ALLOTMENT AND COTTAGE GARDENING. 



129 



for judging purposes, by lectures, visits, and demonstrations. In many 

 ways they have rendered singularly valuable help, and it is greatly to be 

 hoped that this form of co-operation may in time be widely extended. It 

 is, on the part of county authorities, a recognition of the importance of 

 gardening as a home industry, of its value in training a great industrial 

 population, and of its tendency wherever practised to create sobriety 

 morality, and material social contentment. 



Garden Sites and Areas. — It rarely happens, except it be in the forma- 

 tion of a garden city, such as Bournville or Port Sunlight, that sites for 

 cottages and gardens will admit of selection ; as a rule cottages have to be 

 built promiscuously, where wanted, or where ground can be spared for such 

 purpose. Thus we find them in all sorts of situations, on all descriptions 

 of soils, and the gardens of exceedingly diverse areas and forms. It is 

 useless in the rural districts as a rule to lay down any prescribed aspects, 

 soils, or situations. These have to be determined by their environment. 

 Naturally it is best that a cottage should front to the north, and the 

 garden have a south aspect, but myriads of good cottages and gardens are 

 found oppositely placed. A cottage garden may vary in area from forty 

 rods, a quarter of an acre, down to ten reds only, although some even do 

 not exceed six rods— an area distinctly too small. Much as to area also 

 may be determined by the time the occupier may have at his disposal for 

 cultivating it. We have seen large gardens of forty rods area cropped 

 and kept in the most perfect condition, quite equal in every respect to the 

 cropping and up-keep of small gardens. A cottager who has in him the 

 true garden cult will not rest, even if his garden seem exceptionally 

 large, until he has the whole in perfect condition. However, very large 

 gardens are the exception rather than the rule. In any good garden 

 moderate portions are invariably devoted to flowers, especially those parts 

 near to or surrounding the cottage. Other parts are devoted more or less 

 to ordinary hardy fruits, the major portion being allotted to vegetables, 

 potatos as a rule occupying fully one third of such space. Generally the 

 cropping is well arranged, so that the ground is well utilised and neatness 

 and order strikingly prevail. 



Allotments.— While it is usually found that allotments are provided 

 in groups, more or less in area and number, many are found in isolated 

 spots, such as on unused building sites or where ground is not otherwise 

 usable. Any plot that is not a cottage garden, even if thus single, is 

 treated as an allotment, as the worker does not reside upon it. Groups 

 of plots are usually provided by local authorities or by private persons, 

 landowners especially. At Epsom in Surrey, for instance, there are large 

 groups provided by the District Council and by two landowners respec- 

 tively. At Richmond, Surrey, the group comprises some 250 plots, pro- 

 vided by the Town Council and leased from the Crown. The plots vary 

 in area from 10 to 20 rods. At Surbiton, Surrey, the District Council 

 have two extensive groups, including some 300 plots. These also vary in 

 area from 10 to 20 rods. In many of the rural districts the groups are 

 smaller in area, and are generally provided by local landowners. The 

 plots again run to similar dimensions. The soils vary greatly, some being 

 deep sand, others stiff clay, black sandy loam, or on chalk. Still it seems 

 to matter little what may be the nature of the soil, crops invariably 



K 



