THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION.—July 15, 1856. 285 
the Melton quarter of Leicestershire, the first maker of 
Stilton Cheese, is still living. Mrs. Paulet, being a relation, 
or acquaintance, of the well-known Cooper Thornhill, who 
. formerly kept the Bell at Stilton, in Huntingdonshire, fur- 
, nishecl his house with this cheese, which, being of a singularly 
fine quality, was coveted by his customers, among whom 
were the gentry who posted along the great North Road. 
These customers, by the aid of Mrs. Paulet, were supplied 
with the cheese at half-a- crown per pound. In what county 
1 it was made was not publicly known, and it consequently 
was called ‘ Stilton cheese,’ from the place where it was 
sold. At length, however, the place of produce was dis- 
1 covered, and the art of producing it learned by other dairy- 
women in the neighbourhood, and it is now made in almost 
every village in that quarter of Leicestershire.” 
The last of the original makers of this cheese is only 
recently dead, for we read in the Gentleman's Magazine of 
the present month, “ May 14, aged 90, died Mrs. Pick, of 
Witheote Lodge, Leicestershire. In early life deceased and 
her parents were the original makers of the far-famed 
‘ Stilton cheese,’ who were under an engagement to sell all 
the cheese they could make to Mr. C. Thornhill, innkeeper 
of Stilton.” We suppose that Mrs. Pick was a daughter of 
Mrs. Paulet. 
, 
TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
Cherky-tree Unfruitful (J. F.).— Your case offers an opportunity 
of reminding correspondents that a “second Daniel” could not solve 
their difficulties without certain data. It may be drought, it may be 
want of nutriment, it may be several other things which render your 
tree barren. Cherries on uncongenial soils sometimes produce imperfect 
blossoms ; plenty of stamens, but imperfect pistils. 
Strawberries (A Constant Reader). —What do you mean by training I 
them “hop-fashion ? ” You surely cannot suppose that the runners can 1 
be trained round stakes ! 
Asparagus Beds ( One of your Subscribers') .—We can equal any 
1 Asparagus grown in France. Trench the ground three feet deep, mixing 
stable-manure abundantly throughout; plant in April; give a little salt i 
monthly, and the strongest liquid-manure weekly in a trench between 
the rows ; never have the crowns above one inch below the surface; and 
give a covering of the richest and most decayed stable-manure every 
winter. No quantity of manure can be too much if given in a liquid 
state ; and if given thus bountifully the finest possible heads of'Asparagus 
will be produced. 
Book on Gardening (E. Appleton). —There is none such as you 
require. We shall publish three ,“ Manuals ” shortly, which will give 
what you require. 
Chinese Primulas (An Old Subscriber). —Messrs. Henderson, Wel¬ 
lington Road, St. John’s Wood, London, can give you the information 
you ask for. 
Index (J. George). —Wc always give notice that it will appear at a 
certain time. We are sorry that you did not understand that the index 
in No. 366 belonged to the previous volume. It could not belong to the 
current one. 
Plea for the Slug (An Old Subscriber). —The slug, as you say, is a 
garden scavenger, but he is a plant murderer also, and the horticultural 
law condemns him to death ; nor can wc plead for his pardon. 
Arrowroot Biscuits.— An Old Subscriber would be obliged by a 
good recipe for these. 
Hartsiiill Flower Show.— The report of this should have been 
sent to the Editors. When such communications are sent to the depart¬ 
mental writers they have, at their own expense, to send them to the 
Editors, and no one acts justly, or courteously, who writes to a depart¬ 
mental writer, contrary to the request we print week after week that 
such a course may not be adopted. However, we are told that a notice 
in our columns will aid this Society, and as its chief object is to encou- 
j rage the gardening of cottagers, and to award them liberal prizes, we 
readily announce that its recent Exhibition was most successful. The 
| following notice has been sent to us, and we hope prosperity may long con¬ 
tinue to attend the Association :—“This Society was recently formed in 
j connexion with the flourishing * Working-men’s Association,’ established 
in January last, to afford the working classes of this very pleasant suburb 
of the town of Stoke the means of improvement and rational recreation 
| during their leisure hours. It has originated in a feeling on the part of 
! the committee that when the long winter evenings have passed away, 
i and out-door pursuits resume their attractions, it was desirable to adopt 
some plan which should foster a taste amongst the members for the 
cultivation of flowers, fruit, and vegetables, and should stimulate to 
1 industry, neatness, and skill in the management of their gardens. And 
how could this object be better accomplished than by the establishment 
of periodical Flower Shows, with the supplementary prizes for cottagers’ 
gardens? Or where, in the immediate vicinity of the Potteries, could 
a prettier or more suitable spot than Hart shill be found for the exhibition 
of floral beauty ? The project met with the approbation of the members, 
and with liberal encouragement from the neighbouring gentry to whom 
1 it was communicated; and on Thursday last the first Exhibition was 
held, under auspices which augur well for the Society’s successful con¬ 
tinuance. The Show was held in the Hartshill Schools, whose two large j 
rooms were so well filled with specimens of horticultural skill that the | 
visitors experienced, at times, some difficulty in passing through. The 
collection of stove and greenhouse plants was varied, extensive, and 
excellent; the vegetables were not so numerous, in consequence, no 
doubt, of the lateness of the season; and to the same cause may be 
attributed the lack of competition for any but a very few of the prizes for 
fruit offered by the Society. Nor was the cottagers’ show of fruit and 
vegetables so large as a more propitious season would have enabled them 
to supply; they sent, however, some very commendable specimens of 
plants and flowers. In the course of the afternoon some six or seven 
hundred visited the Exhibition. The cottagers’ prizes were awarded to 
Henry Turner, William Leasor., William Clarke, John Buxton, Joseph 
Clowes, George Maskery, William Hulme, and William Jackson. The 
prize for the best bouquet of wild flowers was awarded to a little girl 
named Harriet Hemniings. The Judges were Mr. Upton, gardener to 
La*dy Cotton Sheppard, Crakcmarsh ; BIr. Allport, gardener to H. Akroyd, 
Esq., Doddington Park; and BIr. Hill, gardener at Keele Hall. Mr. 
Nunn’s quadrille band was in attendance during the Exhibition ; nor 
must we omit to mention that C. BI. Campbell, Esq., and S. T. Garrett, 
Esq., the Society’s treasurer and chairman of committee, were present 
1 throughout the afternoon, taking an active part in the management of 
the Exhibition.” 
POULTRY shows. 
Agricultural Society (Royal). At Chelmsford, July 14th to 19th. 
Sec. J. Hudson, Esq., 12, Hanover Square, Loudon. Entries closed 
June 1st. 
i Anerley. July 29th, 30th, 31st, and August 1st. Sec., C. Lawson, 
Esq., Anerley. Entries close July 9th. 
Bridlington. August 27th. Sec. BIr. T. Cape, Bridlington. 
Essex. At Colchester, 8 th, 9 tli, and 10 th of January, 1857- Secs. 
G. E. Attwood, and W. A. Warwick. 
Gloucestershire. Nov. 26th and 27th. Sec., E. Trinder, Esq., 
Cirencester. Entries close Nov. 1st. 
Leominster. Thursday, October 16. 
BIanchester and Liverpool Agricultural Society. At Wigan, 
Thursday, August 7th. Secs, for poultry, J. H. Peck, and J. S. 
Blarsliali, Esqrs. Entries close July 24tli. 
Nottinghamshire. At Southwell, December l/th and 18th, 1856. 
Sec., Richard Hawksley, jun. Entries close November 19th. 
Nottingham Central Poultry Association. January 14th 
and loth, 1857- Sec., John Spencer, Nottingham. 
Wiiitby. July l 6 th and 17 th. Sec. S. Burn, Esq., 1, East Terrace, 
Whitby. Entries close June 30th. 
Yorkshire Agricultural Society. At Rotherham, Wednesday 
and Thursday, August 6 th and/th. Sec., J. Hannam, Esq., Kirk 
Deighton, Wetherby. 
N.B .—Secretaries v>ill oblige us by sending early copies of their lists. 
ON THE DUTIES OF JUDGES AT POULTRY 
EXHIBITIONS. 
It will certainly be pretty generally admitted that tbe 
duties of a poultry Judge at our various Shows are, in tlie 
present day, those of very considerable and continually- 
increasing difficulty. Amateurs are now by no means re¬ 
gardless of the vital importance of properly “matching” 
the inmates of a pen intended for exhibition. It is com¬ 
paratively a rare occurrence any are “ disqualified ” for 
this—until latterly—general complaint, and the compe¬ 
tition, therefore, instead of resting, as heretofore, among 
three or four principal pens, that “ stood out,” as it were, 
entirely from their companions, the struggle is now equally 
well sustained by most of the competitors, until even a 
slight distinction, perhaps only of simple “ condition,” 
settles the arbitrators’ mind entirely as to the superiority, 
or otherwise, of the different aspirants to distinction. The 
toils of this office are, of course, proportionably increased; 
and, to add very materially to the personal labour of properly 
fulfilling it, most committees, from a somewhat straitened 
amount of funds, are now compelled to limit their expendi¬ 
ture to their means; and, tli^fore, instead of engaging 
several Judges, one or two are, in most instances, considered 
quite as many as are either needful, or their balance-sheet 
will allow. 
With this slight prelude, we must go on to the exposure 
of a few causes that very greatly add to the troubles and 
difficulties of judging a Poultry Show, more particularly as 
they might quite easily be obviated altogether. The first is 
the almost constant abridgment of the time allotted to the 
purposes of the adjudications, from the fowls not being 
penned at the time pre-agreed upon; whilst committees, 
very naturally, cannot endure the thought of delaying, even | 
