October 10.] 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
17 
both in first cost and future management and repairs, one 
should be chosen in which the same description of brick or 
stone, the same style of workmanship, the same magnitude, 
kind, and disposition of windows, the same facings to them, 
the same kind of cornice, and, in short, the same architec¬ 
ture, is adopted on all the four sides. Above all things, as 
a matter of taste, a house ought to be avoided which has any 
one of its sides decidedly inferior to the rest, in respect 
either to architectural design or execution. We should say, 
also, avoid, in point of habitableness and comfort, ever}' 
house, the diagonal line of the general plan of which is not 
south and north; were it not that this maxim would con¬ 
demn all those houses which have been built along, and 
parallel to, streets or roads which run directly east and west, 
or north and south. Unfortunately, the custom of placing 
small country houses that are near streets or roads with one 
of their sides parallel to that street or road, and without any 
reference whatever to its direction, is almost universal, even 
where there is a distance of 100 yards or more between the 
road and the house, though it is productive of two serious 
evils, which admit of no remedy. The one is, that the oppo¬ 
site side or front of the house to that which faces the road is 
considered as the back, and is, therefore, generally designed 
and finished in an inferior style; and the other is, that no 
attention can bo paid to placing the diagonal line of the plan 
of the house due. south and north ; and that, whether this is 
the case or not, depends on the direction of the road, and 
not on the will of the builder. The latter is much the 
greater evil; for so numerous are the advantages of this dis¬ 
position of the plan, in point of solar light, warmth, ventila 
tion, and cheerfulness, and even dryness and healthy vegeta¬ 
tion in the garden or adjoining grounds, that, in our opinion, 
it ought to be made the governing principle in the placing 
of every detached house, whatever may be the direction of 
the road to which the house may be said to belong. 
We hope that the work may sell extensively, not only 
because the information it contains, we think, will ho 
beneficial if extensively diffused, but because it is, we 
believe, published at the risk of the editor, whom 
every one must admire for her literary acquirements, 
and for the noble way in which she addressed herself to 
the task of extricating her husband’s property from the 
difficulties with which he had left it surrounded. 
A new Practical System of Forlc and Spade Husbandry , 
by John Sillett, deserves to be extensively read, for it is 
full of instruction for the holders of small plots of land. 
The teacher we thus recommend is unexceptionable; 
he is a small tradesman, of plain education, who thinks 
he derives all his subsistence from the soil he forks over 
with his own hands. Let him tell his own story:—• 
I served my apprenticeship to a grocer and draper, and at 
the expiration of my time I went to London ; I lived in dif¬ 
ferent situations as a linen draper, and a short time at Bir¬ 
mingham, in the same trade. I afterwards returned into 
the country and went into business, as a general shopkeeper, 
in a village called the “ Garden of Suffolk but it proved a 
very unproductive garden to me, for after six years’ struggle 
I was placed on the wrong side of fortune. I then left this 
place and went to London, where I carried on a business in 
haberdashery, etc., for several years. In consequence of 
family sickness, I was necessitated to return to Suffolk, and 
carried on a business in my native village (Kelsale) where I 
now reside. 
Having a natural taste for a rural life, and reading works 
on Husbandry, I was always anxious to catch hold of any 
books or articles in the newspapers treating on the subject; 
the first thing that most particularly struck my attention, 
was an article in a newspaper, headed, “ How to keep a cow 
and a piy upon an acre of land." This so forcibly attracted 
my notice, that I had the curiosity to cut it out and paste it 
in my scrap book; if I remember right, it was copied from 
the “ Labourers’ Friend’s Magazine.” Probably there are 
many of my readers that have never seen this statement, 
and thinking it may be useful and interesting to many, I 
shall presume to give a correct copy of it:—• 
“ How to keep a Cow and a Pig upon an Acre of Land. 
“ 1. Never let the cow out of the cow-house. 2. Carry her food and 
water to her. 3. Bo not keep one foot of land in pasture. 4. Dig your 
land instead of ploughing it. 5. Never throw away anything that can 
he turned into manure. 6. Keep your land well weeded, and collect a 
large dunghill. 
‘‘A small cow, which is best for a cottager, will cat from seventy to 
eighty pounds of good moist food of the following kinds in a day: 
lucerne, or clover, and the leaves of yellow beet, or mangel wurzel; from 
the beginning of spring to the end of autumn : and the roots of yellow 
beet or mangel wurzel, Swedish turnips, potatoes, and straw; from the 
end of autumn till the beginning of spring. 
“ If the cow is curried once a-day, it will increase the quantity of milk. 
“To procure the above-mentioned crops, you must have plenty of 
manure, which you will obtain by careful management. Rushes, potato- 
stalks, and weeds before they seed, should be industriously collected for 
the cow’s litter.” 
I was so delighted with this account, that I resolved to 
try the experiment as soon as an opportunity offered. 
Shortly after, my mother died; aud, according to my father’s 
will, the two acres of land which are now in my possession 
were sold. Being determined t6 become the purchaser, I 
gave T118 per acre (T236), besides the necessary expenses 
incurred upon the purchase. This same piece of land my 
father purchased thirty years before for L'130. This land is 
freehold, tithe free, and land-tax redeemed, and, consequently, 
entitles me to a vote for the county. 
Soon after I had noticed the above account, I observed in 
a list of Mr. Cobbett’s books one on Cottage Economy : 
thinking this book would be of great service to me, I imme¬ 
diately ordered one. Of all the novelties that it contains, 
the part which describes how to keep a cow off a quarter of 
an acre of land attracted my attention the most; this article 
quite astonished me, and was what I had never heard of 
before, and what no one would believe could be done. The 
description given how to produce the food for the cow off this 
quarter of an acre is very interesting and useful; and I shall 
ever feel grateful to the noted William Cobbett, for the valu¬ 
able information that his “ Cottage Economy ” contains. It 
is from this excellent book that I learnt all my first principles 
of sowing and transplanting. I was so much delighted with 
the simple and pleasing manner in which this hook is 
written, that I was induced to purchase Mr. Cohbett’s 
“ English Gardener,” “ Year’s Residence hi America,” etc., 
from which I have derived much valuable information. 
I had not long begun my labours, before I was beset by my 
neighbours, who condemned me most severely for breaking 
up such a beautiful piece of pasture. They were quite sure 
I did not know what I was about, and that I should soon 
get tired of it; and I believe all concluded that I should 
soon he glad to give it up ; but, despite their opinions and 
interference, I was determined to pursue my course, feeling 
a firm conviction in my mind that I should master all diffi¬ 
culties, and eventually succeed. I am proud to say that, by 
adhering to the principles of temperance, frugality, and in¬ 
dustry, I have for these last seven years been enabled to 
support myself and family in a comfortable and respectable 
manner. 
Besides the greatest of all benefits that I have derived, in 
restoring a sickly constitution to perfect health, I felt de¬ 
lighted at the thought of being independent of the harassing 
cares of business. Of all the feelings which we possess, 
none is dearer than consciousness of independence; and 
this no man who earns his living by the favour of the public 
can be said to enjoy in an equal degree with the husband¬ 
man. In trade, there is a great jealousy and competition 
existing, and a submission to the public, which is galling to 
the spirits. But, since I have given my attention to the cul¬ 
tivation of the soil, I find I have no competition to fear, have 
nothing to apprehend from the s.uccess of my neighbour, and 
owe no thanks for the purchase of my commodities. Pos¬ 
sessing on my land all the necessaries of life, I am under 
no anxiety regarding my daily subsistence. 
This trustworthy practitioner of what he teaches then 
proceeds to state his modes of cultivation, cropping, and 
management of his two cows and pigs. For these we j 
must refer our readers to the shilling pamphlet now 
before us, but we will give the result of one year’s pro¬ 
duce, after deducting the family's consumption. 
