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JOUBNAL OF HORTICULTUBE AND COTTAGE OAEDENER. 



September 12, 1867. 



pings of the lambkins, and the sweet music of the birds. But 

 now how often all is changed ! the Spirit of Melancholy too 

 often broods over the scene. The decaying, rotting Pea-haulm, 

 the diseased Potato tops — (sad matter fortlie cottage gardener) — 

 taint the atmosphere ; the winter greens struggle against weeds ; 

 the paths so trim in April and Jlay are scarcely passable in 

 September ; and flowers once so nicely tended are left to the 

 rongh will of wind and rains, and, therefore, become repulsive 

 instead of attractive. Excuses can, no doubt, be made ; the 

 head of the house, if an agriculturist, has, most likely, to work 

 long hours to receive the extra money which helps to meet the 

 rent-day, and he can do little in his garden ; but children and 

 helpmate might do something to keep down the weeds, which 

 even in the pathway must be sadly in the way of the most 

 modest crinoline. In harvest-time long hours can scarcely be 

 avoided ; but without interfering at all in these matters, be- 

 lieving that it is always the best when the employer audi em- 

 ployed stand alone, with full powers on both sides to settle 

 their own affairs, we may yet state our opinion, that for any 

 continuance, long hours — we mean beyond from six to six — are 

 a mistake, and will ultimately be no profit either to employed 1 

 or employer. These long hours at present are a great draw- 

 back to the neatness of the cottage gardens of those engaged in 

 agriculture. There is, however, something almost looked upon 

 as a matter of course — that gardens should be left to themselves I 

 in the autumn, which is a great mistake, as a month or six 

 weeks of neglect will lay up a storehouse of seed weeds for a | 

 number of years to come. The labourer has not even here ! 

 himself wholly to blame. The farmer and the gentleman, un- 

 intentionally of course, help to increase the burden. We lately 

 saw what was a pretty garden in 3fay and June, overrun not 

 so much with common weeds as with the common Thistle 

 and the Sow Thistle, and the poor man said, " What can I do? 

 .Tust look over that ere hedge;" and there were hundreds, if 

 not thousands, of Thistles scattering their winged seeds, which 

 might find no lodging-place on the sward, but would sow them- 

 selves liberally in tne soft ground of our neighbours' gardens. 

 It does surprise us that with all our improvements in agri- 

 culture, the great expense put out for artificial manures, the 

 improved implements for cleaning the land from weeds, there 

 should be such preserves in meadows, pastures, and hedge- 

 rows for insuring plenty of weeds in future for garden and 

 field. 



The chief circumstances, however, against trim gardens be- 

 longing to the agricultural classes in autumn is — first, the long 

 hours of labour; and secondly, the similarity of the work in 

 the garden to that in which they have been employed during 

 the day. In such a case there is nothing of what may be 

 called ■' rest in labour," which follows from a mere change of 

 occupation and among fresh and different scenes. No wonder, 

 then, that the garden of the mechanic and the artisan so often 

 excels in cropping and in keeping the garden either of the agri- 

 cultural or the gardening labourer. There is always the 

 stimulus of feeling that we are working entirely for our own 

 benefit, and not, as is generally the ease, for the benefit of 

 others as well as ourselves ; for the true policy is whilst selfish- 

 ness exists to appeal even to that selfishness, just as those 

 regulations and laws that secure the best interests of all are 

 better every way than the promptings of benevolence, which 

 can look only on isolated cases. But beyond the stimulus of 

 self-interest there is wanting in the case of farm labourers 

 the stimulus that comes from a change of labour— such a 

 stimulus as the carpenter, the bricklayer, the shoemaker, and 

 the weaver experience, when leaving their usual work they 

 can go for an hour or two into their garden. In their case 

 the change of work is a sort of rest, gives them a peculiar 

 pleasure, and, therefore, we may expect that at all times, and 

 especially in the autumn, their gardens will be well tended. 

 This matter should be kept in view in judging gardens and 

 allotments. 



_ It grieves us to learn that in most cottage gardens in this 

 district the Potato crojt that loo'jcd so promising has turned 

 out a next-to-complete f.iilure. Tije loss of so much food is a 

 sad -natter to the family of I he cottager. Nothing can make 

 up kir the want of the Potuti.; but in future, prudence would 

 say. Let more Parsnips, Carrots, Turnips, and Onions be grown, 

 and at present fill as mucli ground as possible with Winter 

 Greens and Cabbages, which will come in in winter and spring. 

 It will take a large basket of the latter to make a good dish 

 when boiled ; but they are bettor than nothing, and for men 

 who can stand them, and have to take a cold dinner in the 

 fields, a good-sized Onion or two will ahke give stimulus and 



strength, and the aroma that might not be over-pleasant in 

 a close parlour, will give no offence in the free, open atmo- 

 sphere. 



New Mode of Getting Pear Wells. — The other evening 

 we met with a young pushing scientific farmer, who had wit- 

 nessed this new mode of pumping up water in the east end of 

 London, the invention of, and patented by, an American gentle- 

 man. The invention is applicable tt any place where the 

 water is at no greater distance from the surface than can be 

 acted on by the weight of the atmosphere in a common pump. 

 The tubes used are about 12 feet in length ; but one and 

 another can be added as required. Our friend gave us a par- 

 ticular account of the simple apparatus used, and was very 

 sanguine as to its use in many parts of a farm at a distance 

 from water, and where water was to be found near enough the 

 surface, as the pipe or well is easily lifted when deemed neces- 

 sary. In the case he witnessed, water from a depth of 24 feet 

 was obtained in about three-quarters of an hour. The matter 

 is noticed in the Pull Mall Gazette of the 7th of September, 

 from which we take the following extract for the benefit of all 

 concerned : — 



" The inventor accompanied the Northern army during the 

 late American war, and was instrumental in procuring by his 

 method an unfailing supply of water for the troops. The well 

 consists of an iron pipe 1} inch in diameter, and about 12 feet 

 long, pointed at one end, and perforated with holes for about 

 16 inches from the pointed end. A moveable iron clamp is 

 fitted round the pipe, and on the principle of pile-driving a 

 56 lb. hollow weight is raised and allowed to drop upon the 

 clamp, and thus the pipe is driven into the ground." (Our 

 friend states that a simple plummet is dropped into the tube 

 to ascertain when water is reached, and, as stated above, if one 

 tube is not enough a second or third is added, and when the 

 moisture is found the pump is fixed on the tube.) We now 

 add from the Pall Mall: — "The earth, sand, itc, that first 

 enters into the pipe through the holes is pumped out. and then 

 the larger pebbles, &c., form a natural filter around it. A well 

 formed thus receives no surface-drainage, and the water 

 yielded from it is always cool and fresh. No dirt is made in 

 sinking the well, no accident is possible from foul air, or falling 

 in of the sides, and the cost of sinking a well 15 feet deep is 

 but £5. If rock is encountered in sinking, the operation is 

 more tedious and expensive. A few days since a number of 

 gentlemen assembled upon the cricket ground. Old Trafford, 

 Manchester, to witness the sinking of one of these wells. 

 ; Water was reached in five minutes from the commencement of 

 j the work, and in twenty-two minutes a depth of 10 feet had 

 [ been pierced, the pump had been fitted to the top of the well 

 (or tube), and a good flow of water had been obtained." Our 

 friend told us that when the point of the tube was obstructed 

 by a large boulder it was often best to begin again at a short 

 distance. After the pumping out of the sand and earth the 

 water came muddy at first, but soon came quite clear and 

 fresh. We know no end of cases where water is plentiful at 

 common pump distance from the surface, and where the well 

 is always when made a fruitful cause of worry and danger, 

 especially in the case of children. This new invention in all 

 such cases would be both economical and safe — no tumbling 

 into the well. 



FRUIT GARDEN. 



Here the chief work has been looking after what was ripe, 

 and protecting from and trapping natural enemies. Our 

 bottles have not caught as many wasps and flies as usual — in 

 fact, the wasps have not troubled us so much as large flies 

 with blue abdomens. Singular enough, one open wide-mouthed 

 bottle set near bee hives, and supplied with stale beer and 

 bruised decaying fruit, got denselv filled with flies and a few 

 wasps, not a bee had looked into it, though we feared they 

 would, as sometimes they will attack fruit as well as wasps. 

 We put up some hand-light traps in front of an orchard-house, 

 and in the course of the first day thousands of flies were safely 

 imprisoneii. The traps are thus made : One hand-light with 

 its top is set on four bricks. At the highest part of the top a 

 hole is made, on the top of this hand-light another one is 

 placed, the open spaces between them stuffed with moss. Be- 

 neath the first light is placed a vessel with beer, sugared water, 

 decayed fruit, &a. The insects go in to feed, and in the ma- 

 jority of cases they, instead of flying out, fly upwards, and 

 after a while find the hole, get through into the upper glass, 

 and there fly about uutil they die. We have taken more than 

 half a bushel of dead wasps and flies out of one of such traps. 

 The extra humane may lessen their struggles and their misery 



