October 17. 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
45 
better, as it would encourage the downward tendency 
of roots, and when once there, they would, possibly, be 
induced to remain there, and, what is equally important, 
benefit by their being so, because, being so much more 
deeply-rooted in the ground, they are not so likely to 
suffer from any continued dry weather as they would 
do if confined to the top; and although much may be 
said against fruit-trees and other things rooting into 
an ungenial soil, yet it is seldom that they take harm 
by rooting into one of a dry nature; in fact, they are 
often driven there by being denied sufficient nourish¬ 
ment nearer the surface ; and, consequently, their want 
of vigour, or even of health, is more owing to the want 
of food than thi’ough being supplied with that of an 
improper kind. Now, in order to remedy this state of 
tilings, deeper cidtivation, as alluded to above, must be 
attained; and this can only be accomplished by break¬ 
ing up the hard and all but impenetrable bottom in 
such a way as to admit the roots of trees, &c., descend- 1 
ing lower for support; and it is surprising how deep 
certain trees will send their roots even in soils that have j 
not been disturbed, only the substratum must be con- j 
sidered congenial to them. 
Having occasion, some little time ago, to excavate 
some ground where the common Laurel and some few 
small deciduous trees were growing, there were roots in 
an active state quite three feet below the surface, and i 
that in hard, stony ground; only, be it remembered, 
the stoue was probably the principal inducement for I 
their descending so low, for the finer matter seemed 
anything hut inviting, and the roots clung to the stone [ 
with a tenacity that showed it possessed a something ! 
that they relished. Stones, of course, are an essential 
i portion of most compounds, and where they exist in 
great abundance, much harm would be done by taking 
any great quantity away. This has been severely felt 
in some neighbourhoods where the fields have been 
stripped to furnish road-stones: great deterioration is 
the consequence, for even a hard flint stone on a 
j ploughed iiold has its duties to fulfil; and though, to a j 
cursory observer, the field might appear to be better 1 
without it, yet such is not the case. It is, therefore, ! 
incumbent on the cultivator of the garden to act very j 
carefully in what he removes; and the safest rule 
would be to add as much as possible and abstract as 
little, for even weeds, and decayed, or half-decayed 
substances of any kind might be very beneficially dug j 
into the ground, especially into the subsoil, taking care 
not to allow any perennial weeds to lie so near the 1 
surface as to render their growing likely. Things in 
, a decaying condition can do no harm, but the treatment 
proper for a living one being somewhat different, I will 
return to that next week. J. Robson. 
MANURING FOR IMMEDIATE USE. 
In Mr. Errington’s recent article on “Manures, their ; 
Use and Abuse,” be is perfectly correct in stating, that 
it is not always neceseary to manure for our posterity, or for 
our expectant successors. I know an instance where a 
working man rented a small piece of garden-land, under 
conditions that he should quit, on a short notice, if it was 
wanted for building purposes. His plan was to clean the 
land well, and to keep it free from weeds, and to burn all 
the rubbish he could collect or beg, and to preserve the 
ashes. It was situated near a stable, and some pigstyes, 
and brewhouse sinks, the sock and soap-suds from which, 
he turned down a sough into a hole, which he had puddled 
round with clay, and made tolerably watertight without much 
expense. Into this tank he put his burnt ashes, and also saw¬ 
dust collected from an adjacent timber-yard and saw-pit, and 
now and then some soot, and the sweepings of a blacksmith’s 
shop, and the like. Having steeped this mixture for some 
weeks in the liquids, he mixed it before use with a little sand, 
to render it dry and friable; and then he sowed it in shallow 
drills or furrows, with a long, narrow box made of two rough 
boards, nailed together, about six inches wide, and three feet 
long, with a little iron latticing nailed at the bottom ; in fact, 
an elongated riddle, the width of the drill or furrow; and 
immediately upon this manuring he laid his seeds and 
plants. By this means he insured a fair start for his little 
crops, and they throve admirably; and I think better than 
if the land had been saturated and rendered more rank by 
stronger and deeper placed manures. 
The working man of whom I speak, with his little garden, 
practised the very thing that Mr. Errington most valuably 
suggests to the extensive readers of The Cottage Gardener. 
—A Worcestershire Man. 
THE DORSETSHIRE POULTRY IMPROVEMENT 
ASSOCIATION. 
This Exhibition was held on the 27th and 28th of Sep¬ 
tember, and proved a very interesting and well-conducted 
one, but when we state the immediate arrangements were 
made under the experienced and practical eye of the Mayor 
of Dorchester, George Andrews, Esq., the honorary secretary, 
it alone is a sufficient guarantee for the regularity and com¬ 
pleteness of every portion of the appointments. The show 
was held in the Market Hall, and, from the arrangement of 
the competing pens, the same amount of light and comfort 
were equally enjoyed by all the specimens; and though this 
feature is generally but too little considered, it is a plan that 
alone not unfrequently tends, in no slight degree, to the 
fairness and justice of decision in the prizes. It will be 
seen, by reference to the prize list (which we append), that 
several valuable pieces of plate were here awarded, being 
the gifts of surrounding gentry ; a feature very highly cal¬ 
culated both to increase the competition and likewise the 
interest of the public generally in the Exhibition. But we 
cannot help here suggesting what to us appears in this de¬ 
partment a most manifest improvement, for (as published) 
these prizes were to be given to two different varieties of 
poultry exhibited by each competitor; therefore, the 
almost universal result was, that the two pens, taken con¬ 
jointly, proved one that was most excellent, and the other 
as far removed from superiority ; we therefore suggest, that 
it is decidedly best to allow every class to compete separately ; 
such plan, if pursued, tending, undoubtedly, to the perfect 
fairness and easy justification of the awards ; whereas, if 
various varieties contest for the same premium, the diffi¬ 
culties ever attendant on such decisions will be infinitely 
increased. The Cochins were good, hut not equal to those 
of most of the former Dorset exhibitions (and for which the 
county has been generally reputed), consequently, several 
prizes were withheld. The Dorkings, contrariwise, were 
most excellent, those of Mr. Eobt. Loder, of Crawley, 
Sussex (Pen 88), both as to general character and colour, 
have rarely been excelled (their colour being a beautiful 
light grey), and the matching of the birds perfection. The 
judges very highly extolled the whole class of this variety, 
and, no doubt, they were the most perfect in the whole 
Exhibition. The Spanish were good, but sadly moulting; 
no variety exhibiting to less advantage when out of plum¬ 
age. In the Game classes (as usual), many most excellent 
pens lost every chance of success from want of attention in 
the selection of the birds competing ; white, willow, green, 
and yellow legs, all being placed haphazard together in the 
same pen; a failing we have again and again energetically 
pointed out as certain to produce failure of success. The 
Hamburyhs were very good throughout the whole classes ; the 
white ear-lobe in the Pencilled varieties being more perfect 
than is generally noiv found to be the case; and the two 
prize Golden-pencilled pens were not a little calculated to 
raise this variety in public estimation ; they were very dis¬ 
tinctly pencilled, very clear in the ground-colour, and highly- 
conditioned birds. The Polands were not remarkable for 
perfection, nor yet for degeneracy, being of a medium 
character. No Silver-laced Bantams were exhibited, but the 
Golden-laced variety were very good. The Geese and 
Aylesbury Ducks were excellent; the Rouens indifferent. 
The Turkeys comprised many fine specimens; in the first- 
