14 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, AriUL 3, 1860. 
Sweet’s Botanical Cultivator ( 31 . L. P.).—This is the name of the 
book to which you refer. It was published by Ridgway,'Piccadilly. 
Flower Garden Plan (Kate). —You have done that plan exceedingly 
well, but bed No. 11 is planted with the plants that should be in bed 13, 
and those in 13 should have been in 11. Here, then, is the rule for criticism 
—7 is the bed to begin to read the whole plan from ; the key bed, by-the-by. 
Tom Thumb Tropacolum is not just good enough for that bed, but the 
colour is ; 6 has the same power as 7 ; then 5 and 8 make a match pair; 
4 and 9 ditto ; 3 and 10 the same; but 2 and 11 are not defensible. 
Lohelia erinoides ( G. C.).— No, thank you. There arc fifteen kinds, 
or there were very recently, under that name, and fourteen were wrong, 
of course including all those sent out by the Horticultural Society, and 
yours is only one of the fourteen, or another of that stamp. We add the 
last four to the number, and Mr. Ingram, of Windsor Castle, added seven 
or eight, we forget which; but the question has no public interest now. 
Heating a Greenhouse and Conservatory (-).—We think a 
Rogers’s conical, or other small upright boiler will suit you best. You 
willicquire two four-inch pipes on each side of your house—a flow and 
return. They would be best under your side-tables for plants. The scullery 
being so low, the pipes through the conservatory part might be below the 
level of the floor. The one side of the greenhouse and conservatory is the 
farthest possible from the scullery, and, therefore, in that case, this sink¬ 
ing would be required, if you step out of the house floor on to the conser¬ 
vatory floor; but if the house floor is five inches or so higher than the 
conservatory floor, the two pipes might pass on that side on the level close 
to the wall, and you could place a slab over them for a step close to the 
doorway. The other pipes on both sides might also be side by side on the 
level, though if the pipes rose an inch or so to the extreme end of the door 
of the greenhouse it would be none the worse. But-if a cistern were placed 
there at each end, it would not signify. By this mode there would be no 
dips after the pipes fairly entered the house. X-pieces will be required for 
flow and return. 
Raised Beds in Conservatory—to Accelerate Ivy ( C . H . B .).— 
Under the circumstances mentioned in our No. 5D(i, we thoroughly ap¬ 
prove of raised beds for climbers; but such raising of borders is not in¬ 
dispensable to success. We do not think they are indispensable in your 
case, provided free drainage is provided, and the roots are not dried up 
by the heating pipes. Plenty of water, therefore, must be given when the 
plants are growing. The covering part of the roots with the pavement 
will not signify. In fact, there is room enough between the wall and the 
pavement to grow such plants as you name. We should not expect the 
climbers on the dead walls, from n c to c d. to thrive so well as in the 
borders close to the windows and doors. Tastes so vary that we would 
rather not be responsible as to building the fernery. For such a spot 
boulders, clinkers, and bricks run together with cement would be best, and 
to these you might add anything you liked in the way of ornament. Can 
you take’ a rim round your bed on the floor—say six or nine inches in 
height, you might then plunge all your pots in sand, or cover with fresh 
moss. Your small stages might resemble baskets, and the pots be hid in 
the same manner. As to inducing Ivy to grow rapidly, prepare a good 
bolder of loam enriched with dung and a little lime rubbish, plant good 
strong plants, fasten them to the wall at first, and, generally, they will 
fasten themselves tvell enough afterwards. 
Culture of Bouvardias and of 1’runus Sinensis ( A Cheshire Sub¬ 
scriber).— All the Bouvardias, new, and old, and intermediate, require 
exactly the same treatment from seeds and from cuttings, for young plants 
and for old plants, and middle-aged plants, as Fuchsias of the same sizes and 
ages all the year round, or at all events under the hands of ordinary people. 
But people with more than the common lot of practical knowledge can do 
extraordinary things with Fuchsias, and with Bouvardias, and many other 
plants; keep them green all the year round, bloom them in frost and 
snow, or make standards of them by forced growth when no bloom is 
practicable, and when other and more sober people’s plants are lying half 
dry in their pots. Treat Bouvardias and Fuchsias both alike, and you need 
fear no dangers on either side. Prunus Sinensis should be pruned just 
like a Green Gage Plum, or any common I'lum for kitchen, or like a Damson 
tree, which is seldom or never pruned if there is room for it. 
Names of Plants (Bracken). —Y'our Ferns are—1, Like young Lastrwa 
quinquangularc. 2, Appears to be OnyJbium lucidum, but it is too young 
for determination. 3, AsplcniumflabclUfolium. 4, Pteris hastata. b, Pla- 
tyloma rotundifolia. (i, Asplcnium ebeneum. (George JVob/e). —It is 
Jipimecliuin grandiflorum. 
POULTRY AND BEE-KEEPER’S CHRONICLE. 
POULTRY SHOWS. 
May 23d and 24th. Beverley and East Riding of Youksiiire. See., 
Mr. Fras. Calvert, Surgeon, &c. Entries close May 17th. 
June 6th, 7th, and Sth. Bath and West of England. At Dorchester. 
Sec., .7. Kingsbury, Esq., Hamrnet Street, Taunton. 
July 18th and 19th. Merthyr Tydvil. Sec., Mr. IV. II. Harris, 142, 
High Street, Merthyr. 
N.13 .—Secretaries will oblige us by sending early copies of their lists. 
PREVENTING FOWLS EATING EGGS—THE 
BEST LAYERS. 
In The Cottage Gardener of March 20tli, a correspondent 
inquires, under the name of “ A Fancier,” the best way to 
prevent hens eating their eggs. In reply it is stated, “ there is 
no mode known of preventing this except watching her and 
taking away the eggs as soon as laid;” and you desire any 
practical information or suggestion on the subject from your 
readers. In compliance with this request I beg to offer an 
expedient that, in my somewhat extended practice, I never yet 
knew to fail, and one which proved successful even at the time 
my late sister reared so many Silver Chinese Pheasants, which 
are notoriously the most inveterate egg-eaters of all fancy poul¬ 
try when kept within the limits of an aviary. Finding it quite 
impossible to obtain even a single egg from these beautiful 
birds, as the cock would stand absolutely waiting when either of 
his four hens were about laying, and strike his bill into the 
shell the instant it was dropped, we. obtained a dozen or more 
artificial eggs made of Derbyshire spar, exactly the size and 
form of the Pheasant’s own eggs, and properly stained to render 
the colour as equally deceptive. They were laid promiscuously 
about the floor of the aviary, and it was really amusing to see 
the desperate efforts of all five of the birds at the onset to break 
them. Of course they could not succeed; and care was taken 
at the same time to watch diligently for the instant removal of 
any chance egg they then produced. Finding every attempt 
quite unsuccessful—in the course of time, as the fictitious eggs 
were all allowed to remain constantly exposed, this truly de¬ 
praved habit was forgotten and never returned. Many of my 
friends, to whom at that time I parted with Pheasants, took 
advantage of the suggestion as a preventive, which is decidedly 
better than permitting the habit to be acquired. 
In fowls the. plan does equally well, if a considerable number 
of artificial eggs are constantly before them, hut one or two are 
of but little utility. In every case of egg-eating, care should be 
taken that the birds that have contracted this evil propensity are 
well supplied with old broken mortar from the dressings of 
bricks from some old buildings, as it tends equally to the 
welfare of the birds themselves, and the suppression of the 
annoyance to their owners. 
Now I am writing on the subject of poultry, perhaps you will 
kindly permit me to reply through your columns to a query that 
has been seoresj and scores of times forwarded to me and 
replied to in private correspondence—viz., “ What fowls will 
prove themselves the best layers the year round, simply for 
size, with quality of eggs, and entirely irrespective of breed or 
fancy?’’ Several of my tenants and friends have tested this 
very conclusively during the last few years; and undoubtedly 
the most satisfactory produce has resulted from tho cross - 
between a Game cock and Golden Spangled Hamburgh hens, 
or, as they are commonly called, “ Pheasant hens ” in the 
midland counties. The cross with Moonies was not nearly so 
useful; and therefore I am thus carefully descriptive. In the 
former cross the poultry-yard still carried with it a strong simi¬ 
larity to the Hamburghs, and very respectable appearance, 
though naturally many of the hens will he single-combed and 
“ Gamey’’ looking. They attain a very good size—five or six 
pounds each, and the flesh is of first-rate excellence. I am 
speaking of hens only, the Game cock being the sole possessor 
of the harem. 
Another advantage from these half-bred hens is, many of 
them will sit well and rear chickens as attentively as need be; 
but they are not prone to incubation, or they would not be so 
profitable as layers. The eggs are of a very good size, and 
their quality always commands a preference with buyers. 
Again: the fowls themselves 1 believe to be of the most hardy that 
can be met "with, laying during the late severe winter without any, 
intermission, and never showing those symptoms of distress and 
want of condition that most fowls similarly situated would have 
then exhibited.— Edward Hewitt, Sparkbrook, Birmingham. 
In the last number of The Cottage Gardener I see a com¬ 
plaint of a “Hen eating her own Eggs,” and that there is no 
known remedy. I have reason to believe that it is owing to a 
want of lime in her food. On a sandy soil a small heap of lime,! 
to which the poultry have access, is almost indispensable.—E. C. 
[It is absolutely necessary that liens Lave a constant supply 
of old mortar or other source of calcareous matter; but we do 
not think that such a supply prevents them eating eggs. Indeed, 
as stated above, this depraved appetite exists in cocks as well as 
in bens; and wo have known it to be where the calcareous 
supply was unlimited.—E ds. C. G.] 
MR. HORRY AND THE CRYSTAL PALACE 
POULTRY SHOW. 
Your “ Moderation ” correspondent took upon himself 
unnecessary trouble in making inquiries in order to give you “a 
version” of an account already truthfully set forth in my letter 
of the 6th ult. 
I must beg permission to show whether “Moderation” lias 
truthfully given the version of the law and equity bearing upon; 
the matter, when he stated I had “ neither upon my 6ide.” 
