 
Loses, by Adam Paul and Son, Cheshunt. —The Catalogue of 
Fruit Trees, by W. J. Epps, of Maidstone, is well arranged, 
and is, in fact, the plan of the Horticultural Society’s Cata¬ 
logue, applied to the lists of fruits cultivated in the Bower 
Nurseries, at Maidstone.—We haye also a Catalogue of a 
Selection of Fruit Trees, by A. Paid and Son, Cheshunt, 
[We shall, from time to time, insert in this way, notices of 
the catalogues sent to us by the nurserymen advertising in our 
columns.] 
TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
Kaisha Apricot (<7.). —We areobligedby your directing our attention 
to the editor of the ‘ Gardeners’ Chronicle’s remark, appended to a 
paragraph on “ the Kaisha Apricot,” which appeared in a recent 
number of that paper. By many it is considered that the tendency of 
that remark is to throw discredit on the decisions of the Bornological 
Society. We do not think it is. The Kaisha Apricot is, doubtless, a very 
good Apricot, and, in the report referred to of the Society’s Meeting, 
nothing is said to the contrary ; but it says that two kinds of that 
fruit were exhibited, one of which, being unripe, was found to he meally 
and pasty, and the other, which was highly ripened, was “much more 
juicy apd highly flavoured.” The Society very properly deals with 
fruit as it is before them, and not as it might be if produced under 
different circumstances; and ;so long a3 the Society continues to act 
entirely on the evidence before them, and not on hearsay opinions, so 
much more highly will their judgments he estimated. Wq think, 
therefore, that the editorial remark will be considered by all sensible 
men as exceedingly trifling and groundless ; and tending to exhibit far 
more want of judgment pn the part of the writer, than to throw any 
discredit on the judgment of the Pomological Society. 
Club is Br.occoLi (F . C. T .). — When tho young plants aye old 
enough to handle, take them up, and, with the thumbnail, pinch oft’ the 
enlargement caused by the grub, and rub them with wood ashes. 
Let the plants be pricked out on good, well-prepared ground, and 
usually they will out-grow the effects of the attack. Lime, soot, char¬ 
coal, or wood ashes, are also good preventives; and in winter, or when 
the ground is under some other crop, a moderate salting will rid the 
ground of these pests. But the Cabbage tribe does not benefit much by 
salt,—on the contrary, it suffers by its application. 
Poxn Leaking {A Subscriber, —You should have told us how 
you made your pond. For neatness, efficiency, and ultimate eco¬ 
nomy, nothing is better tliap bricks, laid in Roman cement. If you 
coated all over with the same, you could give it a rustic appeqranpc, 
by sticking in flints and shells before the cement set, doing a bit at a 
time. If clay is well puddled, and the banks 6lope considerably, the 
water will be kept in so long as the pool is kept full; but if allowed to 
get nearly empty in summer, the clay will crack, and thus the water 
will escape. The cracking would he considerably prevented if covered 
with a layer of turf, the grass outside. If the hank had a good slope, 
a coating of tar, a quarter of an inch thick, and well daubed over 
with fine gravel, or rough sand-drift, would prevent all escape of 
water; but the smell would be strong, and the water unfit for use for 
some time. It will set hard. Less thickness would do for keeping the 
water in; but then the heat of the sun, if powerful on the place ip 
summer, would be apt to draw your tar cake from the bank, and make 
it loose. 
THE P0UJ.TBY CHRONICLE. 
POULTRY SHOWS. 
October 13th and 14tl*. Crewe. Sec., D. Margetts, Crewe. Entries 
close 30th September. 
November 29th and 30th, December 1st and 2nd. Birmingham. Sec., 
Mr. J. Morgan, Entries close November 1st. 
December 17th and 18th. Halifax Fancy Pigeon Snow. Sec., Mr. 
II. Holdsworth, 57, Woolshops, Halifax. Entries close the 20th of 
November. 
January 3rd, 1859. Iyirkcaldv Poultry and Fancy Bird Show. 
January 8th, 10th, 11th, and 12th, 1859. Crystal Palace (Winter 
Show). See., W. Houghton. 
January 20th and 21st, 1859. Liverpool. 
February 3rd and 4th, 1859. Preston and North Lancashire. 
Secs. K. Teebay, and H. Oakey. 
February 9th and 10th, 1859. Ulyerstone. Sec., Thos. Robinson. 
February 16th and 17tli, 1859. Poulton-le-Fylde. See., J. Butler. 
N.B.— Secretaries will oblige us by sending early copies of their lists. 
partridge shooting. 
(Continued from page 401, VoJ. XX.) 
Have my readers ever been circumstanced as I was. I 
bad stipulated for a late dinner, very late, because I should 
not have enough shooting. When the morning proved wet, 
I asked them to make it half an hour later, because I should 
not leave home till some time after I intended. Everything 
