February 0. 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
349 
encourage the sales of poultry as much as possible, to 
permit the division of the birds in each pen, so far as 
to allow of the cock, or the three hens, being sold to 
different persons. The price of the cock, and of 
the three hens, separately, must he stated on the 
certilicate of entry, in acccordauce with the instructions 
issued therewith.” 
The rules of last year, limiting the privilege of 
exhibiting to subscribers of not loss than one pound per 
annum, and the number of their pens to four, of which 
not more than two are to be in any one class, while 
exhibitors of Pigeons only may enter six pens still 
remain in force. 
The entries close November 10th, and the whole of 
the poultry must be in the show-yard on Saturday the 
8th of December; but specimens will also be received 
on Friday the 7th. 
The early appearance of this prize-list is most 
judicious on the part of the officials with whom these 
details rest. We say this, not merely on the ground to 
which allusion has been already made, of the benefit to 
all other Poultry Societies of the instruction thus afforded 
them from the most competent quarter, but also with 
respect to those who aspire to competition in the arena 
of Bingley Hall. These have nearly a year before them; 
so far, indeed, as the poultry-yard is concerned, it may 
be justly spoken of as that period in full. None of 
them, as may be gathered from the records of the past, 
can afford to rest on their oars; the energy, the skill, 
the outlay, and the perseverance that raised the 
Birmingham Exhibition of 1854 to its pitch of un¬ 
exampled excellence, will receive no check in respect of 
very many of those whose names were then distinguished. 
Among these, therefore, increased superiority in their 
specimens may fairly be anticipated, and still more 
close will be the contest, and, consequently, honourable 
the triumph. But as there were many names new to 
poultry fame in the year just gone by, so likewise will 
it probably happen in that which is now before us; such 
persons, it is true, must labour hard, and in many ways, 
to overtake those who have trod the path before them; 
but the knowledge and skill of the first is so far made 
available for the purpose of the latter, that important 
aid is thus rendered them for achieving their own 
success. 
There are none, however, who are any ways interested 
in the poultry movement, whether as breeders, or as 
exhibitors, who will not gladly render their ready tribute 
of thanks for the liberality and merit of the Birmingham 
prize-list, and do their best, as we would surely hope, for 
the attaining by our great leading Society of as well- 
merited a reward of their labours as was unanimously 
assigned them at the close of their last campaign. 
Although Mr. Sturgeon’s Sale was not brilliant this 
year, yet his 119 lots produced about T80; and this 
average of 13s. 6d. each is remunerative. The highest 
price was £3 7s. Cd. fora pullet (lot 100), and £\. 6s. 
for a cockerel. 
Mr. Pmicliard’s Sale was not so good. The highest 
prices at it were T2 12s. Cd. for a cockerel, and £2 2s. 
for a pullet. The gross amount for 130 lots was about 
TOO. 
SURFACE-DRESSING FRUIT-TREE-BORDERS. 
It surely requires no argument, in the year 1835, to 
prove that abundance of surface root-fibres are of 
greater benefit to fruit-trees, in general, than deep or tap¬ 
roots ; but it may require a reminder of the fact occa¬ 
sionally, and, perhaps, some persuasion, to induce our 
readers to persevere in encouraging the production of 
such fibrous roots. For my part, I should wish to apply 
a surface-dressing of three inches every two or three 
years, in order to facilitate the production of such 
fibres. 
In extensive gardens this will require a good deal of 
material, and persons who have not well considered the 
practice may take an off-hand notion that the procedure 
is very expensive. I can assure them, however, that it 
is not so. It must not be supposed jthat I recommend 
dung, or expensive loams, alone or mixed ; and I must 
here endeavour to show that a very moderate amount of 
those precious articles will suffice. As to organic 
matter, I have found nothing better than tree-leaves, 
especially after having been in use through a season 
for hotbeds or linings. But many persons possess not 
these, and they must remember, that what is commonly 
termed the “rubbish-heap,” which every garden contains, 
possesses materials qualified, in case of emergency, to 
take the place of first-rate composts, or materially to 
assist in augmenting the bulk required for surface¬ 
dressing fruit-trees. 
In order to work these materials up in an economic 
and useful way—these so generally-despised-materials— 
a steady view of the end desired must be kept in the 
mind. To enlarge on this collateral portion of the 
subject in view would be to weaken the case I have in 
hand. I, therefore, return to it, promising some day to 
handle the rubbish-yard in a practical way, and with 
reference to the various objects to which it is adapted. 
The importance, then, of surface-dressings to fruit- 
trees has, in my opinion, in the majority of cases, 
whether in this country or others, been much under¬ 
valued. And if I should prove correct, how much more 
necessary, surely, must it be in the more dry and 
bright climates of France, Belgium, and other countries 
of hotter summers than in Britain? 
It must not be supposed that to what are called 
shallow soils alone it may be beneficial; if such a soil 
require additional surface-roots in order to impart vigour 
to the tree, the tree in deep soils, especially if these 
soils are any way stagnant or sour, is equally benefited 
in moist periods, or what are termed bad seasons, by 
having a net-work of fibres near the surface to revel and 
delight in good pasturage, whilst the mass below is inert. 
But, if such should be the case, how are those trees 
situated which have their surface-fibres dug down by 
the spade every year, in the practice of what is termed 
“ border-digging?” 
And again, suppose that with this annual border¬ 
digging (the trees we will suppose Pears), that summer- 
pruning was neglected, and that the trees were in the 
most ungardening-like confusion until about the middle 
of August. Who would expect crops of Pears on such 
trees ? They might have highly well-sounding titles, on 
expensive labels; they might be on Quince, or some 
other stock ; and, to wind up, they might be bought of 
Mons. de Jonghe. 
I saw, lately, in a contemporary paper, the following 
challenge, which seems rather hard for poor old Bull, 
coming^ too, from the pen of a foreigner; it ran 
