310 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
January 16. 
of the Atlantic, for the purpose of raising the indigenous 
cattle to the British standard. An American, for instance, 
purchased last year, for £'1000, the celebrated bull bred by 
Earl Ducie, though unfortunately the animal broke his neck 
on his passage out. Another noble specimen was secured, 
we have heard, for the same quarter, for £000. 
A considerable proportion of the pork consumed in 
London,—a much larger proportion than people imagine,—is 
“ town made," or at least is the produce of the immediate 
suburbs. Shepherd’s Bush might perhaps be termed the 
pigsty of the metropolis; for here every house has its 
piggery, and the air is sonorous with the grunting porkers. 
Again, in those portions of the outskirts, such as Kensington, 
which are inhabited by Irish colonies, the Celtic population 
does not forget its old habits or companions, especially that 
all-important “ jintleman who pays the rint.” The Cockney 
taste for pork must have greatly fallen off during the past 
century and a half, for last year there were sold in Smitlifield 
only 24,287 pigs, against 250,000 which Stow tells us were 
disposed of in the same market in 1008 ; that is not a 
tenth of what were eaten when the population was only 
550,000! With this and the still more remarkable exception 
of sheep, the arrivals at Smitlifield have in some degree 
kept pace with the increase of the population. The supply 
of sheep and lambs has, during the last twenty years, stood 
nearly still; for in 1828 there were brought to market 
1,412,032, and in 1840 but 1,417,000—or only an extra four 
thousand for the 500,000 mouths which have been added to 
the metropolis between these two periods. That London 
has of late years abjured mutton, as our immediate ancestors 
appear to have done pork, the evidence of our senses denies. 
How then are we to explain this stagnation in the Smitlifield 
returns ? By the fact that a new channel lias been found 
in the rapid rise of Newgate market, the great receptacle of 
country-killed meat brought up to town by the railways. 
Those who remember the place forty years ago, state that 
there were not twenty salesmen, and now there are 200! 
This enormous development is due to steam, which bids 
fair to give Newgate, in the cold season at least, the lead 
over Smitlifield. The new agent lias more than quadrupled 
the area from which London draws its meat. Twenty years 
ago, eighty miles was the farthest distance from which 
carcases ever came; now the Great Northern and North- 
Western railways, during the winter months, bring hundreds 
of tons from as far north as Aberdeen, whilst some are 
fetched from Hamburgh and Ostend. Country slaughtering 
will in time, we have little doubt, deliver the capital from 
the nuisances which grow out of this horrible trade. Aber¬ 
deen is in fact becoming little else than a London abatoir. 
The style in which the butchers of that place dress and 
pack the carcases leaves nothing to be desired, and in the 
course of the year mountains of beef, mutton, pork, and 
veal arrive the night after it is slaughtered in perfect con¬ 
dition. According to returns obligingly forwarded to us by 
the different Railway Companies, we find that the following 
was the weight of country-killed meat by the under¬ 
mentioned lines : 
Tons. 
Eastern Counties .... 10,398 
North-Western.4,602 
Great Western.5,200 
Great Northern.13,152* 
South-Eastern.1,035 
South-Western ..... 2,000 
Brighton and South Coast . . . 100 
36,487 
Thus no less than 36,487 tons of meat are annually 
“pitched” at Newgate and Leadenhall markets. As the 
Scotch boats convey about 700 tons more, we have at least 
37,187 tons of country-killed meat brought into London by 
steam, and these immense contributions are totally inde¬ 
pendent of the amount slaughtered at Smitlifield, which is 
estimated to average weekly 1000 oxen, 8000 sheep and 
lambs, and 400 calves and pigs. Wo have given the average 
supply, hut on some occasions the quantity is enormously 
increased. The Eastern Counties line, during last Christmas 
week, deposited at Newgate about 1000 tons of meat; and 
* This return contains some small proportion of game, the quantity of 
which is not stated, 
the weight sent by other companies on the same day would 
be proportionately large. No less than forty waggons were 
waiting on one occasion to discharge their beef and mutton 
into the market. And what does our reader imagine may 
be the area in which nine-tenths of this meat are sold ? 
Just two roods forty-five perches, having one carriage- 
entrance, which varies from fourteen to eighteen feet in 
width, and four foot-entrances, the widest of which is only 
sixteen feet six inches, and the narrowest five feet eight 
inches. No wonder that, as we are informed by more than 
one of the witnesses before the Smitlifield Inquiry Com¬ 
mission, there is often not sufficient space to expose the 
meat for sale, and it becomes putrid in consequence. Though 
we have acquired the fame of being a practical people, it 
must be confessed that we conduct many of our every-day 
transactions in a blundering manner when we cannot provide 
commodious markets for perishable commodities, or even 
turn out an omnibus that can be mounted without an effort 
of agility and daring .—(Quarterly Review.') 
(To he continued.) 
TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
*** We request that no one will write to the departmental writers of 
The Cottage Gardener. It gives them unjustifiable trouble and 
expense. All communications should be addressed “ To the Editor of 
The Cottuge Gardener, 2, Amen Corner, Paternoster Row, London." 
Dressing Aspakagus-beds (J. H.). —This ought to have been done 
two months ago. Draw off with a hoe about an inch in depth of the sur¬ 
face soil of each bed ; put on about the same depth of thoroughly decayed 
dung ; sprinkle over the dung some common salt, a quarter-of-a-pound 
to every square yard; return the earth, and then leave undisturbed 
until the spring. 
Worms in Turf (Goddess). —The recipe for lime-water given in our 
number for January 2nd will answer for turf as well as for bark-beds. 
Sulphur-dressing for Wall-fruit (Idem). —This on out-door 
trees we should not apply until the middle of February. 
Enquiries relative to Begonia Fushsioides, Jasminum grucile, and 
Rhyncospermum jasminoides, will be found answered by Mr. Fish to-day. 
Fungus on Gold Fish. —We shall be obliged by any one giving us 
some information in answer to the following:—“ Will you be kind 
enough to state whether any remedy can be applied to remove a kind of 
fungus growing on some Gold Fish, which I have in a small pond ? The 
disease attacks the head and eyes of the fish, and in the course of a 
short time kills them. If you arc in possession of any means of cure, I 
shall feel greatly favoured.—T. E. H.” 
Flower-garden Plan (Joseph). —You have disposed the colours in 
the plan sent us to our own taste entirely. But there is no accounting 
for taste, and we do hot recollect to have ever seen two beds less to our 
fancy than No. 2 and 3 beds. Were it not for these two beds, and for 
not knowing whether or not the surrounding walk is rounded off at the 
four corners, as they ought to be, to suit the line of the circular bed, we 
would engrave the plan. The colour in 2 and 3 is right, but the 
plants are not the best—this wants a taller kind—say Saloia patent, 
pegged down, otherwise the great size of No. 1, and the height of the 
Roses, will completely drown the little blue exaggerations. 
Expenses of preparing for a Root-crop (An Amateur Farmer). 
—Before replying at length to your communication, Mr. Robson would 
like better to consult some “ chalk soil ” farmers ; but your case is not a 
solitary one, as the labour and expense of a root-crop very often 
exceed the value of the produce ; but as the ensuing crop is generally 
one of corn, but little labour and expense is incurred, and the produce 
being more valuable, usually covers all the expenses of the two years, and 
leaves a fair profit behind. This is Mr. R.’s opinion, but he will be 
giving it more at length shortly. 
Horticultural Society’s Garden.— Young Ambition had better 
write to the Secretary, 20, Regent-street, London. 
Jackson’s Preparation for Potatoes. —J. B. H. will be 
obliged by any practical information relative to the results of employing 
this. 
London : Printed by Hugh Barclay, Winchester High-street, in 
the Parish of Saint Mary Kalendar; and Published by William 
Somerville Orr, of Church Hill, Walthamstow, in the County of 
Essex, at the Office, No. 2, Amen Corner, in the Parish of Christ¬ 
church, City of London.—January 16, 1855. 
