130 
November 17. 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
sure, scarcely more legitimate, purposes. Of course, in 
very severe weather, you could easily cover the openings 
both at bottom and sides of your structures. Whatever 
mode may he adopted, ventilation must prove an essential.— 
R. F.] 
DORKINGS AT THE REIGATE POULTRY 
SHOW. 
(From a Correspondent'). 
j The Eeigate Poultry Exhibition took place on the 1st and 
3nd instant, at which above 400 pens of Poultry were 
brought together for competition. Of all places in the 
county, for railway accommodation, none is more convenient 
than Eeigate, especially as it is understood the Exhibition 
will be in future held nearer to the “ Junction Station.” Its 
locality is six miles from the town which gives the name to 
the celebrated Dorking Fowl, so fast gaining in public 
estimation; and is within easy distance of that district of 
Sussex, to which all the best birds exhibited in various 
parts of the kingdom owe their origin. (See Poultry Book, 
part iv. page 120). In this district, too, the cottagers and 
| small fanners are universally breeders of Dorkings, and 
| depend, in a great measure, on their fowls to pay then- 
rents. With this fact in view, the committee judiciously 
admitted the cottagers to compete for prizes without pay¬ 
ment for their pens; and, by the liberality of a generous 
individual, a sum was placed at their disposal to he awarded 
to Cottagers, according to the merit of their respective pens. 
Under such circumstances, we had good reason to expect, 
particularly in this class, a display of fowls of the highest 
order; and in this expectation the most fastidious could not 
have been disappointed. Sixty-seven pens of coloured Dork¬ 
ings, and twenty-two of white, were entered; and they were, 
generally, of a character which might challenge competition 
I at any exhibition in the kingdom. Admirable, however, as 
was this class in general, one amateur superseded all his 
competitors. The Eev. J. Boys, of Biddenham, in Kent, 
whose fowls attracted so much attention at the Metropolitan 
Show, in July (twelve Prize Chickens being sold at the auc¬ 
tion for T34 5s.), exhibited, on this occasion, five pens of his 
fowls, which attracted universal admiration, as well of the 
amateur, as of the breeders and poulterers of this poultry 
district. To these were awarded all the first prizes (four), 
and one second; and certainly a more beautiful collection 
of Dorkings was never exhibited by one individual. In the 
other classes, also, were displayed many choice fowls, but 
we confine our observations more particularly to the Dork¬ 
ing^ class, in the hope that this Society will no longer confine 
their exhibition to a particular district, but that, with 
j special reference to their own bird, now in universal requi- 
j sition, they will open it to the whole kingdom; and that 
thus it will become one of the most efficient societies, espe¬ 
cially attractive to distant amateurs, as affording them the 
opportunity of obtaining choice stock birds. This expectation 
J has already had its influence, in inducing cottagers, and other 
breeders, to pay more attention to the selection of their own 
stock fowls; and thus, as is generally the case, the public 
{ will reap great benefit, whilst they are giving assistance to 
' others who most require it. 
THE LAND’S-END, AND ITS AGRICULTURE. 
The cultivation of the granite formation upon which the 
soil around the Land’s-End rests is primitive and careless. 
! The soil, composed of the slowly-decomposed granite, is not 
only naturally fertile, but, aided by the warm moisture of 
the climate, the grass is very luxuriant from May until 
November. The parish of Senen, in which the Land’s-End 
j is situated, is held by only small farmers, whose holdings 
are seldom more than sixty, and more commonly thirty or 
forty, acres—down to five or six. Generally, four-fifths of 
the farm is in Grass, and that of excellent quality; the 
other fifth is in Wheat, Barley, and Turnips; hut Grass is 
the favourite crop. The luxuriance of the Grass, and the 
I rocky nature of the fields, renders the cultivation of the 
| cereals less tempting. These rocks protrude above the sur¬ 
face of the fields in all directions, in a very bold way. 
Almost everything there, in fact, is either Granite or Grass 
—granite houses, door-posts, window-cills, granite fences, 
even granite gates. This kind of gate is formed by two 
granite posts, with large granite boulders piled in between ; 
so that when they require the gate opened, it takes some 
hard work to lift these great stones on one side and to 
replace them. 
There are no trees of any land here: they say that the 
wind destroys them. The gardens, too, of the cottagers 
and little farmers, are wretchedly kept; but still the cot¬ 
tages look warm and comfortable. They have an abundant 
supply of fish; and cows, in very excellent condition, are 
generally kept, and well-cared for. 
The magnificence of their shores, the grandeur of their 
granite cliffs, too, are of absorbing interest; they dip from a 
general height of about 300 feet at once into deep water 
There is little or no beach to be found for miles around the 
Land’s-End; and if anything of the kind does exist, it is 
chiefly in a few yards at the very extremity of the little 
coves or indentations made by the huge rolling waves of the 
Atlantic; and even these little patches of beach are com¬ 
monly composed of a surface of large boulders, eighteen to 
twenty-four inches in diameter. These granite-bound coves 
are surrounded by huge perpendicular cliffs and rocks, in all 
kinds of shapes, and of the most picturesque wildness 
covered with mosses, ferns, and heaths, and a kind of plant 
which looks something like stone-crop;* and another, which 
is of a broadish fleshy leaf, about the size of a florin, grow¬ 
ing amidst the granite of their houses.-!- 
From the Land’s-End, about a mile from the shore, are 
the Long Slips rocks, and lighthouse ; and on the verge of 
the horizon are the Scilly Islands and lighthouse. 
C. W. J. 
DISEASED PIGEONS. 
The complaint affecting J. Hewitt’s Pigeons is known in 
London only by “ going light," and “ going queer,” the 
latter being the term in vogue among the lower order of 
fanciers. The symptoms are a gradual wasting away to a 
skeleton, the excrement being green and watery until the 
birds die ; and though they are a long while pining awav, the 
whole time they are under the complaint they mope about, 
with their feathers loose and untidy, with eye half-closed, and 
looking wretched. This will often attack many birds at the 
same time, and, I believe, there is no saving them when 
once affected, except by an entire change of food. If the 
birds have been fed on beans, which is the best diet, then 
change at once to barley, tares, and peas, and, if possible, 
urge them into gentle exercise, which is the only plan I ever 
found of any avail, and I have tried many. 
I have kept fancy Pigeons for several years, and, when 
they have had partial liberty, have rarely known them to be 
otherwise than in the highest condition; but I never gave 
them green food of any sort, and never, but on one occasion, 
in many years, knew them to eat it, and then it was lettuce 
leaves which I had thrown to some Pheasants, with whom 
(being strangers) they were joint tenants of the same 
aviary. I thought this a strange circumstance for tame 
Pigeons, though I know wild ones live for weeks on tiu-nip 
shoots, and I have never noticed mine partake of the green 
mustard and radish tops, which I still give the Pheasants 
and to which the confined Pigeons have the same access. 
When newly-arrived Pigeons have been confined for a few 
weeks in an open aviary, they are passed to another from 
which they have their liberty; these are fed on beans only 
but on the roof they find a composition of old mortar, loam’ 
and salt, mixed together, to which they are very partial, and’ 
they are always in the best of health in consequence ; the 
plumage wearing a metallic lustre, and they produce yomm 
ones in abundance. 
There are many Pigeons that will not feed their young 
ones beyond a certain age; this often extended to when 
they can nearly feed themselves; in other instances, much 
younger. This habit is not peculiar to any one sort, though 
it is rare for Trumpeters, Dragoons, and some others, so to 
* Sedum dasypyjillum. Thick-leaved white stone-crop, 
t Cotyledon umbilicus, Navelworfc. 
