905 
THE GARDENING WORLD , 
November 25. 1905. 
case, and for snails and slugs ; but, of course, 
these are worse in some oases than others. 
Varieties.—A small list of some of the 
best-named sorts, obtainable at most florists 
from about 9d. per good-sized plants. A Is. 
packet of mixed seeds will give several dozen 
plants, and is interesting, as a- new colour 
may come; but to keep the varieties true 
cuttings must be taken. 
Boule de Neige, or “ Snowball,” pure white, 
with golden stamens ; Cameleon, noli crim¬ 
son ; L’Africain, blood red ; Canary, lemon 
yellow ; Gold Fleece, deep gold, large ; Ir 
Caid, lovely dwarf grower, mauvy pink 
flowers; Savitzii, vine-shaped golden and 
green leaves ; vexillarium, the climbing kind, 
very pretty; and vitifolium, the hardy 
variety, large white bell flowers. 
Douglas V. Eelam. 
Portland Lodge, Worthing, Sussex. 
How to stock a small egg-raising concern is 
to be our consideration this week. It is now 
generally known that pullets lay far more 
eggs than adult liens, and that each year a 
hen lives her usefulness as an egg-producing 
unit becomes less and less. Therefore, it 
stands to reason we must commence with the 
purchase of pullets. These pullets should 
cost about 3s. 6d. to 4s. each if bought now, 
just as they are commencing to lay. This 
means that £50 or £60 has to be spent on the 
original stock straight away. Later on a 
couple of cocks will have to be purchased. 
These will be quite sufficient to fertilise as 
many eggs as will be needed to replenish the 
stock next year. If it is intended to sell eggs 
for hatching purposes, then an extra cock or 
two will have to be obtained. 
Replenishing the Stock. 
In the breeding pens one cock to each dozen 
or fifteen liens will be all that is required. 
In an ordinary way, seven to nine hens are 
run with a cock, but my experience is that a 
greater fertility of the eggs is secured when 
the larger number are in the breeding pen, 
The great feature in successful egg-raising is 
to have eggs during the winter months ; there¬ 
fore the hatching operations should extend 
from December till June, so as to have a suc¬ 
cession of pullets coming on to lay one after 
the other. 
Suitable Houses. 
To obtain and fix suitable houses and runs 
is most important to the successful keeping of 
fowls. Nowadays there is such a demand for 
poultry houses that it is much the cheapest 
to buy the houses ready made from one of the 
many firms who make a speciality of this kind 
of thing. At the recent Dairy Show at the 
Agricultural Hall, Islington, I was surprised 
to see what excellent houses 1 are now being 
produced at prices which a few years ago 
would have meant something which might, 
with truth, have been styled cheap and nasty. 
Five or six years since the demand for.such 
houses was limited. Now it is not, and there 
are many firms engaged in the manufacture 
of poultry houses and runs. This competition 
has brought down the prices, and has given 
breeders of poultry really good houses at 
most reasonable prices. A strong, serviceable, 
movable house, to accommodate twenty-five 
fowls, can now be bought for about 60s. or 70s. 
This means for 300 fowls an expenditore of 
£35 or £40 in houses. If desired, the maker 
of the houses will also supply the runs. The 
cost of these would depend on the strength of 
the timber used and the gauge of the wire net¬ 
ting. If, instead of timber, iron supports were 
used, the first cost- would be increased, but 
the gain later would be great- 
How to Obtain the Houses. 
In getting the houses, it would be well to 
ask one of the firms engaged in the trade to 
give an estimate for the twelve houses re¬ 
quired, as it is more than likely that to any¬ 
one buying a dozen or more houses at one 
time they would give preferential charges. 
The houses must be made of three-quarters of 
an inch planking, tongued and grooved, and 
covered roof and sides with asphaltic felt. 
This will afford strength and comfort. The 
internal fittings should be ventilators and a 
perch only, the egg-boxes being fitted out¬ 
side, with top lids, to afford easy collection of 
eggs. Each house should be fitted with 
wheels, so as to facilitate its easy removal 
from one spot to another. The mns 1 should 
be made so that they enclose the houses. 
The question of breed is one to< which many 
people give a lot of consideration, and it re¬ 
quires it, but that matter will occupy 
more space than I have at command to-day, 
and so of necessity I leave it till a more con¬ 
venient time—that is, next week. 
Answers to Correspondents. 
Best Variety of Fowl (Joe Brown, Poplar). 
—The best variety of fowl ; that is what we 
EXHIBITION 
HKY5ANJ o HEMUAS. 
Watering and Feeding. 
In writing this short article, I am desirous 
of treating on the (in my opinion) chief part of 
Chrysanthemum-growing for exhibition—the 
watering and feeding of same after they have 
received the final potting. As the time to 
start feeding depends a great deal on the time 
they are potted, I might say I am in favour of 
early potting, starting about the middle of 
May and having finished by the first week in 
June. My reason for this is, I like to start 
feeding early in July, so as to get as much 
growth as is possible in them before the 
formation of the bud. Some growers 
advise to start the first week in June, 
and to finish by the end of that month. 
I think this much too late. Of course, 
the condition of the plant in the 6-in. 
pot stage must be a guide as to the time 
to start, but I believe in striking most 
varieties early, and keep them growing right 
from the start. By this method most if not 
all of them- are ready for the final by the 
middle of May. 
Watering, must be done very carefully the 
first few weeks after potting. If the compost 
is not too dry, and the ball of soil from the 
6-in. pot is in proper condition—that is, moist 
enough—they will not need any water for at 
least three days ; but they must be syringed 
overhead three times a day, and chiefly when 
the sun is hot, as it is then they want it most. 
Bain water should always be used for all pur¬ 
poses when possible ; if not, hard water should 
stand in a tank outside not less than a day 
before using. When watering the first few 
times use a rose on watering can, so as to 
disturb the surface as little as possible. After 
would all like to find out. We know that 
some are better than others, but, even as 
scientists have not yet discovered perpetual 
motion, so have poultry breeders not found 
out which is absolutely the best breed of fowl. 
Some breeds are better than others as layers, 
but they are not much good as table fowls ; 
others good on the table are useless, com¬ 
paratively speaking, as egg-producers. From 
your letter and the neighbourhood in which 
you live, I should say that what you want is 
a good London backyard fowl for egg produc¬ 
tion. For this I do not think the Minorca 
can be beaten. It is a handsome bird to look 
at; it does not lose its beauty by contact with 
London smoke ; it lays a good big egg, and 
plenty of them. There is no other breed' with 
the same qualifications. 
Keeping Ducks (B. T. E., Tottenham).—I 
should advise you to give up the idea alto¬ 
gether ; your accommodation is not suitable 
for duck-raising. It is no use courting 
failure, and that is what you would do, 
situated as you are. 
Canary Wheezing (Yellow Yorkshire).— 
Your bird has probably caught cold. Give it 
ten drops of glycerine and ten drops of whisky 
in its drinking water each day. Also give it 
a little arrowroot biscuit soaked in hot milk 
twice a day. 
Rabbit with Scurf (R. G. A., Southport). 
It is a result of feeding too much on dry 
food. Change the diet, give a mash of equal 
parts of barley meal and middlings each night. 
A. ball about the size of a man’s fist is suffi¬ 
cient for each rabbit. Mix a dessertspoonful 
of ordinary brimstone in the mash each night, 
this quantity of brimstone will be enough for 
your six rabbits. 
first watering, they will not need more at the 
roots for at least three or more days ; but on 
no account neglect the spraying overhead. 
Week by week they will want it oftener, until 
by the beginning of July some of the more 
robust will show signs of wanting feed. 
Only the experienced grower can tell when a 
plant is ready for feeding. We all know that 
the correct time is when the roots have ex¬ 
hausted the manure from the compost ; and 
when the roots are travelling freely round the 
pot, then we know that they have exhausted 
it. But how to tell when they are travelling 
round the pot—that is the question. As I 
said above, an experienced grower can tell by 
the forwardness and condition of the plant. 
They cannot be knocked out so 1 very well with¬ 
out accidents to the leaves, and we want to 
keep all those on the plant. But if the com¬ 
post is of the right quality, in six weeks’ time 
we may be pretty certain they are ready. 
Perhaps a few words would not be out of 
place here about the compost for final potting, 
as a great deal depends on this as to the time 
to start feeding. The more manure and 
patents there are in the soil, the longer one 
must wait before starting to feed, because the 
roots do not travel so quickly when the soil is 
rich. Perhaps this sounds a bit strange to 
some ; all the same, it is a fact. I like a com¬ 
post with only a moderate supply of manure, 
etc., iust enough to cause the roots to be 
always on the move in search of food, and to 
be certain of a. sturdy growth. The reader 
will uhderstand by this that they will be 
ready long before the plants that were in a 
richer compost. 
We will now suppose them to be ready for 
feeding. The best feed to start them off with 
is a weak solution of soot water. Some 
growers recommend equal quantities of soot 
and unslaked lime (of course, by measure), 
