SIC 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
August 19. 
Light buff-coloured specimens fetched the highest prices. 
Thus a pair of chickens, hatched March 6th, the pullet 
being “fine and light,” fetched .£3 ?s.; “a light-coloured 
j cock,” hatched in the same month, was sold for £2 ; “ a 
1 beautiful light-coloured imported hen, 1851,” for six 
! guineas; and another light-coloured hen, and a light- 
coloured cock, both hatched in 1851, sold for £5 each. 
Inferior specimens averaged about 10s. a head. The 
; Deptford specimens were much too leggy to fetch very- 
high prices. One lot, a light cockerel and pullet, was 
sold for £3 5s. 
The Horticultural Society purpose to give prizes at 
their monthly meetings in Regent-street, for Kitchen- 
garden Produce—a step towards the useful which justi¬ 
fies a hope that this torpid society is at length rousing 
to what should be the efforts of the national horticul¬ 
tural association. They will offer prizes for collections 
of such produce in May, -Tune, and July; for Green Peas 
in October; Celery in November; Forced Vegetables in 
December; Salads in January; Lettuces in February, &c. 
We hear from many quarters that the Potato disease 
has seriously attacked the tubers of that vegetable. We 
have heard, but have not seen, that in some places in 
Hampshire they are masses of rottenness. In our own 
garden we have scarcely one affected, though it lies low. 
But then the soil is light; we planted last November, and 
did not apply any manure. Where the disease prevails, 
we suspect they were planted in April, and manure 
added for the crop. If so, the plauters are only reaping 
the consequences of their own folly. We have warned 
them against such planting often enough. 
The following is a list of the Horticultural and 
Poultry Shows of which we are at present aware. We 
shall be obliged by any of our readers sending us ad¬ 
ditions to the list, aud giving the address of the Se¬ 
cretaries. 
HORTICULTURAL SHOWS. 
Aberdeenshire, Sept. 17. (Sec. G. Reid.) 
Allendale, Sept. 11th. (Secs., G. Dickinson and G. J. 
French.) 
Bath, Sept. 10th. (Sec. H. T. St. John Maule, Esq.) 
Bridgewater, Sept. 22. (Secs., Mr. J. Leaker and Mr. 
J. Hayward.) 
Brtgg, Sept. 15th. (Sec. Mr. D. Nainby, Jun.) 
Bury St. Edmunds, Sept. 10 (Abbey) ; Nov. 20 (Chry¬ 
santhemums). (Sec. G. P. Clay, Esq ) 
Caledonian (Inverleith Row), Edinburgh, Sept. 2, Dec. 2. 
Cheltenham, Aug. 26. 
Chepstow, Sept. 14. (Sec. J. F. Hartland.) 
Clapham, Sept. 11. 
Colchester and East Essex, Sept. 8, at the Rev. T. 
Round’s grounds, Holly Trees, All Saints. 
Durham, Sept. 8. 
Forfarshire (Eastern), Sept. 15 (Arbroath). 
Glasgow, Sept. 10. 
Hampshire, Sept. 0 (Southampton), Nov. 18 (Winches¬ 
ter). (Sec. Rev. F. Wickham, Winchester.) 
j Hexham, Sept. 15, 10. 
i Hull, Sept. 10. 
Kirkcaldy (Fifeshire), Sept. 9. 
Lincoln, Sept. 14. 
Liverpool, Sept. 2 (Botanic Garden). 
London Floricultural (Exeter Hall, Strand), Aug. 24, 
Sept. 14+, 28, Oct. 12+, Nov. 0+, 23, Dec. LG. 
Maidstone. In-door Show. Sept. 8. (Sec. Mr. J. G. 
Smith, Week-street.) 
Mid Caller (Parish school-room), Sept, 10. 
Newbury, Sept, 3. 
North London, Nov. 23, Chrysanthemum. 
Northampton, Sept. 27, Dahlia. 
Oxfordshire (Royal), Sept. 23. (Secs., C. Tawney and 
W. Undershell, Esqrs.) 
Peebleshire, Sept. 14th. (Sec., J. Stirling.) 
Ponteland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne), Sept. 8. (Sec. Rey. 
J. M. St. Clere Raymond.) 
South Devon Botanical and Horticultural, Sept. 7. 
(Sec. .T. Cree Hancock, Esq., Stonehouse.) 
South London (Royal), Aug. 19+, Sept. 2+, 8, Oct. 14+, 
Nov. 11+, Dec. 9+, 10. 
Shacklwell, Sept. 1. 
Surrey Amateur (George Canning, Grove Lane, Camber¬ 
well), Sept. 15, Dahlia. 
Trowbridge (Grand Exhibition), Aug. 25. 
Turriff, Sept. 17. 
WAite haven, Sept. 17, Dahlias. 
POULTRY SHOWS. 
Birmingham and Midland Counties, 14tli, 15tli, lOtli, 
and 17th December. 
Bristol Agricultural, December 7th, 8th, and 9th. 
(Sec. James Marmont.) 
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.) 
Liverpool, Sept. 23. 
"WHAT IS THE CHEAPEST AND EASIEST 
MODE OF GROWING PINE-APPLES? 
This appears a broad question to he grappled with in 
a single paper, but it will be obvious to our readers 
that we can do no more than point to the chief features 
of the case, and endeavour to disperse mistaken views 
concerning them. That the latter exist, an extract or 
two from queries received will plainly show that fallacious 
impressions concerning them must only end in expense 
and disappointment. That pines can he grown in a 
more inexpensive way than in former days, is very true; 
but why? Because they will do with a lower tempera¬ 
ture? By no means. They equally require heated [ 
structures now as formerly, and plenty of light, involv¬ 
ing, of course, the expense of glass. 
To give an instance of erroneous impressions, one 
querist writes thus :—“.I should like to have a 
pine apple on my table once a week all the year round. 
To do this, what shall I require? I suppose I can start 
the plants in a few pots in my greenhouse, then move 
them into some cold pits, and afterwards push them on in 
a hotbed or two. I should like to grow some as large 
as those I saw in the Botanical Garden, Regent’s Park, 
a week or so since.” Now, to foster such impressions as 
these is no part of the duties of The Cottage Gar¬ 
dener. Let us, then, try to show wherein the errors 
consist 
Tt will he in the memory of most who take this work, 
that some six or seven years since, it was stoutly 
affirmed that the pine-apple could be cultivated out¬ 
doors in Britain, or, at least, in the warm climate of 
Devon or Cornwall. All this, indeed, seemed to be 
backed by facts, to those who are content with the sur¬ 
face of an argument. Plants, it would appear, had been 
previously prepared under the most favourable circum¬ 
stances of heat, air, moisture, &c., and the fruit being 
formed (we believe past blossoming), the plants were 
turned out on warm materials, surrounded by non-con¬ 
ducting matter, just when outward conditions approxi¬ 
mated those of tropical climates. Favoured by a pretty 
good season, and assisted by all possible appliances, 
they actually, it appears, produced very good pines in a 
Devonshire climate. Such a strained affair, although 
very desirable as illustrative of what can be done with 
