178 THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY ( 
silver sand. A good drainage must also be secured, 
and the plant fixed firmly in the situation it is to re¬ 
main in. It likes a free supply of water overhead 
through the summer mouths, but to be withheld as 
winter approaches; and it must be ripened off to stand 
through that season. The above-particularised compost 
and directions will be suitable either for pot-culture 
or for cultivation on rockwork, where it will bear 
moderate exposure to the sun ; but, as with the P. 
alpestre, a thoroughly good drainage and a free supply 
of water will be necessary; the water, of course, not 
to be used while the sun is shining upon it. It thrives 
remarkably well in a greenhouse, and may be easily 
propagated by division. 
The Annual Show of the Smithfield Club was held 
during the past week at the Baker Street Bazaar as 
usual. The entries were more numerous than last year, 
and altogether the Show was better than it has been for 
some seasons past. It is not within our province to 
describe or criticise the qualities of the animals which 
were exhibited; but we may be allowed to observe, in 
passing, that they presented au appearance much more 
comfortable to themselves, and less disgusting to the 
feelings of spectators, than they were wont to do some 
years ago, when excellence seemed to consist in the 
quantity of fat and purulent excrescences with which 
they were covered. The few observations which shall 
now engage our attention are gathered from the vege¬ 
table productions, which formed not the least interesting 
portion of the Show. It is pleasing to observe the 
improvement which has also taken place in this depart¬ 
ment. Some years ago the subjects exhibited in this 
class were very limited, and confined chiefly to one or 
two exhibitors, who contented themselves with pro¬ 
ducing a few specimens of Turnips or Mangold Wurtzel, 
remarkable for nothing but their monstrosity, and which, 
like the monstrosities of the animals, were more curious 
than useful. 
Messrs. Peter Lawson and Sons, of Edinburgh, and 
Great George Street, Westminster, the Queen’s seeds¬ 
men, had a stand, which covered a large space, and 
which was remarkable for the variety of interest and 
the amount of instruction which it furnished. We were 
pleased to see that a total disregard had been paid to 
catering for vulgar curiosity, and hence there were no 
monstrous “ Swedes’’ or gigantic “ Mangels.” Ranged 
along the upper tier of the stand were specimens of the 
most important Cereal Plants, such as Wheats, Barley, 
and Oats, exhibiting the length and quality of the straw, 
and the size and colour of the ear. In the second tier 
we found examples of the Grasses best adapted for the 
formation of permanent pasture, each being represented 
by a plant which had attained its full growth, and con¬ 
veying the most perfect idea of the amount of herbage 
''vnich it is capable of producing. On the table were 
arranged large samnles of the Cereal grains, some of 
wjnoh were remarkable for their Hue quality, and among 
winch wo noted the White Swan Wheat, weighing 60 lbs. 
P e . r . ‘■Nrel; a very fine white Wheat; and a red variety, 
called fyakUap's PeoU/bo, weighing 133 lbs, per bushel. 
ENTLEMAN'S COMPANION, December 10, 1850. 
Among Oats the most remarkable were the Provi¬ 
dence Oat, which weighed 45^ lbs. per bushel; and 
among Barley, the Chevalier, weighing 00 lbs. But 
that which formed the most important, and certainly most 
valuable, portion of this collection was the Turnips. 
As we have already stated, they had not been selected 
for their size; their great value consisted in the im¬ 
portant practical results which had been arrived at in 
their cultivation, furnishing data which every practical 
agriculturist would do well to make himself acquainted 
with. To each variety a label was attached, stating 
the quantity of produce per acre, and the specific gravity 
of the flesh; and as it will no doubt be important to our 
readers to become acquainted with these facts, we have 
pleasure in recording them in full, beginning with those 
which exhibit the greatest specific gravity, believing, as 
we do, that therein consists their real value as an article 
of food. 
From the above it will be observed that in Turnips 
the produce per acre varies from twelve to thirty-one 
tons, and that the specific gravity ranges from - G85 to 
•893. We believe that the greater the specific gravity 
of any Turnip, so in proportion is it rich in nutritive 
principle; and where a Turnip can be found of great 
specific gravity, which shall produce a greater or even an 
equal weight per acre to any other variety whose specific 
gravity is less, so much more valuable is it as au article 
of food over every other variety by the amount of its 
specific gravity; and thus we come to the conclusion, 
that the Tweedale Purple-top is a more valuable 
Turnip by ’040 than Dale’s Hybrid, even making an 
allowance of "020 for the additional ton per aero, which 
Dale's Hybrid is represented to produce. 
TTTT?ISJTPS* WEIGHT PER 
SPECIFIC 
Tweedale Purple top. 
ACRE. 
;jo 
tons 
GRAVITY. 
Aberdeen Purple-top .... 
28 
•831 
Dale's Hybrid. 
31 
•821 
Altringham Yellow . 
24 
•821 
Aberdeen Green top. 
20 
•814 
Yellow Stone. 
25 
•814 
Yellow Malta. 
23* 
•814 
Tweedale Green-top . 
20 
•811 
Grey Stone... 
28 
•803 
Skirving's Purple-top .... 
27j 
•802 
Petrosolvooslc. 
14 
•801 
Green Globe . 
27 
•789 
Olenitz Purple . 
12 
•787 
Lettuce-leaved White Dutch 
14* 
•782 
Green Norfolk . 
25 
•772 
White Globe . 
23 
•702 
Finland Early. 
18 
•701 
Green-top White Stone — .. 
22 
•758 
Waite’s Eclipse. 
27 
•752 
Cambridgeshire Yellow 
Tankard . 
20 
•738 
Early Yellow Dutch. 
134 
•732 
White Tankard. 
24 
•729 
Red Tankard ..••••. 
241 
•720 
Common White Dutch .... 
18 
•721 
Early White Stone. 
21i 
•714 
Pink-top White Dutch .... 
14-1 
•714 
Orange Jelly . 
19 
» 
•085 
At the stand of Messrs. Sutton and Sons, of Reading, 
there were many fine specimens of Turnips, Mangold 
Wurtzel, Carrots, and other field roots. Excellent speci¬ 
mens were exhibited of Sutton's Champion Swede, which 
were stated to produce 24tons 5cwt. Bibs, per acre. 1 
Among the collection we observed some largo aud hand¬ 
some roots of the Improved White Swede, a variety 
which deserves to be extensively known for the desirable 
property it possesses of greater rapidity of growth than 
the other Swedes. The seed from which these specimens 
were grown was sown on the 8th of July, and, notwith¬ 
standing what is considered this out-of*seasou time for 
sowing Swedes, the roots were as fine as could be de- 
