December 23. 
THE COTTAGE GAKDENER. 
225 
Chatswortli is nearly due west, and though, in that in¬ 
stance, the aspect is of little consequence, because of its 
being heated, yet, in t!io case of a wall not heated, that 
as])ect is, I conceive, the very best, and for this reason, 
sliould a frost happen any night, the plants may be 
slightly touched with it, but will have time to be gra¬ 
dually thawed before the sun reaches them, and so be 
less injured than they would bo if the wall had an east 
or a south aspect. For the sudden extremes of heat and 
cold, or vice versa, are the circumstances so destructive 
to half-hardy plants. Flven a north is better than a south 
asjiect, though not to bo preferred for many plants; yet 
the (Jamellia thrives best on a north aspect if planted 
! out-of-doors. Several instances of this may be seen at 
Chiswick. They are planted there close to a wall on the 
I north side, and grow well, and frequently flower well I 
too, if there is a season without late spring frosts. The | 
reason of this is easily understood; they are not subject I 
to such sudden and violent changes of temperature as : 
they would be if planted against a wall with a south ' 
aspect, and so are not stimulated into growth so early 
in the season as to be nipt by the frost. 
The west, then, is the best aspect for the generality of 
plants suitable for a conservative wall, and the material 
I consider the best is a dark - coloured brick: dark 
colour retains the heat, light colour repels it; hence it 
is, that a black coat is warmer than a white one on a 
sunshiny day. if the dark wall has had the sun shining 
upon it the whole of the afternoon, it will retain the 
heat much longer than a light-coloured one. This is a 
fact I need not prove. Then a dark brick should be the 
material, if the wall is not heated artificially. The way 
or mode by which this wall should be built, is first to 
lay a good foundation, broader than ordinary, in order 
to allow space to have a hollow space in it, whether it is 
to be heated or not, for that is a fact now well under¬ 
stood, that a hollow wall is warmer than a solid one. 
indeed, all garden-walls, whether for the lunqroso of 
growing plants or fruits, should be constructed in this 
manner. T. Appleby. 
{To he coiitiimcd.) 
THE .BIRMINGHAM BOULTRY SHOW. 
Several attempts have been made, of late years, with 
more or less success, to trace the history and origin of our 
different varieties of domestic poultry. There is, however, 
no difficulty either in ascertaining the commencement of 
those exhiliitions which have done so much to improve tlie 
((uality, and to extend the taste for the purer and better 
i breeds of poultry, or in tracing the steps by which they 
I have, in a w'onderfully sliort space of time, obtained gra- 
' dually, and almost imperceptibly, their present high position. 
I To the Yorkshhemen, we are undoubtedly indebted for 
; having originated and brought to a considerable degree of 
j maturity these interesting gatherings; and we remember 
the time when it was thought almost a reproach upon the 
I proverbial shrewdness of our Yorkshire friends, that they 
1 had given themselves so much trouble upon what had been 
' long considered so trilling a subject. They, however, per-- 
severed, and soon estabhshed, within the circumference of a 
few miles, poultry shows at Leeds, Bradford, Huddorslield, 
Halifax, Keighley, Otley, Weatherhy, Holmfirth, Stanewood, 
i and Bretton, each of which, in its locality, is well supported. 
But it remained for the Birmingham and Midland Counties 
Society to make the attempt on a large scale. Tliey soon 
succeeded in establishing an exhibition which has not 
yet been approached cither in point of numbers or of 
excellence; and they are fairly entitled to divide with 
their more northern brethren the credit of having re¬ 
vived and brought to its present state of advancement 
this interesting and profitable branch of rural economy. 
I’oultry, which had been looked upon by the farmer as 
beneath his notice, has now, by their exertions, become a 
som'ce at once of profit and of pleasure; and, in proportion 
to the food it consumes (much of which would otherwise be 
wasted), and to the capital and labour emplo 3 ed, is, we. 
undertake to say, as remunerative as any stock upon his 
farm. 'J'o the country gentleman, the. amateur, and the 
fancier, what so ornamental, and at the same time so useful, 
as a nice, uniform lot of pure-bred fowls ? The ladies, too, 
may participate both in the amusement and the benefit 
derived from their feathered favourites, from the stately 
Shanghao, and the brilliant Spaniard, down to the little 
dapper Holden or Silver Sebright Bantam, rivalling the 
pheasant in beauty. And—last, not least—can a cottager 
keep anything about his premises from which he and his 
family may deiive more of mingled pleasure and profit than 
a few heads of good poultry ? 
For the gratification, and, we trust, for the benefit, of all 
classes of our readers, it is to a description—impartial, we 
hope, and not unprofitablo to the poidtry-keeping world—of 
the fourth exhibition at Birmingham, that we purpose to-day 
to devote a greater proportion of our paper than is usually 
given to one subject. 
This e.xhibition commenced on Tuesday, the ITth of 
December, in the capacious and well-lighted building known 
as Bingley Hall. Considerable improvements liave been 
made in the hall itself since the. last show took place within 
its walls, and the visitors are indebted to the proprietors and 
tho committee for a corresponding increase in the comfort 
they enjoy, and the facilities afforded to them in viewing 
the specimens. Indeed, the airangements in these respects 
appeared to us to he quite unexceptionable. 
In point of numbers, the exhibition of 1852 exceeded 
that of 18.51 in every class, as the following table (which 
be interesting for purposes of reference) 
will show :— 
PENS ENTERED. 
Classes. 
18.51 
1852. 
Spanish 
fid 
04 
Dorking 
jir 
142 
Shanghaes 
151 
275 
Malays 
35 
10 
tiame 
127 
104 
Golden-pencilled Hamhurghs 
20 
13 
Golden-spangled Hamhurghs 
21 
28 
Silver-pencilled Hambiu'ghs 
48 
58 
Silver-spangled Hamhurghs 
44 
00 
Boland 
41 
08 
Cuckoo 
5 
(i 
Bumpless 
(i 
4 
AVhite-crested Golden Hamburghs 
2 
— 
Andalusian 
5 
.) 
Ancona 
(i 
1 
Friz/led 
4 
4 
Norfolk or Surrey 
.> 
o 
Bantams, Gold-laeed 
20 
35 
„ Silver-laced .. 
11 
0 
„ AYhito 
10 
12 
„ Black 
10 
D! 
„ other varieties 
(i 
5 
Pigeons 
120 
85 
Geese 
17 
18 
Ducks 
71 
73 
Turkeys 
23 
Guinea-fowl 
14 
(i 
Extra Class 
30 
— 
The managers of tho show havo this year omitted some, j 
of the varieties, or sub-varieties, included in the list of j 
last year. AVith all due deference, we question tho pro¬ 
priety of this alteration. Although principally got up | 
for tho benefit of the fanner and the amateur, these 
exhibitions are interesting to the scientific naturalist, and 
have derived, in their time, much benefit from his investi¬ 
gations and researches. To him, independently of their 
beauty, and tho pleasing variety they made, the specimens 
entered last year as “ Ornamental I’oultry,” ami several 
cmious sub-varieties besides, were of peculiar interest, while 
they were objects of attraction to others also. AVe hope to 
see room afforded, upon future occasions, for specimens of 
this description. 
AYe should also strongly recommend a reconsideration of 
the rule which permits old and young fowl to be shown in 
competition in the some classes. AVhero there are classes 
