THE COTTAGE GARDE NEB. 
November 22. 
102 
Leaves. —Be active in collecting together all the 
leaves in a tidy way for future uses ; either for mix¬ 
ing with other fermenting substances for liot-bed 
making, littering the pigstye, or for covering up sea- 
hale. Of this some should now be begun to he forced 
as before directed. The quantity covered up depends 
upon the supply required. The kale should always 
be covered up when thoroughly dry, that is, on a fine 
day. Cover it up with a mass of leaves enough to 
raise a temperature of about 55°, but never to ex¬ 
ceed 00°. 
Brocoli. —Let those who have not laid in their 
brocoli, and yet wish to save it through a severe win 
ter, do so at once. 
Rhubarb. —The roots of as many plants as are 
thought sufficient to give the required supply for 
winter forcing should now be potted, or planted in 
boxes or tubs as before directed. Let all be placed 
in some snug corner where they can soon and easily 
be covered over with straw, leaves, or anything else 
to protect them from severe weather. By potting the 
whole now, the plants will be getting well established, 
and ready when wanted to bring in a pot or two at a 
time into the warm cellar or forcing-house. 
Routine Work. —Give plenty of air to cauliflowers 
under hand-glasses, or in pits, or frames, by taking 
the lights quite off during all fine days ; remove all 
decayed leaves and stir the earth often about them. 
See that the out-door carrot beds are not choked up 
with fallen leaves or weeds. Let all beds of winter 
spinach, lettuce, onions, and young cabbage plants, be 
often similarly attended to. Also look over brocoli, 
borecoles, savoys, and cabbages, that have been laid in 
for winter use, and remove all decayed leaves. 
James Barnes and W. 
MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION. 
OUR VILLAGE WALKS. 
(No. 7.) 
Country life is full of interest and variety. There 
is always something to observe, and admire, and 
remark upon; and “ village walks ” lead us to see 
and think about many things besides trees and 
flowers, for they do not bring us down to one given 
subject, but allow us sometimes to branch off into 
other matters connected with the soil, and so now 
I am going to talk a little about cottage allotments. 
In my neighbourhood, a portion of land is let in 
this way to the poor: it consists of about five and 
twenty acres, and each allotment averages a quarter 
of an acre, but some are rather large, and some a 
little less. The benefit derived from this system is 
very great; almost all the tenants—certainly all the 
poorest—say they must have gone to the Union, or 
liave been starved, had it it not been for their potato 
land ; and even since disease has smitten that most 
useful root few have been beliind-hand with their 
rent,—none have given up their land, and many are 
wishing to obtain some. Their contentment under 
the evident judgment of God is beautiful, and in¬ 
structive to their richer neighbours. The farmer 
too often murmurs; but the cottager, in every in¬ 
stance, thanks God that he has not been a greater 
sufferer, and fully recognises the hand that gives 
and withholds the increase. The cottage allotment 
system is a strong and beneficial bond of union 
between the poor and the rich—it is surprising how 
it links them to those whose tenants they are; 
and so many little acts and words of kindness are 
called forth on tire part of the landlord, and he has 
it so much in his power to do good, and also to 
exhort, admonish, reprove, and commend, that even 
the welfare and good order of a village may be 
greatly influenced by its means. As a proof of its 
good effects on one occasion, I will mention a cir¬ 
cumstance that occurred during the unfortunate riots 
of 18:!0. The mob visited the house of a gentleman 
(who then possessed the allotments to which I have 
alluded) in common with all the rest of the neigh¬ 
bouring residents. Those of the parishioners who 
held his land formed a band, and surrounded the 
house, declaring that, whether money was given or 
not, not a window should be broken, or one of the 
family unnecessarily alarmed. In the excited and 
lawless state of the people at that time this was a 
pleasing proof of their gratitude towards those who 
endeavoured to do them good. If every landed pro¬ 
prietor would set apart even one very small portion 
of his land for cottage allotments, he would be doing 
a great deal towards helping the poor, and relieving 
the burden of the rate so often bitterly complained 
of. Much good sometimes results from small begin¬ 
nings and simple means; and if every work, how¬ 
ever tripling, was “ begun, continued, and ended” in 
God, striking and important effects would inevitably 
ensue; for, “ not by power, nor.by might, but by my 
spirit,” lie has declared to be the way in which great 
things are done. In one special case I know, that a 
man given to drinking applied for an allotment, 
the answer was, “ We never encourage men who 
drink—we cannot suffer such to hold our land.” The 
man affirmed that the surest way to wean him from 
this evil habit was to give him a piece of land to till. 
The plea was felt to be one of some importance; 
and, conditionally, the land was given to him. Since 
that time no instance lias been known of his offend¬ 
ing in that way, and for some years he and his land 
have prospered. This is by no means a solitary 
instance — many allotment landlords have experi¬ 
enced the same good results; and many men who 
have been accustomed to go at times to the beer¬ 
house, without actually gaining the dreadful charac¬ 
ter of being given to drink, have left off that peril¬ 
ous habit, and spent their leisure hours in cultivating 
their useful bit of land. Asa benefit to the bodies 
of men the allotment system is an excellent one; but 
it may be a means of doing unspeakable good to 
their immortal souls. Very much of outward evil 
may be discouraged and put down by managing 
this interesting tenantry religiously as well as kindly. 
How fully a landlord may become acquainted with 
their “ short and simple annals,”—and how much 
advice he can give,—liow much religious principle 
he may instil, as he listens to their joys t and sorrows! 
The passions of men arc everywhere the same: they 
burn as fiercely about a neighbour’s stray donkey, or 
a furrow of ground unfairly taken in, as about an 
invaded kingdom, or an insulted crown. We are all 
partakers in the Fall; and if God’s commandments 
are enforced, and brotherly love promoted, among 
the very lowliest of men, as great and as glorious a 
work is accomplished as if wc had mediated between 
Turkey and Russia. Let landed proprietors consider 
tills. Even among farmers much may be done by a 
wise and religious land-owner; but among village 
tenantry — among the cottage gardeners — incalcu¬ 
lable benefit may be conferred; and the interest of 
watching over them is great, and ever increasing. 
