278 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, July 31, 1860. 
invitation), and all expressed themselves highly satisfied. They 
occupied fully two hours, with the following results 
Bore a strain before 
breaking, of 
1. Ironbark, taper section 11 deep, equal to 1 inch square. 1305 lbs. 
2. Ditto, ditto, No. 2, ditto, ditto . 1221 „ 
3. Grey ironbark, new timber, ditto, ditto. 1313 „ 
4. Ditto, No. 2, ditto, ditto . 1165 „ 
5. Ditto, old timber, ditto, ditto. 1249 „ 
6. Ditto, No. 2 (bad specimen), ditto, ditto. 913 „ 
7. lted ironbark, old timber, ditto, ditto. 997 ,, 
8. Blackbut, new timber, ditto, ditto. 857 ,, 
9. Ditto, No. 2, ditto, ditto. 629 „ 
10. Ditto, old timber, ditto, ditto. 969 ,, 
11. Ditto, No. 2, ditto, ditto . 773 ,, 
12. Blue gum, new timber, ditto, ditto . 773 ,, 
13. Ditto, No. 2, ditto, ditto. 745 „ 
14. Mangrove, ditto, ditto ... 521 „ 
15. New Zealand Kaurie, ditto, ditto . 549 ,, 
16. Ditto, No. 2, ditto, ditto . 535 ,, 
17. Oregon Bine, ditto, ditto . 749 „ 
18. Ditto, No. 2, ditto, ditto . 696 ,, 
19. Cedar, ditto, ditto, ditto. 311 „ 
20. Ditto. No. 2, ditto, ditto. 521 ,, 
21. White American Pine, ditto, ditto. 423 ,, 
22. Ditto, No. 2, ditto, ditto. 409 ,, 
23. Ditto (with blue gum inserted in top for straining piece), 
ditto, ditto. 409 ,, 
The pieces experimented upon were supported on liardwooded 
hearers, twelve inches apart .—(Sydney Morning Herald.) 
TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
Mulberry Wine [L. J.).— Take Mulberries when they are just changed 
from their redness to shiny black ; gather them on a dry day when the sun 
has taken off tb,e dew, spread them thinly on a fine cloth on a floor or table 
for twenty-four hours, and boil up a gallon of water to each gallon of juice. 
Skim the water well, and add a little cinnamon slightly bruised. Put to 
every gallon six ounces of white sugar candy finely beaten. Skim and 
strain the water when it is taken off and settled, put to it the juice of the 
Mulberries, and to every gallon of tbe mixture put a pint of white or 
Rhenish wine. Let the whole stand five or six days in a cask to settle, then 
draw off the wine, and keep it cool. This is a very rich cordial. 
Various ( Beginner, Hampshire ).—The largest Strawberry we know is 
Myatt’s Mammoth , but it is quite worthless. Sir Harry , Admiral Dtmdas, 
and Oscar are good sorts, and when well grown attain a very large size— 
large enough for any purpose. You will find Cellini, Kerry Pippin, Golden 
Winter Pearmain, Nonpareil, Ashmead’s Kernel, and Stunner Pippin six 
good dessert sorts of Apples for bush culture. Of Pears for the same 
purpose we would recommend you Louise Bonne of Jersey, Barorme de 
Mello, Marie Louise, Knight’s Monarch, Josephine de Malines, and Winter 
Nelis. Cuthill’s “Treatise on the Strawberry” can be had at our office 
by enclosing thirteen postage stamps. 
Delphinium (Mrs. Melville). —The flowers of the two kinds fell to pieces 
before we saw them, and we have been trying to get back buds to open in 
water but failed. They are more difficult in that respect than Scarlet 
Geraniums. 
Training Roses Low (The Glen). —We never recommend the old way 
of training down new Roses. It was all very well when there were only 
Moss and Cabbage Roses and the like of them, to train them down and to 
moss-mulch the ground under the shoots, and to look at Roses and to 
smell them for a space of four weeks, and sometimes of three weeks or five 
weeks out of the fifty-two. But the plan is good enough, and as good as 
ever it was for those who like it. But Roses cannot thus “indiscrimi¬ 
nately” be grouped or trained together ; because Roses on their own roots 
grow stronger than on stocks, and some of them four times stronger than 
we know them as standards. Nothing is better than the old hooks for 
keeping them down: at least go to as little expense as possible, as you may 
alter your views after a season or two. 
Name of Shrub (A Subscriber).—It is impossible to make out any plant, 
unless it be some very remarkable one, from the mere tip of a young shoot, 
unless we happen to be well acquainted with it from having seen it many 
times. It so happens that we have seen your shrub frequently, and have 
a specimen of it too. We believe it to be the Aristotclia Macqui, a native 
of Chili. It is as you sav, almost an evergreen shrub. 
Crinoline Pots (G. H.). —We have heard only that Mr. Summers, of 
the Crystal Palace Nursery, meant to introduce this style of pot after he 
himself had proved them by twelve months’ practice, begun towards the 
end of last autumn. There is no way of deciding on the real merits of a 
seedling Scarlet Geranium, except that of seeing a large plant of it in bloom 
in a pot or border from the end of May to the 20th of September. Earlier 
or later in the season, it is mere guess work, and no good judge of them 
would risk an opinion. Cut flowers of them sent through the post fall to 
pieces. 
POULTRY AND BEE-KEEPER’S CHRONICLE. 
POULTRY SHOWS. 
July 31st. Newmillerdam. 
August 15th. Omskirk and Southport. Sec., Mr. James Spencer, 
Ormskirk. Entries close July 31st. 
August 22nd and 23rd. Settle (Yorkshire). Hon. Secs., Revs. J. R. 
Blakiston and J. Robinson, Settle, Entries close August 1st. 
August 25th, 27th, 28th, and 29th. Crystal Palace. Summer Show of 
Poultry, Pigeons, and Rabbits. Sec., Mr. William Houghton, Entries 
close July 28th, 
September 5th. Keighley Agricultural Show. Sec., R, Fawcett, 
Entries close August 29th. 
September 19th, 20th, and 21st. Portsmouth. Hon. Sec., Mr. E. Clarke, 
26, Wish Street, Southsea, Hants. Entries close August 11, 
September 25th. Bridgnorth. Sec., Mr. Richard Taylor, Bridgnorth. 
October 9th, 10th, and 11th. Worcester. Hon. Sec., Mr. G. Griffiths. 
December 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th. Birmingham. Sec., Mr. John B. Lythall, 
Offices, Unity Buildings, Temple Street, Birmingham, Entries close 
November 1. 
MERTHYR TYDVIL SHOW. 
Thebe is something we like in the association of flowers anil 
chickens at this season of the year, and the more than beauti¬ 
ful display at this place half tempted us to try our hands at 
reporting flowers. But the names! We thought of the im¬ 
mortal Sam Slick's young lady, who, being asked if she under¬ 
stood flowers, said “ Very little.” Indeed, the only ones she 
cared for were the “ Via Lactea ” and the “ Delirium Tremens.” 
Then we imagined ourselves flowers and poultry; and we 
thought of the days, many days ago, when all the world was 
“ waiting for Peel," and the grand old Duke of Wellington 
filled all the offices “ en attendant,” and the caricaturist (for 
there were caricatures in those days), represented the noble old 
man as half Commander-in-Chief and half Prime Minister; 
and then we thought of the Minister of State in 1848, in Paris, 
as represented in “Jerome Patnrot,” by the clever L. lley band, 
Minister of War and Marine, consulting a red hook for the 
former, a blue book for the latter, and at last confounding both 
together ; or we thought of the new Foreign Minister taking his 
seat for the first time, and being informed by his Chief Secre¬ 
tary, there was but little on hand. There was a misunderstand¬ 
ing at Tiflis, a coolness at Trehizond, and a grave affair at 
Teheran. Now, as after an hour, the new Secretary had the 
three in most admired confusion, putting the grave affair at 
Tiflis, and the misunderstanding at Trebizond; so we thought, 
when we viewed the names and classes, we should never keep 
them separate, and lamenting our want of knowledge, we turned 
to our poultry, satisfied, however, after all, that we were flower 
judges, just as Liston was always convinced that his forte was 
tragedy. 
Four years ago, when this Show first took place, the classes 
were not understood nor the merits of the birds. It was insti¬ 
tuted to remedy this ignorance, and amateurs, and, still more, 
the workpeople, are under great obligations to Mr. Crawsliay, of 
Cyfarthfa, for his constant and zealous endeavours to forward 
these exhibitions. Prizes are offered for poultry, flowers and 
vegetables, and they are well competed for. We can understand 
the treat it is to the working population of the mines, to get an 
hour or two in these gardens, or among the Fowls or Ducks 
that figured as competitors on this occasion. 
Every description of fruit, flower, and vegetable was shown in 
this spacious hall. Tropical plants and shrubs of marvellous 
delicacy and rare beauty attracted the eye; grapes, piues, melons, 
peaches, strawberries, and humbler currants and gooseberries, 
tempted the palate; while the ear was courted alternately by 
the Cyfarthfa band just returned from its triumphal visit to the 
Crystal Palace, and the crowing of the cocks. 
Practice makes perfect. Every class is well understood, and 
there are good birds in all. The Show is becoming known, and 
many of the celebrated among exhibitors sent their birds. It 
is one of the characteristics of this exhibition that the workmens’ 
classes increase and improve. At many places they are recol¬ 
lected only as failures of the early days of the societies; but 
here they not only increase in number, but the quality of the 
birds shown would justify the owners in entering into general 
competition. 
Dorkings came first. Mr. James Buckley's birds were good 
enough to win easily. Middlesex, Aylesbury, Somersetshire, 
and Worcester came to Merthyr to compete for the Spanish 
prize. It was a very good class, as may he supposed when Mr. 
Bodbard was only commended and Mr. Fowler second. Mr. 
Martin, of Worcester, showed beautiful birds. Mr. Crawsliay 
took first for Game ; the second went to Mr. Boglntrst, of Essex. 
We profess only to mention the more meritorious pens, as the 
prize list was published last week, and therefore pass at once to 
the J Tamburghs. They are favourites in this county, and were 
well represented. When Hamburghs come from Worcester we 
have always a suspicion they have had to do with the celebrated 
Archer, and we believe such was the case here. Mi'. Martin, 
however, won with difficulty, hard run by Mr. Llewellyn, of St. 
Fagans. This was a very good class. We seldom meet with a 
class for Black Hamburghs, hut there is one here. There is 
not sufficient care, in our opinion, taken in selecting these birds. 
