M»y 28,1874.] 



JOUENAli OF HORTICOLTUKB AND COTTAGE GAEDENER. 



425 



diffionlt task, eome idea of the wonderful extent and beauty 

 of the spring gardening. I was enabled to contrast it this year 

 with the recollection of it then. It has been, let me say, a 

 most unfavourable season for it. The spring frosts have very 

 much checked the growth of plants ; and anyone who has 

 watched the perfectly stand- still character of many things in 

 their own gardens will not be surprised to hear that the Golden 

 Feather Pyrethrum and some of the Pansies have considerably 

 suffered. One defect I noticed last time has been remedied. 

 The beds were too light — too much yellow and white ; this 

 year a great deal more of the dark purple Pansy has been used 

 in the centre panelling, and had the other plants not so much 

 failed I think the effect would have been grand in the extreme. 

 Even as it is, seen at a little distance nothing can be more 

 charming than the jewelled appearance of the beds. It is only 

 when you come closer that you see the gaps the frosts and 

 unkindly weather have made. The beds being on the slant 

 instead of flat, greatly enhances their beauty, although at the 

 same time it makes the difficulty of keeping them in order the 

 greater. The purple Aubrietia makes the best blue of that 

 colour, the Forget-me-not being too deUcate in shade and also 

 too tall. Although Mr. Quilter has had these disadvantages 

 to deal with, it is very doubtful whether any spring gardening 

 at all equal in extent to this is to be anywhere met with. 



It remains but to say that as far as the Exhibition is con- 

 cerned five challenge cups have been added to the liberal list 

 of prizes, value £25 each, and when won twice (not of necessity 

 in successive years) become the property of the winner. One 

 is for stove and greenhouse plants ; two for cut Eoses (one for 

 amateurs and one for growers for sale) ; one for fruit, and one 

 for vegetables. There will be a national lawn-mower contest, 

 and the Birmingham Rose Show will be incorporated with the 

 Exhibition, so that every element of success seems to have 

 been attained.— D., Deal. 



NOTES AND GLEANINGS. 



Although all growers of Potatoes have had some expe- 

 rience of the loss caused by the disease, yet it has seldom 

 impressed them with the consequences which follow when it 

 occurs where Potatoes are cultivated very extensively. Those 

 consequences were demonstrated during a recent trial in the 

 Court of Queen's Bench. The defendant, Mr. Coupland, a 

 Lincolnshire farmer, had entered into a contract with the 

 plaintiff, Mr. Havell, in March to sell him " two hundred tons 

 of Potatoes, grown on his land at Whaplode," at the price of 

 £3 6s. 8(;. per ton, to bo delivered in September. Two hundred 

 and fifty acres were actually planted at Whaplode, and it 

 appeared that they would produce seven tons an acre, so that 

 there was abundant land planted to raise the quantity con- 

 tracted for. In August, however, the Potato disease attacked 

 the crop and destroyed it, so that the farmer was unable to 

 complete his contract. Therefore, although the farmer ought 

 to have obtained 1750 tons, the disease rendered him incapable 

 of supplying 200 tons. The question was whether he was 

 excused in law. The Court gave judgment in favour of the 

 defendant, the farmer, because the Potatoes to be delivered 

 were to be Potatoes grown upon the particular farm, and no 

 others could have been supplied ; so that when that became 

 impossible in consequence of the Potato disease the perform- 

 ance of the contract became impossible, and there was no 

 default on the part of the farmer. 



The constabulary returns, based upon information 



obtained from farmers and others, and revised by Boards of 

 Guardians, show that it may be estimated that Ireland pro- 

 duced in the year 1873, 2,083,060 tons of Potatoes. The 

 acreage under Potatoes has been decreasing for the last two 

 years, but the produce in 1873 showed a large increase over 

 1872. 



THOM.\S TUSSEB.— No.3. 



Tdsser was at Braham HaU in 1557, and could not have re- 

 mained there long, for at the end of eleven years he was in 

 Essex, and in the intermediate years had lived at Ipswich, 

 farmed in Norfolk, and resided at Norwich, buried one wife and 

 married another. 



It is certain that his farming at Braham Hall was a failure, 

 and be attributes that failure to the high rent, for he says — 



" With loBB and pain, to little gain, 

 With shiftB to save, to cram Sir Knave^ 

 ■What Ule it is 1" 



lU-BuocesB and his wife's ill-health hastened his departure — 



*' when wife could not, through fiicknesB got. 

 More toil abide, bo nigh Hca-Nide, 

 Then thou^-ht I best, from toil to rest. 

 And Ipswich try." 



Apparently not a reasonable selection, for it is as " nigh sea- 

 side " as Catawade. However, he had friends there. 



" So was I glad, much friendship had, 

 A time to lie." 



It did not restore his wife, and there she died. Even her 

 Christian name is unknown, and his only mention of her is iu 

 one line — 



" There left good wife, this present life." 

 We hoped to have found a record of her burial, but in this we 

 have been disappointed ; the incumbent of each parish in 

 Ipswich has kindly searched its register, but without finding 

 the wished-for entry. 



During his residence at Ipswich he seems to have composed 

 his poetical notes on " Huswiffry," for in the address " To the 

 Eeader " he says — 



" Then bear with a widower's pen as to may." 

 And he was only a widower whilst there residing. The first 

 notice of the composition is in the register of the Stationers' 

 Company, where in the year 1561 Thomas Hacket had license 

 for "A Dyalogue of Wynynge and Thrynnge of Tussher's, with 

 ii lessons for olde and yonge," and it seems to have been 

 published the following year by his first publisher, Bichard 

 Totell, under the title, also in the Stationers' Company register, 

 " One hundredth good poyntes of Husbandry lately maryed 

 unto a hundreth good poyntes of huswiffry, newly corrected 

 and amply fyed." 



The dedicatory epistle of the " huswiffry " is to his " espe- 

 ciall good lady and mistress, the Lady Paget," who was one of 

 "the Lancashire witches" when Anne Prestin. Only one 

 more edition of this volume was published, and that was in 

 1570, and it is there stated to be "set foorth by Thomas 

 Tusser, gentleman, servant to the right honorable lorde Paget 

 of Beudesert." Lord Molesworth thought that " The Points 

 of Huswifry " should be reprinted, and a copy kept in every 

 farm house, and so far as a sentiment of religion and an en- 

 forcement of thriftiness pervades the tract, it deserves com- 

 mendation ; but in its details of the employments and manage- 

 ment of a household it is totally inapplicable to our time and 

 usages. 



No wonder that neither Tusser nor his wife could " more 

 toile abide," for they, according to " The Points," were slaves 

 and the drivers of slaves. All had to be up at first cockcrow ; 

 hemp had to be peeled for home-spinning ; malt had to be 

 made, ground, and brewed ; the wife was to carve for all the 

 servants, men and maids ; the latter, if not cleanly, were to be 

 made to " cry creak," for the wife was to carry " a Holly wand" 

 for the purpose of beating them, but Tusser advises that 

 " Such servants are oftenest painfull and good. 

 That sing in their labour, as birds in the wood." 



Bread had to be baked, dairying pursued in aU its details, 

 scouring and washing were daily tasks, men came to dinner 

 whilst the plough-horses were baiting, 



" Good sempsters be sewing of fine pretty knacks. 

 Good huswives be mending and piecing their sacks." 



Candles had to be made, hogs fed, cows milked, logs to be 

 brought in at night, herb-medicines had to be made, and finally 



" Declare after supper — take heed thereunto— 

 What work in the morning each seiTant shall do." 



for in those days master, mistress, and all servants on the 

 farm had their meals together. 



Such drudgery we have said would not now be applicable 

 here, but we have just received some " points of housewifry," 

 now enforced iu America, and in verse too, that are not dis- 

 cordant with those of Tusser ; — 



" ITp in the early morning. 



Just at the peep of day. 

 Straining the milk in the daiij. 



Turning the cows away — 

 Sweeping the lloor in the kitchen. 



Making the beds up-staira. 

 Washing the breakfast dishes, 



Dusting the parlour chairs. 

 " Brushing the crumbs from the pantry, 



Hunting for e^'^'S at the barn, 

 lioasting the meat for dinner. 



Spinning the stocking yarn ; 

 Spreading the snow-white linen 



Down on the hushes below. 

 Ransacking every meadow 



Where the red Strawberries grow. 



