November l. 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
67 
ever our eye rests upon was once either a noble por¬ 
tion of the forest or the field, or a creature full of life 
and vigour, or the rich mineral lying hid in the soil 
on which we tread. All our wants, our necessities, 
our luxuries, are heaped around us hy the gracious 
Hand that formed even our wondrous bodies out of 
the dust of the earth. Every twig we see has, or will 
have, its use. Is it not, therefore, our bounden duty 
to employ the gifts of God with diligence, economy, 
and liberality ? Let us neglect nothing, for by care 
and thriftiness we may, in our poverty, turn many 
tilings, which now we disregard, into good account. 
Poverty may restrain our hands in many ways, hut 
ignorance and idleness are still greater hindrances to 
the poor cottager. The words of Solomon are con¬ 
firmed in our daily experience, and let the cottager 
and his wife remember them, “ By much slothfulness 
the buildiug decayeth; and through idleness of the 
hands the house droppeth through.” 
EXTRACTS FROM CORRESPONDENCE. 
Water-tight Taps. — Although a subject not 
strictly within your province, it might prove useful 
to some of your subscribers to know where to pro¬ 
cure a tap that will not leak at ever so high a pres¬ 
sure. Eor instance, in preserving rain-water in tanks, 
in or out of a conservatory, it is a great nuisance to 
have a tap that cannot be left without some vessel 
to catch the drippings, and where there is great 
pressure all precautionary measures with a common 
tap are vain. I myself suffered greatly from this, 
for having the water pipes laid on to the top of my 
house (our supply being derived from the water works 
in St. James’s Field, at a great elevation above my 
house), it was to me a source of great annoyance to 
find the rooms constantly swamped by the water 
oozing from the unfortunate taps. The plumbers 
were in frequent requisition, and all means devised 
as a remedy; fresh grinding the plugs was proposed, 
which, being done, soon proved in vain, for the in¬ 
cessant spirting returned with full force. I began 
to think of cutting off the pipes and returning to the 
old “jack pump,” when I happened to meet with the 
advertisement of Mr. Jennings, of Blackfriars-road, 
London, announcing an invention (an India-rubber 
tube-cock) which would effectually prevent this leak¬ 
age. I had all my water-pipes fitted with them, and 
was never better pleased with anything in my life; 
they have now been in constant use these nine or 
ten months, and have given me the greatest satisfac¬ 
tion. These tube-cocks are made in the usual form, 
but have a tube of India-rubber running through 
them; they are shut or opened by means of a screw, 
which, forcing a wedge upon the tube, so effectually 
closes it against the greatest pressure that not a drop 
of liquid will pass. I strongly recommend these 
taps, and shall be most happy to shew those fitted 
on my premises; they may, I believe, be procured 
at the price of the old sort at every house where 
such things are sold, and are known by the title of 
“ Jennings’ Patent India-Rubber Tube-Cocks.”— 
W. Savage, Friary Cottage, Winchester. 
[We have seen similar taps used for water-butts, 
&e., and with entire satisfaction.— Ed. C. G.] 
Indian Corn. —Some years since, when there might 
have been said to be a “ mania” respecting trials with 
Indian corn, I, amongst others, in my then neigh¬ 
bourhood, made some experiments, and I believe 
that the general conclusion we arrived at was, that it 
would never answer as a substitute for any other 
grain grown in this country. For myself, I will give 
you the results as well as I remember. In the gar¬ 
den, with very great attention and manure, such as 
would never remunerate on a large scale, I had ex¬ 
cellent returns, both in quantity, quality, and perfect¬ 
ness of ear; hut, wishing to give it a fair trial, I 
planted from one quarter to half an acre, paying the 
same general attention that might be afforded to po¬ 
tatoes or wheat, and the result was a failure regard¬ 
ing quantity and perfectness of ear. I boiled it when 
in “ cob,” as a vegetable for the table, and for which 
I think it only forms a poor variety. A pudding 
made with the meal after the manner of ground rice, 
rivals, if not equals, that general favourite; in bread, 
mix it in what proportion you please, with wheat or 
any other flour, and you cannot prevent the bread 
being gritty. I also thought I would test its feeding 
qualities, which I did by putting up to fatten two pigs 
at the same time and age, in fact from the same far¬ 
row, feeding one on barley-meal and potatoes, and 
substituting as food for the other Indian meal (which 
I had ground from the crop I had gathered,) and po¬ 
tatoes—the food in each case being equal in quantity. 
The result was, that the pig fed with the Indian meal 
was fit for the butcher a fortnight before its compa¬ 
nion. I have grown it since, as a “hobby,” hut no¬ 
thing more. It cannot be recommended for a small 
garden where room is an object. I am induced to 
trouble you with these remarks, thinking that, should 
you deem them worthy insertion, they may be the 
means of preventing the really cottage gardener sacri¬ 
ficing a portion of his land to a crop that will end in 
disappointment, and from which land a much more 
remunerative return would have resulted had he not 
made this selection. 
TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
Name of Apple ( H.R.S. ).—Yours is the Hawthorden variety. 
The original tree is still in existence at Hawthorden, near Edinburgh. 
Nothing is more uncertain as a characteristic of fruit than its keep¬ 
ing qualities. Soil, season, and storing, make strange discrepancies. 
Hollyhock Cuttings ( J. Philpott ).—These which are rooted 
had better be turned out at once into the borders where they are to 
remain. Fuchsia seed sow next March or April in a gentle hot-bed. 
See p. 20 of last volume. The bottom heat must not be higher than 
70°. Fuchsia cuttings may be struck now, or in May. 
Management of Cows (Omega). —We do not know the book 
you refer to. You can obtain it through any bookseller in Pontefract 
if it is in existence. 
Name of Pear ( James Barr). —Your pear is the Chaumontel 
variety. It should be gathered this month. This fruit is complained 
of as not keeping well; it never keeps well if grown on a wet, heavy 
soil. It requires watching, and eating as soon as ripe, for it speedily 
becomes bitter. 
Drum-headed Cabbage (G. R.). —This keeps well through the 
winter without any extra care. We have never grown Keen’s hybrid 
maize. The azalea is calUd the upright honeysuckle by the com¬ 
mon people in America, but you, perhaps, mean the Canadian honey¬ 
suckle, Lonicera canadensis. Coal-ashes are beneficial to some mea¬ 
dows, but not to others. It depends entirely upon the soil. 
Pigeons (A. A. Z.). —At the close of the present volume we shall 
probably proceed to give very full information relative to these birds. 
Hyacinths in Pots (W. D. Paine). — Those intended to be 
turned out into flower-beds do not require drainage. Let the roots 
escape through the bottom. Plant Jonquil bulbs with their tops 
three inches below the surface. Crown intperials planted in rows 
should be two feet apart, but in the shrubbery they look well in 
clumps—three or five together. 
Sand for Storing Roots ( S.,ofC .).—The sand you enclosed 
will do well for the purpose. Sea sand is the only kind that is objec¬ 
tionable, because it becomes damp ; the salts it contains absorbing 
moisture from the air. 
Old Apple-tree (T. A/.).—Its fruit is worthless, being little 
better than a crab. 
Woodlice (H. S .).—Slices of turnips or potatoes placed under 
pieces of board in different places about the cucumber beds will induce 
the woodlice to secret themselves under these, when they may be col¬ 
lected every dav and killed. The name of the plant you enclosed is 
Beloperone oblongata; a stove shrub, native of Brazil. 
