456 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
March 13. 
been induced to become subscribers to the work in 
consequence of its professed accommodation to our 
wants and means, ought to be somewhat considered, and 
that specifically I wish well to the work, and think it 
has the means of effecting a great deal in the gardening 
world, but I should like to see it try to elevate the every¬ 
day gardeners, and not dismay and discourage them, by 
treating only of matters quite too high for their extent 
of ground and accommodation. And I do not think 
that if you, Sir, were to comply with my suggestions, 
you would he descending, necessarily, to very insigni¬ 
ficant details. At the risk of being tedious, but be¬ 
lieving that it is the case of many others, besides myself, 
I will state my own case and condition. It is one in 
which you will, perhaps, allow that as a certain effect is 
already produced, I am in a condition to profit by your 
wider experience. 
“ My premises are only sixty yards long, by eighteen 
yards wide. The house stands twelve yards from the 
road, and occupies a space of twelve yards square. The 
space in front is flower-garden, the space behind is de¬ 
voted to culinary purposes. I have no greenhouse, but 
plenty of manure. Now, here is a description of pre¬ 
mises, of which there are hundreds or thousands in our 
land a little larger or smaller. 
“ Now, from March to November, half of each in¬ 
cluded, I manage to have my flower-garden continually 
gay; and to start from the 15th of March last, I have 
bad a continual supply of vegetables (not reckoning 
Potatoes, excepting in July, &c.,) up to the present time 
for my table, of the common kinds. (I must mention 
that I was more than two months absent from home, 
viz., May, and part of June and September.) 
“ Now, what 1, and I believe very many others want, 
is information on the best mode of managing a garden 
of this kind. Take a standard, say my size, or twice 
the size, or any one you choose, and give us, from time 
to time, hints and directions for choice of seeds, and 
plants, and for operations within our reach, not re¬ 
quiring the constant use of cold-frame and hotbed, but 
open air, warm corners, a small frame, perhaps, with its 
hotbed made once of fresh manure. This will do the 
high-fliers no more injustice than articles upon Orchids, 
&c., or Cochin-China fowls do me, who have an old 
English prejudice in favour of more familiar breeds; 
and will, I am sure, be highly appreciated by many, 
who, like myself, take pleasure in our little bit of garden, 
and have a pride in making the most of it, in its several 
capacities of fruit, flower, and kitchen. 
“ You can tell us of the most prolific varieties of 
Peas, Cauliflowers, and other Cabbageworts, Lettuces, 
and Celeries. You can give us timely hints for the pro¬ 
vision of handsome perennials, and what new annuals 
are worth having; and can teach us what we can do with 
our hand-glasses and common frames, so as to accom¬ 
plish as much as possible with small means. Mind, I do 
not expect to raise Pine-apples in my little hotbed, nor 
Melons under my hand-glass. I never try to do what I 
am not sure I have means for, but I wish to know how 
much I may safely attempt. 
“ I would apologise for trespassing on you at such 
length, but 1 feel sure my case is that of thousands in 
the neighbourhood of our towns, and you might think 
them not worth noticing, if they were not brought under 
your notice.—Quis.” 
Now, although we do not plead guilty to the charge 
of deficiency brought against us, yet will we act as if we 
felt the charge is just, and will take the following plan 
furnished by “ Quis,” and in papers once or twice a 
month will go through the routine of its cultivation. 
In the present instance, we will suppose a small 
garden behind a village, or suburban bouse, and to be 
of the paralellogram form, as in the accompanying 
drawing, or bounded on its sides by walls or buildings. 
If the latter bound it, let there be spouts to cany off 
the rain-water. We will then suppose, that at the dis¬ 
tance of eight feet or more from the boundary wall, a 
walk is formed of such a width as corresponds with the 
size of the enclosure At the same time, such walk 
ought not to be less than three-feet-and-a-half wide, and 
as much more as can be allowed, where other things are 
concerned. Now, this outside border or borders, Nos. 5, 
6, and 7, may be devoted to various small crops, as 
seedling plants of the Gabbaye, Brocoli, and other things, 
which, after being nursed there a while, will be planted 
into the other space allotted them in the enclosure. 
Now, as we have three of these wall-borders, it is right 
to expect that one of them will face the south. Let this 
be No. 5, and may be called “ the south border,” the 
uses of which will be treated of hereafter; and of the 
other two, the north one, No. 7, is not without its 
uses in retarding certain crops in a hot summer, while 
the east one, No. 6, is useful at all times. And let it be 
remembered, that although we have supposed these 
borders to be only eight feet wide, they may be double 
that width, provided the size of the interior plot allows 
their being so consistently with other things. 
Now, the surrounding walls must be covered with 
fruit-trees, that behind No. 5 with Peach and Nec¬ 
tarines, and a Grape Vine, of the White Muscadine, or 
Black Cluster variety. The Peaches may be Royal 
George, Newington, and Late Admirable ; and the Nec- 
