IN 



GARGOYLE. 



GARLIC, OIL OF. 



291 



rising in the world by his own industry, I would anawer that I am not 

 now discussing the relative advantages of large and small farms, but 

 am confining myself to the agricultural labourer in the broad accepta- 

 tion of the term. Every employer knows, and every man of common 

 sense must feel, that it is as important to the farmer to have his 

 regular men at work at all times, as it is to the manufacturer or 

 tradesman, and that the business of the farm could not be carried on 

 without such regularity. I regard it, then, as a fatal error for the 

 labourer to follow any pursuit that would at all interfere with the 

 claim of his employer upon him ; for, be it remembered, that it is 

 upon hired labour that the working man must chiefly depend for his 

 subsistence ; and any scheme that has a tendency to interfere with 

 this his chief capital, must very shortly end in disappointment and 

 distress." 



The following account of the Silsoe allotments is taken from 

 Mr. Morton's paper in the ' Journal of the Royal Agricultural Society :' 

 They date from the enactment of the new Poor Law, and the early 

 promoters of the scheme were driven to it by the pressure of the 

 poor's rates. The improvement in the condition of the labourer there 

 and elsewhere is, no doubt, partly the effect of the new Poor Law, 

 which has taught him that his first dependence must be on his 

 own exertions ; but a share in that improvement around Silsoe must 



certainly be allowed to the allotment system as there established. 

 At first the allotment tenantry were allowed a considerable extent of 

 land apiece two acres or more. As much, indeed, as they declared 

 their ability to manage was allotted to each applicant. But as these 

 have gradually fallen in or failed, they have been subdivided ; and 

 from a rood to half an acre is now the ordinary extent allowed. There 

 have been no restrictions placed upon the cultivators of these plots, 

 but such as are also laid upon the farmers of the district. There is no 

 formal provision against Sunday labour or against immorality, nor are 

 there any special legal securities taken for the relapse of the land to 

 the owner in case he should require it. Every security, nevertheless, 

 exists as to all these particulars in the general sense of propriety which 

 prevails, as well as in the knowledge that sufficient power exists in the 

 management to enforce it. On riding round these allotments late in 

 May, 1859, we saw poppies, turnip-seed, onions, peas, and cabbages, in 

 some cases grown to a large extent ; but the ordinary crops were wheat 

 and potatoes for home consumption. In a few instances the land is in 

 the hands of market-gardeners ; but, as a general rule, the allotments 

 are occupied by agricultural ancl other labourers ; and the following 

 table, extracted from Mr. Trethewy's paper, gives their extent and their 

 number in the several parishes, together with interesting details 

 regarding parochial rates since the period of their establishment : 



We conclude with Mr. Trethewy's statement of the superiority of 

 these clustered field-gardens over detached cottage-gardeus, and of the 

 advantages of encouraging nvalry by an annual judgment of cultivation 

 and exhibition of produce : 



" ( 1 ) Every man has the advantage of the experience of the whole 

 field, and generally benefits by it ; whereas in a garden there are not 

 those opportunities. (2) How frequently does one see a garden over- 

 run with weeds, overgrown with trees, bushes, and fences, absolutely 

 excluding sun and air, and producing next to nothing to the cultivator ! 

 In an open field-allotment the sun and air are freely admitted ; the 

 land is more easily kept clean, and the state of cultivation patent to all 

 the neighbourhood. (3) I believe example has a strong influence in 

 promoting good and clean cultivation among all classes of occupiers. 

 With a view to encourage it amongst the allotment tenants of the 

 district, a society, called the " Silsoe and Ampthill Labourers' Friend 

 Society," was established about seventeen years ago. It offers several 

 prizes annually for competition, and great interest is excited among the 

 exhibitor*. This society is under the patronage of Earl de Grey, and 

 has Lord Wensleydale as president ; while the stewards consist entirely 

 of tenant-fanners, who thus evince their sense of its usefulness. The 

 subscribers comprise the clergy and gentry of the neighbourhood, and 

 the exhibition is invariably fully attended. In fact, all classes unite 

 to promote the object it has in view ; and the result is, an exhibition 

 of fruits, vegetables, &c., that would surprise any one who had never 

 before witnessed it I believe this to be a most useful institution ; 

 and, where allotments prevail to any extent, I would strongly recom- 

 mend the establishment of similar associations." 



The almost universal testimony of experience on this subject con- 

 firms the conclusion to which, after Mr. Trethewy's paper, the discussion 

 before the Central Farmers' Club led that the system may always be 

 expected to benefit both labourers and their employers, excepting 

 under extravagant misguidance or neglect ; that is, excepting (1) where 

 the land set apart for the purpose is altogether unsuitable in character, 

 or (2) too distant from the cottages of the allottees, or (3) where an 

 excessive extent is permitted to the tenantry, or (4) an excessive rent 

 demanded from them, or, lastly (5), where the tenantry are left entirely 

 to themselves, and no effort made to excite their rivalry or pride in 

 good cultivation. 



GARGOYLE, GORGOL, or GURGOYLE, in Gothic architecture, a 

 pout which is carried out frum parapets in order to discharge the 

 water from roofs clear of the wall. Mediaeval architects, who almost 

 invariably made the subsidiary features of their buildings of an 

 ornamental character, so as to conduce to the general effect, saw at an 

 early period the service which these humble objects might be made to 

 render. Instead of having merely plain projecting pipes for their 

 spouts, they covered the pipe with a block of stone, which they carved 

 in general accordance with the rest of the sculpture ; but, regardful of 

 the ignoble purpose to which it was applied, gave it a decidedly 

 grotesque character. Sometimes it is a human figure in a constrained 



attitude and with a distorted countenance ; sometimes an animal or a 

 monster. Usually the water is made to pass through the open mouth, 

 but sometimes it passes from a pipe concealed below. Occasionally 

 the figures appear to be caricatures of particular persons or bodies of 

 men ; occasionally they are gross ; but almost always, as we have said, 

 they are grotesque. They appear to have been first used in the Early 

 English style; and they were most prominent in that and the 

 Decorated. 



GARLIC, a hardy perennial plant with bulbous roots, found growing 

 wild in the island of Sicily, and in several other parts of the south of 

 Europe. In gardens it is cultivated chiefly on account of its bulbs, 

 which are much used in cookery, and occasionally in medicine. 



It is the Allium tallrum of botanists, and is regularly grown for the 

 market. For this purpose, a light tolerably rich soil is selected in a 

 dry warm situation. The ground should be well dunged for the crop 

 which precedes garlic, and not when the garlic is planted ; because, 

 when this is done, the bulbs are very apt to canker, and to be infested 

 with maggots. 



It may either be planted in beds or in rows ; if in beda, the distance 

 between the plants may be seven or eight inches ; if in rows (which is 

 most recommended), they may be one foot apart, and six inches 

 between the plants in the row. In gardens where the soil is light and 

 dry, the best season for planting is late in autumn ; but where the soil 

 is wet, the operation should be deferred until spring, that is, to any 

 time in February or March. 



The plant is propagated by onsets, which it produces annually in 

 considerable numbers, and which are commonly called cloves. The 

 season of ripeness, which is generally in the end of July or August, is 

 easily known by the leaves changing from green to yellow. At this 

 period the bulbs should be taken up and spread out in the sun to dry, 

 after which they may be tied in bunches and kept in a dry house for 

 winter use, in the same way as onions. 



GARLIC, OIL OF. When cloves of garlic fALLiCM SATIVCM, in 

 NAT. HIST. Div.] are distilled with water in the manner described 

 under ESSENTIAL OILS, 0'2 per cent of an oil is obtained of yellow colour, 

 acrid taste, and strong disagreeable smell. After drying with chloride 

 of calcium, and rectifying over potassium, it is obtained pure and 

 colourless. It then constitutes the nu/fhide of the radical allyl (C H S ) 

 [ORGANIC RADICALS] and has the formula (C U H 5 ,S). The oxide of 

 allyl, and a compound of allyl still richer in sulphur than the sulphide, 

 ; appear also to be contained in the crude oil of garlic. 



Sulphide of allyl is lighter than water, refracts light strongly, may 



be distilled without undergoing decomposition, is but slightly soluble 



1 in water, but very soluble in alcohol or ether. Sulphuric acid dissolves 



' it without alteration, nitric acid converts it into oxalic and formic 



acids. On the addition of nitrate of silver to it, sulphide of silver is 



precipitated, and after a time crystals of double nitrate of silver and 



allyl are deposited. Sulphide of allyl also precipitates and forms 



double salts with the salts of gold, mercury, platinum, and palladium. 



