December 11. 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
WEEKLY CALENDAR. 
157 
M 
D 
W 
D 
DECEMBER 11—17, 1851 . 
Weather near London in 1850. 
Sun 
Rises. 
Sun 
Sets. 
Moon 
R.&S. 
Moon’s 
Age. 
Clock 
bef. Sun. 
Day of 
Year. 
Barometer. 
Thermo. 
Wind. 
Rain in In. 
11 
Th 
Grosbeak seen. 
30.014 — 29.926 
45—40 
S.W. 
_ 
58 a. 7 
49 a. 3 
6 
46 
18 
6 
40 
345 
12 
F 
Moles’ hills seen. 
29.944 — 29.932 
50—30 
S.W. 
02 
59 
49 
7 
59 
19 
6 
12 
346 
13 
S 
Red-throated Diver comes. 
29.817 — 29.717 
50—36 
S.W. 
05 
VIII 
49 
9 
15 
20 
5 
44 
347 
14 
Sun 
3 Sunday in Advent. 
29.724 —29.418 
54—36 
S.W. 
21 
1 
49 
10 
34 
21 
5 
16 
348 
16 
M 
Tufted Pocher comes. 
29.453 — 28.934 
55—36 
S.W. 
30 
2 
49 
11 
54 
<g; 
4 
47 
349 
l6|Tu 
Cambridge Terms ends. 
29.224 — 29.015 
48—32 
S.W. 
06 
3 
49 
morn. 
23 
4 
18 
350 
17^ W 
Oxford Term ends. Ember Week. 
29.276 — 29.103 
44—27 
S.W. 
02 
3 
49 
1 
14 
24 
3 
48 
351 
He who would dig a mine, must not employ himself with making 
many small holes, so he that would penetrate deeply into any branch of 
knowledge, must not ramble in his studies from one science to another. 
There are some minds, as that of Lord Bacon, which seem, like Encyclo¬ 
paedias, intended to embrace all learning. These, however, are the ex¬ 
ceptions, for usually no man attains to excellence in any department of 
art or science, who does not devote himself to it exclusively. One of our 
greatest legal authorities acknowledged this when he said—“ Mother Law 
must lie alone ; ” and it would not be difficult to gather a volume of 
authorities together, bearing testimony to the opinion, that every art and 
every science is a jealous mistress, demanding all the attentions and the 
exclusive love of her votaries. 
There have been men who have devoted themselves even to the study of 
one author. Shakspere has had such devotees, and, indeed, there have 
been so many who have thus concentrated their thoughts, that we think 
Mr. D’Israeli wrote an essay “ On men of one book,” but he omitted 
from it that large class of happy ones, who, like Collins, the poet, can 
lay their hand upon their Bible, and say : “ I have but one book—but 
that is the best.” 
We have often wished that there were more one-book men, and we 
were never more strengthened in the opinion that we should then have 
sounder information upon each subject thus sedulously studied, than 
by the two volumes now open before us, Dickson’s Husbandry of the 
Ancients. Apart from his clerical duties, the leisure of their author’s 
maturer years were devoted to this subject, and the result demonstrates 
that those who have estimated that that husbandry was based on igno¬ 
rance, only betray their own. No one who considers justly how the 
Grecians and Romans excelled in all the fine arts—and learns from the 
fragments which remain to venerate their skill in architecture, sculpture, 
and literary composition—could conclude that they were unskilful in the 
more essential arts of life. Yet many writers have so concluded, and 
nothing is more usual than to find “the barbarism of the Roman agri¬ 
culture” dismissed in a single sentence. Yet the very school-books of 
such dogmatists might have taught them to arrive at a different con¬ 
clusion, for they could not read that Cincinnatus, Fabricius, Dentatus, 
Seranus, Regulus, Cato, and Scipio, were as distinguished for their agri¬ 
cultural skill as for their other triumphs, without the suggestion arising 
that such minds devoted to the culture of the soil could not have done 
so ignorantly. Pliny testifies to the truth of such a natural suggestion, 
when speaking of fruitfulness of Italy in those days, for he asks—“ Was 
that fruitfulness because the lands were cultivated by the hands, even of 
generals, who ploughed their fields with the same diligence that they 
pitched their camps ; and sowed their corn with the same care that they 
arranged their armies for battle?” If agriculture had been neglected, 
would such works as those of Cato, Columella, Varro, Pliny, and Virgil, 
have been written ? Most assuredly not, for authors do not write upon 
subjects for which few readers are anticipated. 
Putting aside inferences, let us come to facts, and taking these from 
the volumes which led to the present notice, we are bound to acknow¬ 
ledge that the Romans were our equals in almost all the practices of 
agriculture, and where we are superior, the superiority arises chiefly from 
the greater excellence of our implements. We must confine ourselves to 
a single instance, and this shall be deep-draining. It was but the other 
day that a public speaker, when demonstrating the improvement of 
modern over ancient agriculture, quoted this draining as a remarkable in¬ 
stance. The fallacy of the example is shewn by the fact that it was 
practised by the Romans before the Christian era, or nearly two thousand 
years ago. Our proofs are here. Mr. Dickson’s work says :— 
“ Open drains are easily made; more care and attention are required 
in making covered ones. The way of making these, and the manner of 
applying them, we have from the Romans, who used both kinds. A par¬ 
ticular description of them is given by almost all the rustic writers. Cato, 
the oldest writer, directs covered drains to be made in this manner. 
Treating of the culture of Olives, he saysIf the place is wet, it is 
necessary that the drains be made shelving, three feet broad at the top, 
four feet deep, and one foot and a quarter wide at the bottom. Lay them 
in the bottom with stones. If there are no stones to be got, lay them 
with green willow rods placed contrary ways ; if rods cannot be got, tie 
twigs together.’ Columella describes both the kinds of drains, in these 
words :—‘ If the land is wet, the too great abundance of moisture may be 
dried up by drains; of these we know two kinds, covered and open. In 
stiff and clay soils, they are left open ; but, where the soil is of a looser 
nature, there are some open, but likewise some are covered, placed so 
that the mouths of the covered drains may let the water pass into the 
open ones. But it is proper to make both the open and covered drains 
shelving, broad at the top, and narrow at the bottom, like roof tiles 
turned upside down; for those whose sides are perpendicular are soon 
damaged by the water, and are filled with the falling of the earth from 
the top. Again, the covered drains are to be made three feet deep, half 
filled with small stones or clean gravel, and the earth that was dug out 
thrown over them. If there are no stones nor gravel, let twigs be twisted 
like a rope, and formed to the exact thickness that the bottom of the 
narrow ditch requires, so as to take it in fitted and pressed into it. When 
this is stretched along the bottom, let cypress or pine, or, if there are 
none of these, any other leaves, be pressed upon it, and then covered 
with earth ; at both ends, however, after the manner of little bridges, 
two stones should be placed, by way of pillars, and one laid on the top 
of them to support the bank, lest the earth should be carried away by the 
falling down and issuing out of the water.’ Pliny expresses himself on 
this subject in this manner:—‘ It is very advantageous to cut and dry 
wet land, by drains. These ought to be left open in clay soils. In looser 
soils, they ought to be strengthened with hedges, or they ought to shelve 
downwards, to prevent them from falling in. Some of them ought to be 
covered, and drawn into others larger and more open. If there is occasion, 
they may be laid in the bottom with flint or gravel. Their mouths on 
each side ought to be supported by two stones, with one laid over them.’ 
Palludius says :—* If the land is wet, it may be dried by drains drawn 
from every part. Open drains are well known ; covered drains are made 
in this manner. Ditches are made across the field three feet deep ; after¬ 
wards, they are filled half way up with small stones or gravel, and then 
filled to the surface with the earth that was thrown out. These covered 
drains are led to an open one to which they descend, so that the water is 
carried off, and destroys no part of the field. If stones cannot be got, 
branches, or straw, or any kind of twigs, may be used in their place.’ ” 
We have barely room to extract from the same work this brief memoir 
of its author, the Rev. Adam Dickson. He was a son of the Reverend 
Mr. Andrew Dickson, Minister of Aberlady, in the county of East 
Lothian. He had a liberal education at the University of Edin¬ 
burgh ; and, having a very promising genius for learning, was always 
designed for the church. His father, however, having a large farm, he 
early turned his thoughts to agriculture ; and, in his youth, passing some 
part of his time with the farmers of that opulent county, who are many 
of them not unfit to converse with men of letters, he, from them, as well 
as from his own observation, acquired the exact knowledge of facts, and 
of the practice of husbandry. Being a man of a very lively apprehension, 
of an ardent mind, and of a clear and sound judgment, he soon became 
an adept in any branch of science to which he applied. Mr. Dickson 
was ordained minister of Dunse, in the shire of Berwick, in the year 
1750. As his settlement had been delayed for a considerable time, on 
account of a law-suit about the legality of the presentation, an opposition 
to him was stirred up in the parish ; but such was the ability, good sense, 
and engaging temper of Mr. Dickson, and such the candor and generosity 
of bis conduct, that his most sanguine opponents very soon became his 
greatest friends. Our author resided for twenty years in Berwickshire, 
where improvements in agriculture having been much more recent, and 
the difficulties to be surmounted much greater than in East Lothian, he 
had occasion there to observe the most spirited exertions by the cul¬ 
tivators of land. This change of situation enlarged his views, and ex¬ 
tended his knowledge on the subject of his favourite pursuit. In the 
year 1 770, Mr. Dickson returned to his native county, having been trans¬ 
lated from Dunse to Whittingham, in East Lothian, where he lived but a 
few years ; he was killed by a fall from his horse, on the 25th of March, 
1776- No man could be more universally regretted among the circle of 
his acquaintance than he was; not merely on account of his respectable 
abilities as a clergyman and a scholar, but still more on account of the 
unbounded benevolence of his heart, and the peculiar frankness and 
promptitude with which he gave his assistance in advice, or in credit and 
support, to every person who had the smallest title to ask him. 
Meteorology of the Week. — At Chiswick from observations 
during the last twenty-four years, the average highest and lowest tem¬ 
peratures of these days are 46.4° and 34.3° respectively. The greatest 
heat, 57°, occurred on the 17 th in 1832, and the lowest cold, 11°, on the 
13th, in 1846. During the period, 95 days were fine, and on 73 rain 
fell. 
In answer to the invitation we gave some time since, 
we have received several communications informing 
us of the implements used for gardening purposes in 
various localities. We hope that others will contribute 
similar information when they observe the valuable 
suggestions thus afforded. 
We shall begin with The Wheelbarrow, and by 
observing, as we have before done, that the greater the 
diameter of its wheel, and the smaller the axis or 
spindle on which that wheel turns, the less power will 
be required to drive it forward; for the friction is pro¬ 
portionately reduced. 
The diameter of the wheel might be increased with 
manifest advantage to double that now employed, for 
No. CLXVII., Vol. VfT. 
