178 



JOURNAL OF HOETICDLTURE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEE. 



[ August 29, 1865. 



win, honestly as you will, perseveriugly as you will, and from 

 as sincere a desire to do good as you will, but set youi'self up as 

 if much better than they — in one word, leave out the seen- 

 and-felt sjTnpathy with their condition, and your well-meant 

 efforts will be as fruitless as the attempt to make flowers look 

 their best amid the drenching downpourings of rain and the 

 absence of the bright sun, with which they have so much 

 sympathy that they ever look the best when basking in its 

 rays. 



We Trill allow that our friends the farmers, proverbial for 

 their grximbUng at all times and all seasons, have lately had 

 some reason to be a little uneasy, though the chief harm should 

 at present be confined to the blackening of the Barley, which 

 will make it bring less in the market for malt, even though it 

 shoTild be none the less nourishing when ground as meal. In 

 the extra labour and expense in securing the harvest in snch 

 a season as this, we thoroughly feel for and sj-mpathise with 

 them ; and if we should pay a little more for our bread we 

 would have no reason to complain, as it is best every way, 

 that whilst every man should bear his own burden, we should 

 also keep in mind and duly practise the precept, " Bear ye 

 one another's biirdens." But there is one matter connected 

 with the present harvest in this neighbourhood which hitherto 

 has not come so prominently under our notice — a practice which 

 even now we hope is anything but general, and which we trust 

 will ere long cease to be particular, and that for the benefit of 

 all parties concerned, whether master or servant. A custom 

 has long obtained in this neighbourhood that in consideration 

 of the long hoiirs something like double pay is given to the 

 labourers in the harvest month. Sometimes a certain number 

 of men engage to do all the harvesting for a certain sum, and 

 the amount is generally such that in a fine season the men 

 make a little more than the regular month's wages, and the 

 having the work more quickly done is an advantage to all 

 parties. In such a season as this it will tell against the 

 men. The most general plan, however, is to engage men for 

 the month at the increased wages agreed upon, generally the 

 nsual working men on the farm, with some additions if deemed 

 necessary. Now it appears that, in many cases, farmers, who 

 scarcely ever during the season send a man home on account 

 of the weather if anything at all can be done, will send them 

 home on these wet haiTest days, and require the time thus lost 

 to be made up at the end of the month, so that a man may 

 have his harvest month extended for the same money into 

 five weeks or more, instead of four weeks. It might not be fair 

 to expect that when men could not go into the fields on account 

 of the weather they should receive harvest pay, but it would 

 tell greatly to the advantage of the men, and we think to the 

 benefit of the fanner hkewise, if the men were kept doing some- 

 thing about the homestead, and received for such days the 

 common wages of the year, instead of constraining them to be 

 idle against then' will, and exposing them to the temptation of 

 so spending that idle time as not to fit them over-well for the 

 work of the following day ; whilst much is apt to be spent that 

 if unspent would have told on the comforts of home. Most 

 facts may be used to bolster up opposite principles, but it 

 requires no prophet's vision to foresee that if such modes be- 

 come the general practice steam and horse power vrill ere long 

 do what is now accomplished by human labour. 



EITCHEN GARDEN. 



Much the same as in previous weeks. Took up the remainder 

 of the Potatoes. As we expected, a few are diseased, and a few 

 signs of disease are appearing among those taken up early and 

 harvested in good condition. Took up more Onions, as they 

 are better out of the ground now, too much wet causing them 

 often to mould, or rot at the points. Those sowti to stand the 

 winter are coming up nicely. The Spanish and TripoU are 

 good for this purpose, and so is the Blood Bed for those who like 

 it. Button Onions seem scarce, this season, unless where the 

 plants were left thick on poor soils. Sowed the last Lettuces, 

 &c., planted out a lot, and of Endive for succession. Cauli- 

 flowers, Coleworts, and a few of the earliest Cabbages, and will 

 take the opportunity of the first dry day to run the hoe through 

 every open spot, as a lawn might soon be formed, where a few 

 days ago there was not the trace of a weed. We are constantly 

 meeting with proofs that the earth to considerable depths is 

 stored vrith the seeds of vegetation, that only reqiiire to come 

 in contact with the atmosphere, &c., to grow and seed again. 

 In sweeping the sides of kitchen-garden walks about a month 

 ago, to make them look fresher, we threw along the sides a 

 little sandy gravel, dug directly from the pit, and these sides 

 where scarcely a weed was seen before, are sending up fine grass 



like a carpet. We have known many instances of walks that 

 scarcely showed a weed for years, yielding a plentiful supply 

 when they were fresh-gravelled over the surface. Even ;in 

 this respect, a fresh coating on the surface often makes much 

 additional work afterwards, and in the case of these imported 

 seeds of weeds, we know of no mode of preventing their grow- 

 ing unless some means could be resorted to for kihi-drying the 

 gravel, and that would be an expensive process. There is a 

 great difference in gravel pits in this respect, some scarcely 

 contain a seed, and others ai-e well supplied. It is advisable 

 to nso all gravels fresh dug ; when the heaps lie long exposed 

 many wing seeds are nestled in them. We recollect of a piece 

 of gravel producing a rare crop of Sow Thistles, and yet not 

 one could be found for a great circumference round the pit. 



Made some Mushroom-bricks for spawning in a wet day; 

 eartbed-up another piece in our thatched shed, the first beds 

 producing plentifully. Will smoke and clean the Mushroom- 

 house, and begin tliere as soon as we can collect material suffi- 

 ciently dry. Mushrooms, we believe have been plentiful out 

 of doors this season, but they are not to be depended on like 

 those grown at home. At the best they are ticklish things 

 except for ketchup, and the boiling and the quantity of spice 

 may make that harmless out of rather questionable materials. 



FEUIT GARDEN. 



Gathered fruit in fine days. Supported some Apple trees 

 much loaded with fruit. Plums ought to have been more 

 thinned. Melons have come in rather too much together. 

 Watered the Fig-pit. WiU clear Strawberry-beds as soon as 

 the ground is dry. Potted more for forcing. Thinned out 

 shoots, and shortened-in those of Peaches, &c. Gathered in 

 the rest of the Apricots ; though a heavy crop, the continued 

 wet weather has made many rot and damp before they ripened. 

 Thinned out part of the Easpberry canes, to give more room, 

 sun, and air, for those intended to bear next year. Will con- 

 tinue these and other jobs as soon as the ground is drier. 

 Looked over Tines to see that tliere were no damp berries. 

 Kept fires in on these wet days, and gave air in proportion, and 

 lest the red spider should appear, brushed the pipes over with 

 thin sulphur paint. 



OESAMEN'TAL DEPARTMENT. 



The less said of the flower garden the better for a few days, 

 though a few hours' sun does wonders. Most of the beds will 

 require picking as soon as the weather is drier. Fine trusses of 

 some kinds of Geraniums have scarcely an open petal that is 

 not drenched like a wet rag. Other sorts, as Rubens, Mrs. Ver- 

 non, itc, seem to brave the wet well, sending the deluges of 

 water from their petals as if they were so many duck-wings, 

 Stella stood well until this last drenching ; now it will want a 

 good deal of picking to make it bright again. Of all we have 

 seen, for massive effect it is still No. 1. The nsual routine of 

 potting has been persevered in, on wet days especially. One 

 row of Calceolarias had become too low, and we commenced 

 raising it some 6 inches, but were stopped by the rains. We 

 adopted the same plan some ten years ago, and the plants, 

 lifted with a fork in large pieces, never felt the operation. We 

 could not proceed, as the other rows becoming wet would have 

 been discoloured by some of the earth that was necessary for 

 raising the Calceolaries falling on them. A few hours' labour, 

 when it can be spared, will thus often make a gi'eat difference 

 in appearances. The gi'owth of many plants is very different 

 this season from what it was last, and thus people are apt to 

 be deceived as to heights. Our chief work, however, has been 

 mending up our small wooden boxes in wet days, washing pots, 

 iSrc, limewashing the rough boxes, and putting in lots of cut- 

 tings, having fairly commenced with Geraniums, and taking 

 the variegated kinds first. Of the common variegated kinds, 

 there is a fine variety of Brilliant, called Improved, that we 

 understand will be generally diffused next season. The fohage 

 has more white in it, and the flowers are larger, and in larger 

 and stronger trusses than the old Brilliant, whilst the compact 

 habit is retained. We have, as yet, no reserve ground for 

 cuttings — that is, plants to take cuttings from ; and, therefore, 

 they are carefully selected from the bottom of the plants in 

 the flower-beds, so as to make as Httle appearance of being 

 meddled with as possible. Short stubby pieces, from 3 to 

 4 inches long, are generally preferred. In such weather a 

 good lot is taken when there is a dry interval of a few hours, 

 and then the cuttings are made when it is wet. The boxes 

 average 2 feet in length, 9 to 12 inches in width, and 3 or 4 

 in depth ; enough riddlings are strewn along the bottom, then 

 we partly fill in with good fresh lumpish soil, giving a casing of 



