supplement. SCIENCE AND ART OF AGRICULTURE. 1333 



8235. The cow-house and pigsty should be near the dung-pit, that the drains from botn may be laid into 

 it at little expense, and to save the cottager's time in cleaning out the cow-stall, &c. The cowhouse need 

 only contain one roomy stall and a calf-pen, with a small loft over both for the hay brought in for use. 

 The pigsty to a cottage where a cow is kept should be divided into two, that the store-pig, which a 

 good manager would never be without, might be separated from the fatting pig. 



823(3. 1/ a poultry-house should be required, I would place it either over or adjoining to the cowhouse, 

 for the sake of warmth. But 1 am not sure that it would answer to a cottager to keep much poultry, 

 unless in situations where there is a ready sale for eggs and chickens, and where poultry can be kepi 

 without being a nuisance to the owner and His neighbours. In a widely scattered village this may some- 

 times be the case, but where the houses are near together, the cottager's fowls are a continual source of 

 dispute and annoyance. They are ill-fed at home, and cannot stray anywhere in search of food without 

 trespassing upon a neighbour's ground, where, in the absence of the family at work, they may devout 

 or destroy half the produce of the garden. Where the houses are scattered, and a cottager has land of 

 his own, or is near a common, on which they could have a run without trespassing upon others, perhaps 

 it would answer his purpose to keep a few fowls ; that is, if he can keep them out of his garden, but 

 not otherwise. If water is near, ducks would be most profitable to a labourer, and more easily managed 

 than hens. 



8237. Privy. I do not recollect any other out-building actually necessary for the cottager's convenience, 

 unless it be the privy, which might be either in the yard or in the garden, and if desired, I see no 

 objection to one in each place. But it is useless to talk of a separate convenience of this kind for males and 

 females, till every labourer's dwelling has one. I believe that nearly half our cottages are without any 

 place of the kind ; at least it is so in my neighbourhood. For instance, out of sixteen dwellings near 

 me, six only have the convenience alluded to, and three of the six conveniences have been erected 

 within these two years. The want of such places must be a terrible nuisance to the cottagers ; and 1 

 particularly recommend the subject to the attention of cottage owners. 



8238. General observations on exteriors. As the fence of the yard and the outbuildings would add 

 something to the cost of the cottage, 1 choose here to meet objections that 1 suppose, and recommend only 

 the least expensive out-buildings, such as the cottagers, with trifling assistance, would very frequently 

 erect themselves. The cowhouse w'ould be the chief expense, and that would be little better than a 

 common shed, walled up with any thing on three sides, and open to the south. But I would have a 

 strong fence and gate to the yard, to be fastened well at night, that all the stock may be secure, as it 

 would probably cost the owner at least a day's work, when his cow or pig happened to get astray. I do 

 not mention any place for pigeons in the yard, because a cottager could not keep them without constantly 

 trespassing on his neighbours. There is an increasing prejudice against pigeons, which are certainly- 

 very troublesome to the farmer at certain times in the year. Dovecots are now much less frequently 

 seen in farmyards than they were formerly, at least in the corn- growing districts : and if the farmers can 

 no longer keep pigeons, of course the labourers must not. Where the cottage stands near a common, or 

 among open green lanes, it would answer the cottager's purpose to breed a few geese, which are a pro- 

 fitable kind of stock, because, after a certain age, they almost take care of themselves. They would 

 require to be secured at night ; and, if the cottager keeps geese, he must add a house for them to his 

 out-buildings in the yard. 



8239. The garden, if well managed, is commonly the most striking feature about a labourer's dwelling, 

 and there are many reasons why it should adjoin the house. In the present case we will suppose the 

 cottage to be surrounded on two sides by the garden, and I would approach the front of the house 

 through a narrow part of the garden which divides the house from the road ; and this part of it I would 

 devote chiefly to flowers and shrubs. I would train some ornamental climbing plants against the walls 

 of the house, and a vine or pear trees, if there were proper situations for them, w here the fruit would 

 ripen, and be out of the reach of the children. 1 observe, however, that, excepting vines, fruit trees 

 seldom thrive much against the walls of cottages ; there are few labourers who know any thing of the 

 art of pruning, and, being improperly pruned, the trees bear little, and seem not worth the time and 

 trouble they require. Vines, however, do remarkably well against the cottage walls in this neighbour- 

 hood, and "bear profusely in many situations, apparently with very little care or pruning. I am not 

 qualified to lay down rules for the management of a cottager's garden, but 1 would venture to suggest, 

 that it should not be too large ; a small garden, well cultivated, being more profitable than a large one 

 half cultivated. In fact, if he have an allotment of potato ground elsewhere, the cottager has no use 

 for a large garden, as he grows and uses none but the commonest vegetables, which take up little room, 

 lb does not ever cultivate much small fruit. Strawberries and raspberries are very seldom seen in a 

 cottage garden ; and currants and gooseberries are not often abundant ; so that a large garden is not 

 requisite. I used to wonder formerly why the cottagers did not cultivate the small fruits in greater 

 abundance, as they require so little trouble, and are so extremely useful. The reason for this ni glei 

 given me by several labourers, is, that the children devour the* fruit before it comes to perfection ; in 

 fact, they begin upon it as soon as it is formed, and very little is left to ripen. As cottage children are, 

 of course, left a great deal to themselves, I believe it would be useless to attempt growing Iruit where 

 there is a large family, or in a closelv built village. Where a cottager, therefore, cannot grow Iruit, he 

 ought, 1 think, to keep bees as a substitute for the profit of fruit. Indeed no cottage garden should be 

 without bees, placed in some warm retired corner, at a short distance from the house, tor they are not 

 agreeable neighbours. Bees are, I believe, the most profitable of all stock for a cottager, as the whole 

 of their produce is valuable, and, except at swarming times, they are no trouble. 



8240. Orchard. Besides the garden, it is desirable that every cottage with land should have a small 

 orchard attached to it, especially in the cider countries ; and, in extensive allotments of land, there are 

 generally rough places, which, being of little value for any other purpose, might be converted into small 

 orchards. Where there is no waste place of this description, I would plant the orchard immediately be- 

 hind the garden, and contiguous to the house, that it may bo easily overlooked by the owner : I would 

 also rear a good hedge round it to keep out intruders, for young cottagers are as fond ol .-our apples as 

 they are of sour gooseberries ; and though they can scarcely clear an orchard of apples as they would a 

 garden of small fruit, they will do a great deal of mischief, if not guarded against. As it is scarce") 

 possible to have too much fruit, and a peasant's orchard is not likely to be large, I would plant some 

 fruit trees in the hedges of the garden and fields. Damsons and cider apples, and other common fruit 

 trees would do very well in the hedgerows, and would be verv ornamental. 1 think a cottage orchard should 

 produce apples, pears, and plumbs of various kinds, but chiefly apples. Fruit will sell every where; and it 

 is desirable that a cottager should have as many ways as possible of making a little money. 1 he landlord 

 ought to furnish the cottage grounds with fruit trees, and a gentleman ol landed property would do this 

 at a very trifling expense, by having a small cottage nursery, in which his gardener might graft and real 

 fruit trees of good kinds, to transplant, when fit, into the cottagers' gardens and orchards. Mam 

 labourers are fond of grafting ; and, if the ground were planted with fruit trees at first bj the landlord, 

 the tenants would generallv keep it stocked. 1 wonder our landowners do not see the advantagi s ol plant- 

 ing their cottage grounds with fruit trees ; by which they would increase the value ol them, and place 

 in'the hands of the tenant the means of paving the rent. They would also give their cottagers an addi- 

 tional comfort, and greatlv increase the beauty of our villages, by surrounding the houses n Ith Iruit trees, 

 which are the most interesting of all trees. What can be more beautiful than a handsome appli tree 

 covered with rosv blossoms in the spring, or loaded with golden fruit m autumn .- h is pictiiresqui 



in winter, when its rugged massy stem and irregular I, ran. he- are exposed to View. Indeed, a village 

 with many small orchards about it is generally a pretty village. 



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