188 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
to minerals, we have none worth your notice; all the rocks 
which 1 have examined are calcareous, containing shells, 
hut no great variety. The most remarkable seems the 
pearl oyster, and another large oyster, the shells of which 
are about one-aud a-half inch thick, one shell. Sea fish we 
have few, and bad, excepting the sturgeon, and another 
large fish they catch at the mouth of the sea of Azopli. As 
to sea shell-fish, there are none but a few very small bad 
oysters found in the Bay of Caffix. There are plenty of 
i cray-fish in the rivers, and in one river, about twelve miles 
I east of Sharazbazer, there is a muscle with a very fine 
i white shell, about oue-eighth-of-an-inch in thickness. We 
have an animal about the size of a rat, that lives in holes in 
the ground; its head is exactly like a hare, its hindlegs 
are more than twice the length of its fore legs ; by this 
means it is enabled to jump so far it is very difficult to catch 
it. The tail is long, and has long hair upon it, and lays 
flat on the ground. 
I make no doubt hut your newspapers will be full of a 
formidable invasion intended by the Turks; we are not 
very much in dread of them, though we are not without 
our grievances, which I shall take another opportunity to 
mention to you. 
The following is a list of the Horticultural and 
Poultry Shows of which we are at present aware. We 
shall he obliged by any of our readers sending us ad¬ 
ditions to the list, and giving the address of the Se¬ 
cretaries. 
HORTICULTURAL SHOWS. 
Barton-upon-Humber. First show 14th July (Sec. C. 
Ball.) 
Bath, June 24th, July 20th, Sept. 10th. (Sec, H. T. St. 
John Maule, Esq.) 
; Botanic (Boyar), June 80. 
Bridgewater, Sept. 22. (Sees. Mr. J. Leaker, and Mr. 
J. Hayward.) 
Brigg, July 7th, Sept. loth. (Sec. Mr. D. Nainby, Jun.) 
Bury St. Edmunds, June 25, at Sir H. Bunbury’s; 
July 30 (Picotees) ; Sept. 10 (Abbey) ; Nov. 20 (Chry¬ 
santhemums). (Sec. G. P. Clay, Esq ) 
Caledonian (Iuverleith Bow), Edinburgh, Aug. 7, Sept. 2, 
Dec. 2. 
; Cheltenham, Aug. 26. 
Chiswick, July 10. 
Clapham, July 8, Sept. 11. 
Colchester and East Essex, Sept. 8, at the llev. T. 
Bound’s grounds, Holly Trees, All Saints. 
Derby, Aug. 4. 
Durham, Sept. 8. 
Eorfarshire (Eastern), July 21 (Brechin) ; Sept. 15 
(Arbroath). 
Hampshire, July 1 (Winchester), Sept. 0 (Southampton), 
Nov. 18 (Winchester). (Sec. Bev. F. Wickham, Win¬ 
chester.) 
Hampton Wick, July 1. (See. Mr. B. Begester.) 
Hexham, Sept. 15,16. 
Hull, June 24, Aug. 4, Sept. 16. 
Kirkcaldy (Fifeshire), June 24, Sept. 0. 
Lewes Grand National, July 14 and 15. 
Lincoln, July 27, Sept. 14. 
Liverpool, June 24, Sept. 2 (Botanic Garden). 
London Fi.oricultural (Exeter Hall, Strand), July 13+, 
27, Aug. lOt, 24, Sept. 14+, 28, Oct. 12+, Nov. 9+, 23, 
Dec. 14+. 
Maidstone. Fete. June 24. In-door Show. Sept. 8. 
(Sec. Mr. J. G. Smith, Week-street.) 
Mid Calder (Parish school-room), July 9, Sept. 10. 
Newbury, Sept. 3. 
North London, Sept. 14; Nov. 23, Chrysanthemum. 
Northampton, June 29, Bose and Pink; July 27, Car¬ 
nation ; Sept. 27, Dahlia. 
Oxfordshire (Boyal), July29 ; Sept. 23. (Secs., C.Tawney, 
and W. Undershell, Esqrs.) 
Peeblesi-tike, July 13th, Sept. 14th. (Sec., J. Stirling.) 
Ponteland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne), July 14; Sept. 8. 
(Sec. Bev. J. M. St. Clere Baymond.) 
June 24. ] 
South Devon Botanical and Horticultural, July 13; 
Sept. 7. (Sec. J. Creo Hancock, Esq., Stonohouse.) 
South London (Boyal), July 15+, 21, Aug. 19+, Sept. 
2+, 8, Oct. 14+, Nov. 11+, Dec. 9+, 16. 
Shacklewell, Sept. 1. 
Surrey Amateur (George Canning, Grove Lane, Camber- j 
well), Sept. 15, Dahlia. 
Trowbridge (Grand Exhibition), Aug. 25. 
Turriff, Aug. 6, Sept. 17. 
Whitehaven, July 9, Pinks; Sept. 17, Dahlias. 
poultry shows. 
Agricultural Society (Boyai.), Lewes, July 12. 
Birmingham and Midland Counties, 14th, 15th, 16tli, 
and 17th December. 
Bury and Badcliffe (Lancashire), Sept. 3 (Badclifl'e). 
Cornwall (Penzance), about a week after the Birming¬ 
ham. (Secs. Bev. W. W. Wingfield, Oulval Vicarage, 
and E. H. Eodd, Esq.) 
t For seedlings only. 
FRUITS FOlt EXHIBITION. 
One of the chief features in modem horticulture is 
the frequency and rapidly advancing character of our 
exhibitions. Every town of any note can boast of i 
results in its suburban gardens, attributable to these 
grand exciters to emulation ; these progression centres, 
whence innumerable rays diverge, the termination of 
which is not easily ascertained. All honour to “ the 
press,” in the first place; for these would have been 
but hole-and-corner affairs without the mediation of that 
mighty engine, by far more powerful than the battering- 
rams of old,—able to break down and destroy the most 
ancient and powerful prejudices. The press, however, 
was not a mere vehicle in the affair; it assumed the 
office of pioneer, prompter, and commissariat; in each 
department alike famous. 
It has been a subject of grave complaint on various 
sides, that exhibitions are capricious things-—a mere 
fashion of the day—in their very essence ephemeral. 
In taking a retrospective glance over the last twenty 
years, we do remember some sage old gentleman of the 
blue apron affirming stoutly that our shows were at 
fever Heat, and that a state of collapse must inevitably 
ensue. One of the olden time, too, and a much respected 
master, and first-rate gardener in his day, repeatedly 
declared that “ books and exhibitions would ruin gar¬ 
dening.” Now it is not quite clear what the old gentle¬ 
men meant by “ gardening.” It does seem to me to be 
a most latitudinarian mode of expression, strongly 
reminding me of those phraseological ambiguities so 
frequently used by our great politicians, such as “ the 
good of the nation,” “ the sense of the country,” &c. ; 
modes of expression in use before the days of those 
worthies of old who made shrines for the great goddess 
Diana. Gardening, however, is not ruined; gardeners, 
as a class, although not progressing as to comforts in 
proportion to some other classes of society, still main¬ 
taining a good social position, and even recognized as 
useful auxiliaries to our agriculturists. Books, exhibi¬ 
tions, &c., therefore, have done little harm, hut much 
good; had it, however, been the reverse, who could have 
stayed the advancing waves,—who could, like Dame 
Partington, have gone mop in hand to keep hack the 
ocean wave ? 
The great July shows arc well known as concentrating 
the strength of our great fruit exhibitors ; and as some 
of our readers may wish to avail themselves of the pre¬ 
paratory training necessary, we will offer a few remarks; 
for fruits may be “trained” for exhibition as well as 
horses. The four principal means employed arc “ stop¬ 
ping;” the application of manurial matters; thinning the 
fruit; and a judicious thinning of the young spray where 
requisite. To which may be added, as necessary auxi- 
