September 26 . 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
Continued longer than was thought useful for all other 
! crops; however, at length dry weather and sunshine 
asserted their supremacy, and, as a natural consequence, 
1 eas no longer continued to thrive, but gradually 
assumed that white, dusty appearance which mildew 
wears; showery weather again gave a little vigour to 
them, arresting their downward path to destruction, but 
the quantity of useful, good Peas was much diminished 
; b y if > all d H ue dry weather setting in again, early in 
| August, Peas presented but a poor aspect after it had 
I been a fortnight tine and sunny; and afterwards they 
died oil very much, with only hero and there a few 
| better situated as to moisture than the rest; hut, on the 
whole, the latter crop of Peas has been anything hut 
good; and, at the time 1 write, there are hut few indeed, 
and the prospect for those coining on is anything but 
cheering; as nothing but a change to dull, showery 
weather can prevent their assuming the fatal white 
livery. 
Cauliflower has been abundant and good, unless, 
perhaps, in cases where the plants had suffered in an 
! extraordinary degree during the last winter; but where 
! sufficient care was taken to preserve them at that period, 
the spring being, on the whole, favourable to their 
growth, rather than to their maturity, the first crop of 
the season attained a large size, while the nice, growing 
showers that followed at intervals, during the summer, 
has been equally favourable to this and other crops of a 
similar kind; so that few gardens, even small ones, have 
ever been without this useful vegetable; the earliest of 
which followed so hard on the heels of winter or spring 
Brocoli, that there was not a full week between the two. 
Cauliflowers have also been good, in a general way, this 
season ; there being fewer heads of that broken or flowery 
character, which may be regarded as untrue, than usual 
on such occasions, and it is hardly right to blatne the 
seed entirely for plants degenerating; for, as we all 
know, that perennial plants do not every season flower 
alike in all respects, we may, with as much propriety, 
blame the season for thq Cauliflower not always coming 
true, as excuse a Rose or a Peach-tree for being less 
prolific in bloom certain years, entirely on account of 
the weather then or previously. It is needless, however, 
saying further, than that Cauliflowers have been a 
successful crop. 
Onions, I believe, are not in every case plentiful; the 
coldness ol the spring thinned them very much on some 
cool soils, but on others of an opposite nature, the rains 
of early summer continued a growth which ended in a 
capital crop; and as the growth of them is Inostly from 
the middle of May until the end of July, the many 
useful rains wo had then were of great service in 
augmenting the crop which, eventually, turned out one 
ot tho best on record, in some places, while, in some 
others, an insect attacked them towards the end of 
July which injured them much; yet, on the whole, I 
believe, that in the best Onion growing districts there 
will be an abundance of this bulb in as good condition, 
as regards the harvesting and other things, as can well 
be imagined; for, as I have before stated, the worst 
crops are those on stiff, heavy lauds of a cold, uugeuial 
nature, where but few are grown except to meet the 
demands of the place; the soils of an opposite nature 
growing the bulk of the article required by the “ million.” 
Potatoes. —I am sorry at not being able to give so 
satisfactory a report on this vegetable, which went on as 
well as could possibly be wished until the middle of 
July, or even later, when some heavy rain, after a 
period of tolerably dry weather, either occasioned the 
disease, or, at least, gets the blame of doing so, insomuch 
that they have become lately as bad as I ever remember 
to have seen them, the early ones with me being most 
affected, and that after they have been taken up and 
stored away. But I believe, on the whole, Potatoes are | 
497 
more plentiful this season than last, and the disease 
seems to have sported in a sort of capricious manner ! 
amongst different crops, attacking, here aud there, a 
plot with great severity, while other places were com- < 
paratively free Irom it; but on all sides I hear of the 
produce being abundant, aud the quality good, aud by 
the market price at which they are selling, it is fair to 
conjecture the crop a better one than we have had for I 
some years. I 
Dwarf and Runner Kidney Beans. — The former 
of these did not succeed Well with me at first, but the 
after-crops have been all that could be desired. Scarlet i 
Runners, on the contrary, have never been more 
abundant, and, where everything favoured their growth, 
they have attained an unusual height, and kept bearing 
exceedingly well. Ihe failure of the first crop of the 
dwarf varieties was, in many instances, owing to the 
badness of the seed, last year being a poor one to save 
seeds of most of our delicate vegetables; in fact, it was 
bad for all, otherwise there has been nothing in the 
past summer at variance with their well-doing. 
Carrots, and other root-crops, are tolerably good; j 
these are, perhaps, more affected by the attention the 
ground receives than is any other crop we have; and, in 
like manner, the same may be said of Celery, which is 
also one of those articles whose quality is, in a gi'eat 
measure, in our hands.- Turnips have been good, and 
on all sides they seem pretty good as an agricultural 1 
crop, except on stubble lands, which the dryness of the 
season, coupled- with a harvest not at all early, did not i 
allow of being sown in time. Other minor crops of a i 
like nature have been mostly about an average quality, 
and rather abovo than below that. 
It is needless mentioning such things as Asparagus j 
and Olobe Artichokes, which, being perennials, their ! 
well-being is more due to the previous season than to 
tho present one; but, if it be necessary to particularize, 
1 may say the first-named has not been at all good; and 
the latter, though early enough, has not been otherwise 
remarkable. They, however, stood the winter pretty 
well with me, but did not grow so luxuriantly afterwards 
as they have done in some seasons. 
It is also needless entering into the other details 
of this department further than to say, that in a general 
way most things have done well; and, as my worthy 
coadjutor, Mr. Errington, has reported the condition of 
fruit, &c., I can only wind up this chapter by saying, 
that the last winter, though severe, was not attended 
with much loss here, as many plants which I heard of 
being killed elsowhere stood with us tolerably well; but | 
1 will, on a future occasion, describe these, and some ; 
other features in the season, which, though as stated 
above, has been on the whole successful, has, neverthe- j 
less, been a remarkable one, and certain periods of it 
have been much complained of; and 1 believe we have, 
in this county, had as much reason to complain of the 
absence ot sunshine, until the last six weeks, as our 
brethren of tho midland counties had of the severity 
ol the winter frost; but as both now are past, we might 
exchange friendly notes, and see who has most reason 
to be thankful to a bountiful Providence for the plenty 
vouchsafed to all. J. Robson. 
ALLOTMENT FARMING.— October. 
After nearly a month of such harvest weather as the 
most aged have seldom experienced, we are at last arrived, ! 
or arriving fast, at that period, when that glorious luminary, 1 
the sun, the life-giver and sustainer of our globe, must be j 
ofttimes concealed from our view by clouds and mists; and 
when the Ice King will begin to proclaim his vigorous and 
tyranical reign ; at least, judging from the past, such may 
fairly be anticipated. 
However, we justly hope for many intervening days—may 
