224 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
July 8. 
I am afraid you rather misled folks, in saying that “very 
precocious pullets rarely occur." In raising hens of good 
weight, it is the greatest difficulty we have to contend 
against. My best pullet (or rather pullet of best promise); 
i last year began to lay at fourteen weeks old. I let her go 
in consequence, hut I have heard of her since—a bad 
account with regard to size—she is of course a first-rate 
layer. 
I had almost forgotten to add, that most of the fowls at 
j the sale came out of Norfolk. Some, one hen in particular, 
I think I have seen in the stock of a fellow amateur near 
London. 
Mr. Pannell, of Leicester, lias written to us as 
follows:— 
“ I have delayed writing to you, as I have been waiting to 
see the results of my heating apparatus, where I have fixed 
it. I can now, with the greatest confidence state, that for 
the growth of pines, grapes, cucumbers, melons, Sic., there 
is nothing that I have seen will touch it; and 1 have visited 
most of the first houses in the country, as you are aware. I 
fixed one for James Yates, Esq., of Rotherham, Yorkshire, 
which gives bottom-heat to a pine-bed 80 feet long, and 10 
feet wide, with 20 inches of mould, and the heat they can 
constantly maintain is from 95° to 110°, and higher if 
required. It gives top-heat to the house, which is 36 feet 
long, and 15 feet wide; it also heats another grapery 30 
feet long, and 15 wide, divided in the middle by a glass 
partition. One end is heated as an early grapery, the other 
a late one, and both have a good crop this year; at the 
end of this house it heats a cucumber-pit 20 feet long, 
and 5 feet wide, with top and bottom-heat; and at the 
end of the pine-house it heats a tank outside, for bottom- 
heat for the roots of a vine, ‘ an experiment,' and it 
succeeds to admiration. I made the pine-bed, and planted 
ninety pine plants in the open mould, and they are 
growing and fruiting well. Heating the vine-border outside 
the house for very early forcing is a desideratum long 
sought for, as you are aware, and I again say, this plan 
proves most successful. I can heat it when required, and 
when the vines are at rest shut it off. Mr. Yates’s gardener 
planted some potatoes on the bed, and they also did well; 
therefore, as you wish to make the Cottage Gardener the 
medium of communicating useful information to the horti¬ 
cultural public, I am confident you cannot too widely disse¬ 
minate this, as by it the roots of the vine can be steadily 
excited at the same time the buds are inside the house, so 
that it will produce an artificial spring. I have heated a 
new hothouse for the Rev. B. E. Watkins, of Truton 
Rectory, near Rotherham, Yorkshire, 74 feet long, and 10 
feet wide. I put in 354 feet of four-inch pipe, and it heats 
it presently, and has given him great satisfaction. I have 
also heated a new conservatory for Geo. B. Paget, Esq., 
of Sutton-Bonnington, Notts; his is heated by eight rows 
of four-inch pipes underneath the fioor, which is laid with 
seven-inch batteus, with f-inch joists over the pipes; the 
building is 38 feet long, and 24 feet wide, and it heats it 
and the end of the drawing-room, which opens into the 
conservatory by means along the wall, with three venti¬ 
lators, to let the heat into the room. I have also heated 
one fbr pines, vines, and cucumbers, for B. B. Sandbrook, 
Esq., Market Drayton, Salop ; one for J. Price, Esq., Coton 
| Terrace, Shrewsbury, which heats two pits with bottom and 
) top-heat, one three feet above the other; another for the 
Rev. R. Drake, of Stourmouth Rectory, Wingham, Kent, 
i and all give the greatest satisfaction.” 
The following is a list of the Horticultural and 
Poultry Shoivs of which we are at present aware. We 
shall be obliged by any of our readers sending us ad 
ditions to the list, and giving the address of the Se- 
! cretaries. 
HORTICULTURAL SHOWS. 
I Allendale, Sept. 11th. (Secs., G. Dickinson and G. J. 
Erench.) 
Barton-upon-Humber. First show 14th July. ( Sec. C. 
Ball.) 
Bath, July 29th, Sept. 10th. (Sec. H. T. St. John 
Maule, Esq.) 
Bridgewater, Sept. 22. (Secs., Mr. J. Leaker and Mr. 
J. Hayward.) 
Brigg, Sept. 10th. (Sec. Mr. D. Nainby, Jun.) 
Bury St. Edmunds, July 30 (Picotees); Sept. 10 (Abbey) ; 
Nov. 20 (Chrysanthemums). (Sec. G. P. Clay, Esq ) 
Caledonian (Inverleith Row), Edinburgh, Aug. 7, Sept. 2, 
Dec. 2. 
Castle Eden, July 8. 
Cheltenham, Aug. 20. 
Chiswick, July 10. 
Chatham, July 8, Sept. 11. 
Colchester and East Essex, Sept. 8, at the Rev. T. 
Round’s grounds, Holly Trees, All Saints. 
Derby, Aug. 4. 
Durham, Sept. 8. 
Forfarshire (Eastern), July 21 (Brechin) ; Sept. 15 j 
(Arbroath), 
Hampshire, Sept. 9 (Southampton), Nov. 18 (Winches ! 
ter). (Sec. Rev. F. Wickham, Winchester.) 
Hexham, Sept. 15, 16. 
Hull, Aug. 4, Sept. 16. 
Kirkcaldy (Fifeshire), Sept. 9. 
Lewes Grand National, July 14 and 15. 
Lincoln, July 27, Sept. 14. 
Liverpool, Sept. 2 (Botanic Garden). 
London Floricultural (Exeter Hall, Strand), July 13+, 
27, Aug. 10+, 24, Sept. 14+, 28, Oct. 12+, Nov. 0+, 23, 
Dec. 14+. 
Maidstone. 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, Cluysanthemum. 
Northampton, July 27, Carnation; Sept. 27, Dahlia. 
Oxfordshire (Royal), July29 ; Sept. 23. (Secs., C.Tawney 
and W. Undersliell, Esqrs.) 
Peebleshire, July 13th, Sept. 14th. (Sec., J. Stirling.) 
Ponteland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne), July 14; Sept. 8. 
( Sec. Rev. J. M. St. Clere Raymond.) 
Seaham Harbour, July 14. 
South Devon Botanical and Horticultural, July 13; 
Sept. 7. (Sec. J. Cree Hancock, Esq., Stonehouse.) 
South London (Royal), July 15+, 21, Aug. 19+, Sept. 
2+, 8, Oct. 14Nov. 11 +, Dec. 9+, 16. 
Shacklewell, Sept. 1. 
Surrey Amateur (George Canning, Grove Lane, Camber¬ 
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 (Royal), Lewes, July 12. 
Birmingham and Midland Counties, 14th, 15th, 10th, 
and 17th December. 
Bury and Radcliffe (Lancashire), Sept. 3 (Radcliffe). 
Cornwall (Penzance), about a week after the. Birming¬ 
ham. (Secs. Rev. W. W. Wingfield, Gulval Vicarage, 
and E. H. Rodd, Esq.) 
t For seedlings only. 
BREAST WOOD. 
Most of our readers are aware that trained trees, 
especially those confined to walls, produce a most incon¬ 
venient amount of spray during the growing season, 
and that much of it proceeds from portions of the trees 
where it is by no means required, This gardeners term 
“ breast wood,” and in some trees, as in the pear, it 
proceeds almost at right angles from the wall or 
trellis. It is well for the novice that nature lias 
stamped a peculiar character on this kind of wood, for 
it cannot readily bo confounded with the true or bearing 
wood. It will, for the most part, be found much longer- 
jointed, grosser, and', as before observed, producing a 
more obtuse angle at the point of junction. It is almost 
