258 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
Brocoli. —The early varieties now coming in should 
have some attention, with regard to the protecting of 
their hearts, by placing over them some outside leaves. 
If severe frost prevails, then fern, pea-haulm, straw, or 
evergreen boughs may be used to considerable advan¬ 
tage. 
Horseradish. — The present is a good season for 
trenching out and replanting. The bed of Horseradish 
to be trenched out, according to our practice, should 
have first wheeled on to the surface a quantity of decayed 
vegetable refuse, coal-ashes, and any other kind of spare 
refuse, to the depth of ten or twelve inches; a trench 
should then be taken out at one end, the same way as 
the rows run, to the depth of two feet, and two feet wide; 
the bottom forked up with a quantity of the manure 
with it. Some forked-rooted Horseradish, with strong 
crowns, should be selected as the work proceeds from 
those trenched out, and placed standing against the base 
of every two-feet trench, one foot apart, having the 
manure regularly mixed in with a portion of earth with 
the digging forks as the work proceeds, leaving the soil 
in ridges; by which process the crowns are left between 
each ridge. If these ridges are kept well surface-stirred 
in suitable weather throughout the spring, about May 
the crowns thus buried will have made considerable 
growth, when the ridges may be levelled down evenly 
all over, and the crowns will push through the whole by 
midsummer. If the soil is very rich, light, and well 
pulverised, fine clear, white, well flavoured roots of Horse¬ 
radish will be produced the first year ; but in general it 
answers the purpose best to stand two years before 
trenching it out, when a good crop of large straight roots 
fit for table will be obtained. In the event of there not 
1 being rough forked roots enough for replanting, we take 
off the side crowns from such as can be spared from the 
crop put by for use; and our practice is to keep it always 
thoroughly clear, and an open loose surface by frequent 
surface stirrings. 
Potato Planting. —If not performed in autumn, an 
early opportunity should be taken; it having been so 
well and satisfactorily ascertained that early planting is 
the system the most safe and secure, and that in late 
planting there is no certainty. This will be found a good 
season for placing a quantity in heat, for sprouting in 
[January 23. 
readiness for transplanting on slight hot-beds protected 
by frames, hoops, &c. 
Mushroom Beds. —Those now in bearing, if protected 
with litter, should have strict attention with regard to 
keeping them clear from short mulch; with those not 
covered, and which are grown by the assistance of a 
little heat, care should be taken not to allow any cold 
currents of air to pass through the structure; a. kindly 
humidity should be kept up by occasionally sprinkling i 
the floor with tepid water. Make new beds in sucees- '■ 
sion by collecting together good stable manure, working 
in amongst it, when the bed is formed, a sufficiency of 
loam to maintain one uniform warmth and moisture. The 
mushrooms grown on this principle will be firm, heavy, 
and short-legged in quality ; and the beds will continue 
to produce abundance for many weeks, if not months, j 
with strict attention to the above directions; and when 
the bed has been in bearing some time, and the produce 
is consequently of lighter quality, applications of tepid 
liquid manure should be applied, brewed from cow, 
sheep, or deer dung, which will cause the production to 
be much improved both in quantity and quality. 
Charring. —A store of every kind of refuse pruning 
and every kind of spare rubbish should be collected and 
stored for the process of charring in due season, so as to 
be in readiness for the spring seed time. With us, the 
greater part of December was remarkably mild, and the 
present month, up to the present date, has been remark¬ 
ably warm, humid, and exciting; at 4 o’clock, a.m., this 
morning (January 12th), the thermometer stood, out of 
doors, at 48°; it has been from 45° to 55° at night up to . 
this time, and above 00° occasionally at midday in a 
northern aspect. So excitable is this temperature that 
some of the varieties of thorns (Devon) are opening into 
full leaf; plums are coming into blossom, and buds of the 
wall fruit-trees, espaliers, pears, &c., are just ready to burst 
open. The birds are merry with song; amongst them 
are the king-dove, generally known as the ringdove, 
the mistletoe thrush or storm cock, the grey or song 
thrush, the robin, and hedge sparrow; and the beautiful 
warbling of the wood lark is also beard at the present 
time amongst our merry songsters. No doubt but we 
shall have some cold and searching weather at a season 
we shall find it very ungenial. James Barnes. 
MISCELLANEOUS INEORMATION. 
OUR VILLAGERS. 
By the Authoress of “ My Flowers," il-c. 
A source of extreme mischief among cottagers, is the 
j habit of day labour for the wives and mothers. It is 
I most uncomfortable, in the best light in which it can be 
viewed; but it is highly injurious in others. I know well, 
that the wives of spendthrifts are compelled to work, because 
’ by their own exertions alone they can obtain money for 
their families, and in such cases we can only mourn over 
the cause that drives them from their homes; but where 
I this is not the case, the woman would be doing her duty 
better by staying at home, looking after her children, mend¬ 
ing the clothes, and making the most of the simple food 
they can obtain, than by earning sixpence a day by labour. 
In the latter case she goes out so early in the morning, that 
all things are left in dirt and confusion; the little children 
are either dragged after her, to sit and play under a hedge 
all day in the dirt and cold, or they are turned over to a 
neighbour’s care, or left under the charge of a cross, idle, 
mischievous girl, little older than themselves, who teaches 
them bad words and worse ways, and very likely injures 
their health and limbs, by neglect and carelessness. After 
working hours are over, there is no time to make the house 
and children comfortable—to get any food prepared—or to 
mend the clothes that have been torn or injured by toil' 
The husband finds all in disorder when he arrives, and 
either has patiently to endure the misery of such a cottage 
evening, or goes angrily off to the beer-house, to close his 
day amid the wretched company who are there assembled. 
I remember last summer returning from a walk between 
eight and nine o’clock in the evening, and we entered a 
cottage to leave some trifling message, on our way. The 
scene of discomfort I shall never forget, and it impressed 
my mind strongly with the mischief arising from this 
custom. The fire was just lighted up, the pot was waiting 
to be put on, and the wife was on her knees upon the dirty, 
wretched floor, peeling potatoes, with the help of her little 
girl. Oh, what a home for a husband to return to, after a 
long harvest-day, when his first craving must be for food, . 
aucl the next for rest! We could not help exclaiming at | 
seeing only preparations malting at such an hour for her j 
husband’s return; but the poor woman was an ignorant, ! 
helpless, unpersuadable creature, and she could say nothing 
but that the “ tatoes would be ready ’an bye,” as soon as she • 
could do them, and there we were obliged to leave her. : 
At the little wicket we met poor Martin and his two boys, all [ 
