the Condition of Country Labourers. 23 



of an apple tree or two out of my own nursery, performed 

 wonders ; and I, as soon as I safely could, conferred a rio-ht 

 of claim for certain progress made within limited times ; in 

 order to meet the demands of which, I now order additional 

 quantities of the seeds of useful vegetables to be sown, and 

 fresh plantations of gooseberry and currant trees, &c. &c. to 

 be made. 



I must not omit to mention, that I have for many years 

 cultivated, on a considerable scale, the rheum palmatum, dis- 

 carding the other sorts, my experience being precisely conform- 

 able to the statements of Dr. Thomson, in your last number, 

 to whom the public ought to feel grateful for his judicious and 

 benevolent attempt to introduce the same to general notice 

 and benefit. Two years ago I gave offsets or divisions of the 

 roots of the rheum palmatum to the wives of four cottagers, 

 and the result promises to leave no garden without some 

 of the plants, as soon as the demand can be satisfied. With 

 one only exception, (arising, perhaps, from peculiar circum- 

 stances,) all the villagers' gardens are now well cultivated, 

 some of them highly, — producing peas, beans, potatoes, cab- 

 bages, cauliflowers, in the vegetable, and, more sparingly, cur- 

 rants, gooseberries, raspberries, some strawberries, and apples, 

 in the fruit line. One poor fellow brought me, with great 

 pride, his crop of apples from a French graft. But of the 

 decisive change of taste in this respect I need give you no 

 other proof than the gratifying fact, that within the last month 

 I have let to various applicants, in different lots, nearly two 

 acres for additional garden-ground ! on three years' terms ; 

 engaging to let the cultivator have the first offer thereof, on 

 the usual building terms, if wanted for that purpose within 

 the prescribed time; and promising remission of the first 

 year's rent, if the same be brought into good cultivation, 

 and cropped within that period. Many a man that used to 

 waste his spare time and money in public-houses is now 

 to be seen at work in his garden, after the day's labour is 

 over. Several of the women, too, are conspicuously indus- 

 trious in this way ; so that I mean to fix a day annually for 

 bestowing prizes and rewards publicly, which, as a genei'al 

 and regular inspection must then take place, will, I am sure, 

 prove a powerful stimulus. One other fact, and I have 

 done on this head, — I shall leave it to speak for itself, and 

 for the experiment : — Nearly all who originally built one 

 house, have now built, or are preparing to build, another 

 adjoining ; and, what I hope will be thought decisive, both 



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