50 Poynter's Cottage Gardener. 



is, I presume, what is meant by being ' assisted by some of 

 the most eminent botanists of Europe;' but, if so, the public 

 should understand it rightly. Yours, faithfully. — John Lindley. 

 January 2. 1834." 



Poynter, Thomas, Market-Gardener at North End, Fulham : 

 The Cottage Gardener; being a Sketch on useful Gardening, 

 designed for the Use of the Labouring Cottagers of England. 

 Pamphlet, 8vo. London, 1833. Is. 6d. 



This is an excellent little work, which may be described as 

 strictly practical, without pretensions either to theory or science. 

 The author states, in his introduction, that he does not " presume 

 to instruct the gardeners of noblemen and gentlemen," but to 

 give a " brief sketch, as short and clear as possible, and at a price 

 that may let it circulate in almost every cottage in England," of 

 the " times, seasons, and methods of cultivating such articles as 

 may be useful to English labourers." The work is arranged in 

 two divisions : the first contains general observations " on cot- 

 tage gardens, soils, cultivation, manure, and tillage, digging, 

 hoeing, sowing, transplanting, propagation, layers, budding and 

 grafting, sowing of seeds, weeds, and on the climate of England:" 

 the second division contains a cottage gardener's calendar for 

 every month in the year. There is an appendix, in three di- 

 visions : the first is on " cucumbers, cauliflowers, and sea-kale and 

 blanching;" the second on "fruit trees and fruit shrubs, and 

 their management;" and the third on "flowers and shrubs." 



In the paragraph on " cottage gardens," the author gives the 

 following, as what he would " choose," if he had a cottage to 

 build and a garden to lay out : — "A four-roomed house, con- 

 sisting of a kitchen, small parlour, two bed-rooms, wash-house, 

 something of a cellar, and a pantry. The house should nearly 

 front the mid-day sun. To the west, a cow-house and pigsties ; 

 at the eastern end, a tool and barrow shed; but situations may 

 be such as to place these more advantageously elsewhere. For 

 extent of garden, let us take our old Saxon king Alfred's allow- 

 ance. A rood, or 40 square poles, of land, nearly facing the 

 south or south-west ; a gentle slope, if we can get it so ; and if it is 

 sheltered from the north, and particularly from the north-east, 

 the better. Ten rods of land, well cultivated, will furnish a 

 cottager's family, in the way in which it is now supplied, with 

 vegetables : but I am thinking of helping to keep a cow, or goats, 

 or a pig or two." (p. 8.) 



The remarks on the different operations of culture, and espe- 

 cially on tillage, are grounded on the theory of Tull. The most 

 valuable part of the work is the calendar, in which the author 

 gives practical directions from his own experience. 



The work may be described as calculated for those labourers 



