December 29. 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
western side of the Changsheel range, there exists a 
hollow', flat-crowned patriarch, thirty-six feet round at 
four feet from the ground; there is another of the same 
dimensions near the sacred fish-tank below Chenee, 
in Koonawat; and at Sheeong, on tho north face of the 
Boorum Ghatee, one of thirty-three feet. Dr. Hofl- 
meister mentions specimens above forty feet in circum¬ 
ference.” ( Journ. of Agricultural Soc. of India, vii.) 
To show that the Deodar is strictly coincident with 
the repeated declarations of Josephus, that the Almug 
was a Pine tree, we have only to mention that two of 
our best botanists, Mr. Lambert and Dr. Lindley, at 
first enrolled the Deodar among the tme Pines; the one 
as Abies Deodar a, and the other as Pinus Deodar a. We 
need only observe upon the means of transit, that the 
river Indus would readily bring down the Deodar timber 
to the ships of Solomon, on floats, as Hiram conveyed 
that from Lebanon to Joppa. 
The wood of the Deodar coincides in appearance and 
uses with all that we are told about those of the Almug. 
It ranks among the sacred trees of the Hindoos, being 
always planted near the temples of their idols, Muliadeva 
and Devi. In Kumaoon, where it has been introduced, 
says Major Madden, all the finest trees are found nearest 
the temples, where the first would naturally be planted, 
just as in Great Britain the largest Yews are those by 
the churches. The pilgrim to Budureenath and Kedar- 
natli may occasionally be met carrying a young Cedar 
as the most acceptable gift to the shrine, next to the 
Company’s Rupee, which is everywhere the most sacred 
and all-sufficient! In addition to this sacred regard for 
the Deodar, its wood is so durable that its timber has 
been taken out of Indian temples that have been erected 
from two to four centuries; and Mr. Moorcroft had speci¬ 
mens from the starlings of a bridge in Ladakh, where it 
had been exposed to the water for nearly four hundred 
years. This durability and hallowed character are just 
the circumstances which would recommend it to Solomon 
for adoption as a building material, for it is a disposition 
of the human mind, witness our evergreens at Christmas, 
to adopt and engraft into our own practices those most 
esteemed even among the heathen. 
The very name Almug intimates that the Jews were 
acquainted with its durability, for Parkhurst says that 
the name is derived from al, not, and mag, to dissolve ■ 
or, to translate the name literally, they called it “ the 
non-decaying tree.” It is worthy of remark that one of 
its names among the Hindoos of Koonawur is Kelmung, 
which differs little from the Hebrew. 
Lastly, the Deodar wood, from its lightness, combined 
with hardness, and capability of receiving a high polish, 
is peculiarly well fitted for making the musical instru¬ 
ments mentioned in the Bible as made from the Almug. 
Dr. Kittoe, who also thinks this and the Deodar are one 
and the same tree, observes, “ All the most sacred and 
valuable works in peninsular India are made of this 
w'ood—and not unworthily, for such is the odour, hard¬ 
ness, and veiny colourations of the wood, that we, who 
have seen articles of furniture manufactured from it, 
cannot wonder at the preference.” 
295 ' 
The second annual Exhibition of the Torquay and \ 
South Devon Poultry Association will take place on j 
the llth and two following days of January next. Old 
and young birds, wo notice, are to compete together; ! 
but on this we should observe, that, although the boun- ! 
dary of 1S53 will then be passed, it is still easy to make ^ 
the distinction between birds over and under one year 
old, as the managers of the Metropolitan have deter¬ 
mined on. We are sorry to find that fifteen shillings 
is all that can be given to induce competition for 
Geese. And the same small sum only is allotted for 
Turkeys. These are, surely, birds that well deserve great 
encouragement at all Exhibitions of useful Poultry, and 
are those through which we are most likely to interest 
farmers in the objects that such institutions must 
mainly regard. The rules of this Society are concise, 
and well arranged. 
But not far from Torquay, another prize-list has been 
issued, for the Devon and Cornwall poultry-keepers. 
This exhibition is to take place at St. George’s Hall, 
Stonehouse, on the 18tli and 19th of January, 1854. 
The novelties in this list include the extension of the 
white-crested black Poland class to “ black, white, aud 
buff Polands',” the introduction of a separate class for 
“Ptarmigan Fowlthe omission of the Rouen class in 
Ducks, all of which, the Aylesbury alone excepted, are 
to bo shown together; and a prize for “ the best six 
eggs of any one named breed.” Size, we presume, 
would here be the criterion of merit; but the office of 
Judge must necessarily be involved in difficulties when 
this class comes before him in its present form. The 
Exhibition is not an open one, being limited to “ resi¬ 
dents in Cornwall and Devon,” but such restrictions we 
have always thought are more wisely avoided. As this 
will be the third Poultry Exhibition held at Plymouth 
within seven months, the “fowl mania” is evidently 
not on the decline in that locality. 
Proceeding still further west, the 5th and Oth of 
January offer us a show at Truro, where the Land’s 
End district contains many zealous poultry-keepers, 
and, perhaps, we might add, even too many separate 
Exhibitions, but this is only an evil common to many 
other parts of England. The prize-list runs in the 
usual form, saving only the rule limiting the exhibitors 
of Geese and Turkeys to “birds exceeding one-year-old.” 
We have always thought it desirable to have separate 
classes for the old and young of both these birds, but if 
one only can be granted it should be irrespective 
of age. 
The Salisbury prize - list contains the following 
passage:—“ As the crossing of the breeds of poultry 
may produce the most valuable results, all crosses must 
be particularised, with the pedigree of the races from 
which they sprung.” This, of course, refers to the 
prize there offered for a “ cross between any breeds.” That 
useful table fowls may be thus produced, we have long 
been aware; hence our recommendation for such 
purposes of the mixed race between the Shanghae and 
Dorking, and also the latter with the Game fowl. But 
that the permanency of these good points can be 
