200 Cottage Gardens, live Stock of the Cottager, 



attached to each black land farm, or farm which had as much black land, 

 as that for every Scots acre, or 5 roods English, a cottage should be 

 built, the ground to be divided in such portions as might suit the inclination 

 or ability of the cottagers. On a farm of three ploughs there will be six 

 cottages, with 6 Scots, or r i\ English, acres. In building the cottages I 

 would recommend strict economy, as far as it can be practised with proper 

 attention to the comfort and health of the cottagers ; for, whether such 

 cottages are built by the farmer or proprietor, the rent must amount to 

 from 5 to 7 per cent on the outlay, to insure any thing like a general 

 extension of cottage building. This small colony will_ form an excellent 

 and useful appendage to the farm. From among the inmates the farmer 

 will get as many young people as will perform all the manual labour on the 

 farm by the day ; and an autumn, together with the families of his own 

 farm-servants, he will be able to muster as many as will cut down his crops, 

 of which they would be more careful than strangers; nor would he require 

 to provide bedding, or pay for idle time. The rent of the houses and 

 ground would be punctually paid in harvest labour, without the farmer 

 having to encroach on the proceeds of the farm for that operation. If the 

 farmer is possessed of an ordinary share of humanity he will soon become 

 the patriarch of his colony. In their petty squabbles they would look up 

 to him a9 an umpire, and, when oppressed, his influence should be extended 

 in their behalf. If he perform his part well, I promise him they will not be 

 deficient in theirs. Farmers need not be alarmed about too much produce, 

 from 5 acres in 100 being subjected to spade culture, It will only employ 

 some of our own poor in raising what otherwise would be raised by the 

 serfs of Russia or Poland. From such a system industrious young men of 

 sober and industrious habits may be expected to arise, who shall be attached 

 to home because they have a property in the soil ; and, in place of emi- 

 grating to foreign lands, they will only remove to cultivate our own waste 

 lands, and form new villages or pendicles, where their labour will yield 

 abundance of produce to supply the surplus population of some centuries 

 to come ; and amongst this class will always be found virtuous and indus- 

 trious mechanics, able-bodied soldiers and sailors, to live in, or to defend, the 

 land of their fathers. Believing, therefore, as I do, that the cottage system 

 is favourable to the poor, to the farming interest, and to the state. I shall 

 attend to the following queries, in the order in which they come : — 



I. What quantity of garden ground does it require to supply all requisite 

 culinary vegetables, including potatoes, to a labourer's family, and to his 

 live stock ; the former consisting of two grown persons and four children, 

 and the latter, at an average, of one pig, three rabbits, three hens, and three 

 ducks? (Gard. Mag., vol. v. p. 713.) 



As to the quantity of ground, supposing the soil to be of moderate 

 quality, and not stiff clay, I conceive that 1 rood of Scotch land measure, 

 which is nearly equal to 1 rood 10 poles English will be requisite; and this 

 ground I would lay out in two equal divisions (having Scots measure in 

 view in my remarks, which is in the ratio as four to five English measure). 

 The one division of 20 falls (in English, rods) to be under late potatoes 

 and oats, the other division under early potatoes and the different culinary 

 vegetables ; and, for the sake of perspicuity, I shall suppose the thing has 

 been for some time established, and shall offer a few remarks on the mode 

 of cropping. 



Supposing that 4 falls of ground had been under early potatoes the year 

 before, and that 2 falls of those first taken up had been succeeded by broc- 

 coli plants in the end of July, and the other 2 by cabbage plants in the 

 end of August, with a plant of winter lettuce between each of the cabbage 

 plants ; and that 4 falls of the first taken up late potatoes had been planted 

 with greens to come up in spring; that the broccoli and early cabbage of 

 the former year had been followed by savoys and greens ; the ground at the 

 1st of March will appear thus : — 



