Garden Calender.

FOR MAY. ’Kitchen Garden. —Notwithstanding that the floral beauty of summer has departed and the golden tints of autumn have faded, the gardener will still find plenty that will employ both his head and his hands, as his attention must now be turned towards making the necessary ar rangements for the gardening of next season. What with laying out, making alterations, the preparation of the soil, the securing of plants against frost, and preparing for plant ing, his time will be fully occupied. The lifting of all late crops will demand atten tion during the month. The weather of the past autumn has been of such an agreeable nature that work in this department ought to be well advanced; but as plots become cleared of their crops they should be trenched or dug over, leaving the surface as rough and lumpy as possible, so that the air with the rains of winter may pierce it, the fogs and dews will nourish it, while the sunbeams will warm it; and in due course of time it "becomes mellowed by these natural forces into the finest tilth. The soil being in a dry state at present, manure ought to be got into all vacant spaces intended to receive it before the winter rains set in. No garden should have stagnant water within a few feet of its surface. The drainitng of the same ought to be attended to during the present and next month, and as gardens ought to be dry and warm, good drainage will accom plish the object in view. Attend to the -earthing up of late celery, taking care to leave a good head of leaves above the earth as to afford them protection during severe frost. Continue to transplant cabbage. They will be ready for use in the beginning of summer. Those planted during last month will be all the better of having the hoe run through them, and as they advance ingrowth have them earthed up by having from three to four inches of soil drawn to each side of their stems. Make a sowing of peas and beans, dwarf fan and mazagaa beans are suitable, with Beck’s gem and Carter’s first orop peas for this season of the year. The peas should not be sown closer than three feet from row to row, and the beans two feet. They should be sown thickly so as to allow for loss during the months of winter. Spinach should be kept clear of decaying leaves and weeds, and the hoe kept freely at work wherever it is required. The hoeing may be carried on among all the crops as long as the state of the ground will allow. Clean and topdress asparagus beds with a ■coating of good dung, applying salt at the same time. Have all dead leaves and other vegetable matter removed, and let order, n<tatn‘--s, and cleanliness be everywhere ap |> ir.r t.

. Fruit Garden. —By this time the fruit crops of the district will have been gathered, the fine autumn weather which we have enjoyed, with the sunshine, will have added much to the flavor and color of the fruit; the regret amongst fruit growers being the dull market and exceeding low prices this season. As soon as the trees are cleared of their fruit and the •Jeives have fallen to earth, pruning and transplanting of trees and hushes should bo proceeded with at once. The remark, how ever. does not apply to tender fruits, such as peaches, apricots, and nectarines, the prun ning ■■£ which ought to be delayed till Spring time, so as to keep the blossom as backward as possible. Those intending to plant fruit trees this season cannot begin too early, so ; as to allow the roots to heal and make a little new growth into the soil, being careful when placing the roots into there new posi tions, not to crowd them, but see that they are spread out regularly Doing so will afford each fibre plenty of scope to run and establish itself. When planting use fresh turfy loam, which will produce evenness of growth. Fruitfulness, and healthy trees will he raised from it. Where the ground you intend to plant cannot.be trenched for the young trees see that the pit is made wide enough, so as to allow the roots to grow a season or two before they reach the sides. Mulching, if adapted, will be a protection against frost during the winter months. The trees that were planted during last season should receive a top-dressing of well prepared dung, so as to insure perfect protection for any young rootlets that may have pushed near the surface from the main stem. We •should be prepared for high winds 1 during the winter months. Arid attention- should be given to the staking and tying of all trees that are in exposed positions. Those intend ing to transplant large trees, or if the roots require pruning, this will be found a good time to perform the operation ; in some in stances it will be necessary to take up the tree altogether, and have the roots reduced •considerably. In others, if a trench be made all round at a distance of 3 to 4 feet from the stem will suffice. It will check materially all super-abundant growth, thereby greatly assisting in the formation of fruit buds. Raspberries and fruit bushes of sorts may be planted without delay, and as soon as the leaves have dropped proceed with the prun ing-of the same. Flower Garden:— The season of the year has arrived when we must expect that the flc&ver garden will be stripped of its beauty, the occupants- having completed the term allotted for them. Spring, summer, and autumn-having come and gone, giving - place io .theicold icy hand of winter, and although theVborders and beds will show the effects of its tvithferirig blasts, we can fairly exclaim, “Alas-! its glory has departed”'; but we can make, up, in order, neatness, and clean liness,.if -possible, for. the want of flowers.. The ’clearing away of all ‘ dead or faded flowers, manuring and digging of 4M "'flower beds and borders, will constitute the princi

pal work for the month. Those who have choice pelargoniums growing outside should at once have them lifted and potted into dry earth, giving them little water during the winter months, keeping in mind that the choice variegated varieties are not overlooked, they requiring to be'slightly protected under glass. Dahlias should now be lifted, before doing so cut down the stem leaving about four inches, so that the lable of each one may be attached to each with a piece of wire, after which they should be carefully lifted and laid out to dry previous to their being stored away in the winter, which should be in dry sand. Attend to the transplanting of hollyhocks, double wallflower, Brompton, and other stocks. Now is a good time to have tulips, crocus, hyacinth, narcissus, jonquil, and lilies of the valley planted, in cluding many other varieties of bulbs. They ought to receive a share of attention as they will well repay the little labor that might be expended upon them. To grow them well they would require to be supplied with a good rich soil, one with plenty of well rotted manure and sand mixed together will suit them ; at the same time it is important to have the bulbs all planted one uniform depth, otherwise they will flower at irregular intervals. The month is a suitable one for the transplanting of flowering shrubs and deciduous ornamental trees. Before doing so all weeds should be destroyed, and the soil trenched to the depth of two feet. Should it prove to be in a poor state, have it enriched with a liberal- top-dressing of well rotted manure. The above varieties require such aids at planting time, as by having the pits well prepared they will soon make a start and be in full health. Planta tions of trees and shrubs should beprunedand thinned duringthe month where necessary. Those newly planted should be securely staked, so as to protect them against high winds, which, as a matter of course, will prevail during the winter months before they have established themselves in their new quarters, it will add to the future success of the plants.

Poultry.

POULTRY NOTES. (By a Fancier.) DORKINGS, The Dorking is undoubtedly a thorough English breed, having attained a high standard of perfection as a table fowl long before the poultry fancy had been heard or though of, and in my opinion it is still the best table bird, notwithstanding the im provement of some varieties, and the in troduction of others which exceed the Dorking in weight but lack the quality. To trace the origin of the Dorking seems a very difficult task. In the palmy days of the Roman epicures. Columella gives his ideas of the “ points,” which should be a guide in selecting poultry, “ square frame, large and broad chest, large head, and above all, the five claws'* This de scription proves that the Dorking, or something essentially the same, was known to the Roman gourmands many centuries ago, that the breed mentioned by Columella was introduced into England by the Romans, and the Dorkings of the present day are the descendants of those birds will scarcely admit of a doubt. It is now fully thirty years since I first took an interest in the breeding and exhibiting of Dorkings. In those days the leading varieties were grey, silver-grey, and white, the majority being rose combed birds, and I may here observe that the white always bred true to the rose comb, whereas the greys produced rose and single combs. The above varieties have had to give way to what is now known as the “ Colored Dorking,” a larger and darker fowl, for which we are indebted to Mr John Douglas, who says, ‘5 Dorkings in 1857 were considered a good show weight, if the cocks attained nine pounds and a half, and the hens seven and a half. The hens were then either of a grey or brown ruddy color ; and the cocks always showed a great deal of white in the tail, with breasts inclined to be speckled with various colors, not any standard color, as shown at the present dav”

The first and only time I made a cross was with a dark grey cock, which had come from India, weighing thirteen pounds. This bird was a model single combed Dorking, in all but the fifth toe, which was absent. Some of the pullets from this cross at seven months old weighed nine pounds, and cockerels ten pounds and a half; while at eighteen months several heris reached ten pounds and upwards; cocks coming up to thirteen pounds ; and one bird in particular, when two years and six months old, weighed as much as fourteen pounds and a half, which was the heaviest weight I ever obtained in the Dorking fowl.

The Horse. HEREDITARY DISEASES IN HORSES.

(Agricultural Gazette.)

i Mr JV Wood ' (Ockley Manor, Keymer, •Sussex,)*th6ught‘it would be well if were some publication enabling them by

means of a diagram to inform themselves of the presence of those defects. He thought it was of national importance that the breeding from animals with hereditary defects should be checked by legislative measures ; and that no sire should be allowed to cover a mare not belonging to his owner without an annual license, which should contain a veterinary certificate, with a list of certain hereditary defects such sire possess or is free from. Mr George Street (Maulden, Ampthill) said, on one occasion he bought a young horse which evidently had a bad cold, which, after a short time, developed into ophthalmia, the result being that some three or four horses, previously fell into the same condition. He would be glad if the Professor would state whether he considered that horses which thus took ophthalmia through accidental contact with one that had been freshly introduced into the stable would propagate it. His own experience tended to show the con trary. He had had four or five mares in foal suffering from ophthalmia which they got from the infected animal, but their foals did not suffer from that complaint. Then, again, with regard to splint. Although he had frequently seen splints on young horses, and had known many horses to be lame from that cause, he had seldom found old horses affected by those “ bony enlargements” which the Professor said “ could not be got rid of when once formed.” With respect to sidebones, he quite agreed that to a very considerable extent the disease might be propagated, and that the danger ought to be carefully avoided. But there was one fact which had struck him very forcibly, and that was that the heavy horses which were con stantly used along the stones in towns almost invariably had sidebones, while the same kind of horses used on farms were not half as much subject to them, Further, he would remark that whereas such horses, when used over stones, fre quently became lame, he had never scarcely known an instance of that kind on his own farm. That appeared to him to show that although the disease might be, and, he be lieved, was hereditary, and although they ought to be careful to avoid breeding with horses or mares which had sidebones, yet that disease might frequently have been caused by concussion, in consequence of the manner in which the horse was used, Mr Finlay Dun (2, Portland Place, W.) said he was sure the Club was very much indebted to Prof. Pritchard. It certainly appeared ■ very singular that so minute a thing as the ovum, and so small an amount of fluid as was given off for the production of the horse, should so form and shape itself that out of that small beginning sprang diseases which were developed years afterwards ; that there was impressed upon the ovum of the female, or contained in the spermatic fluid of the male, powers of developrament and functions which long afterwards operated for weal or woe, and led to an approach to absolute perfection of form, or* the reverse. There was a tendency among breeders generally to breed in and in, and that increased the amount of hereditary disease. There beina, for instance, a very alight taint in a family, two members were brought to gether. and the result was that imperfec tions, diseases, or tendencies to disease were perpetuated. Then, again, among domes ticated animals, the young ones were some times kept artificially, and early forcing was likely to intensify and increase disease. As regarded domestication, it was curious to notice how influence which had been brought to bear upon one or two genera tions modified the type of the race. Last autumn, while he was looking over some of the large breeding farms of Kentucky, he saw something like 400 breeding mares on one farm, where there was one horse in which he took a special interest, a son of the famous old Biair Athol. Like his sire, this horse was chestnut with white stockings, and, like him also, he was a little taken iu under the knee. That famous horse showed his good breeding in his capability of reproducing himself in his progeny, many of which, whether from chestnut, brown, or black mares, were chestnut, white on face and limbs, had superior, speed and staying powers, but were somewhat small below the knee. One peculiarity which he noticed among the American horses was that they were accustomed to be driven more by word of mouth than English horses. The wild Indian ponies, and many other breeds, seemed never to have had a bit in the mouth ; they were used to obey by the word of command, and that became so hereditary, as it also is among Norwegian horse, who being for generations unused to the bit can scarcely be got with good mouths. There was another instance of the same kind among the Mexican horses of the Cqrdilleras. A very long time ago great pains were taken to train some of the stud horses there to a Spanish ambling pace, and the result was that you ' could now hardly find a horse in that part of ■America which had not naturally this peculiar ambling movement; it had be come fixed and indigenous; as it; were, in the race] Hethought that-such‘instances as these held out to breeders in this

country a good hope that if they paid reasonable attention to proper selection the results would be satisfactory. There were two or three points which seemed to him to require more careful consideration from breeders than they had yet received. He thought that at present there was a ten dency to look rather to size and weight than to solid texture. They all knew that the bone of an ordinary cart-horse did not weigh anything like as much in proportion to its bulk as the corresponding bone of a thoroughbred horse. What was wanted was more weight and substance in the bone and firmness of muscle, instead of so much soft flesh and fat. A proper selection for breeding would secure better pace and action. What was the use nowadays, when there was so much activity in con nection with all the business of life, of hav ing a horse that could only go about two miles an hour ? They wanted horses that could walk four miles an hour, and it would be quite possible to secure that pace if proper care were taken in the selection of sires. Another matter which well de served consideration was the securing of good temper and education in the horse. There could be not doubt that the horse might be educated far more than many people had supposed possible. If more pains were taken in the early training of these docile and useful animals they would be more serviceable to man, and would be less apt to injure themselves. Improved qualities reappeared in a marked degree in the progeny. That was remarkably illustrated in the case of the dog. It was no more difficult to train a sheep dog than it was to train a pointer or setter. The breeds of horses might, by means of train ing, be considerably improved; and the better they were trained the more valu able would be their services.

Mr J. K. Fowler (The PrebendaV Farm, Aylesbury) said—ln horses it was remark able how the action and movement followed the male. In all their breeds of animals it was most important that they should get the very best male, as well as the best female, that the could obtain—the best ram the best boar, the horse for , all external appearances, and they might rely upon it that the character of the male animal would produce a great effect upon; the progeny. Professor Pritchard forgot, ■ he thought, to mention curbs in the horse. . A carhy hock was very easily seen, but he had known persons not object to breeding hunters with curbed hocks, A curbed ; hock would, he believed, be almost in variably reproduced. As'regarded "cart horses, he quite agreed with Mr ■ Dun, that they wanted a more active race of animals ; but, unfortunately in the pre sent day, when horses had a!great deal of hair on their legs, they sold on that ac count for LlO or L2O more than a clean legged animal. He had no doubt that Mr ■ Pickering Phipps would much rather ha.ve ~ a light, active animal, than one of those ■ great, heavy cart-horses which were seen moving so slowly over the stones of the streets of London.

Mr Pickering Phipps, M.P., was par ticularly struck with the remark of Pro fessor Pritchard that the sire left a strong impression for a very great length of time upon the production of animals. In going along the road in a particular part of the country, he had often been reminded, as he looked at the fields, ofa well-known bull which was in that locality about twenty years ago. A gentleman in that district who took great interest in the breeding of Shorthorns, and who was in the habit of obtaining prizes, who had a herd of four or five cattle, bought a good blood-red Shorthorn bull, and one could not help being struck even now with the striking resemblance found in all . the progeny. Another point which naturally attracted attention was the great difference between buying and selling when there was a horse to be disposed of. ■ He was un fortunately, or fortunately, as the case might be, a large buyer of cart-horses, that is to say he often bought a good cart horse to keep up his stud. He was obliged to buy a horse for his business every three weeks. In fact, when he saw what ap peared a good cart-horse, he purchased it, whether he actually wanted it or not, and he thought that was the best way of ac complishing his object; but when he went to look at a horse, and pointed out what appeared to him to be its faults; he almost always found that he was considered to be wrong. For instance, if he spoke of side bones, and pointed to a particular forma tion of the foot as a proof of the defect; the man who had to sell would not admit the existence of anything of the kind. He did not know whether it would be possible to have diagrams, as was suggested by the first speaker that evening, which would determine such questions as betvyeen buyer and seller; but he was quite certain that if they had a really good horse,: he would not be susceptible of disease beyond the average amount. The great'matter, as Professor Pritchard pointed out, was tp take, care, in selecting animals for breeding, .that' there, was nothing in the shape''of hereditary disease, either in the sire or"in the mare. ' • '

I Mr Walter Gilbey, : Elseaham Halli Essex, said;—He believed there would be

FARMERS’ SUPPLEMENT.

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