November 14. 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
125 
Gold-pencilled Hamburgh —For the best Cock and two Hens.— 
First prize, Mr. Henry Gibson, Little Saltram, Plymouth. No second 
prize. 
Silver-spangled Hamburgh. —For the best Cock and two Hens.— 
First prize, Mr. James P. Hine, Thickthorn House, near Ilminster, 
Somerset. Second prize, Mr. Thomas McCann, Graham House, Malvern. 
Golden-spangled Hamburgh.— For the best Cock and two Hens. 
—First prize, Mr. Thomas McCann, Graham House, Malvern. No 
second prize. 
Gold Poland. —For the best Cock and two Hens.—First prize, Mr. 
James Bryant, jun., Ridgeway Lodge, Plympton, Devon. 
Silver Poland. —For the best Cock and two Hens.—First prize, Mr. 
James Bryant, jun., Ridgeway, Plympton, Devon. Second prize, Mr. 
James Bickley, Plymouth Inn, Ridgeway, Plympton. 
Black Bantams. —For the best Cock and two Hens.—Prize, Lady 
„ Katherine Parker, Saltram, Plympton. 
Gold-laced Bantams. —For the best Cock and two Hens.—First 
prize, Rev. Grenville F. Hodson, Banwell, Somerset. Second prize, Mr. 
J. G. Gully, Queen-street, Exeter. 
Silver-laced Bantams. —For the best Cock and two Hens.—First 
prize, Rev. Grenville J. Hodson, Banwell, Somerset. No second prize. 
Turkeys. —For the best Cock and two Hens.—First prize, Mr. John 
R. Rodbard, Aldwick Court, Langford, near Bristol, Somerset. (American.) 
No second prize. 
Turkeys. —For the best Chicken of 1854.—First prize, Mr. John R. 
Rodbard, Aldwick Court, Langford, near Bristol. Second prize, Mr. 
John Grant, Blackawton, Totnes. 
White Aylesbury Ducks.— For the best Drake and two Ducks.— 
First prize, Mr. B. J. Ford, near Exeter. Second prize, Mr. R. E. 
Moore, Pennycomequick, Plymouth. 
Rouen Ducks. —For the best Drake and two Ducks.—First prize, 
Mr. John Marshall, Belmont, Taunton. Second prize, Mr. B. J. Ford, 
Ide, near Exeter. 
Ducks, and named Variety.— For the best Drake and two Ducks. 
—First prize, Mr. Edward Rabbige, Austin Farm, EggBuckland, Devon. 
(Common Ducks.) Second prizes, Mr. John Marshall, Belmont, Taunton. 
(Black East Indian.) Miss Selina H. Northcote, Upton Pyne, near 
Exeter. (Wild Ducks.) Highly Commended. —Mr. Edward Rabbige, 
Austin Farm, Egg Buckland, Devon. (Common Ducks.) 
Any named Variety. —Equal prizes.—Mr. John Marshall, Belmont, 
Taunton, Somerset. (Brahma Pootra.) Mr. Richard Branwell, solicitor, 
Holsworthy, Devon. (White Cochin-China Chicken.) Prize, Mr. W. 
Hunt, Stonehouse, Devon. (Ptarmigan or Turkey Fowls.) Commended. 
Mr. Richard Banwell, solicitor, Holsworthy, Devon. (White Cochin- 
China.) 
Carriers. —For the best pair of Birds.—Equal prizes, Mr. John 
Chalker, Catherine-street, Plymouth, Devon, and Mr. W. Greenwood, 
Fore-street, Devonport, Devon. 
For the best Bird. —Mr. John Chalker, Catherine-street, Plymouth. 
Almond Tumblers. —For the best pair of Bird.—Mr. W. Green¬ 
wood, Fore-street, Devonport. 
Fantails.— For the best Pair.—Equal prizes, Mr. John Marshall, 
Belmont, Taunton, Somerset; and Miss Selina H. Northcote, Upton 
Pyne, near Exeter. Commended. —Mr. Thos. Michelmore, junr., Berry, 
Totnes, Devon; and Rev. Grenville F. Hodson, Banwell, Somerset. 
Jacobines. —For the best pair of Birds.—First prize, Mr. Chas. 
Bluett, Taunton. Commended.— Miss Selina H. Northcote, Upton 
Pyne, near Exeter, Devon; and Mr. Charles Richard Titterton, Snow 
Hill, Birmingham. 
Pouters. —For the best pair of Birds.—First prize, Mr. Charles 
Bluett, Taunton. Commended. —Mr. Charles Richard Titterton, Snow 
Hill, Birmingham. 
Trumpeters. —For the best pair of Birds.—First prize, Rev. G. F. 
Hodson, Banwell, Somerset. Commended.— Mr. Francis F. Bultecl, 
solicitor, Plymouth; and Mr. Charles Richard Titterton, Snow Hill, 
Birmingham. 
Runts.— For the best pair of Birds.—Mr. Charles Bluett, Taunton, 
Somerset. 
Barbs.— For the best pair of Birds.—First prize, Mr. Henry Adney, 
Lympstone, Devon. Commended. —Mr. C. Bluett, Taunton, Somerset. 
Owls.— Commended.— Mr. C. R. Titterton, Snow Hill, Birmingham. 
Turbits.— For the best Pair.—First prize, Mr. C. Bluett, Taunton. 
Highly Commended.— Mr. C. R. Titterton, Snow Hill, Birmingham. 
Pigeons of any named Variety.— Equal prizes, Miss Selina H. 
Northcote, Upton Pyne, near Exeter, Devon. (Magpies.) Rev. G. F. 
Hodson, Banwell, Somerset. (White Dragoons.) Highly Commended. 
—Mr. C. R. Titterton, Snow Hill, Birmingham, (Porcelain.) Com¬ 
mended.—Mr. H. Adney, Lympstone, Devon. (Archangels.) 
THE POULTRY MEDAL. 
Gentle Reader! didst thou ever see a silver poultry 
medal? If so, thou art more fortunate than many honorary 
secretaries I knew, and committee-men by the score; also 
hundreds of breeders of capital prize poultry, who, to this 
day, are in blissful ignorance that such rara oves are in 
existence. • 
Being in my own person an exhibitor of some years 
standing, and it having been my good fortune to obtain a fair 
share of first-class prizes, it is my invariable custom to claim 
medals from those societies which can award them, in I 
preference to the current coin of the realm, which would i 
soon slip through my fingers, and vanish— 
“ Like the baseless fabric of a vision 
And leave not a wreck behind.” 
Medals, large and small, granted by the Birmingham 
Society,—venerable mother of all poultry shows,—are well 
known, and anxiously sought after by successful exhibitors; 
for to possess a pen of birds which has taken honours in 
that arena, where competition is so severe, through the best 
poultry in the kingdom being sent to contend for prizes, is 
something to be proud of. Hence the high estimation in 
which a Birmingham prize-medal is held. 
The practice of giving poultry medals is now adoptedby some 
other societies, but is not so generally known as it ought to be. 
I wish the uninitiated to understand it is ever optional with 
them to take their prize in money or a medal; also, that 
some societies now give bronze medals for second class 
prizes. Many exhibitors like to possess these remembrances 
or trophies of their success, whereon is engraven a name, 
which, with other family honours, may, perchance, be handed 
down to posterity, and placed side by side with future medals 
of Alma and Sebastopol. 
Most poultry medals are neat works of art, being got up 
with considerable taste and skill. The shape resembles a 
watch of the larger size; in general, the obverse consists of a 
splendid group of prize poultry in frosted silver; on the 
reverse, is a wreath of .varied design, for each society adopts 
a different one to make the greater variety in appearance, 
agreeable to the expressed desire of many collector of poultry 
medals. Thus, Taunton shows a circle of Oak-leaves; Devon 
and Cornwall has a beautiful entwinement of leaves from the 
Bay, with its fruit; and Wellington (Somerset), that town 
the Duke loved to honour by taking its name, has a pleasing 
spray of ears of corn. Around the wreath is cast, in bold 
relief, the name of each society, with the year of its being 
established; and, as aforesaid, the inner space is left plain 
for the owner’s name to be engraven, and the variety of 
poultry which gained the prize; a glass covers both sides to 
protect the delicate work from injury, and thus the medal is 
presented entire in a neat morocco case. 
In bringing forward the subject of poultry medals for 
the first time in the columns of The Cottage Gardener, I 
hope it may lead to a better acquaintance with them, if not 
to their more general adoption ; being convinced, that the 
more they are circulated, the more it is to the advantage of 
all poultry exhibitions.— Eight. 
HALF-HARDY ANNUALS. 
The following are a few of the Half-hardy Annuals that 
are free-growers, free-bloomers, and continue to grow and 
flower up to the end of the autumn. 
Since the days of Douglas, and others, our seedsmen are 
enabled to put into our hands long lists of these very 
pleasing plants for us to select from, and in some of these 
lists the sorts are marked whether hardy, half hardy, or 
tender | and also the heights and colours of the flower are 
stated. All this is just as it should be; and some of our 
seedsmen mention in their lists even which are the proper 
months for sowing each species. Notwithstanding, many 
over-anxious amateurs will be busying themselves in sowing 
annuals in pans, pots, or boxes, without either being guided 
by their seedsman’s list, or their own books—cramming 
their frames, their pits, and the platforms in their little 
greenhouse with such unsightly things that never need j 
occupy these structures at all. 
To warn our readers against this, we will observe, there 
are two main seed-sowing seasons with us gardeners, namely, 
spring and autumn; but in the case of annuals, say the months 
of April and August are generally the best. The August sow- I 
ing to produce plants for early spring and summer bloom ; 
and the April sowing for late summer and autumn blooming. 
Now, I scarcely know of a hardy annual but what will stand 
the inclemency of our winters as well as a Turnip, and very 
many of these might be raised from no other than self-sown 
plants, to be transplanted with the dibble, or trowel, in the 
