April 14. 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
29 
plants when they come; and as luck would have it, this is 
the very last lesson in gardening that I learned myself, 
and that, too, this last season, from Mr. Fortune himself, 
the best authority in Europe for raising Tea plants. I 
would not place my own judgment under any authority of 
less standing. When he was last in China, it was for the 
very purpose of gathering Tea seeds for the East India 
Company. He collected thousands of them. Sowed them 
with his own hands before he left China, in boxes closed 
! with glass, on the Wardian principle, got them round to 
| Calcutta on the deck of a vessel, and hence to Sutledge, in the 
j north-west of India, without losing a single plant, then after 
putting the people there in the right way to rear them, he 
returned to England, and before he left here, for the third 
I time, we heard that the Tea plantations, from these very 
plants, were so promising, as to induce the Company to engage 
him to go out again to gather, sow, or plant, and get round 
as many seeds and plants as he and all his friends in China 
could procure, until so many thousand acres of the real 
China Tea plant are established on British principles of 
trade in the country of the “ Seven Rivers.” 
Now, although we can never expect to do much good by 
growing Tea plants in this country, the eager desire to 
possess a plant of such celebrity is very excusable. Nursery¬ 
men have lots of them on sale, but that is as nothing 
compared to the interest of raising the plant from seeds 
planted by one’s own hand at home, and that from a sample 
so well authenticated as that sent over by Dr. Bowring, and 
so obligingly presented to the Horticultural Society, by II. 
Winch, Esq., for distribution among the Fellows. I took a 
few of these seeds, and I shall follow up the liberal spirit 
evinced in the whole transaction, by offering one seed to any¬ 
one who sends me a stamped and addressed adhesive 
envelope, as far as they will go; on the principle of first 
come, first served; and also subjoin, here, an epitome of 
the right way to manage them, as I learned from Mr. 
Fortune’s own experience. When Mr. Fortune started from 
China, with his boxes sown with the Tea seed, the vessel 
might be said to get into a hotter and hotter climate, until 
she turned into the Bay of Bengal, and entered tire Iloogley. 
j With his close boxes, and the effect of the sun in these 
I parts, the seeds must have had something like a cucumber- 
heat culture, after the first week; and as that seemed to 
agree with them so well, as is proved by the result, we may 
rest satisfied, that a real cucumber-frame in England, free 
from the bustle of sailors, seamen, or Hindoo coolies, will 
suit them much better, and be less liable to knock-them- 
down accidents. Then, as to soil. Mr. Fortune found that 
good black garden mould suited them best; so that the top- 
spit of an old onion-bed, or any part of a clear kitchen- 
garden, is good enough to sow Tea seeds in, all the world 
over. As to watering—things that are put in these close 
boxes hardly ever require any; so that we must here fall 
back on our own pitchers, and trust to what we would do with 
the seeds of a very choice Camellia after sowing. The Tea 
seeds are nearly as large as the largest garden peas, and as 
brown as a berry, and, therefore, a good watering cannot 
hurt them much at first, nor wash them out of the pot. So 
a good watering they certainly may have, and the front, or 
south end of a hotbed is the best place for them, where, 
what with the first watering, and the dampness of the place, 
very little more water will be needed, except a slight 
sprinkling on the top, if it should appear dry. The seeds 
are to be placed, just half-an-inch deep, and three weeks, or 
at most, a month, of the hotbed culture will bring up the 
actual Tea plant before our eyes. If the bottom-heat is not 
very hot indeed, I would plunge the pot down to the rim at 
first, and the moment I saw the first move of life, I would 
take up the pot, and then place a bit of board under it, as 
very likely the tender roots would not relish being too hot 
at first. When the plants are three inches high, I would 
give them water every time the soil got dry, and keep them 
in the hotbed till the end of May, and after that in a warm 
room, of close cold-frame, for a month or so, after that they 
are safe enough where the Myrtle would do. The seed may 
also be reared in a living room, from first to last, the only 
difference is, that the plants will be longer in coming 
round.— P. Beaton, Surbiton, Surrey. 
POULTRY SHOWS. 
Newcastle, Northumberland, and Durham Society.— 
This exhibition took place in the spacious covered building, 
used as a corn-market, at Newcastle-upon-Tyne, on Wed¬ 
nesday the 30th of March last. 
In our account of the last year’s meeting of the society, 
we took occasion to express a hope that they might, with a 
little exertion, produce a show of poultry second to those 
of few local associations ; but we must confess that we did 
not expect such a result to be so very soon accomplished. 
For a beginning, the exhibition of 1852 was a very credit¬ 
able one, but it admitted of considerable improvement, and 
the society, aided by a judicious committee, and two most 
indefatigable secretaries (Mr. J. S. Challoner, of Newcastle, 
and Mr. Trotter, of Healey Mill), have certainly lost no 
time in effecting very much of what was desired. As a I 
whole, the show of which we are about to give a short j 
account, was, in every point of view, very superior to its 
predecessor, and we have only to say to this, as to many J 
kindred societies, “ go on and prosper.” 
The first class —“ Cochin-China, cock and two hens,” com- i 
prised some very nice birds, as did the other classes in j 
which this variety was shown, but we saw nothing of tran¬ 
scendent merit, and although better than those of 1852 
(with one exception), there is still room for improvement, 
which we have no doubt will soon be made. 
The Spanish classes (0, 7, and 8) were, wo thought, the 
best in the exhibition. Tlie first prize in each was de¬ 
servedly awarded to Capt. Hornby, whose birds, as usual, 
were shown in beautiful condition, but there were some 
other very nice pens of birds, and tlie whole class was 
sufficiently good to prove how much interest is taken in this 
excellent variety of fowl in this locality. 
The Dorkings were select, but not numerous. In these 
classes Capt. Hornby was again victorious, but the Mayor of 
Newcastle, and one or two others, ran him close enough to 
show that Dorkings also have their admirers in the north 
of England. 
The Game fowl were exceedingly good, and in excellent 
feather and condition; so much so, that we did not at all 
envy the judges (Mr. Travis, of York, and Mr. Bond, of 
Leeds) their task of selecting the best out of so much that 
was good. 
The Hamburgh classes were but middling. We hope 
these beautifully-feathered birds are not losing favour, as 
their more weighty, and, perhaps, more useful competitors, 
become more widely diffused among poultry fanciers. 
The Polish were represented by only three pens, and 
there were a few pens of pretty little Bantams of different 
varieties. 
A new feature was introduced, in the shape of a class for 
a “ Cock and four hens of any breed," which produced four 
pens of good fowls. The prize pen of Game especially 
being most beautiful birds. We shall not be sorry to find 
this class in future prize lists. 
There were a few pens of very good Pigeons of different 
sorts, which we should be glad to see increased in number. 
The Geese were good, but the interest in them was 
lessened, we thought, by their being shown singly. Surely 
a pair might be shown, as was the case .with Turkeys, of 
which, however, there were only two pens. 
Among the Ducks, and in the extra stock, were some 
good pens, but nothing to call for particular remark ; and at 
the last came a first and second prize, which we should like 
to see repeated at this and other shows, viz.:—“ To the 
cottager who exhibits the best lot in any of the above 
classes.” 
The whole of the details of the exhibition wore carried 
out in a manner most creditable to those to whom the 
arrangements were entrusted, and the building in which it 
was held was in every respect well calculated for the pur¬ 
pose. The day was remarkably fine, and was, moreover, a 
sort of holiday, and tlie railways ran special trains upon 
the occasion. In fact, the interest which is spreading itself, 
far and wide, in these gatherings, has already extended to 
Newcastle and the neighbourhood; and the exertions of the 
society were rewarded by an overfiowing and most respect¬ 
able company. The receipts at the doors, which exceeded 
475, will, we hope, repay their outlay, and leave them some¬ 
thing in hand towards another year’s campaign. 
