488 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
September 22. ■ 
and comment, more especially, as before judgment was pro¬ 
nounced everybody who chose to try was in possession of 
a catalogue. 
We would recommend greater punctuality, and more 
attention to these matters, in next year’s show, and would 
suggest, whether such a Society as the Manchester and 
Liverpool, holding its meetings in a country so wealthy, and 
where the love of poultry so strongly exists, might not well 
afford to offer better prizes than a paltry sum of 10s. for 
the best pair of chickens, as well as generally to enlarge 
their prize list. That the offer of poultry prizes has already 
done good, is evident from the great improvement in the 
poultry shown now, compared with what was exhibited in 
1852 . “ 
The prizes in the classes for adult Dorkings and Spanish, 
j fell, as usual, to Capt. Hornby. The former, as a class, 
j were remarkably good, worthy even of London or Birming¬ 
ham. The latter were badly represented, except by the 
winning birds. Of the Shnnghacs we cannot speak with 
praise, nor, indeed, of the JIamhurghs, with the exception 
of the Silver-laced, which class was well represented. 
The same may generally bo said of the Geese and Duels, 
old and young. The geese exhibited by Mrs. Townlcy 
Parker possessed great merit. 
The young poultry were good, but especially the Cochin- 
China chickens. 
In the extra stock we observed some very good Black 
Bantams belonging to Mr. Gilbert Moss, which we think we 
saw in December, at Birmingham; and for premium 73, a 
very good pen of Silver-laced Bantams, belonging to Capt. 
Hornby, to whom was also awarded the Society’s Medal for 
“ the best pen of poultry exhibited." 
The judges were Mr. Machin, of Trentham, and I\Ir. 
Green, of Longton, Staffordshire. 
Premium 64.—Seven claimants. For the best white, speckled, or grey 
Dorking, Captain W. W. Hornby, Knowslev Cottage, near Prescot. 
Premium 65.—Three claimants. For the best Spanish, Captain W. | 
W. Hornby, Knowsley Cottage, near Prcscot. 
Premium 66.—Five claimants. For the best Game Fowl, Mr. E. 
Alison, jun., Park Hall, near Chorley. 
Premium 67.—Five claimants. For the best Cochin-China, Mr. T. i 
Leah, Golborne Park, Newton, near Warrington. 
Premium 68.—Two claimants. For the best Golden-pencilled Ham- j 
burgh, Capt. W. W. Hornby, Knowsley Cottage, near Prescot, 
Premium 69.—Five claimants. For the best Silver-pencilled Ham¬ 
burgh, Mr. J. Taylor, Halshaw Moor, Kcarsley, near Bolton. 
Premium 70.—Four claimants. For the best Gold-spangled Ham- j 
burgh, Mr. G. Fell, Warrington. 
Premium 72.—Two claimants. For the best Poland, Capt. W. W. 
Hornby, Knowsley Cottage, near Prescot. 
Premium 75.—Three claimants. For the best of any other breed or 
cross, Capt. W. W. Hornby, Knowsley Cottage, near Prescot. 
GEESE. 
Premium 74.—Three claimants. For the best Geese, Mr. T. T. 
Parker, Astley Hall, Chorley. 
DUCKS. 
Premium 75-—Five claimants. For the best Aylesbury, Mr. H. 
Worrall, Knotty-ash House, near Liverpool. 
Premium 76.—Three claimants. For the best Rouen, Mr. H. Worrall, 
Knotty-ash House, Liverpool. 
Premium 77- —Five claimants, For the best of uny other variety, j 
Mr. H.^U'orrall, Knotty-ash House, near Liverpool. 
TURKEYS. 
Premium 78-—Two claimants. For the best Turkeys, Mr. E. W. 
Wilmot, Hulme, Wal6eld, near Congleton. 
YOUNG POULTRY. 
Premium 79.—Four claimants. For the best four Goslings, Mrs. T. ; 
T. Parker, Astley Hall, Chorley. 
Premium 80.—Five claimants. For the best four Ducklings, Mr. II, 
Worrall, Knotty-ash House, near Liverpool. 
Premium 81.—Eleven claimants. For the best four Chickens (one j 
cockerel and three pullets), of the Dorking breed, Mr. E. Lister, 
Cussin Lodge, Over. 
Premium 82.—-Four claimants. For the best four chickens (one 
cockerel and three pullets) of the Spanish breed, Captain W. W. 
Hornby, Knowsley Cottage, rear Prescot. 
Premium 83.—Seventeen claimants. For the best four chickens (one 
cockerel and three pullets) of the Cochin-China breed, Captain W. W. 
Hornby, Knowsley Cottage, near Prescot. 
Premium 84.— Five claimants. For the best four chickens (one 
cockerel and three pullets) of the Bolton Grey breed, Mr. E. Alison, 
jun., (right to prize disputed,) Park Hall, near Chorley. 
1 Premium 85.—For the best pen of poultry in the show, the Society’s 
Silver Medal, Capt. Hornby. 
A PLEA FOR HERBACEOUS PLANTS. 
I observed, in The Cottage Gardener, a few weeks 
since, some remarks, by Mr. Appleby, upon the grounds and 
gardens of Mrs. Bentley, of Wooddlesford House (Esholt 
House), which place I laid out some years ago. One point, 
in particular, in his remarks, reminds me of what I have long 
thought an error, and one which, in my opinion, is becoming 
far too fashionable—I mean the “ bedding-out system.” I 
quite agree with the high eulogium which Mr. Appleby has 
passed upon the display of certain beds of flowers in these 
grounds, for which great credit is due to Mr. Pearson, the 
flower-gardener. These, I have more than once, taken 
occasion to compliment him upon ; and, therefore, I do not 
wish it to be understood that I disapprove of the “ bedding- 
out,” or group system; for, to a certain extent, I quite 
approve of it, and think the introduction of masses and 
groups of Geraniums, monthly or other perpetual Proses, 
Petunias, &c., drc., here and there, in a flower-garden, indis¬ 
pensable for producing a breadth of bright colour, and 
giving force and variety to the scene ; hut what I am anxious 
to caution the floricultural world against, is, the encourage¬ 
ment of the bedding system to the almost total exclusion 
of herbaceous or border-flowers. It is a lamentable fact, 
that numbers of our most lovely and beautiful border- 
flowers are neglected, though such flowers would well hear 
inspection, and produce both interest and admiration at 
every step, were they more freely and properly introduced. 
Now, having had opportunities of knowing Mr. Appleby’s 
good taste and general knowledge, not only in tropical, but 
also^n herbaceous plants, I am induced to hope he will take 
the subject up, and try to produce, or rather revive, a taste 
for the cultivation of hardy flowers of general interest, by 
giving us a paper, now and then, on their management, with 
the names of a few of the most pleasing kinds, in The 
Cottage Gardener, and thus be a means of preventing 
the dress of our flower-gardens from being confined to a 
few dozens of showy varieties of flowers, to the total omis¬ 
sion of others of equal interest, and with even stronger 
claims to our admiration.— Joshua Major, Knosthorpe , near 
Leeds. 
GREY SHANGIIAES. 
In Mr. Jones’s reply to my letter, the material facts are 
not questioned, hut he states, Mr. Griggs 11 sold ” the grey 
cock to Turner, at a fair price, and he was not given in 
exchange for his services. In my letter to you, I simply 
expressed a belief on this subject; and, as the price was so 
small, it was scarcely worth while to disturb the position I 
had assigned to Mr. Griggs; for, if a gentleman had 
allowed so poor a man to work, or took his roots and 
flowers in return for the bird, instead of receiving so small 
a sum in money, I take it, the matter would have stood no 
less favourably, as Turner was a labouring gardener, with 
a wife, and six little children. 
All the lots enumerated by Mr. Jones, as being sold by 
Mr. Stevens, at prices varying from 10s. to 14s., were not so. 
As lie is so regular an attendant at the sale-room, he cannot 
surely have failed to observe, that all the lots are supposed 
to he knocked down at some price; hut he should remember, 
that in many cases (as in those alluded to) an imaginary 
bidding only, emanating with the auctioneer, or a friend of 
the seller, is made without any bona-fide offer at all. The 
10s., then, must have been the reserved price; and, after 
deducting expenses, if they actually were sold, the clear 
residue for the owner of the birds, could not have exceeded 
7s. Od. each. 
If the Brahma Poutras, instead of being the extraor¬ 
dinary new American breed, so much vaunted as possessing 
such rare merits, are allowed by their owners to he no more 
than Grey Slmnghaes, no one does, or ever will, dispute it. 
I simply addressed those few remarks to you, to shew that 
they were not only not a new and distinct bird as averred, 
hut, in fact, not even a novelty; and that the colour, on 
which a main argument rested in favour of their being a 
new breed, was obtained as pure and distinct out of huff, or 
other coloured parents, as from grey. It is worse than idle to 
pretend that they possess merits to which they are not en- 
