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THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
April 22. 
have in, my various journies, frequently met with such 
men, and when I enquire if they are members of the 
Gardeners’ Benevolent Society, 1 am sometimes met with 
various frivolous excuses, such as, “ I do not think well 
of the Society, for scarcely any one is successful at the 
elections, unless they live near London, and I do not 
approve of some of the Rules.” Some even go so far as 
to say, “ There is a provision by law (meaning the 
work-house) for the poor;” or, agniu, some say, “1 
have never been asked to subscribe.” Jf any gardener 
now holds such objections, let him fairly and candidly 
examine the grounds upon which he has formed such 
objections ; let him send to the Secretary and obtain a 
copy of the last Report, and 1 will be bound bis ob¬ 
jections will vanish like the baseless fabric of a vision, 
and leave not a wreck behind. If he founds his refusal 
to join in this good work on the ground that he has not 
been asked, 1 will strike the prop from under his feet, 
and tell him, I ask him, once for all—Come over and 
help us to provide for the sick and the needy. The 
way is easy; it is a royal road; there only wants the 
will. A penny postage stamp, and a threepenny post- 
office order to the amount of twenty-one shillings, en¬ 
closed in an envelope, directed to the Secretary will put 
it in your power to give votes to such as you think most 
worthy, whether they live in the south, the east, the 
west, or the north. No one can take from you that power. 
Then, having taken my advice, try to persuade others 
to follow your example. Respectfully lay before your 
employer the Report, and ask him to subscribe, so that 
he may have votes to give to old needy gardening 
servants. It this is done all throughout the length and 
breadth of the empire, I may venture to prophecy that 
no gardener of good character will ever have to enter 
the doors of the Union. 
1 have heard some suggest that the funds of the Society 
may fail, by the members dying, or by great general 
distress throughout the nation. To such I reply, that 
as far as human wisdom can devise, such a sad state 
of affairs has been provided against by a kind of sink¬ 
ing fund, described in the nineteenth Rule, which says, 
“ That all donations and life subscriptions shall be in¬ 
vested in the names of the Trustees in the three per 
cent consols, and only the interest, or dividends thereon, 
and annual subscriptions, be applied for general pur¬ 
poses,” by which is meant the payment of pensions and 
the necessary expenses of the Society. The present 
amount of this reserve fund is .£.3,700, from which au 
annual income of £111 is derived. This reserve fund 
is, I think, a grand feature in the Society’s transactions. 
It is a surety, that however the subscriptions may fall 
off, there will be sufficient to keep up the pensions 
granted till either they die off, or the subscriptions 
revive again. 
J may just state, that at present there is no fear of 
such a catastrophe. In 1854 the subscriptions amounted 
to £517; in 1855, to £547; and I do trust and hope 
that this year a proportionate increase to the funds will 
be added, especially as there is now every prospect of 
peace and prosperity. T. Appleby. 
A FEW NOTES ON THE ARRANGEMENT OF 
A KITCHEN-GARDEN. 
There are few things which have a greater influence 
on the ultimate success of garden cropping than a due 
regard to the placing of each crop on the most suitable 
spot; for not only is a proper change of crops each 
succeeding year necessary, but there are other points 
which ought to be attended to. Certain important crops 
ought to be treated to the best places, while others, for 
which there is not so much demand, but which cauuot 
be done without, may have a less-favoured place allotted 
to them. To the latter class belong most of the Sweet 
Herbs, Horseradish, Jerusalem A rtiehokes, and some other 
things; while foremost among the favoured ones are 
Celery, Peas, Dwarf Kidney Beans, Potatoes, and the 
whole host of the Cabbage and Cauliflower family. All 
these deserve a better place than to be huddled together 
under fruit or other trees. Therefore, in arranging the 
garden for the season, care must be taken to allot to each 
of these, and other indispensable articles, the best 
situations that can be given, and at the same time to 
take care and judiciously change the crops in such a 
way, that the same may not be on the ground again 
ofteuer than once in three years, neither must any two 
of the same family succeed each other; for as the whole 
of the Cabbage family may very reasonably be supposed 
to live on the same substances, it follows, that when one 
crop immediately succeeds another, the ground must be 
too much drained of the food necessary to support 
such crops when the first one is removed, to expect the 
second to succeed. Besides, insects deposit their eggs 
in the soil, and their larva is there ready to prey ou the 
succeeding crop, if of the same Natural Order. It is 
true, that a rich manuring may supply the necessary 
food to the plants, and is always advisable after having 
exhausting crops; still, when a changed one is contem¬ 
plated, it is reasonable to suppose that the utility of the 
last manuring is not done away with entirely, so that it 
will, to a certain extent, assist in supporting the other. 
I have always found that Peas, Potatoes, Celery, or 
Dwarf Kidney Beans, do better after the green crops than 
these crops after each other. Coarse-growing thiugs, as 
Horseradish, Jerusalem Artichokes, Sea-kale, and some 
others, had better be placed in some less conspicuous 
place than the ordinary kitchen-garden; by which is 
meant, that these crops ought to be outside of the 
department which is much in view, for we all know 
that in small gardens most things must he in view, and 
many kitchen-garden crops have an interesting appear¬ 
ance when well managed; but the above-mentioned are 
not so easily kept so at all times. It is true, Sea-kale is not 
unsightly except in winter, when it is often, of necessity, 
covered up for a loug period together with littery dung, 
or other forcing materials, to the no small detriment of 
adjacent crops in an ordinary point of view. Asparagus, 
however, may be allowed a place in the principal garden, 
as its appearance is graceful rather than otherwise. In 
fact, I have often wished that the plant was less com¬ 
mon, when its fine, feathery appearauce would gain 
it many friends. A nice green sprig of the tops of 
Asparagus is no bad accompauiment to a bouquet of 
flowers. And the plot of ground it occupies need not at 
any time be unsightly. 
In the laying out of new gardens, it is not unusual to 
place the permanent crops in such a manner as to 
divide the ground. For instauce, a row of Globe Arti¬ 
chokes makes a good division between quarters of plaiu 
tillage ground. Bush-fruits are often used that way, 
being, perhaps, better still. Strawberries ought to be 
planted on some fully exposed place, but not on too dry 
a situation; and in rural districts it would be well to 
have them all together, in order to protect them with nets 
from birds. Apple-trees had better be dispensed wi.th 
altogether in small gardens, except in the shape of 
espalier, or other mode of training not likely to reach 
very high ; and unless there be an anxious wish for 
large fruits, it would be better to exclude large standard 
trees from tillage gardens entirely, bush-fruits and 
wall-trees being alone permitted. 
Having arranged the position of walks with the 
various lines of permanent objects, there are several 
small crops which make good temporary edgings, 
amongst the best of which is Parsley, of which the 
best curled ought only to be sown. The small bulbous 
