THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION.— August 19, 1856. 373 
air, and more especially, unless the weather was extra severe, to leave a 
little air at night. The Pine-pits will not cause too much moisture for 
the Vines growing and swelling. Moisture must be moderated as they 
ripen. Air must lie given when there is great heat, and that will prevent 
the atmosphere being too much moderated. Whenever houses arc 
crammed so full with flowering plants, See., there must be increased 
attention to cleanliness and fresh air, as decomposing leaves and a close, 
moist atmosphere, long continued, are great encouragements to all sorts 
of fungus. We have had our houses continually filled with successions of 
all sorts of plants, and, by the precautions specified, have seen little or 
nothing of the mildew. 
Flower-beds in a iioi.low (An Old Subscriber ),—To make flower¬ 
beds “in a hollow of perfectly hard, strong clay” is about as daft a 
thing as ever entered into the head of a person out of a madhouse. 
Unless you can carry a main drain from the very bottom of the deepest 
bed, and a working drain from the bottom of every bed to the main, our 
word for it, all the civil engineering in the kingdom will not establish a 
flower-garden in that same hollow ; but if you can get rid of water as it 
comes, clay is the best sides for a bed, and six inches of rough coal- 
ashes, rammed hard, is the best bottom for a flower-bed on such clay. 
The best and newest thing in London for edging beds are “ Hogg’s tiles,” 
which are advertised in our columns, and they have all sorts of wire 
edgings here and in Paris for such work; but we do not see the use of 
them, or your meaning for “ edging small beds cut in turf.” Do you 
mean the soil to be under Gr above the level of the turf? If the latter, i 
you are in the pincushions, and we have arranged for their edgings at 
once. You ask, “ Would fine gravel or turf answer best for the narrow 
paths?” Gravel is best for all narrow paths. It is such a bother to 
keep narrow strips of grass tidy ; it is very expensive, too, to have them 
cut and swept once a week. 
Cocoa-nut Refuse (A. L .).—It is to be had at the “Oil-mills,” 
Kingston. 
Seed from New York — Loasa (A Cottage Gardener).— The seeds 
from New York are those of some native Hibiscus —very likely the 
“Mallow Rose,” Hibiscus moicheutos, a showy, hardy plant. Some 
New Yorker will be good enough to send us the proper scientific name 
of their Cypress Vine when he secs this ; for no class of men out of this 
“ tight little island ” are more benefited by The Cottage Gardener 
than the American nurserymen. The sting of the Loasa is really very 
dangerous to some delicate constitutions ; but what the stinging property 
is has never been investigated that w e know of. You say, “ the nursery¬ 
men here do not know” the annual in question. Do you really mean to 
say that any nurserymen do not know Flatystemon Culifornicum , which 
you inclosed to us? or do you live on the other side of the moon, or 
where ? And how can we give a list of Roses without a clue to what 
place the Roses are to be removed ? 
Chinese Tree (S. W —, Guernsey).—We have seen the tree and 
fruit you ask about in Chinese drawings, and we have sent the leaf to a 
person who has been long in China with all we know of it, and we shall 
soon here what it is, and what the name. 
Girls* School (Rev. R. F .),—This is a subject quite out of our 
province ; but before you determine we venture to recommend you to 
communicate with Miss Welch, 19, Carlton Villas, Ivilburn. Her esta¬ 
blishment is admirably conducted. 
Names of Plants (J. Kirkite ).—The larger is Chelidonium mu jus, 
or Common Celandine ; the smaller is Anagallis tenella, or Bog Pimper¬ 
nel. (A Young Gardener at Fulham ).—Your rootless plant is Cuscata 
Europteu , or Dodder. (William). —1. Francoa uppcndiculata . 2. Eupa- 
torium corymbosum. 3 .Nepeta violacca. (John Thompson). —l. Erica 
(now Calluna) vulgaris. 2. Erica tetralix. 3. Erica cinerea. 4. Ar¬ 
temisia vulgaris. 5. Tcucriurn scorodonia. 6. Coronopus Ruellii, or 
Wart Cress. 
POULTRY shows. 
Bridlington. August 27th. Sec., Mr. T. Cape, Bridlington. 
Dorchester. Sept. 17th and 18th. Sec., G. J. Andrews, Esq., Dor¬ 
chester. Entries close Sept. 1st. 
Essex. At Colchester, 8th, 9th, and 10th 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. 
Nottinghamshire. At Southwell, December 17th and 18th, 1856. 
Sec., Richard Hawksley, jun. Entries close November 19th. 
Nottingham Central Poultry Association. January 14th 
and 15th, 1857. Sec., John Spencer, Nottingham. 
Sowerby Bridge. Sept. 5th. Sec., F. Dyson, Esq., Sowerby Bridge. 
Entries close August 29th. 
N.B .—Secretaries vnll oblige us by sending early copies of their lists. 
GETTING UP A POULTRY SHOW. 
Thebe are certain disorders dependent on seasons—as 
bay fever, hydrophobia, &c. 
There are others that are dependent on certain states of 
the atmosphere—as drowsiness, headaches ; and there are 
others that induce the patient to follow the fashion of the 
times, whatever it may he. It will be our duty to speak of 
one of the latter-—the desire to be one of the acting com¬ 
mittee of a Poultry Show. We shall endeavour to speak 
first of the symptoms, next of the cure, then of the effects, 
and, lastly, show how, instead of being treated as a disease, 
it may be ranked among the benefits which are allotted to a 
man. 
The symptoms are unceasing talk on the subject; the 
desire to associate constantly with those suffering from the 
same malady, though in different stages ; a peculiar defect 
in the sight, which makes all difficulties invisible, and mag¬ 
nifies successes. But the causes producing them are not 
always the same. We will, therefore, give some illustrations. 
Mr. A., silversmith, aged 37, living at Willing, got up in 
his usual health, ate his breakfast, aud while doing so read 
the local paper. He saw a Poultry Show advertised at 
Rolling, a town about thirty miles distant, but in the same 
county. He immediately left the breakfast-table without 
speaking to his wife, put on his bat, and hurried away. He 
did not return till three in the afternoon, having kept the 
dinner waiting an hour. He was then cool, the first 
paroxysm had passed off, and he was suffering from con¬ 
sequent depression. He answered his wife cheerfully, but 
on being asked where he had been, and what lie had done, 
lie again became excited, and said lie bad started the project 
of a Poultry Show at Willing. To her objections he 
answered with the lucidity which often startles observers in 
these cases, that he thought it a matter of business, as he 
should supply the Cups. 
Now, in tliis instance, the cause of the malady was 
jealousy of Nolling, which is in all things the rival of 
Willing. 
Mr. B. is a blacksmith, and an unsuccessful candidate for 
the office of Town Councillor. He was always nearly, but 
not quite successful, and was told be must be more active 
in all schemes for the advantage of the town. He had done 
his best for the coal club ; lie had promised every body every¬ 
thing in all confidence and secresy if he were elected; still, 
something was wanted. 
He was quietly reading the paper after his work in the 
evening, when he met the following in the Express, of a 
neighbouring county:—“ Our Poultry Show has just closed, 
having been most successful. Our townsmen may thank 
Mr. Z. for the pleasure and profit they have derived from it, 
and we hope, at the approaching elections for the office of 
Town Councillors, his claims will not be forgotten.” Mr. 
B. was a man who had an antipathy to leaving home after he 
had put on his slippers; but on this occasion he rushed out 
of his house, although it rained at the time, and in ten 
minutes he was in the parlour of his chief supporters, de¬ 
tailing his discovery, and anticipating his success. His 
wife remonstrated, but lie said the Poultry Show would 
mako him Town Councillor, and when elected it would 
assist him in his business. 
A craving for municipal honour was, in this instance, the 
cause of the malady. 
Mr. C. is a retired hosier, and a teetotaler; he is a single 
man; never had any illness in his life; never took a meal 
out of his house, nor a pipe in it; was very fond of Bantams, 
but thought it almost cruel to shut them up at a Show; 
was sitting in his arbour thinking, with his eyes shut, when 
a kindred spirit joined him. He immediately ordered another 
glass of water for him. Conversation turned on the poor 
man’s home, the necessity of attaching him to it, and the 
evil of frequenting lieer-shops and public houses. “ What 
can he done ? ” said one. “ Ah ! ” said the other, “ what 
can bo done, indeed ? ” At that moment the Bantam cock 
ci’owed. “I wish,” said the first, “they could derive as 
much pleasure from these innocent pets as I do.’’ “ They 
have no interest to induce them,” said his friend; “ you 
must make them profitable.” “ So they are,” said the first. 
“ I see that in a neighbouring town a labouring man sold a 
pen for Jtl 0. That is a fortune to such an one. Why cannot 
we persuade our people to do the same ? ” “ Because we 
have no Poultry Show.” “True, true,”was the reply. The 
two quiet men looked at each other for some time without 
speaking. The poison was at work; first their eyes 
twinkled ; then a little colour came into their faces ; then 
they smiled; then they shook hands, and with one voice 
said, “ We will get one up.” Now was to be seen the 
climax of the first attack. “ Our work-people will all keep 
fowls,” said one. “They will take prizes,” said the other. 
“ They will sell their birds for large sums of money. They 
will be better off They will not be ruined by sickness. 
