46 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
Apkil 22 < 
tents, although the General gives me every indulgence and 
assistance he possibly can, yet this man being at the head 
of the department, I need expect no appointment, unless 
' from home. But as hurting a man’s character is a horrid 
thing, although merited, 1 hope you will mention nothing of 
it. I only wish to let you know what opposition I meet with 
from an illiterate and malicious man, while, through your 
, goodness, I am honoured with the friendship of several of 
the first characters in England, and also in the West Indies. 
1 What contrasts among mankind ! 
! General Mathew wishes anxiously, as do also many of the 
inhabitants on this island, to establish a Botanic garden in 
it, under my inspection, for which end the General desired 
me to write by this opportunity to the bishop of Winchester 
i relative to it, as the General thinks he can procure the 
King’s patronage for it. Without that it can never be on a 
proper establishment, so as to answer the intention of it, 
nor without it should I like to undertake it, as it might be 
always liable to be disannulled by a governor, or the as¬ 
sembly of the island. The island, I believe, will give the 
land, and negroes to work it, but no salary; surely two or 
; three hundred pounds yearly -would be but little for the 
support of such a laudable institution. By men of sense 
and learning it can never be opposed, nor by them who 
wish well to their country. 
The productions of the West Indies are very little known, 
especially among these islands. Without some encourage¬ 
ment for their investigation, Britain may expect to derive 
but little advantage from them. I am sure few parts in the 
world produce such a great number of different species of 
vegetable productions as these islands; and were they pro¬ 
perly known, and proper experiments made of them, great 
advantage might accrue to the nation. I have no doubt 
but the different species of Cinchona I have seen in these 
islauds will yet be a valuable produce. 
Every encouragement ought to be given by the nation for 
introducing the East India plants, which certainly could be 
cultivated with success, as could all the valuable plants in 
the world; and, from the vicinity of Grenada to the conti¬ 
nent, the most valuable plants in South America might be 
| introduced. But without an institution of this kind these 
intentions can never be brought about, and I think a scheme 
! of this kind ought to be assisted by’ men in power, more 
j especially as it is hard to say how long we may retain our 
I possessions in the east more than we have done in the west, 
j I hope you will lend your assistance for this establishment; 
I know General Mathew will do what he can to put it on a 
j proper footing. 
As I could not take the freedom of saying much on this 
head to the Bishop, you can mention it more particularly’. 
I should imagine His Majesty would willingly countenance it. 
GOSSIP. 
It has been stated in the public newspapers, that the 
hggs imported in the month ending the 5th of March 
amounted to 8,688,932 ; all were entered for home con¬ 
sumption, and chargeable with duty. This article of 
our imports is largely increasing, as appears by the fact, 
that in 1849, ninety-seven millions of eggs were brought 
into this country, and in 1850 one hundred and Jive 
millions. We hope to see this importation as much a 
matter ot almost-incredible history as is that which tells 
us that three centuries ago we imported our salads from 
Holland. 
Vi e have received another letter on the subject of 
Judges at Poultry Shows. The following is an extract— 
I am very glad to find that you agree as to dealers not 
emg judges. It is a sine qua non here that the judges 
[ s lal1 uma teurs and gentlemen of character. I have 
! myselt acted frequently, more often indeed than I like, as 
judge, because I would not have it said that I objected to 
j dealers and would not take the trouble myself. If Poultry 
j ,. ws are to be made useful, and carried on with good 
I lceiln S ft ud good temper, the character and position of the 
managers, and still more of the judges, must be such as to 
command, on the part of the public, a conviction that all will 
be done fairly and above-board, and this conviction will 
never be entertained where dealers are judges. How can a 
man who tells you or me to-day that he is selling us the 
best fowls of their class to be bad, and obtains a heavy 
price on that assurance, pass them over to-morrow, at a 
Show where he is judge, in favour of anything that is not 
unquestionably superior? But this is not all: dealers buy as 
well as sell, and contract beforehand ; it thus becomes their 
object and interest to get as much as they can for a par¬ 
ticular breed of birds. The way to do this is to give them a 
prize or two. Can we wonder that the prizes go in that 
direction ? ” 
Mr. T. Morgan, of Bishop’s Waltham, Hants, writes 
to us as follows :— 
“ In reference to a communication from your correspond¬ 
ent, Mr. William Bridger, in The Cottage Gaedenee, 
No. 183, page 13, as to exchange of plants between persons of 
different localities, I beg to say, that I have been some time 
thinking of the same thing, and I shall be obliged by your 
inserting my name and address as one who agrees to, and 
wishes for, the proposed exchange of subjects, so far as I 
am enabled to participate in it. And I will venture to make 
another proposition for facilitating the objects of parties 
who enter into this arrangement, namely, that each should, 
as far as practicable, make a list of plants indigenous to the 
locality in which he resides, and transmit a copy of it to the 
others. 
“ Allow me, now I am writing, to add, with reference to 
vour notice (in No. 183, page 1) of what has been re¬ 
corded by Dr. Pulteney respecting the feeding of cows, &c., 
in the neighbourhood of ltingwood, on the banks of the 
Avon, with the Ranunculus aquations, or Water Crowfoot, 
growing in that river; I am well acquainted with the fact, 
having been born and brought up in the immediate vicinity, 
and when I resided there, I knew several cottagers who 
nearly or quite got their livelihood by keeping cows, which 
they fed on the plant in question, cut from the bed of the 
river day by day, and for that purpose they had peculiar 
fiat-bottomed boats, propelled and guided by thrusting a 
pole into the ground beneath the water, and pushing with 
the feet, by which means they navigated the beautiful limpid 
stream for their pleasure or then’ profit. 
“ I have this day (April 6), for the first time this season, 
seen here two house martens, welcome harbingers of spring 
and summer.” 
It has been more than once suggested that there is 
more than one point in the Southdown sheep that 
requires improvement, and we are glad to see from the 
following extract that the question is taken up practi¬ 
cally. 
The Southdown and the Sheoeshiee Beeeds of Sheep. 
—The following letter on the subject of the relative merits 
of these breeds of sheep recently appeared in one of the 
agricultural journals :—“ Sir,—At the celebrated shop of 
Messrs. Kirkley and Hancock, Park Street, Grosvenor 
Square, London, purveyors to Her Majesty, I saw exhibited, 
by the side of pre-eminent North Devon and Scotch ox-beef, 
three two-shear Southdown sheep, bred and fed by the 
Duke of Richmond, w'hich took the first prize of .£20 at the 
Smithfield Club Show. Their weights were as follow’s:— 
20 st. 2 lbs., 17 st. lib., and 16 st. 0 lbs., making together 
53 st. 8 lbs. By the side of these hung the Earl of Ayles- 
ford’s three black-faced two-sliear Shropshire sheep (not 
Southdowns)—weight, 20st. 6lbs., 19st. 41bs., and 19st. 
2lbs., making together 59 st. 4 lbs., or 5 st. 4lbs. more than 
the Duke’s sheep; and the most eminent judges of meat 
considered the quality of Lord Aylesford’s sheep quite equal 
with the Duke’s; and, if any difference, they gave the Earl’s 
the preference, their lean flesh being quite as thick, as firm, 
and as fine in the grain and bone. And the black-faced 
Shrops bid fair, with perseverance and good judgment, to be 
the best black-faced sheep in the kingdom.” In a second 
letter on the same subject, it is stated that an arrangement 
has been made for a similar competition between the two 
breeds at Christmas next, and that three experienced 
