April 8. 
COUNTRY GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION. 
85 
i “ Lindley's School Botany.” He also stimulated me to ob- 
- tain a knowledge of Latin and English grammar, and I 
! do not think the village school master was ever more asto- 
! nislied in all his life, than when the younker made this pro- 
i posal to him to give one or two lessons a week. But he was 
a kind man, and the novelty of the proposition inclined him 
to do so on payment of a small sum. Some difference arose 
between the under-gardener, my friend, and his master, 
about this time, that caused his leaving; but my star was in 
the ascendant, for the new arrival had some knowledge of 
botany, and one more year passed away pleasantly, with my 
botanical knowledge improved, and my knowledge of the - 
English language likewise. 
Now I commenced the Latin, and though a dry study, L 
had a will and a tenacious memory, and I quickly advanced 
to the conjugation of verbs. But now a rupture ensued be¬ 
tween my master and me, which ended in an open declaration 
of war. Candidly I told him, I could not any longer submit 
to his narrow-minded prejudices, but he would not change 
: them, and the morrow’s dawn saw me on my road to London 
with only twelve shillings in my pocket and seventy miles 
to travel. Half was accomplished the first day, and the next 
i evening brought me footsore and weary into London, my 
scantily filled purse did not allow me long to remain idle, 
and two days after saw me engaged in a large nursery at 
I ten shillings per week. 
I would ask “ Snowdrop,” now, whether the young gar- 
1 deuer's attention be drawn more towards the increase of 
! wages than the study of botany ? Hitherto, the cost of my 
j botanical propensity and maintenance was defrayed out of 
! nine shillings per week. I hope I have shown him (“ Snow- 
! drop”) a few of the difficulties the young gardener has to 
J conteud with in obtaining botanical knowledge, whilst the 
I glaring plants, with their glaring names, are daily before his 
eyes, botanical rarities have to be hunted out of their glens 
and mossy banks ; and whilst botany costs money out of his 
limited income, the glaring name may be learnt for the 
trouble, and frequently places him as high in his employer’s 
estimation as the man of Linmean orders. 
I am afraid I have taken a circuitous route to show 
“ Snowdrop ’’ the difficulties his neighbour, the gnarled Oak, 
has to contend with in his upward growth, and I should say, 
that the Snowdrop, securely cradled in his mossy bed, knows 
not the difficulties of the Oak's “ upward and onward.” 
Finally, after this digression, I would say of my friends, 
one is in India superintending a spice plantation; and two 
of them have responsible situations. Myself, the last and 
youngest of all, after many disappointments, have obtained 
a comfortable situation and liberal master, and I have no 
cause to regret being—A Young Gardener. 
P.S.—If it would not be a waste of time, I could say a 
little more about the wants of young gardeners. 
[We shall be most happy to hear from you on this very 
important and interesting subject.—E d. C. G.] 
THE HOUSEHOLD. 
Onion Brulle. —Many bushels of Onions are thrown 
away at this season as useless from their commencing to 
grow. They may, however, be saved, and converted into 
I that delicious condiment, called by the French “Oignons 
brulle,” and are sold (or were, for I make all I use now) in 
London, at '2s. per pound. By simply stewing them in an 
ordinary stewpan, in their own liquor only, and when of a 
rich brown colour, and the liquor a thick syrup, they must 
be dried off in a gentle oven until the syrup is absorbed by 
them. They should now be of a dark brown, or nearly 
black, and should be packed close in tin canisters. 
Celery Leaves for Soup. —Cottagers who cannot readily 
procure manure to grow Celery, may, however, enjoy the 
flavour in their soups by simply growing a few plants, and 
treating it as they would Parsley, by stripping off the leaves. 
[ have myself adopted this, and my cook is never without 
Celery to flavour her soups, stews, &c.—S ambo. 
Deaths of Mr G. Don and Mr. D. Gorrie.—W e re¬ 
gret to have to record the death of both these gentlemen, 
so well Known to the gardening community. We hope to 
give biographies of both of them in our next number. 
DORONICUM AUSTRIACUM. 
I have grown this early-blooming plant several years, and 
always consider it an excellent bedding one. I am glad to 
see it noticed as such by Mr. Beaton. The first time I saw 
it was in a cottage garden, and I begged a patch of the 
plant; for I knew, by its close growth, and bright yellow, 
daisy-like bowers, about the size of a half-crown, that this 
neglected plant was worth looking after. As Mr. Beaton 
observes, it is easily propagated, and has done bloom¬ 
ing in time to he removed to make room for something 
else. 
It may he taken up in large patches, nnd planted in a 
spare corner until the end of the season, when this hardy 
favourite may again fill its former place with fresh vigour to 
cheer us with its golden blooms, regardless of our March 
winds, while the more gaudy things, for which it was turned 
out, are cowering down in a hotbed.—J. Wighton, Cossey 
Hall. 
INDIAN CORN. 
In answer to many inquiries, we publish the follow¬ 
ing 
“ Professor Johnston, in his ‘ Chemistry of Common Life,’ 
states, ‘ That Indian Corn resembles Wheat in composition 
and nutritive quality. The chief peculiarity in its compo¬ 
sition is that it contains more oil or fat than any of our 
common grams. This oil sometimes amounts to nine 
pounds in the hundred, and is supposed to impart to Indian 
Corn a peculiarly fattening quality. The average relative 
proportions of gluten, fat, and starch, contained in line 
wheaten flour, oatmeal, and in Indian Cora, are represented 
by the following numbers :— 
English 
fine 
WUeaten 
Flour. 
Bran 
of 
English 
Wheat. 
Oatmeal. 
Indian 
Corn. 
Water. 
16 
13 
14 
14 
Gluten . 
10 
18 
18 
12 
Fat.. 
o 
0 
6 
8 
Starch, &c. 
72 
03 
02 
06 
100 
100 
100 
100 
“ ‘ The large proportion of fatty matter contained in 
Indian Com not only adapts it well for fattening, but makes 
it more grateful to the alimentary canal, and therefore more 
wholesome.’ 
“ The best mode of preparing Indian Corn flour for bread 
is to boil it into thick porridge, and when cooled down to 
about the temperature of new milk, it must be well mixed 
with the sponge, which has been previously set with wheaten 
flour only, and no water added. 
“ Bread made from two-thirds wheaten and one-third 
Indian Com flour is of excellent quality, and is generally 
preferred to that made from wheaten flour alone. 
“ Indian Corn-meal can also be used to great advan¬ 
tage instead of oatmeal or barley for making porridge or 
cakes.’’ 
This recommendation was published by Messrs. Can- and 
Co., of Carlisle; but as they are dealers in Indian meal, we 
thought it would be satisfactory to have their statement 
sustained by some disinterested evideuce, and this, we 
think, is afforded by the following extract from a private 
letter:— 
“Whilst I was in Port Natal, we invariably used it with 
Wheat flour for bread, which it very much improved and 
cheapened; for Wheat flour there was never less than 39s. 
per barrel (American), and often 50s. to 54s.; and Cape 
flour 4d. to 5d. and Gd. per pound : whilst Indian Corn 
(which we could grow) could be bought of the. Caffres foi¬ 
ls. a basket, containing 40 lbs. And we are now using it in 
all our bread, and prefer it very much to bread made with 
all Wheat." 
“ la the summer of 1850,1 emigrated to Port Natal, lor 
