7 74 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
September 30, i905. 
rope for festooning, as then, when both hands 
are engaged in holding, picking up, and 
placing into position the small twigs, the 
string wound around this device may be left 
hanging, thrown over, and twisted as the 
work proceeds without fear of becoming un¬ 
done or getting entangled with the material 
at hand, as would naturally be the case 
were the string wound around a stick or in a 
ball. Much more work can be done in the 
same time with this article than would be the 
case without it. A. G. Salter. 
Houses for Bantams, 
Bantams, as I have before remarked, can 
thrive and do well in very limited accommoda¬ 
tion, and this is what makes them most 
suitable as pets in our suburban gardens, where 
it would be impossible to keep a large breed of 
fowl. If only one pen is kept there will be no 
need to provide a special Bantam house, as any 
outdoor building or wooden shed can be made 
suitable for their accommodation and shelter. 
If, however, two or three pens are kept, and 
breeding resorted to, then proper houses must 
be erected. The cheapest and best way to 
secure suitable houses is to purchase them 
ready made from one or the other of the firms 
who advertise in The Gardening World. 
Messrs. Cooper and Co., of the Old Kent Road, 
London, S.E., and Messrs. Boulton and Paul, 
of Norwich, each are makers of Bantam 
houses, and will be pleased to forward one of 
their illustrated price lists of stock houses to 
any reader of The Gardening World who 
may write for it, or to give an estimate for a 
house of any special design or size. 
Size of House. 
For a cock and four hens, which is the number 
many keep in a pen, although I prefer six hens 
to each cock, a house four feet square, with a 
run four feet by twelve, will afford ample 
accommodation; although if the larger number 
are kept the house might be a foot larger each 
way. Space being a consideration in suburban 
gardens, it is wise to have the house floor about 
eighteen inches from the ground. The space 
thus gained between the floor and the ground 
acts as a covered run, sheltering the birds from 
the heat of the sun in the hot dog clays, and 
shielding them from the storms of winter. The 
houses should be four feet six inches in front 
sloping to four feet at the back. 
Material for Houses. 
The material used in their structure should 
not be less than three-quarters of an inch in 
thickness, but an extra quarter of an inch is 
preferable. All my own houses are made with 
inch boards, tongued and grooved. The roof 
should be covered with felt. If the old- 
fashioned felt is used it will require two 
good coats of tar each year. Myself, I 
prefer the new asphaltic felt, which does 
not require to be tarred, and which, after it 
has been laid a short time, becomes as hard 
as stone, and just as impervious to moisture. 
The sides, backs, and fronts of the houses will 
require painting or tarring. If in a garden the 
former is decidedly the best, but if away in a 
field,where appearance has not to be considered, 
then tar is the material with which to coat 
the boards. My own poultry houses are in 
my garden and within view of the house 
and are painted dark green, a colour which 
harmonises w r ell with the lawm and flower beds. 
Amidst such surroundings a black tarred house 
is a bit of an eyesore, especially to any friends 
or neighbours wlio are aesthetically inclined. 
The Runs. 
The runs should be boarded up for two feet, 
or two feet six, from the ground to prevent 
birds in adjoining pens seeing each other and 
fighting, and also to protect them from the 
wind. Above the boards should be four feet of 
wire netting.. This I find quite high enough, 
and seldom, if ever, will a Bantam be found to 
fly over six feet of netting. To prevent cats 
from having access to the runs, a strip of 
netting about eighteen inches wide should be 
attached all round each run and bent over out¬ 
wards, loosely, and the same should be done 
round the front of the houses, too, or cats will 
get on the roof, and from there into the run. 
Single Houses or Ranges ? 
This is a question which must be answered 
according to the accommodation at hand ; but 
if space allows I prefer the range, because the 
labour of attending to the birds is considerably 
lessened w r hen they are all close together. If 
the exigencies of space will not allow of this 
being done, then the houses may be put up 
wherever possible. One advantage in having a 
range of houses is that they are not-so costly 
to erect as a lot of separate ones, and they are 
more cosy for the birds. 
Answers to Correspondents. 
Grit for Fowls (Plymouth Rock).—Most 
certainly you must provide grit for your birds. 
Experience has proved over and over again 
that birds lay 50 per cent, more eggs when pro¬ 
vided with grit than when not. The most 
economical way of giving grit is to mix a hand¬ 
ful in the sop about three times a week. This 
quantity is sufficient for half a-dozen birds. 
As to which is the best grit, I do not think there 
is any best amongst the flint grits which are 
sold for the purpose; but see that you get flint 
grit. 
Rabbit with Rough Skin.— (Black Doe).— 
You have doubtless been feeding your rabbit 
too much on one kind of food ; possibly, giving 
it hard corn morning and night, and very little 
green food. Stop the corn in the morning, and 
give instead a warm mash made of bran and 
sharps in equal proportions ; make the mash 
quite an hour before it is to be used. At 
mid-day give a little green food, and at night 
oats and hay. Rub the rough places with a 
little sulphur ointment every night. 
The Editor invites enquiries, which may cover 
any branch of gardening. Questions should be as 
brief as possible and written on one side of the paper 
only; a separate sheet of paper should be used for 
each question. Readers are invited to give their 
fellow gardeners the benefit of their experience by send¬ 
ing supplementary replies—see Prize Competitions. 
Replies cannot be s nt by post. 
Garden Plans .—Gardeners who would make the 
best use of this column are invited to prepare and 
forward to us a rough outline drawing or plan of their 
gardens, indicating the position of beds and lau 
the character and height of the fence or wall ; posi y n 
of vegetable garden, orchard, etc. The north side of 
the garden and any overshadowing buildings should 
be denoted. It should also be stated whether the 
garden is flat or on a declivity, and all large trees 
should be marked. Particulars of the nature of the 
soil will also help us to give satisfactory replies. 
When such plans are received they will be carefully 
filed, with the name and address of the sender, and 
will be consulted by the Editor whenever an enquiry 
is sent. 
Aspidistra requiring Potting. 
I have an Aspidistra which does not come on 
well. Will it be wise to repot it now, as the soil 
is not much good ? What T kind of soil would you 
recommend, and how often should it be watered? 
(Ivy.) 
It is not too late yet to repot the Aspidistra if 
it really wants it, and if the soil is as bad as 
you state, the sooner it is repotted the better. 
We should advise you to get some good fibrous 
loam from your sundriesman or florist. Soil dug 
out of the garden is of no use, as it does not 
contain fibre, and very soon gets into the condi¬ 
tion practically of mud. This fibrous loam should 
be roughly broken up and a quantity of sand added 
to make it porous. If the present pot is full of 
roots, the next pot should only be slightly larger, 
because you can remove some of the soil at 
present on the roots before potting it. It is not 
advisable to use too large a shift, especially at 
this late season of the year. The roots will keep 
better if they have only slightly more room than 
at present if in good condition. If the roots are 
poor, the same pot will be large enough, and 
you should wash it and then allow it to dry before 
repotting the plant. You should water the plant 
immediately after it has been repotted, using a 
rosed watering-can for the first time or two. We 
cannot give you directions for regular watering, 
as that entirely depends upon the nature of the 
weather and the condition of the roots. You 
should study to understand when the soil in the 
pot is getting dry, which you can tell by its 
brown colour, and by the weight of the pot. After 
watering thoroughly give no more until the soil is 
again getting dry. In summer water would be 
required every day; in winter once, twice, or 
three times a week, but the soil should be get¬ 
ting dry before you do give water. Use discretion 
and observation. 
Runner Beans. 
I am greatly obliged for, and highly appreciate, 
your kindness in drawing my attention to p. 698. 
May I take this opportunity, please, to ask full 
cultural directions in attempting the “ hill ’ 
system in future. With respectful compliments 
and repeated gratitude from me, a struggling 
amateur, anxious to learn and grow vegetables 
for my family. (T. H.) 
We should advise you to keep the article by 
you printed ou page 698. The ground intended 
to be planted with the Beans should be dug or 
trenched in winter in the usual way, then in April, 
rather towards the end of the month, you should 
prepare the sites for the Beans at 5 ft. apart, 
and plant the number of Beans recommended. 
Another plan would be to sow the Beans in a 
box of light soil and leaf-mould and stand it in 1 
a frame until the Beans have made strong plants,, 
with the first two leaves fully developed. Then 
at the end of May, when danger of late frosts is 
most likely over, you could plant half a dozen 
