December 18. THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
WEEKLY CALENDAR. 
M W 
D D 
DECEMBER 18—24, 1851. 
Weather near London in 1850. 
Sun 
Rises. 
Sun 
Sets. 
Moon Moon’s 
R, & S. Age. 
Clock 
bef. Sun. 
Day of 
Year. 
Barometer. 
Thermo. 
Wind. 
Rain in In. 
18 Th 
29.424 — 29.165 
44—26 
S.W. 
19 
4 
49 
2 34 25 
3 
19 
352 
19; F 
Gray-headed Goosander comes 
29.841 —29.244 
39—26 
N. 
— 
6 
50 
3 55 26 
2 
49 
353 
201S 
Sun’s declination 23° 27's. 
30.249 — 30.100 
40—19 
N. 
02 
5 
50 
5 14 27 
2 
19 
354 
21 Sun 
4 Sunday in Advent. St. Thomas. 
30.273 — 30.231 
40—22 
S.W. 
— 
6 
51 
6 31 28 
1 
4Q 
355 
22 M 
Black Duck comes. 
30.524 —30.429 
41—22 
N. 
— 
7 
51 
sets. (v) 
1 
19 
356 
23 Tu 
Orange-breasted Goosander comes. 
30.586 — 30.524 
38—25 
N.W. 
— 
7 
62 
4 a 46 i l 
0 
40 
357 
24'W 
White Nun comes. 
30.455 — 30.172 
43—31 
S.W. 
— 
7 
52 
5 46 2 
0 
19 
358 
Dr. Henry Compton, Bishop of London, consistent even in death, 
lies in the church-yard of Fulham, for he was always opposed to inter¬ 
ments within the sacred edifice, and never deviated from his recorded 
and most wise opinion. “ The church is for the living—the church-yard 
for the dead.” We wish that his epitaph had also been in plain honest 
English, for in that case every cottager might read this admirable man’s 
dying testimony. That testimony is in these few words. “ Henry of 
London. Save in the Cross,” being a portion of the 14th verse of the 
6th chapter of the Epistle to the Galatians. The date, 1713, refers to that 
of his death, for on the 7th of July, in that year, he was released from 
the burthen of eighty-one years of mortality. 
Fulham is an appropriate burial-place for one who so strenuously and 
effectually promoted the improvement of our national gardening, for 
even in domesday book, eight Cotarii (neat-houses) and their gardens, are 
enumerated, as being in Fulham ; and the gardens of the Bishop’s 
Palace there began to be celebrated even in the reign of Elizabeth. 
Dr. Grindal was then Bishop of London, and one of our earliest collectors 
and cultivators of garden plants. He first procured the Tamarisk from 
Switzerland, and even in liis time the Palace Gardens had acquired that 
celebrity for grapes which they still retain. Dr. Compton succeeded to 
the Bishopric, and, consequently, to the possession of the gardens, in 
1674. His tenure of them was very lengthened, and he enriched not 
only their borders, but their greenhouses, to such an extent, that they 
were considered as containing a greater variety of plants than any other 
in England. This he was enabled to do by the happy coincidences of the 
increasing commerce of the nation, the more frequent intercourse with 
Holland, where vast botanical collections from her colonies had been 
made, and by a protracted residence of thirty-eight years at his See. To 
his taste for gardening was united a knowledge of botany, a scientific 
attainment, observes Dr. Pultney, not usual among the great of those 
days. He was a great encourager of Mr. London ; was one of the first to 
promote the importation and raising of ornamental exotics, and was very 
curious in collecting them, as well as in cultivating kitchen-garden plants, 
especially kidney-beans. In his stoves and gardens he had above 1000 
species of exotic plants, a greater number than had been seen in any 
private English collection. In his gardens he cultivated a great many 
plants that had been previously esteemed too tender to be exposed un¬ 
protected to our climate, and every thing was done under his own 
superintendance. 
Switzer, who knew him personally, says:—‘‘This reverend father was 
one of the first that encouraged the importation, raising, and increase of 
exotics, in which he was the most curious man in that time, or perhaps 
will be in any age ; and by the recommendation of chaplains into foreign 
parts, had likewise greater advantages of improving it than any other 
gentleman could. He had above 1000 species of exotic plants in his 
stoves and gardens, in which last place he had endenizoned a great many 
that have been formerly thought too tender for this cold climate. There 
were few days in the year, till towards the latter part of his life, but he 
was actually in his garden ordering and directing the removal and re¬ 
placing of his trees and plants. A virtuous and laudable pattern, and by 
a person by whom gardening has not a little been recommended to the 
world.” 
When Dr. Compton died, his collection of plants was purchased of his 
successor, and added to the stock of the Fulham Nursery, then but 
recently founded there by Mr. Gray. Such despoilings are always subjects 
lor regret, and in this instance especially, for the gardens were ever open 
to the inspection of the curious and scientific ; and we find Ray, Petiver, 
and Plukenet, in numerous instances, acknowledging the assistances they 
received from the free communication of rare and new plants out of the 
garden at Fulham. Many of Plukenet’s figures were engraved from 
specimens out of the Bishop’s garden; and some from a book of drawings 
in his possession, quoted under the name of Codex Comptoniensis. In 
the second volume of Ray’s History of Plants, page 1798, we find a cata¬ 
logue of some new species of trees and plants, observed by the author in 
this garden. These were principally of North American growth. The 
reader who is desirous of seeing a more ample account of the garden at 
Fulham, is referred to a relation of the state in which it was found in the 
year 1751, written by the late Sir William Watson, and printed in the 
47 th volume ot the Philosophical Transactions. 
Little that is appropriate to these pages remains to be said of Dr. 
Compton. The leading feature of his public conduct during the times of 
ascendant Popery in which he lived, is pointed out by his popular 
epithet—“ The Protestant Bishop.” How much he endured, and un¬ 
yieldingly endured, in defence of his faith, may be read in our usual 
Biographical Dictionaries, for his conduct was sufficiently prominent and 
influential to occupy pages in our national history during the reign of 
Janies the 2nd, who lost his crown in his effort to establish Romanism in 
these realms. Dr. Compton is also memorable for his powerful, because 
temperate efforts, to unite in one Church the numerous sects of Protes¬ 
tants, and though he failed to effect his purpose, he has the unmistakeable 
praise of being abused by the violent and bigotted of all parties. 
Dr. Compton was the youngest sou of the second Earl of Northampton, 
and born in 1632. He inherited the courageous spirit of his father, who 
died fighting for Charles the First. The future Bishop was but ten years 
old when the battle of Edge-hill was fought, and he was in the royal 
camp during that day of slaughter. After the Restoration of Charles the 
Second to the throne, he accepted a cornetcy in a regiment commanded 
by the Earl of Oxford, but soon left the profession of arms, and enrolled 
himself as a minister of the church. Here he obtained preferment 
rapidly, in 1674 being elected to the bishopric of Oxford, and in 1676 be 
was translated to that of London. 
Meteorology of the Week. — At Chiswick from observations 
during the last twenty-four years, the average highest and lowest tem¬ 
peratures of these days are 44.5° and 34.2° respectively. The greatest 
heat, 57 °, occurred on the 23rd in 1827, and the lowest cold, 12°, on the 
23rd, in 1830. During the period, 92 days were fine, and on 73 rain fell, 
Until within a very few years preceding the present, 
poultry, in the estimation of the farmer, were like the 
game upon his lands—tolerated as a source of pleasure, 
though rather an expensive one—it was thought that 
the roast fowls and boiled eggs were dearly purchased 
by the corn they consumed, and the crops they damaged. 
Even now, in the very great majority of instances, the 
produce of the poultry-yard is considered as the house¬ 
wife’s perquisite, that will not bear a very strict exami¬ 
nation as to whether it is a source of profit or of loss. 
Nor is this estimate far from being correct, mismanaged, 
or rather unmanaged, as poultry usually are. 
A very different, and more correct appreciation of the 
value of poultry, as a profitable stock, is rapidly on the 
increase; and there is no doubt whatever, that, when 
properly managed, they will return a larger gain, in 
proportion to the capital employed, than any other de¬ 
partment of a farm. This is no theoretical opinion, but 
is shown by many a balance-sheet; neither is it a new 
result of modern science, but only a revival of the long- 
neglected experience of our ancestors; for we noticed, at 
page 285 of our sixth volume, a work by M. Clioiselat 
published nearly three centuries ago, in which he main¬ 
tains that any one keeping 1200 hens, might, in those 
days, clear annually five hundred pounds. Nor should 
the farmer, in his estimate of the profit arising from his 
poultry-house entirely omit an estimate of the value of 
their dung. We so speak, because we know of instances 
where this manure, mixed with earth and ashes, has 
been drilled in with seed, and proved as valuable a fer¬ 
tilizer as guano. 
We have said that a more correct estimate of the 
value of poultry is rapidly diffusing over England, and 
we need no other testimony than that afforded by the 
list of exhibitors at the Birmingham and Midland Coun¬ 
ties Show, on the 9th instant. These exhibitors are not 
confined to one district, though Suffolk seems to take 
the lead, nor to poultry breeders for amusement, for a ! 
large proportion of the poultry exhibited belonged to 
large practical farmers. 
In conclusion, we shall give a report of the meeting 
from the pen of the Rev. E. S. Dixon, so favourably 
No. CLXVIII., Vol. VTT. 
