400 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
my remarks upon the preparation of Hay, I beg to say 
that it should always be ready at band. When conve¬ 
nient, the rick of Hay ought to be made in or near the 
field of Turnips, as this article is never so good for feed¬ 
ing as when it is cut out of the stack and given imme¬ 
diately; where this is not practicable, a moveable Hay- 
house should be kept iu the field, where three or four 
days’ allowance may be held in reserve in good condi¬ 
tion. I am aware that the method of cutting Hay and 
feeding as chaff is approved by many parties, but I am 
of opinion that it does not answer a good purpose for 
fatting Sheep; but having gone into the subject iu 
detail in my paper upon the management of Forward 
Ewes, I beg to refer my readers, who may require infor¬ 
mation upon the subject, to No. 273 of The Cottage 
Gardener. My experience has taught me that fatting 
Sheep should receive their food in the following order— 
The first thing in the morning, and in the short days 
of winter, as soon as the shepherd can see to work, one- 
half of the daily allowance of cake or corn should be 
given; immediately after which, the morning bait of 
Hay, in such quantity as they will eat readily without 
waste; the troughs should then be supplied with cut 
Turnips, Mangold, or Carrots, whichever root may be 
! in use, at intervals during the day; about three o’clock 
i in the afternoon, the second moiety of cake or corn 
! should be given, followed by the afternoon allowance of 
Hay. It is necessary to supply Flay early in the after- 
noon, otherwise the Sheep are apt to draw away to their 
| night lair, after which it often becomes damaged and 
unpalatable. The last supply should be roots, filling the 
troughs to the brim, in order that during the long 
nights of winter the wants of the sheep may be readily 
| supplied. 
If the suggestions and modes of management recom¬ 
mended in this paper be strictly adhered to, I do not 
hesitate to say that Sheep will fatten as quickly, and 
with as much profit, as can be obtained by any mode 
of open field-feeding. 
When Sheep are fat and fit for market, it is a matter 
of some consequence as to how they may be disposed 
1 of to the best advantage. In drafting them for market, 
let them be carefully matched, both for size and quality; 
the large sheep should be sold separately from the 
| lesser ones, as they will then attract two sets of buyers; 
| and when matched in quality, both buyer and seller 
will be the better enabled to estimate their weight and 
value. Joseph Blundell. 
ALLOTMENT FARMING.—MARCH. 
Now will the fortunate holder of a nice little plot of land,— 
enough to keep him from having to purchase with hard 
cash his potatoes, carrots, parsnips, cabbages, &c.—begin to 
take fresh heart, notwithstanding the painful gloom of the 
past winter—one that will he long remembered by thous¬ 
ands. But our Scotch neighbours have an old saying 
about quarrels, which, I suppose, amounts to this, in simple 
English, “ Let bygones be bygones and so say I, Lamen¬ 
tations about the past are but of small value as compared 
with resolutions, and a stem self-reliance as to the future ; 
and the man who is ever depending on his neighbours or ex¬ 
February 23. j 
traneous assistance, may be likened to a weak building, 
which relies on props and shoring for its security. No j 
individual, no nation, can long stand secure that knows not | 
the value of this high principle of self-reliance; and I doubt j 
not, that by this time our Allotment readers, in general, i 
scarcely need reminding of such things. One thing may 
here bo remarked, and most consolatory it is—the tenden- ] 
cies of the age are benevolent, inasmuch as all orders of 
society in our favoured land daily perceive, more and more, 1 
their mutual dependency on each other; and the knowledge j 
of this, I need scarcely say, isthe very basis of social order, 
of progress, and a bettered condition ultimately among 
our labouring classes. 
The weather, since the late intense frost, has been, in these 
parts, of the very best kind for the period as to facilitating 
the necessary operations; and I should hope that my cottage 
friends have not stood with folded arms until now. They 
scarcely need reminding of the vast importance of digging 
ground whilst it is in a tolerably dry or mellow state. Some 
people have an idea that they must wait until a few days 
before sowing time before they dig their plot, but this is 
nonsense. I am prepared to admit, that when soils are 
exceedingly stubborn it becomes a question as to when and 
how they may be best fitted to receive the intended crop. 
But, now let us see what ought to be the cropping policy of 
our little gardens for the ensuing yenr ; for it is by no means 
essential that every year’s cropping should be the same. 
I would here once more impress our allotment friends 
with the fact, that the culture of plots is by no means obliged 
to be the same as that of their more countryfied friends. As 
for the price of wheat in another year, no material opinion 
can be formed ; it has risen to a fearful height this winter 
and spring, anil well must it have been with those holders 
of small plots of land who took our constant advice of 
laying out most of their strength in cultivating such roots 
as Parsnips, Carrots, Swedes, &c., instead of ephemeral sum¬ 
mer crops. 
I would again repeat the advice formerly given, to adhere 
to such maxim; for, what with a grievous war, and the pos¬ 
sibility of another slender harvest, and other considerations, 
we must not, I fear, expect very cheap bread for some time 
to come. And I may here urge the importance to those 
who hold plots near to towns or markets of trying their 
hand at something that will sell well, especially such light 
matters as will afford them a chance of a few Turnips, Cole- 
worts, or other greens, afterwards ; and, as before observed, 
the Horn Carrot is a most eligible thing. If any one is still 
inclined to try a few beds, he may yet carry out his views by 
proceeding immediately; although they should have been 
sown in the middle of February. The seed should be well 
rubbed, and then mixed with damp soil, and set in a warm 
place, in a room with a fire in: it will be found to have com¬ 
menced germination in about three days, and must then be 
immediately removed to the coldest place in the house for 
three days more, and then sown. The soil should be in the 
most friable state, and they are by far best in beds elevated 
six inches above the ground level. We sow them in cross 
rows made by the finger, at four inches apart, and thin them 
slightly when little plants. This done, they may be bunched 
and sold for a good deal of money in May and June, and 
the ground at liberty, by the end of the latter month, for a 
full winter crop of roots or other vegetables. 
I would point, too, to what are termed Early Colcworts, or 
Cabbages. I fear, however, the imperious Ice King lias 
been a severe meddler amongst these usefuls. Those who 
are fortunate enough to possess lots of these, will do well 
so to scheme their cropping affairs as to allow rows of these 
a place for awhile, especially where the soil is good. There 
will be no necessity for suffering them to become Cabbages, 
in the ordinary sense of the term ; such has been the cha¬ 
racter of the past winter, and such the position of the rising 
spring, as regards the vegetable question, connected with 
high prices in other things, that there is sure to be a keen 
demand for these things until June, especially in the vicinity 
of thriving commercial towns. In these days of steam, I 
call it “ vicinity” when r garden is close to a line of rail, al¬ 
though twenty or more miles from the market. 
Early Lettuces, too ; those who have secured nice winter 
plants, and have them, as mine are, fresh as a daisy, on well 
manured soil, in warm comers—what a good article, would 
