Weekly Mail

BY MR. J. MUIR, MARGAM ABBEY, GLAMORGANSHIRE ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. Name of Plant, &c. A. P." (North Devon).—The yellow flower you send is commonly called the" St. John's Wort," or the Rose of Sharon." Its hotanical name is Hypericum Calrciirum. It is a plant of easy culture, and "will grow anywhere. It is often seen luxuriating in town gardens and under the shade of trees, &c. It should be divided in the winter months when at rest. That is also tho proper season to plant out purple and other Clematis. Basic Slag for Lawn.—" C. A." (Birmingll3,m).-It will benefit your lawn by producing a very close pre, wing mass of vegetation, hut you should not put it on till November or December. I have seen many of the results of using bastic slag this season, and they are all highly satisfactory wherever it was put on in the winter season. Dog Constantly Tied Up.—" Inquirer asks if 11 it is a bad thing for a young dog to be constantly chained up and have no exercise." Most undoubtedly it is the very worst treatment any dog, young or old, could be subjected to. Unfortunately it does not rank as "cruelty to a dog," but I am sure niiny have been prosecuted for doing less injury to them. Confine- inout so extreme is entirely against a dog's nature, and in the case of a young dog it spoils their legs, and often genemtes disease. A dog's greatest enjoyment is to have liberty, if not constantly at least frequently, and they should have some exercise daily, as being part of the treatment that is absolutely necessary to their healthy condition. No one can value a dog very much who does not allow it to enjoy exercise, and they ought not to keep one. Mein's No. 1 Cabbage.—E. Jackson.—I have not cabbage seed or anything else to offer for sale, and there is, therefore, no personal interest in what I advise. Apply to Messrs. Stewart and Mein, Seeds- men, Kelso, N.B. Book on the Canary.—Jane Smith.—There is a use- ful little book nilled" Canaries and Mules," pub- lished at 171, Fleet-street, London, price 6d., that contains much useful information. There is another published at 170, Strand, London, price 2s. 6d., that is also an excellent guide to canary keeping. If you are only going into the fancy in a small way the cheap book would suit you, but if extensively procure the half-crown one. Preparing New Garden Ground. J. A. P." (Somerset).-As the new land on which your house stands has not been turned over for 80 years, it ought to make a capital garden, especially if there is a good depth of soil and it is well drained naturally. If not, you must drain it before you attempt to cultivate it. Now is a good time to prepare it for a full crop next year. Pare the surface of it with a spade, turn the material lifted over that it may dry, and when it is in a condition to burn char it. You should then take an opening or trench out at one end to the depth of 18in. or from that to 2ft., and trench the soil all over to that depth, at the same time remove all roots and refuse that may be in it. This may be done at once or before the winter, and about mid-winter put a quantity of manure on the surface and dig it under. The ground will then be in excellent order to receive the crops in March, and I feel sure you will be remu- nerated for the labour you may devote to breaking it up. Land for Poultry Farm." E. F.Thanks for your letter. I have forwarded it to the lady who applied to me, and asked her to communicate with you. Minorca Cock; Fowls for Table. E. 1rL" (S. Devon).—Thanks for your letter. The details have interested me greatly, and if you are the lady I assume you to be the public at large are indebted to you to an extent that makes me especially anxious to be of use to you. I can speak from present experience of Minorcas, and I do not think you could possibly keep any variety that will lay better. I quite appreciate your desiring birds that will have a homely appearance going about the place, and white fowls are very attractive in this way, and if you can exchange the Minorca cock you should do so for a white Leghorn of this year. As young cockerels are now so plelltifulyou may have adifficalty in exchanging him, and in that case you should buy a Leghorn, and you might use the Minorca in the kitchen. The buff-coloured Leghorns are also beau- tiful fowls, especially the females, and they are good layers. The Minorca and Leghorn also make a good cross, so that you cannot injure the good qualities of your stock by intro- ducing Leghorns, male or female. Dorkings, especially the white and silver grey, are handsome fowls to look at, and they are excellent for the table, but they do not lay half so many eggs as the Minorcas or Leghorns. Name of Flower.-Acash Achillea Aurea. Palm Unh.ealthy,&c.F.II.D.C.It will take your palm a very long time to recover, r.s, when once the leaves wither the growth is altogether checked, and plants of this kind cannot be re-started into growth fs-eely again in a room or in a window. You should, if possible, try to get someone who has a hot- house to put it in there for you for a period. You will never make a good plant of it otherwise, and palms are so unsightly when in bad health. Your geraniums that have large leaves, but do not bloom freely, are kept too much in the shade. Expose them more to the sun and give them plenty of air. Do not water with liquid manure. Name of Plants.—"J. D." (Biggor, N.B.).-No. 1 is the Pyracantha, so well known as producing a fine display of red berries in winter. No. 2 is one of the fleabanes, Erigeron Aurantiacus. Thanks for your letter, which shall have further attention. Name of Roses. South Yorks."—Regret they were too much withered on reaching me to name with any certainty. The fragrance was delicious. Thatch for Hayricks.—"Pembroke."—The green stuff you can cut out of your ditches, much of which grows hereabouts, is often used to thatch hayricks, and if the hay is not likely to remain in the rick more than one winter it answers very well for thatching, but when the hay is not used for a year or two all such makeshift thatch fails or rots, and you would find it better in the end to use some grain straw as thatch. Wheat straw is the best, but where that is not grown oat or barley straw may be used. V The Weather and Vegetation in July. Be the weather good or bad, time flies, arid it seems only the other day I was writing of the conditions of June. Then the record was bad, and I regret it has not improved greatly since. Rain or moist weather has predominated throughout July, and more sunshine was urgently needed. All vegeta- tion capable of growing has developed, but the growth formed has not been of that substantial kind which insures high quality, The corn harvest will be late, and plenty of sunshine is desirable in August to mature the straw and grain, and being so luxuriant it will require a great deal of maturing this season. Hay cutting has been .general in July, but there is still much of it to be harvested, and some of it has been cut and on the ground so long that the quality has deteriorated considerably. There is abundance of it, but the quality generally will not be first-rate, and in any case hay will be cheap in the coming winter. The root crops have grown rapidly, and considerable attention is needed to keep them clear of weeds. Small fruits in the garden are now well-nigh over, and there has often been a difficulty in getting them sufficiently dry for pre- serving. They have not ripened very freely, and the quantity is deficient. Apples and pears are very late, and very few of them will be ready for the table in August, and they will be undersized whatever the weather may prove. Vegetables are now plentiful, but beans of the kidney types are not form- ing well. Open-air flowers are fresh, but not so bright as they would be with more sun. Pansies from Seed. Those who are fond of these old-fashioned flowers should raise a batch of plants from seed. They will afford much interest if selected from some of the best sorts, as then there is always the chance of some new kind being produced, and whether the blooms of the seedlings are superior to their parents or not, they will be swee to appear different in markings; and by no means the least amongst the attractions in a garden is a bed or row of seedling pansies when they first come into bloom. Seedlings, as a rule, are very robust in constitution, and for small gardens in and near towns they will often succeed better than named sorts. Now is a good time to sow the seed. If it is put into some good soil in a little bed the plants will be ready to transplant in six weeks or so, and they may then be put in a position where they can be kept all the win- ter, and be planted out in the spring to flower early next summer. Violas, which resemble pansies a good deal, may also be raised from seed sown at present. Weeds in Field Root Crops. Weeds are unusuallyabnndant amongst field root crops this year. It has been very ¡ favourable weather for them growing of late, and the wet weather in May and June pre- vented many from clearing the ground before putting in the crops so well as it should have been done, and the abundant crop of weeds and the way they choke and hinder the development of the roots indicate what a mistake it is to sow seeds before clearing the ground. All who have taken any notice must know that the finest roots are always grown on the ground free roots are always grown on the ground free I from weeds or nearly so, and only poor crops result from a surface overrun with weeds. Efforts should, therefore, be made to destroy as many of the weeds as possible before they grow further and take more nourishment from the soil, and also so as to allow the roots to develop freely while they are still disposed to do so. The ground between the drills is best cleaned with the horse hoe, but it may be necessary to use the same hoes with which the roots were singled to clear the weeds between the plants. The Tulip Tree. Mr. J. Rookledge, writing from Easing- wold, York, remarks :—" A paragraph in Rural Notes,' July 7, gives the largest size of above as 9ft. It may interest you to know that in my garden at the Villas, Easingwold, there is one upwards of 30ft. high. The stem at 2ft. from the ground is 6ft. in circumference, and the branches cover a circumference nearly equal to the height. It is said to be nearly 70 years old, and I am sorry to say is now showing signs of decay." Mr. Eookledge would notice in notes of last week that I corrected the height' of the tree here, it being 90ft. I planted several about fourteen years ago, and they are now about 20ft. or so in height, but they had a stem to begin with of 6ft., so that their average growth upwards is about 1ft. But this will, no doubt, be less as they become elder, and the large specimen in question here is known to be over 100 years old but I do not see that it has gained in height much during the last twenty years. Its circumference 5ft. from the ground is 13ft. 4in. A Useful Early Plum. The variety is called River's Early Prolific. I have mentioned its good qualities in pre- vious years, but it is such a very certain bearer, is so enormously prolific, and ripens so exceptionally early, that those who desire to plant useful plums ought to be r 'minded of this one annually. Last year it was ripe early in July. This year it is later, the season not being so early. Yet it was in fine condition on July 24. It is a small black fruit, a little larger than a greengage. When thoroughly ripe it is excellent for desert, and as a culinary plum at this season it has no equal. Here there are several trees of it growing against a south wall, but no doubt it would succeed as a standard or bush, only it would not ripen so early in that form. I think, however, it is well worth a place on a wall, and I am certainly much in favour of it bein g grown everywhere, both for private use and for market. A Standard for Table Fowls. Mr. T. Carr writes: Hen Wife" has done well to call attention to the importance of trying to secure a better class of table or cross-bred fowls, as undoubtedly the cross- breeds still form the great bulk of the poultry kept in this country, pure breeds being chiefly confined to those who keep fowls for exhibition, and anything that can be done to improve the nxultitudes of cross-breeds will be highly advan- tageous. I do not, however, quite agree with the way Mr. Carr has alloted his points to form 100 as the stan- dard Many decry fowls for exhibition because too much attention is given to feather,' and I think Mr. Carr has estimated this quality far too Mgh in a crossbred fowl to put it at 20" points. Five points would be sufficient for it, as breeding for feather is a very unprofitable affair. To me it matters little what the colour" of a fowl is so long as table and laying properties are there. As it so happens I have this year bred a good many chickens from a pure Black Minorca cock with white Leg- horn hens. The colour of the chicks is very varied, and not according to any standard, yet I know they will make good laying and table cicss-breds. Mr. Carr gives dull, sunken, heavy eyes ten points, want of hackle five points, faults in colour twenty points, bad shape of tail five points—40 points in all, which I would not compute at more than five each. I would suggest making up the difference in putting twenty points against crooked breast bones as this is one of the greatest defects any fowl for the table can have, and, as a rule, it indicates breeding from inferior or closely: nle related birds, which should always be avoided, and making a strong point by deducting twenty marks for this serious defect, would help greatly to discourage the breeding of crooked-breasted birds. I quite agree with Mr. Carr as to the importance of giving more attention to the production of a useful class of cross-bred fowls, and there ought to be one general standard to adhere to. Increasing the Milk Supply.—Salt for Stock. A reader sends a quotation from a con- temporary, in which, it is said:— Free access to salt is advantageous to live stock, and from the experiments recently ma,de to ascertain whether the giving of salt to dairy cows has any effect on the supply of milk some results have been obtained that will surprise many agriculturists who attach but little impor- tance to providing salt for their cattle. In the experiments made last year three cows were kept about a month, from June 20 to July 18, without salt, the milk from each cow being' weighed twice daily from July 4 to July 18. From July 18 to August 1 the same three cows received 4oz. of salt each. The milk given daring the two periods was remarkable when a comparison was made, for hvthe period with salt 5641b. of milk was obtained, while for the period without salt only 4541b. was given, thus showing a guiri of 1101b. from the use of salt, It will thus be seen that it would pay anyone admirably to keep his stock well supplied with salt, for whilst the salt in the above experiment cost less than eric halfpenny, the increased milk was worth from 6s. to 7s., which is a very large profit on so small an outlay, even if the farmer obtains only half the increase shown in the above experiment." The Potato Crops. Growth is very luxuriant this season, both in garden and field. Indeed there is far too much top, and I do not expect that the yield of tubers will be very heavy as it is rarely in proportion to the stems. Very often, or as a rule, those with the most stems have the fewest roots, and those are of the worst quality. Those of medium growth are the best both in point of numbers and quality, and in a dripping season like the present the best potatoes will be secured from ground that is somewhat deficient of manure. Should there be a long period of bright dry weather now the tops would cease growing and the tubers would swell and mature, but a continuance of sunless, damp weather will injure the crop very much. As yet the disease has not become excessive, and I do not think it will be a bad season for disease, as I have generally noticed when they pass through July without being much injured it is never very severe Jifterwards, especially in gardens. A Rest for Horses. Yorks writes :—" I see some of your readers complain of their horses being in bad coat and suffering from other ailments. Remedies can be advised by vets, and others, but I do not kn&w of any that is so beneficial to them as a period on the grass. I am well versed in horse treatment, having kept hundreds during the last forty years, and I 1&" over a score at present. Those I generally find require re- cruiting most are the old ones and others that have been overworked and have gone wrong in the feet and legs, and it is the latter especially that will improve by a term at the grass. Horses owned by those who have fields are generally turned out at night, and this is good for them; but many have horses who have no fields, and who have to keep them in the stable in summer as well as winter, and it is horses under these con- ditions that enjoy and profit by a run at the grass. A fortnight will do them much good, but they should have longer if possible, I especially if their feet or legs are bad. In r all cases where they are to be put out for a few weeks their shoes should be taken off, and, although all grass fields will suit, I pre- fer soft meadow land for them, as this is best for the feet. Marshy land is very suit- able, and it is quite worth any one's while to send their horses a distance to get them on to such land. I know of many farmers who take horses into their fields at so much a week. Some will try and get them in to the cheapest run, irrespective of the conditions of the grass or land, but this is false economy, as when a hard-worked horse or a horse out of condition is given a rest at the grass it will pay well to put it on the best ground available. I have doctored many horses by medicine and extra good food, but I have not found anything to equal the grass run. August and September are two of the best months in the year to turn them out, and I think you will find this note seasonable." Canary Breeding in 1894. Canary Breeder (Dalston, N.E.) writes —" Mr. M'Sellan is quite correct in saying that this has been a bad season for canary breeding. I have spoken to several, who all complain, even those who have been success- ful in hatching, that they have had bad luck owing to the birds not feeding their young. Of course, there are exceptions in this like everything else. One here and there may have been successful, but I am writing of high-class birds, not the common kinds, which are easy enough to rear. No experienced breeder would think of taking four nests in one season from good birds. Dr. A. G. Butler, a well-known orni- thologist, writing to the'Feathered World' of July 13 says:—' Canary breeding this season seems to be a failure.' So far, I have only reared four birds from several nests. Foreign birds, on the other hand, are doing unusually well. I think it a piece of pre- sumption on the part of a novice of a year's standing to contradict Mr. M'Sellan, a gen- tleman who has had such long experience and knows what he is writing about. Canary breeding and rearing cannot be learned in ene year." Trout Fishing in 1894. I have now fished for trout chicfly for a great many years, but since I knew anything of the art I do not think I have had less success than I have had this season. I have tried at all times of the day, in early morn- ing and late evening, and I have not once secured anything like a satisfactory basket. I have fished from the banks of a pond, and from a boat in the middle, but always with the same poor result. It has puzzled me often, and I have asked myself frequently if it is my fault or that of the fish ? I have tried flies innu- merable from makers in the North and the South, and of all colours, and applicable to every month when fishing is legal, but nothing would tempt them as of old. I have asked friends, expert fishermen—not in-their own estimation only, but in mine as well— and they, too, have had to go empty away. I am, therefore, not wholly disposed to think it is altogether my own fault that there is not more success, and as I know many good fishermen read these notes I wll be glad to hear from others of their fishing results. As the saying goes, one swallow does not make a summer, and one good basket would not make a successful fishing season, but the result generally is what information is needed about. I may say I only fish with fly, and never use bait of any kind. I am not one of those fishermen who want them out by hook or by crook, and only approve of securing them by the most legitimate means, which, undoubtedly, is by the fly.