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JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER, [ August 23, 1884. 



ticularly poisonous in its appearance, and yet it would kill 

 deep-rooted weeds when laid on a pavement or other place 

 where they were. Of course, no one would think of using 

 water coming in contact with a substance like this. Certain 

 salts also abound in some soils, which render the water 

 falling on them far from beneficial to vegetation. There- 

 fore, taking all cases into consideration, it is perhaps more 

 seldom than most people are aware that rain water is pre- 

 served in store in anything like its natural purity. 



Although water from tanks, reservoirs, or ponds is some- 

 times impure, it is nevertheless most grateful when Nature 

 denies us the refreshing influence of rain. Next to rain 

 water is that from streams and brooks that has been duly 

 exposed to the air, and which does not injure the vegetation 

 among which it passes. Biver water is often turned to good 

 account in irrigation ; and happy are they who, in the dry 

 scorching weather of the present season, have a stream 

 sufficiently elevated above them to insure a supply for more 

 urgent purposes. River water is, however, not always 

 innoxious. Sometimes it is charged to an undue extent 

 with iron, in which case the bed on which it runs is red with 

 rust, and such water can only be safely administered to such 

 plants as delight in a soil in which iron is found in abun- 

 dance — as to Rhododendrons, for instance ; but for domestic 

 uses, I believe such water is by no means improper, and it is, 

 perhaps, more wholesome than that containingchalky matter. 

 It should, however, be more sparingly used amongst plants 

 than water of another kind, if such can be had ; although, i 

 perhaps, it is as good as the generality of well water, and 

 much less hurtful than some of it is when used direct from 

 its source. 



Well water ought to be used ver^sparingly, and not at 

 all for watering delicate plants, until it has been exposed to 

 the atmosphere for a few days in any open vessel, the more 

 shallow the better. It not unfrequently happens, however, I 

 as in the present season, that well or spring water is the 

 only kind to be had, and that even that is far from plentiful : 

 hence it becomes necessary to soften it by exposure before 

 using, which, as above stated, is best done in shallow vessels, 

 or, if in deeper and larger, then longer time will be required. 

 In whichever way water is exposed, it is hardly necessary 

 to remark that in periods like the present, with the dry arid 

 atmosphere acting upon it, a considerable loss in quantity 

 will take place : but this cannot be avoided ; and as water 

 must be had for the purpose of furnishing newly planted 

 thing; with moisture to start with, every care should be 

 taken to economise as much as can be what supply there is. 

 A careless labourer, thinking that excess is liberality, will 

 pour more water into the heart of a newly planted Broccoli 

 than would serve a dozen, and repeat the same dose in a 

 day or two, never thinking that the roots of the plants he is 

 operating on are thus placed in a temperature like that of 

 February, while the top is enduring tropical heat. It would 

 certainly be better where practicable to use warmed water. 

 If well water must be used let it be heated to the tempe- 

 rature of the atmosphere, and, after watering a plant with 

 it once, let the latter be surrounded with dead moss, leaf 

 mould, or very short dung for a time to keep in the moisture, 

 which ought not to be allowed to escape. 



Although the present season will call into use all the 

 contrivances that can be had to assist in retaining moisture 

 in the ground and saving water, and potted plants will not 

 be so much overwatered as they sometimes are, yet I expect 

 when an impartial retrospect is taken of the season that 

 there will be found many things to be thankful for, and as 

 a whole that it may be pronounced a beneficial season, not 

 abundant in vegetables perhaps, but fruits will be plentiful, 

 and the condition of the trees for another year promising. 

 Some weather prophets that I hear of have taken up another 

 theme, and are predicting that we are to have no more 

 Potato disease, there being none this season, and thoy have 

 hopes of its being eradicated. Certainly the dry weather 

 has preserved the Potato crop from disease so far, and from 

 it I have good hopes of the disease not making its appear- 

 ance in the crop of 1864. 



I may add, in conclusion, that although water is an essen- 

 tial element for vegetation, yet when applied by other than 

 natural means it loses half its value. It is best to imitate 

 Nature, and when it appears that a good watering is re- 

 quired, let it be done when rain is falling, assuming, of 



course, that the quantity of the latter is not likely to be 

 sufficient. Shading the ground by some artificial means is 

 also beneficial, and at the same time not allowing any crops 

 that are at all likely to withdraw nourishmentfrom the ground 

 to remain on it a day longer than necessary. The same rule 

 holds good with regard to thinning crops ; and in fact any- 

 thing and everything that will tend to retain moisture in 

 the ground and obviate the necessity of watering ought to be 

 taken advantage of, so that the latter need only be resorted 

 to when it can no longer be done without. J. Robson. 



EXPEELENCES OF A COUNTEY PAESON. 



" Delectando pariterque monendo." 



I succeeded to the livings of Eushton and Rawston, ad- 

 joining parishes, in 1852. They were united, not at my 

 request, by act of Parliament. I am not a vicar, as stated 

 by friend " D.," but a pluralist Eector, the last, I believe, 

 that was ever made. The churches are about 800 yards 

 apart. Both are small and in good repair. The Rushton 

 church, newly done up before I came, has more marks of 

 antiquity than any other church in the diocese. 



To Rushton, then, I came in the August of 1852. I had 

 been accustomed to farm a little at Mobr Critchill when 

 curate, and also as tenant of my kind Mend Mr. Sturt. I 

 served the church, since rebuilt in magnificent style at Mr. 

 Sturt's own expense. The new church stands on the site of 

 the old church, in which George IV. worshipped when he 

 resided at Critchill. Ab my two glebes are the keys of my 

 patron's farm, the only one, at Rawston, and of my friend 

 Mr. Sturt's farm at Rushton, I did not think it right to take 

 the land into my own hands, more especially as it would 

 have greatly inconvenienced the tenants. I had lived long 

 enough to know that when a sacrifice is to be made the 

 clergyman is the proper man to make it, and that, however 

 distasteful at the time, in the end he will be a gainer, in the 

 satisfaction he will feel in not having disobliged those whom 

 he has to instruct. 



Having been accustomed to "vegetation" all my life, for 

 two years I felt like a fish out of water. What was to be 

 done ? What shall I, in leisure time, turn my hand to ? 

 At last I said to myself, " I will have a ' go ' at gardening;" 

 Here, however, a difficulty met me. The old gardener had 

 been here twenty-eight years, and had fixed his tap roots 

 deep down into the soil. We all know that a gardener likes 

 to have all the farmyard manure, called here "spit dung" 

 (preterperfect of spade), and that he does not like giving up 

 ground; still less does he like "master" trying his hand 

 at things in which he has signally failed for twenty-eight 

 years. His name was Elias Maidment, commonly called 

 "Lias" here, and "sleeps well," I believe, deeply lamented 

 by the parson and all the parishioners. I buried him in 

 1856 under a lofty Chinese Arbor Vitee in Rushton church- 

 yard, and put a noble Portland stone at his head, with the 

 names of his past employers. These words may be seen on 

 the slab : — 



"An honest man's the noblest work of God." 



" I pray thee let me go over, and see the good land that is 

 beyond Jordan, that goodly mountain, and Lebanon." — 

 (Deut. iii. 25). From this text I preached his funeral 

 sermon. 



We all know that gardeners like having their own way. 

 As to arguing with some of them, that is lost time ; you 

 might as well argue with the pump at Al'dgate. 



In 1856 my brother was high sheriff and I was the chap- 

 lain. Before starting I went down into the garden and 

 found Elias pruning the Gooseberry bushes, and shouting at 

 real or imaginary bullfinches. He had had a bad sore throat 

 for some days. The easterly wind was piercing ; so I said, 

 " Lias, go home, and get into bed, and have some tea ; for 

 if this easterly wind catches you by the throat it will bring 

 on inflammation of the lungs, and in your weak state you 

 will be gone quickly." " Oh no, that's no odds," was the 

 reply. I went my way. After hearing sentence of death 

 passed on Hannah Brown for the murder of her husband, 

 which greatly saddened my brother and myself, I returned 

 and found Lias in the last stage of inflammation of the 

 lungs. Venous congestion had set in, and he was the colour 

 of a copper-coloured Indian. I had barely time to say a 



