May 29.] 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
133 
others, and persisting in habits of sloth, and carelessness, 
and waste, that are quite opposed to the commands of God. 
It is of the greatest consequence, therefore, that children 
should he early taught to be active, and neat, and clean, not 
because it is simply good for their health, hut upon principle, 
because it is part of their duty as Christians, as well as 
reasonable beings. Cleanness of “heart,” and “hands,” 
and “ way,” is strongly, and continually enforced by the 
Word of God. Let us strive with all our might to obey His 
commands in a spritural sense, remembering, at the same 
time, that scriptural precepts were constantly illustrated by 
customs and practices that were wise and good in themselves, 
and, therefore, sanctioned and approved of by the Lord. 
Let the poor, instead of squandering their little earnings 
in drinking and smoking, buy bread or clothes for their 
children, and always contrive, like poor old T-, to find a 
penny or two “ for soap.” 
ALLOTMENT FARMING.—JUNE. 
Hay-making. —Finding that several subscribers to The 
Cottage Gakdeneb desire information on this head, we 
beg to precede our general monthly remarks by a few bints 
concerning this very necessary procedure. Now, although 
few mere allotment holders hold as much land as will keep 
a cow, yet many amateurs, and others in a small way, 
possess the opportunity, and, as in duty hound, we must 
endeavour to assist them. 
One of our correspondents inquires thus—“ 1st. How am 
I to know when the grass is fit to cut ? 2nd. How to make 
hay when it is cut ? 3rd. How many persons ought I to 
have at command ? 4th. How long should the grass remain 
to make a fresh shoot before I turn my cows on it ? ” We 
will endeavour to answer these seriatim, and add general 
remarks. 
Meadow land, intended solely lor cows, should not he 
suffered to become so ripe as that for horses. Persons, 
however, who are somewhat tightened for land, feel com¬ 
pelled to suffer the grass to stand as long as it continues to 
increase in bulk ; but this is, in our opinion, a short-sighted 
practice, and shows plainly the want of sufficient forecast 
and ingenuity in providing root and green crops to assist the 
haystack. Some grass lands depend for their hulk chiefly 
on bents or seed stems; others more on what is termed 
bottom grass; and some equally on each. Every field 
manager should take this fully into consideration, and cut 
his grass accordingly. In the first case the seeds of rye 
grass, oat grass, &c., are so abundant in seeds, and these 
seeds of so much quality, that it becomes important so to 
cut it as, whilst the nature of the bent is not lost, the seeds 
shall have attained some degree of maturity, especially if 
for horse diet. In the second case, where much “ fay ” or 
under grass exists, the bents become decidedly a secondary' 
consideration. This kind is much fitter for cows than the 
last,! and may stand until its growth becomes nearly sta¬ 
tionary. The third case invites an equal consideration of 
the bent and the under growth ; and the policy as to cutting 
must, of course, he a compromise between the two former. 
We may here observe, that in the handling of “bent” 
| grass it is best to cut in time, the more especially if for 
cows, as they like soft hay; and, moreover, we have known 
grass of this character shed at least half its valuable seeds 
in the ground, through the great folly of suffering it to stand 
too long in hopes of increase. Where any doubts exist, 
lean, we say, to early cutting, especially for cows. 
As a general maxim, founded on the average of seasons, 
it will be most safe to get the hay all cleared away before 
the last week in June; for that, and the two first weeks 
in July, are, we should say, five years out of seven, the 
worst of the haymaking weather. Whenever the strawberry 
begins to ripen it is always time to think about grass cut¬ 
ting. If the crop is late, we would let it stand over, if 
i possible, to the second or third week in July. 
Hay : how to Make. —As a preliminary remark, let it he 
j observed, that it is a good maxim to have hands enough, and 
i even to spare, for a few days. It is a kind of business which 
now and then requires the utmost dispatch: a dawdling 
haymaker is truly a pitiable character. Persons who hold 
allotments, root ground, or gardens of any kind, should 
endeavour to make the one play into the hands of the other. 
Thus, nearly all the complemental or finishing processes 
with the Swedes, the mangold, the carrots, the parsnips, 
the potatoes, Ac., as to weeding, soiling up, Ac., may be 
reserved a week or two behind their true time, where hay¬ 
making is combined; and even the mowing of lawns, and 
other gardening work pertaining to small proprietors, in 
order that, having plenty of hands, they may be called at a 
moment’s notice to the hay field, and return to plenty of 
work as speedily, if fitful weather supervene. This forecast 
we consider a master-stroke of out-door economics, and will, 
if well carried out, prove not only an avoidance of extra 
expense, but a source of much profit. Every labouring 
haymaker should come to work provided with a fork at 
least, for this has to perform the hulk of the business ; 
rakes the employer should provide. An acre and a half 
is a good day’s work for a mower, who, to perform 
this, must begin by four o’clock in the morning. All the 
grass mown before ten o’clock may he tedded out, if the 
weather is fine, immediately; and one point of great im¬ 
portance is, to see that every “ cock ” of grass is completely 
shook to pieces. This done, it may he turned again if time 
permit, and after dinner it should he drawn by the rake 
into what are termed -windrows. The weather being fine, 
good haymakers will get it into grass cocks the same 
evening. 
The Second Day begins with tedding out what has been 
mowed since the commencement of tedding on the day pre¬ 
vious, as before. This done, towards ten or eleven o’clock, 
the grass cocks of the first day must he shaken out into 
beds, called “ staddles ” in Middlesex, about four or five 
strides in width; the spaces between the staddles being 
raked clean immediately. This done, the staddles may be 
trimmed, and then turn the tedded grass as before directed; 
and this should be completed, if possible, before noon. After¬ 
noon, the staddles are raked into “ double windrows,” two 
persons raking towards each other, from the two outsides of 
the bed or staddle; and these will be about two good strides 
apart. The tedded grass may now go into single windrows, 
as in the first day; and next, the double windrows formed 
into middle-sized cocks, and, if possible, the single wind¬ 
rows put into “ grass cocks.” 
The Thied Day. —The tedding, Ac., of other mornings 
proceeds as before stated, everything, if possible, in due 
succession; and this day, if the weather has been fine, the 
first day’s tedding -will be fit to carry. If the weather turns 
cloudy, and bad for drying, the grass cocks should be got 
into double windrows, and the tedded grass into single 
windrows. If the middle-sized cocks, called “ bastard 
cocks,” are not quite fit to carry, they had best be made into 
full-sized cocks, and clean raked up, the rakings put on the 
top of the cocks. Then the double windrows may be got 
into bastard cocks, and so on with the rest of the routine. 
Through all the proceedings let rain and dew be prevented 
penetrating the hay, by cocking, Ac. As a maxim, one 
mower will keep from four to five haymakers agoing, part of 
which may be women. If the weather prove uncertain, of 
course the process will not proceed with such rapidity, and 
care should be taken not to spread more out than can be 
got into cock the same day. If wet weather ensue, and the 
cocks have to lie several days, the swarths, Ac., should be 
turned sometimes with the rake, to prevent their getting 
yellow'. Throughout the whole of the proceedings the most 
constant and vigilant personal superintendence is necessary. 
Every one should provide himself with a rick-cloth, and if a 
secondary sheet could be kept, to throw over the cart or 
waggon in an emergency, so much the better. 
We now conclude the hay afiair by answering our corres¬ 
pondent as to his fourth question. Many good farmers 
manure their grass land close on the heels of the hay 
harvest, and it is not bad practice, as throwing much 
strength in the afterswarth and providing for the succeeding 
year. Those who have but one plot, however, should, if 
possible, not turn in cattle until it is nearly ancle-deep 
again; close browsing on the heels of mowing tends to over¬ 
power the root. 
Geneeal Allotment Mattees : Root Chops. — The 
Mangold sown a few weeks since will now be ready for 
singling out. This must not be done at once; the first thin¬ 
ning may merely consist of removing one of the duplicates, 
so as that no two may touch. If the weeds have got a-head I 
