March 31.. 
THE COTTAGE GARDENEE. 
495 
our first poultry exhibition, in conjunction with the Society, 
and held our first meeting at Taunton, in June 1852, and 
that having gone otf very satisfactorily, I again proposed 
I our second to be held during our agricultural meeting at 
: Plymouth, and as I was rather reprimanded for not giving 
I prizes to chickens at Taunton, it was thought better to 
become more perfect, and do so at Plymouth; but your cor¬ 
respondent appears to think it too early. So, Mr. Editor, 
you see I am like the man in tho fable that we have all read 
of so frequently. 
“ The next remai-k alludes to our cutting out Black and 
While Cochins, and the Gold and Silver-spangled Ifambtoa/hs, 
and Pigeons. Did your correspondent know the difficulty 
to raise the cash for the i^resent list presented to the public, 
I think he would, in the generousness of his heart, send us 
five or ten pounds, and to afford the opportunity to him or 
any one else (interested in poultry shows), I shall put my 
full address at the bottom of this letter, and the money 
shall be appropriated to, I hope, a more perfect list, when 
we liold our anuu.al meeting at Bath, in June 1854. 
“ I must tell you, Mr. Editor, we made no charge at 
Taunton for visitors to oiu' show. The prize list there, as 
at I’lyniouth, being entirely private subscriptions, and you 
must allow that those who have found the means are some¬ 
what entitled to a little choice. And now I have disposed 
of tho remark on Silks. 
“ Now for the unfortunate Hybrids. It appears they are 
considered to be of Polish extraction alone. Such is not 
my intention. I take a wider riew, viz., that of all nations ; 
hut am sorry the printer did not give a more expensive 
type, and make them appear more distinct. 
“ I believe I have given reason for all remarks but one, 
and that one, in my idea, rather an important one, namely, 
post entry. Our stock and implement entries close on the 
15th of April. Our poulti’y show is subject to the same 
rules, but as that is very early, especially for chickens, we 
open the books to the 1st of May, at double the previous 
entrance fees. One reason being to accommodate ex¬ 
hibitors who are after date, and the other, and most im¬ 
portant one, to increase our funds, and help to pay for the 
handsome tent accommodation ; the bountiful supply of the 
best food; the protection of the poultry by police, by night 
and by day ; the very great cost for cups ; security and locks 
for coops, clerks, check-takers, sand, sawdust, and an honest 
man to break every egg. 
“ You must be perfectly aware that the sum of 2s. fid. 
entry will very little more than cover the hire of coops 
alone. And I do not see why exhibitors should not pay 
a much larger proportion than is usual, more especially 
when we can offer them a free transit (through the great 
liberality of the Great Western, the Bristol and Exeter, and 
South Devon railways) for their specimens, both to and 
from the show, provided they are not sold. 
“ T must offer you my apology for so long a letter, and am 
sorry our honorary secretary should have talcen the wrong 
view ; or, xJcrhaps, to speak more correctly, 1 am sorry I did 
not particularise the different classes in the first instance. 
“ I have forwarded to you a new folding poultry-basket of 
my invention, and most ably carried out by the Blind 
Asylum, at Clifton, to whom I am indebted for the makers. 
I Tho great advantage is the convenience of xjackage, as 
I when folded, three feet by two feet six inches, and two feet 
j six inches, occupy less than six inches in width, and the 
! weight is a mere trille. The object—to support a good 
1 charity.— Jonathan Gray, Bathwick Hill, Bath." 
; We consider this letter sulEciently explanatory, but 
that it was required, is evidenced by the fact that Mr. 
! Mulleny, the local secretary, did not understand the 
j prize list to bo offered upon the terms Mi-. Gray now 
states. On the comparative amount of the prizes 
offered wo miglit have said something, but we are turned 
' not justify a larger amount. Indeed, for tho eight first 
! classes, they are abundantly liberal; but we know of no 
j reason justifying giving prizes of the highest value to 
the Game classes, in preference to the Polands and 
Hamburghs. 
COVENT GARDEN. 
There has been little fluctuation either in the prices or 
the supplies of garden produce during tho past week, 
and the quotations which we gave in our last report are 
still equally applicable on this occasion. There is 
enough of Rhubarb, Sea-Kale, and Aspiaragus for the 
demand, and all other articles are equally abundant. 
Fruit, however, is an exception, there being, even in 
Ajiples, a very short supply. The varieties which we 
have observed most general are a few Oolden Knobs 
and Winter Greenings, or, as they are sometimes ab¬ 
surdly called, French Grabs. Wo observed also a few 
rather shrivelled Alfristons, a large and excellent culi¬ 
nary apple, which is cultivated in Sussex under the 
name of Shepiherd's Seedling, but which being sent some 
years ago to the Horticultural Society by a gentleman 
residing at Alfriston, it was named the Alfriston Apple; 
the name by which it is best known, however, in Sussex 
is Shepherd’s Seedling. There are still a few Buerre de 
Ranee Peai’s, but none else of consequence. 
The plants and flowers are very plentiful, and consist 
principally of Camellias, Roses, Heaths, Geraniums, 
Tulips, Primroses, Violets, Snowdrops, Jlyacinths, and 
Crocuses. H. 
GOSSIP AND GLEANINGS. 
One of the most difiiciflt of all tho branches of the 
Horticulturist’s art on which to write instructively, as 
well as agreeably, is Landscape Gardeniirg. A hundred 
men can be found to write gi-aphically on the pic¬ 
turesque and the beautiful, but the difficulty is to find 
those who will teach how to imitate what is desirable to 
be copied. Knowing this difficulty, we have been more 
than well-pleased to meet with The Theory and Practice 
of Landscapie Gardening, by Mr. Joshua Major, of 
Knowsthorpe, near Leeds. This gentleman has been 
practising, for some forty years, what he teaclies in this 
volume, and he has contrived to include in its pages 
more plainly-told common sense than it is usual to meet 
with in such publications. To say that we do not agi-ee 
with all his opinions is saying no more than that we 
did not write what we read in it—for none but the author 
of any book, probably, ever assented to all that it 
would teach. 
Wo have many passages marked in Air. Alajor's 
volume as worthy of notice, but at present we can find 
room for the following only; and we quote it because 
it demonstrates what is the characteristic of the book— 
tho useful and the comfortable are combined with the 
beautiful. 
“ In the formation of a new place I .should always have 
a straight walk of gravel or flags along the front of the 
house, whatever may be the style of the mansion. I have 
no objection to the introduction of the terrace waU, balus¬ 
trades, steps, vases, and other architectural decorations, in 
accordance with the general style of the building. Indeed, 
to all good houses these accompaniments ought never to be 
