March 28 .] 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
353 
MY FARM-YARD. 
How true it is that all nature rejoices in the spring; 
and the farm-yard at this season of the year pos¬ 
sesses very great attractions. Such an assertion 
would cause a smile to creep over the face of those 
who were born and bred in towns, hut my country 
readers will well un derstand it. Our possessions at this 
time are all on the increase: the cows have calves 
by their side; the sow her litter (of, it may ho, some 
eight or ten little ones); the sheep are feeding 
greedily on the “ preserved bits of grass,” their lambs 
bounding and frisking around them; hens are sitting 
on their eggs, watching, I should imagine, anxiously 
for the time in which they may introduce their pro¬ 
geny to the light of day, or, perhaps, in some few 
and favoured farm-yards she is busy searching for 
food for her brood, her wearisome task over, and she 
is now deriving pleasure from her patient sitting. 
Some hens do not at all like the confinement neces¬ 
sary to bring the eggs to perfection : 1 have one at 
present who brought out her first brood remarkably 
well, but since that time she has declined sitting 
longer than a week at a time. I have tiled her 
three times, and each time she has had the ingrati¬ 
tude to spoil 13 eggs, although I took every precau¬ 
tion to tempt her to remain on her nest—such as 
placing food and water within reach, “sitting” her 
in a quiet place, &c., &c.; all which trouble would 
not have been taken had she not been a beauty, and, 
consequently, a pet. Even in reference to the in¬ 
mates of a farm-yard “ the world judges by outward 
appearances ” more than it ought to do. Cows may 
from the 1st of April be left out at night; this will 
help to economise your hay, and will also give you 
more milk; natural grass always producing more 
than hay and roots. Vetches, Lucerne, and tares 
will soon be ready for the scythe, therefore, put up 
as much grass as you possibly can for hay. Grass 
that you intend to cut should not be stocked after 
Lady-day, or, at any rate, after the 1st of April. 
Many people recommend its being put up the begin¬ 
ning of the year, but this in small “holdings” is 
almost impossible, nor do I think it of very great 
importance, at least, I mean that the benefit you 
derive from having more pasture, during the early 
part of the year, more than compensates for the loss 
in the bulk of the hay crop. When your sow litters, 
take great care that she is not disturbed; that the 
straw on which she lies is not too long, and that she 
has plenty to drink. If these points are not attended 
to, the young pigs are often destroyed, either by 
being overlayed or by the mother’s killing them. 
Even when all these precautions are taken, there are 
some sows who will destroy their young. I am sorry 
to be obliged to record so sad a fact of my favour¬ 
ites, yet it is true, though I hope and believe very 
rare ; and I think it has generally been ascertained 
that deficiency of milk, provided for the young pigs’ 
nourishment, was always an accompaniment to this 
piece of barbarity. This, in some measure, softens 
the feelings towards the unfortunate animal; but 
whatever may be the cause, there is only one course 
to pursue, and that is, fatten the sow immediately, 
and as quickly as possible, so as to kill her before 
the hot weather sets in; and as bacon is not first- 
rate unless salted in cool weather, I should advise its 
being sold fat to the butcher, if possible. 
In my last paper, I promised to make some remarks 
about rabbit feeding, and as I think it would be a great 
source of comfort to the cottager if rabbits were kept, 
1 will say all I know about them. Books recom¬ 
mend you to feed them on “ oats, hay, beans, and a 
little green food.” Now, I know from experience, 
that if you wish rabbits to pay, you must not feed 
them daintily. I dare say they will be fatter and better 
flavoured if fed on the “ fat of the land,” hut 1 think 
the cottager, and those who study economy, will be 
quite satisfied if they can see a couple or two of 
rabbits on their table each week, with a very slight 
outlay of money, and will not be likely to complain 
that the flavour is not as good as it might have been 
had oats and beans been given to them constantly. 
If a garden is owned by the rabbit keeper, nothing can 
be better for them than the tops of carrots and celery ; 
the roots they are very fond of, but as they are used 
in the house, it would be wasteful to give it to them. 
The hedges supply much that is useful for rabbit 
feeding. Wild parsnips and the common dandelion 
root they will eat freely; and as, of course, they must 
feed when in a wild state on such food, nature 
points out that it is good for them. Children could 
be well and agreeably employed in collecting such 
food. Great regularity should be observed in lend¬ 
ing rabbits; three times a day is better than twice, 
for if much food is given them at once, they tread it 
under foot and waste it. A handful of hay should 
constitute the middle meal, and that will prevent the 
green food disagreeing with them. A few tea-leaves, 
squeezed dry, and given to them now and then, is a 
good “medicine.” When the doe is about to bring 
forth her litter, great care must be taken that she is 
not disturbed, for, if frightened, she sometimes de¬ 
vours her young ones. She must also be well fed ; 
and immediately after they are bom some warm 
gruel, or warm milk, should be given to the doe. 
Rabbits will breed all the year round, but it is much 
wiser to have litters only in the summer, lor rabbits 
born in the winter are difficult to rear, and the doe’s 
strength soon wears out if she is allowed to have 
more than four litters in the year; and as they gene¬ 
rally have from six to ten young ones at a time, a 
large number will be reared even then. A rabbit, if 
carefully attended to, is fit for the table at three 
months; hut, generally speaking, it is more profitable 
to keep them another month, as they are then lull 
grown. I am quite sure no cottager will repent 
buying a couple of rabbits; and if lie once feels the 
comfort of having one for dinner once or twice a 
week, he will never give them up. C. M. A. 
THE PHYSIC GARDEN. 
By a Physician. 
PolygalE/E. —-Of this order there are but two spe¬ 
cies indigenous to England; and, as their medicina 
properties are very similar, I shall treat ol them 
under one head, and refer my reader to them for in¬ 
formation. I may, however, mention that the 
qualities contained in our English plants are pos¬ 
sessed to a much greater degree by a North American 
species—the famous Senega, or Snake Root, formerly 
so celebrated as an antidote to the bite of the rattle¬ 
snake, being used both externally and internally, for 
which purpose it is still used by the Senegaro In¬ 
dians. 
The Rattany Root, of Chili, is part of another 
member of this order, and is a well-known astringent, 
as well as a powerful tonic medicine. 
Milkwort (Polygala vulgaris L., and Polygala 
amara L .).—Although it has been doubted by some 
whether the latter species is strictly English, yet as 
it is common in many parts of France and Germany, 
it may fairly come under our consideration as a plant 
capable of cultivation in England. The only differ- 
