September 2. 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
359 
world, they must rough their way through it; this 
“ turning out,” however, does not moan that they are to 
receive no further notice; on the contrary, their welfare 
is too important a matter to leave to mere chance,— 
the same interest which brought them thus far must 
still watch over them, and though for a few weeks the 
treatment they receive may appear rough, its object is 
but the proper discipline of its protegees, and by-and-by 
the same fostering care is directed to them again, but in 
j another shape, when the aspect of things outwardly 
j tells, in unmistakeable language, that hard weather is 
j fast approaching, and that protection will be required. 
This is granted in a modified sense; and, by the exercise 
of similar acts of prudence, a brood of lettuces and cauli¬ 
flowers are coaxed through the winter, and early in spring 
find themselves advantageously placed so as to com¬ 
mand an early maturity, of which they take due advan¬ 
tage. But then there is a chance of their hurrying on 
to a premature ripeness, which, in Cauliflower, is called 
buttoning. Here the skill of the cultivator is again 
brought into action; he can, by long experience, tell 
pretty well the probabilities of a plant’s future intention; 
if he knows its past history, and if the seed be from a 
good kind, and not sown too early, he can form a good 
guess (barring accidents) how it will turn out. 
Now, the plain routine of the matter is this: the 
result of many years experience has taught us that the 
beginning of September is the best time to sow Cauli¬ 
flowers to stand the winter. We generally sow on the 
first or second, and if the weather be very dry, watering 
and shading, as recommended for cabbages, &c., must 
be attended to. If soddening rains, and cold weather 
occur, then some spare lights put over the beds will be 
of service ; at any rate, assistance must be given so as 
to obtain an early germination, and care taken to pre¬ 
serve it afterwards. As there are few things in the 
gardening way of more consequence than the well-doing 
of the early cauliflower crop, and as any misadventure is 
less easily rectified in this than other productions, we 
strongly urge on the amateur to keep a sharp look out 
for the various enemies that seedling plants are beset 
with, as well as to coax the seed to grow, by warmth 
and moisture, without blistering tbe ground by allowing 
the sun to shine unobstructed upon it. After watering, 
if mats are laid over it, much of the sun’s warming rays 
would be transmitted through them, and yet the ground 
would not have that caked, sealed-up appearance it has 
when the sun dries up the surface into a sort of band, 
skin, or cake, unkind and almost impervious to the 
delicate seed-leaves of a plant induced to trust itself on 
; the tender mercies of an untoward season. Some miti- 
i gation of the evil, with a benefit to the yormg crop, in 
addition, may be had in mixing charcoal dust with the 
soil. This, besides being a fertilizer of no mean power, 
is an enemy to that grub which forms the “ club ” in 
I the stem of young plants of the Cabbage-worts. Let, 
! therefore, a part of it be dug in with the top soil of the 
I bed, and the seed be sown (watered if necessary), and 
! on the middle of the first few bright days shade it as 
j above, taking it always off at night, and the first 
gloomy day may be taken advantage of to discontinue 
it, or gradually so. 
Unlike most other vegetables, the varieties, or so-called 
varieties of cauliflowers are few. Many seedsmen, or 
seed-growers, have affixed their name to some “ superb ” 
kind, but beyond that there seems little distinctive dif¬ 
ference between the kind commonly grown, and those 
improved varieties and the late cauliflower. Certainly 
the Asiatic belongs to the section of Brocolis, such as 
the Walchercn. Cauliflowers deserve more attention, 
with regard to the purity of their seed, than many other 
articles. Sown to come in at a time when our tables 
arc deficient of several vegetables of similar character, 
its loss cannot bo endured without disappointment. 
Lettuces, of the kinds formerly mentioned, may also 
be sown in a similar way to cauliflowers, only, as most of 
them will have to stand the winter where sown, let the 
bed be on some well-sheltered place, and so as to admit 
of a covering of some kind or other in severe weather, 
should such occur. The plants of former sowing may 
also be planted out to stand the winter, and take care 
that the slugs, and other enemies, do not prey on the 
newly-come-up seedlings, nor yet on the newly-turned- 
out plants. Spinach may also be sown, if not dono last 
week; and on all favourable occasions earth-up Celery 
as required. Thin Turnips sown last month, and if the 
weather holds dry, let every inch of vacant ground be 
dug, or otherwise stirred, in order to benefit by an 
atmosphere of more utility in that respect now than in 
November. J. Robson. 
THE BENEFIT CLUB. 
By the Author of 11 My Flowers ,” “ The Coltaye Lamp," &c. 
I am going again to touch upon the subject of Benefit 
Clubs. I see another instance of then - value in the case of 
the cottage gardener whose miraculous conversion I have 
noticed in my last paper; and having long felt strongly their 
use and importance to the labouring classes, I am glad 
to be able to add another proof of it, in the hope that it 
may lead attention to them, where, perhaps, they have never 
existed. 
When a poor man becomes sick or past work, what is be 
to do ? Is he to run into debt ? How can he discharge it ? 
Is he to go to the union ? It is a refuge provided for the 
destitute, and, no doubt, planned and carried out in the best 
manner that can be devised; it may be so; but after a life of 
toil and hardship, the poor man loves the calm and free 
enjoyment of his honest old age, by his own fireside, among 
his family, and the beautiful things of nature, where he has 
dwelt since he left the cradle. Let us make large allowance 
for the honourable tillers of the soil. Some of us may know 
nothing of a Union; we may have no cause to know or fear 
it; we may be easy in circumstances, or too much raised 
above the humbler classes to suppose for a moment that we 
shall ever need its shelter; and this very feeling may make 
us think lightly of the poor man’s feelings when he is called 
upon to give up his British “ Castle,” and go to pass the 
rest of his days in a union workhouse. I have heard hard 
things said, very stony sentiments uttered by the affluent, 
regarding the reluctance of the poor to give up independence, 
so sweet to a son of Britain, and place themselves in a 
situation of restraint and separation from their families for 
the rest of their lives. We do not sufficiently feel for our 
poorer brethren; we do not put ourselves in their place, and 
then think how it would be. Restraints must, and ought to 
exist, where numbers are joined together; men could not 
live without them, all would otherwise be wrecked and 
ruined. But can we be surprized at people disliking this in 
their old age ? Soldiers, sailors, are restrained—strongly, 
powerfully, restrained—but they have chosen their profession, 
and are, besides, always looking forward to the time when 
they shall return to Old England, and spend their latter 
days in peace at home; but the honest labourer, may God 
bless him ! has nothing to look to in his old age but starva¬ 
tion or the Union! This should not be; but the poor 
abound in our land, and perhaps it is an impossibility so to 
order our political economy as to provide a remedy; but I 
am sure that if Benefit Clubs were established wisely, ex¬ 
tensively, and generally, throughout the country, largely 
supported by honorary members, and watched over by the 
under shepherds of the flock—I say, I feel sure, that more 
would be done to lessen the poor-rates, civilize and improve 
the people, and secure their comfort and happiness in old 
age than any other plan that could be adopted.. There is a 
self-supporting principle in Benefit Clubs that is wholesome 
and honourable ; the poor man feels that he is not living on 
charity, but on a general fund to which he has himself con¬ 
tributed his proper share; and he must be satisfied, too, to 
know that at any rate part of his earnings have been wisely 
employed. 
