20 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
October 9 
suitable, and we have seen them colour pretty well, and 
retain their plumpness almost as well as when on the 
plant. Small or half-grown ones cannot be expected 
to become useful fruit, but if previous directions of 
thinning the shoots, and divesting them of part of their 
leaves, have been duly attended to, a considerable quan¬ 
tity of ripe fruit will have been secured at various times 
during last month as well as the beginning of this; but 
when all are wanted, take off a part, as above, to hang 
up, and remove every leaf that in the least shades those 
remaining, and witli a spade chop round the roots of 
j the plant, at some little distance from it, to check all 
| future growth; cover up at night, and you will probably 
| swell out the small fruit remaining on, but which you 
j will be obliged to cut eventually, and hang up to colour. 
1 in some other place. 
Spinach sown the end of August will now want 
j thinning, but the plants may stand closer than is 
usually allowed for summer crops; the many accidents 
! it is liable to in winter, as well as its more slow growth, 
| enable it to stand closer without taking harm; after 
j thinning by hand, run the Dutch hoe through the 
j ground between the rows, which may be repeated after- 
| wards if the weather keeps dry. Take notice of the crop 
now in use, and nip out any points likely to run to 
seed, and it will continue to furnish a supply of fresh 
green leaves for some time yet, provided the situation it 
' is in, and other circumstances, favour its growth. 
Cabbages for the principal spring crop may now be 
| planted out in any open plot which has previously been 
enriched by a good share of dung, and if it has been 
trenched two spits deep (keeping the top mostly to the 
top again, and the dung in the middle) so much the 
better; rows two feet apart, and the same between 
plant and plant, will not be too much for the larger 
varieties of early cabbage which we presume to be 
planted now, as the London Market, Spothorough, and 
many others. The smaller varieties, of which the old 
Early York may be regarded as the type, might be 
planted a little closer, but we presume a large portion 
of these to have been planted some time ago, partly as 
coleworts and some to arrive at full size; but, if none 
have been put in, lose not a day in preparing a good 
breadth on a south border, which plant with the kinds 
reported to be most early. The Fulham is said to be 
good, and so is the East Ham, though differing widely 
from each other, yet both are early, and when true, not 
liable to run to seed. 
Brocolt must be frequently looked over, and all heads 
in a forward state cut, with most of the leaves on, and 
hung up in some dry cool place; they will keep several 
days at this season without injury. The Cape, Early 
White, and Walcheren will be all coming into use now, 
as well as the late planted Cauliflowers, all of which 
may be treated alike. 
French Beans and Scarlet Runners which are 
wanted to continue late in bearing must be protected 
by mats, or similar covering, on frosty nights, and 
remove all old fruit from the plants, to encourage their 
growth. J. R. 
MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION. 
OUR VILLAGERS. 
By the Authoress of 
I wish some of the farmers of England could have seen 
the way in which Farmer Steady and his sons conducted 
their harvest this season. Indeed it would benefit more 
than some; for even the quietest and steadiest too often 
! leave much to he done by their men, that would be far 
better done by their own hands; and the eye of the master 
j is not always enough—his hand is wanted too. 
Farmer Wilful was a quiet, steady man, and never 
i allowed any noise or tumult about his premises; hut his 
men did not do their work half so well as he would have 1 
done it himself. Now, the two younger Steady’s were in the 
middle of everything, eye and hand. One was all day in 
the harvest-field “pitching,” and the other was in the stack¬ 
yard, on the rick, or close at hand; and the good old father 
was toddling about, watching the boys as they drove the 
waggons, and doing all the light jobs about the farm, while 
1 the other hands were busy. Labourers will always knock 
horses about, if they possibly can ; they think bawling at 
them, and hitting them, is the way to make them go; they 
have no notion of the gentle hand and encouraging voice of 
kindness. The horses on Steady’s farm are like lambs; the 
whip is never heard; and instead of being worried, and 
fretted, and hot, they came in after harvest-work cool and 
comfortable, and were soon rolling about on the grass until 
dark. A man who was employed on the occasion, began by 
Bitting the poor things about the head ; but the old Farmer 
was behind the nearest tree, and it never happened again. 
1 have seen, in former days, blows given with pitchfork- 
handles, but there is nothing of that kind done now. It 
was quite delightful to walk about throughout the busy j 
scene, all was so quiet and orderly; and the peaceful manner ! 
in which all the farm-yard incidents took place, made them 
doubly beautiful and interesting. While the waggons were j 
unloading at the rick, a flock of sheep came quietly by, j 
passing among the men and horses on their way to the fold; ! 
j and the cows, that had during the day been snug in the j 
yard, now came forth to enjoy the freshness of their evening ! 
pasture. All were passing and re-passing at once, but j 
j nothing looked frightened or hurried; and not a sound was I 
“ My Flowers ,” die. 
heard but the dusty feet of the sheep, and the rustling of 
the sheaves as they flew upon the rick. 
Now, there is a man in the same neighbourhood who has 
bought a few acres, and farms them well—in fact, he has 
done wonders with the land. He began by cutting down 
every tree he could find, great and small, throwing down 
banks, and trimming hedges, till the little property looks 
almost like Salisbury plain. Then he ploughed, and har¬ 
rowed, and broke the land’s heart, and almost his own too, 
with his determination to make it pay ; and certainly it looks 
extremely well. This man, John Todd, was up early and : 
late, like his neighbours the Steady’s; he did everything 
that man could do himself, and by no means tried to make | 
himself a gentleman. But even this activity and diligence . 
may be used in a wrong spirit—for worldly ends, and for a 
worldly reward, the most wretched and broken reed upon 
which a man can lean. 
John Todd never enters a church. There is something so i 
particularly terrible in this idea,nthat I cannot write it with¬ 
out shuddering. He never enters a church—lie^ lives in 
open defiance of God; therefore, his fruit must be'like the 
apples on the Dead Sea shore. He is a violent, swearing 
man, a bad husband, and one whom no one likes to have 
much to do with. His language during the more anxious 
periods of farming, when all is bustle and interest, is fearful, 
even to the men. While he is heaping up the fruits of the 
earth, sent so plentifully and graciously by a Father’s hand, 
he heeds not the giver, but vents liis unthankful tempers 
upon the mowers and the reapers, upon the weather, the 
horses, and anything that goes wrong. His poor frightened 
wife sits meekly in doors, glad to be quiet, instead of plea¬ 
santly cheering his labours, and gladly welcoming his return 
home. 
We must not suppose, therefore, that when we are “ not 
slothful in business" we have done our earthly work well. 
There are many other clauses contained in the same charge, ; 
all equally important, and equally binding. Two of these 
clauses, which closely accompany the one that John Todd 
seems to obey, are these:—Be “fervent in spirit; serving 
