THE COTTAGE GAEDENEE. 
187 
I 1')ecembee 9. 
LAurwV Lam:ngtok ('Keyne’s) ; fami, tipped with white; 
I very tine-formed flower, but came many sell's, and not tipped. 
I ]’(;rhaps tlie season was against it; at all events, it must be 
I grown ; we have few such good forms among the fancies yet. 
I ^ l/iLr.ipuT (Barnes’); red, tipped with white; very fine, 
I fancy ilower; requires cutting out; was very late with me, 
! but first-rate when grown well.— Obsehvek. 
{To he conlinued.) 
CUCUMBEE BIT. 
j 
a, the soil; b, trellis; c, stage for ferns ; d, stage for ferns, with 
water-tank under; e, hot-water pipes ; /, brick pillars, to support the 
slate box ; g', pipe for admitting fresh air; h, pipe for the escape of foul 
air; i, ground-level; j, steps by which you enter the pit; k, passage j 
1. the wall is built hollow liere. 
The above is a plan of our Cucumber pit, which we have 
now had at work for fifteen months ; and as it answers the 
purpose so well, I thought it worth a corner in The Cottage 
Gardener. The pit is forty feet long, four lights of which 
' are devoted to Cucumbers, and the other six for Kidney 
[ Beans, both of which I send to table all the year. The soil 
I which I use for Cucumbers, is one part of loam, dug from 
I the pasture, not more than three inches deep ; one part 
leaf mould, and one part old hotbed dung, to which is added 
a small portion of soot, mixing these well together. "When 
sutficiently drjq it is put into the pit, first draining with bones, 
over which I put the roughest of the compost. In a day or 
two the soil is warm enough to receive the plants, wliich have 
previously formed three or four rough leaves. I always jilant 
them two inches deeper than they were before, and fill in 
round the stem wth charcoal, as that prevents canker. I 
find it best to have only one plant to a light, as the Cucum¬ 
ber thrives best with plenty of room. Tlie leading shoot I 
train up the centre of the light; never stop it till it reaches 
i within six inches from the top of the light, but the laterals 
which are sent out are stopped at the second joint, and 
. trained out at right angles, exactly the same as a vine 
managed on the spur system. They very soon break from 
' the second joint, at which time, and always afterwards, they 
are never let go more than one joint at a time, taking 
care in stopping not to injure the fruit, which is as yet 
almost imperceptible. All the male blossoms I take ofl’, as 
they are of no use, except seed is required, and I never 
allow any fruit to be qiroduccd till the leader has readied 
the top. I always use water at the same temperature as the 
soil, which is 75“ to 80“; and when I water, I give a 
^ thorougli soaking, but not again till it is really required, 
using liquid-manure every alternate time—poultry dung is 
the best for that piupose, taking care not to make it too 
strong. The air pipes y and h are always open day and 
' night, except in very sharp weather, ivhen h is closed. I 
! ought to mention that there is one of tliese pipes under 
each light. Of course, in very hot weather, the lights are 
tilted up at the back; but it i.s better, in the winter months, 
to allow tlu! temperature to rise a few degrees than to open 
them too much for a “blink o’ sun,” as that, in all proba¬ 
bility, would make the plants flag, which is sadly against 
their well-being. The night temperature I prefer is 00°, 
and in the day 70°, and H0° if from sun heat, with plenty of 
moisture often charged with sulphur, as that keejis mildew 
at arms-length. If this meets your approval, I will trouble 
you very soon again with a plan of a flower-garden, and 
also an American ground, accompanied with a few sug¬ 
gestions.—J. Eust, Gardener, Chase-Side-House, Enfield, 
WINCHESTEE AND SOUTHEEN COUNTIES’ 
SOCIETY’S EXHIBITION OF BOULTEY. 
Closely following on Dorchester and Hitchin, IVinchestcr 
has now added another name to the list of those towns and 
districts which have this year initiated themselves in the 
establishment of societies for the improvement of the various 
breeds of domestic poultry. Thi.s exhibition, for which 
active preparations had been some time in progress, took 
place on Wednesday, December the 1st; and, whatever the 
previous anxiety of those who had been most interested in 
tlie success of the undertaking, the subsequent comments 
of all whom it brought together are sufficient evidence that 
they did not overrate the interest and attention that it was 
likely to awaken in the district assigned to its operations. 
It was, indeed, natural that many would doubt the proba¬ 
bility of such general support as more sanguine individuals 
ventured to anticipate, but it cannot be otherwise than 
satisfactory to feel that such doubts have been thus over¬ 
come, and that some of those who thought least favourably 
of the project have given the most decided marks of appro¬ 
bation at a triumph so little expected. Everything, indeed, 
concurred to stamp success on this first meeting of the Win¬ 
chester and Southern Counties’ Poultry Show; the con¬ 
tinuous rain of the last six weeks had at length ceased, and 
a bright sunny day both favoured the travels of the feathered 
competitors, and aided the necessaiy preparations for their 
reception, which took place on Tuesday, and on the evenmg 
of that day all were ready for the inspection of the next 
morning. 
The llotunda of the Market-House, and two large rooms, 
contained 17'2 pens, on which we purpose to make some few 
remarks, in the order they occupied in the Catalogue and 
the Judge’s Award. 'The latter individual appears to have 
thought but lightly of Hampshire Bantams as there repre¬ 
sented, for although a first prize was awarded to the Gold- 
laced birds, that was assigned to the pen belonging to Capt. 
Hornby, K.N., of Knowsley, in Lancaslure, and certainly, in 
colour, figure, and condition, we yield a ready assent to the 
verdict. A second prize was assigned to this class ; and the 
I’artridge Bantams of IMr. Sayers were deservedly admired. 
'The Silver-laced and White Bantams were but indifferent, 
and the Black ones had no representatives. It may not bo 
amiss to remind our readers, that however desirable size and 
an upright comb may be in a Shanghae, they are all equally 
so in the present instance. 
Near neighboius were the tiny winners in this class to 
Mr. Sturgeon’s magnificent pen of Shanghaes, which bore 
off no less than three different q)rizes, viz., that for the best 
cock and two hens, with the separate awards for the best 
single cock, and the same for one of the hens. Weiglit, 
colour, comUtion, and figure, were here displayed in full 
perfection, and were there room to add another laurel to 
their owner’s wreath, every voice would have at once 
acccjrded it; they were pire-eminent, and fortunate would it 
have been for the Judge if no greater difficulties had come 
before him than could have arisen from any comparison of 
those with their competitors. Mr. Sayers’ birds, and those 
belonging to Mr. Gilbert, were good specimens, and could 
have no discredit reflected on them by suffering defeat from 
such antagonists. 
In Class y, for a Cockerel and three Bullets of 185q, Mr. 
Sturgeon’s name again appears with all the honours. 'This 
class contained twenty-seven entries, of which No. 41 bo 
longed to Blr. I’unchard, of Blunt’s Hall, Haverhill, Suffolk; 
the Cockerel was a bird of remarkable beauty in point of 
