May  4,  1899. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
36-5 
riu.  83.— GROUP  OP  NARCISSI, 
more  until  another  century  has  been  ushered  in.  But  there  yet  remains  i 
sufficient  at  Ditton  to  ajjpease  the  keenest  appetite,  and  those  who  would 
visit  the  display  should  do  so  at  once.  During  the  next  week  or  two 
there  will  be  DafEodils  in  numbers  and  Tulips  in  abundance,  not  to 
speak  of  other  flowers  that  lend  their  aid  towards  the  glories  of  spring. 
—Enthusiast. 
BIRDS  AGAIN. 
I  THINK  that  the  time  has  come  for  some  decisive  action  to  be  taken  in 
order  to  keep  those  birds  which  are  destructive  to  garden  and  field  crops  j 
within  reasonable  limit  in  numbers.  The  amount  of  damage  being  done  ' 
Quassia  chips  were  formerly  quite  sufficient  to  keep  them  oP,  but 
neither  this  nor  cotton  is  of  any  use  now.  The  damage  dees  not  end  in 
the  kitchen  garden — they  are  equally  destructive  in  the  shrubberies. 
Amelanchiers,  Viburnums,  Japanese  Cherries,  Weigelas,  Pyrus,  Thorns, 
and  other  flowering  shrubs  are  ruined  for  the  present  season— not  only 
so  far  as  their  flowers  are  concerned,  but  in  many  cases  the  stems  will  be 
quite  bare,  and  will  require  cutting  back  much  in  the  same  way  as 
Gooseberries  and  Currants  sometimes  require  to  be  pruned. 
This  is  a  kind  of  thing  which  will  net  get  better,  but  wi  1  become 
worse  as  birds  increase  (which  they  undoubtedly  will),  now  that  they 
have  acquired  a  taste  for  the  buds  at  this  season  of  the  year.  We  must 
not  destroy  them  during  the  spring  and  summer  months  but  we  need  cot 
forget  them  after  the  close  season. —  T.  Aenold, 
somewhat  prohibitive.  It  is  one  of  the  loveliest  flowers  we  have.  If  not 
quite  so  showy,  there  are  many  that  are  equal  for  general  purposes,  of 
which  Gwydyr,  Beauty,  C.  J.  Backhouse,  Autocrat,  and  Frank  Miles  may 
be  cited  as  examples.  For  cutting  purposes  and  for  naturalisation  in 
grass  the  varieties  of  incomparabilis  are  probably  unrivalled,  and  will 
become  more  and  more  grown  for  these  purposes  alone.  Then,  too,  there 
are  the  double  forms,  which  appeal  to  many  persons,  though  not  to  all. 
Of  these  Butter  and  Eggs,  Eggs  and  Bacon,  and  Codlins  and  Cream  are 
the  best  known. 
The  season  of  the  Daffodil  is  passing  for  another  year,  and  though 
there  will  bo  flowers  for  many  a  day,  their  greatest  beauty  will  bo  seen  no 
at  the  present  time  is  appalling.  Gardeners  have  at  all  times  been  prepared 
to  lose  some  of  their  Gooseberry  and  Currant  buds  during  the  winter,  and 
Green  Peas,  Lettuce,  and  other  vegetable  plants  in  summer,  as  well  as  a 
portion  of  the  ripe  fruit  ;  but  I  think  it  is  quite  a  new  departure  for 
tomtits,  sparrows,  bullfincheo,  green  linnets,  and  other  birds  to  take  to 
the  Apple,  Plums,  Pcaro,  Clieirics,  now  nearly  or  quite  in  bloom.  Thty 
simply  nip  out  every  llowcr  bud,  eafj  the  short  pedicel,  and  let  the  other 
portion  fall  to  the  ground.  One  other  fruit  bush  I  forgot  to  mention  is 
the  Black  Currant.  This  they  will  completely  ruin  if  not  checked  promptly. 
I  have  never  known  any  birds  to  interfere  with  Black  Currants  before  the 
present  season. 
