18 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
October 10. 
Blue ScimeTar. 
Synonymes. —Blue Sabre, Scimetar, Cimeter, BecJc’s 
Eclipse. 
This well-known variety is now less grown in gardeus 
than it was at one period before the new Marrows were 
1 introduced. It is, however, very valuable, particularly 
j to a market-gardener, or fanner, who supplies the markets 
I with green pods, and it is now much more extensively 
I grown for that purpose than for private use. But even 
i for that purpose it is likely to be surpassed by the 
i Champion of England, which is almost, if not quite, as 
productive, and a more richly-flavoured Pea. There 
are many of the large field growers about Loudon and 
in Kent, who supply the London markets, who have, in 
the two last seasons, grown the Champion of England 
in preference to the Scimetar. 
The Scimetar is a strong and sturdy grower, attaining 
the height of two-and-a-lialf or three feet, generally with 
a single, but sometimes with a branching, stem. The 
foliage and pods are of a dark green colour, and the 
plants produce, on an average, from twelve to eighteen 
pods on each. The pods are from three inches to three- 
inches-and-three-quarters long, four-eighths-of-an-inch 
broad, very much curved and flattened. They are 
generally produced in pairs, but are frequently single, 
and contain, on an average, from nine to ten peas in 
each. The ripe seed is green. 
The seed was sown on the 5th of April, and the 
plants bloomed on the 18th of June. On the 23rd the 
slats appeared, and ou the 20th of July the pods were 
ready to gather.— R. H. 
(To be continued.) 
The Monthly Meeting of the British Pomological Society 
was held on Monday, the 2nd instant, at the Rooms, 20, 
Bedford Street, Covent Garden, when it was agreed, that 
the first extraordinary meeting of the Society for the 
exhibition of collections of Fruits from different parts 
of tbe couutry shall be held on Monday, the 6th of 
November; the object of such exhibitions beiug to 
obtain from all parts of the country specimens of all 
kinds of Fruits, with the view of ascertaining their 
adaptability to the various latitudes, soils, and exposures 
of Great Britain. 
The Secretaries were instructed to take immediate 
steps towards the formation of corresponding Com¬ 
mittees for every county in England, Scotland, and 
Ireland, and the Channel Islands, for the purpose of 
carrying out the objects of the Society. 
Tbe following gentlemen were elected Members of the 
Society:— 
Mr. Charles McIntosh, Dalkeith Palace. 
Mr. Michael Saul. 
Mr. Robert Osborne, Nurseries, Fulham. 
Mr. John Adams, Brompton Park Nursery. 
It rarely happens that prize lists are open to so few 
objections as is the case with that recently published 
by the “ Derbyshire and Midland Counties ” Poultry 
Association, for their Meeting, commencing on the 30th 
of November next, and extending over the following day. 
The classification is good, and the premiums in excess 
of those usually offered by local Societies of this de¬ 
scription, and the rules very clearly and yet concisely 
stated. There are poiiits, undoubtedly, in which we 
should consider that an improvement might have been 
effected ; for instance, acquiescence in our old plea for 
greater liberality in respect of Geese, old and young, in 
their several varieties; nor would we have advised the 
total withdrawal of the Pigeon classes, an unvarying 
source of interest on those occasions, and probably, 
even in a practical view, of equal importance with the 
Bantam, and some of the mere fancy fowls. We do 
not understand the necessity of adding the description 
“ whitefaced” to the Spanish class, since it is clear no 
others could be there admissable. 
The Dorkings and Game fowls shown at the last 
Derby meeting were of great excellence, and if the 
quality of the former, especially, has kept pace with the 
progressive improvement of that race in other parts of 
England, the Derby decisions may, possibly, afford 
some clue to the probabilities of Birmingham success 
THE COMPOST-YARD. 
Amongst all the auxiliaries of good gardening none 
is of greater importance than the Compost-yard ; not 
that I would wish to resuscitate the idea that many 
kinds of soil are necessary; quite the reverse, I would 
rather point to what may be termed the economy of 
soils and composts. A department of this description 
must not be considered as simply devoted to loam, peat, 
&o., or what may be termed important articles. I must 
proceed to show that it should be a rallying point, on 
many occasions, for surplus materials which may come 
to band; and which, although called, perhaps, common 
soil, or even rubbish, yet is not only applicable to a 
variety of purposes, mauy of these things containing 
a character not to be found in rich manurial matters. 
It may be well, in examining this matter, to inquire 
what are the materials most likely to find a place there, 
or for which it is really eligible ; we shall then be in a 
position to understand our subject better. 
Everybody knows that every really good gardener 
considers a goob i.oam indispensable in good gardening; 
and this is not mere empiricism, albeit the unknowing 
get confounded sometimes with the indefinite use made 
of the term “ loam.” It is all very well to say that the 
French or Belgian gardener uses chiefly peat, and that 
he succeeds admirably in cultural matters; but what 
has a good English gardener to learn from our con¬ 
tinental brethren with regard to soils and their adapta¬ 
bilities'? One of the chief properties of using composts 
in which a loamy soil predominates is this, that in such 
composts vegetation proceeds with more steadiness, con¬ 
tinuity, and certainty, inasmuch as a good sound loam 
is not so suddenly affected by the caprice of seasons. 
Loam, then, heath-soil, leaf-mould, manurial matters, 
and charred materials are the essentials of the Compost- 
yard, as far as the introduction of fresh materials is con¬ 
cerned ; whilst the potting-shed should contain sphag¬ 
num, moss, guano, soot, sand, &c. 
A few brief hints on these things, separately, may prove 
interesting to the inexperienced, and I must beg to glance 
at them in order. As to loam, and the period of obtaining 
