200 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[July 24. 
coming back at dinner-time to turn bis wife, and give her 
food. In the evening, as soon as he had waited upon her 
again, down he went to the allotments, where he worked on 
his land until dark. Several times in the night he had to 
rise, to alter the poor sufferer’s position, and sometimes he 
had to call up a distant neighbour to assist him. It was no 
easy task to place a very heavy person in an easy posture, 
when every limb quivered with pain; and the neighbours 
have said that sometimes poor James has seized his hair 
with both hands, in distraction, at not being able to make 
I his violent wife easy and quiet. At day-break, in the long 
! days, he was off again to the allotments, before his regular 
! work began; and in this way he laboured uncomplainingly 
during the whole of his wife’s illness. No expression of 
impatience or vexation ever escappd him, although he has 
dropped asleep while waiting by her bedside; and the anger, 
violence, and impatience lie had to endure, never were 
known to extort one word or look of irritation in return. 
His health, however, began to fail—his strength gave way 
from having to lift a heavy, helpless weight so continually; 
and his great fear, as far as he dared fear anything, was that 
he might be taken away first, and his wife left to the care 
of others. But James L-’s trust was placed on the Bock 
of Ages. He was an illiterate man—he could not read; but 
many of God’s children know not their letters, and when He 
vouchsafes to teach, no alphabet is wanted. James L- 
learned his lessons of wisdom by the ear, but his knowledge 
of Scripture was deep and full; and in keeping God’s com¬ 
mandments, he put to shame many a man “with a gold ring 
in goodly apparel.” 
It seemed that Betty L-’s afflictions were intended, by 
a merciful God, as stripes to subdue her ungovernable spirit. 
For years and years, the more she suffered the more petu¬ 
lant she grew; but, at length, the lion was tamed; He 
who is mightier than man prevailed; and her daughter, who 
had for some time lived in the cottage also, with her family, 
assured us, that her mother’s gentleness and meekness was 
remarkable for a short period previous to her death. 
Poor James was, perhaps, the only living being who could 
regret the departed. Her children, knowing her sufferings, 
rejoiced to see them ended; for she had known the “truth ’’ 
for years, and they humbly hoped she had felt its power 
before she died ; but her husband seemed like one who had 
lost his all, for a long time after her death. His health is 
now much restored, and he'remains a living instance of a 
faithful and faultless husband. May his example strike and 
influence others, who perhaps have gentle wives, and yet are 
not like him. 
No epitaph wall record the domestic virtues of James 
L-, but he will not readily be forgotten in his native 
village; and the couplet that now inappropriately distin¬ 
guishes the grave-stone of a man who drank himself to 
death, might, with truth, be placed to mark his future rest¬ 
ing-place :— 
“ The sweet remembrance of the just, 
Shall flourish when he sleeps in dust.” 
PRESERVING. 
The following rules and receipts for preserving fruit may 
be of service to some of the readers of The Cottage Gar¬ 
dener ; and they have this as a recommendation, that they 
have been used by me for several years; and I have just 
finished my last pot of strawberry jam made in 1849, and 
found it as good as when first made. 
Strawberries , raspberries, currants (red and white), cherries, 
plums of all sorts, apples and pears , may be preserved as 
follows:—Gather the fruit about the time the sun is setting, 
it is then sweetest; and let it not only be dry, but kept till 
used in a dry place—use the fruit as soon as possible after 
gathering. Prepare a gallon of fruit for preserving ; put it 
in unglazed jars or pans that can be covered over, and place 
it in a cool oven in the evening, to remain all night; or 
stand them in boiling water till quite dressed. Put the 
fruit in a preserving pan, and strew over it, when boiling, 
2 lbs. of good lump sugar, broken small by being put 
into a bag or cloth and well beaten by a hammer, &c. 
Do not stir the mass for some minutes, but let the sugar 
melt gradually; then, in stirring, keep the spoon close to 
the edge of the pan, and move the whole of its contents 
round bodily; if these directions be observed, preserves will 
not burn even when very thick. To say how long each 
preserve should boil is scarcely possible, as the season, state 
of fruit, and quality of sugar, all combine in producing tliat 
state in which the juice of the fruit forms a jelly; but the 
criterion with me is to place a portion on a plate, incline it 
on one side, and if the preserve remains fixed, or moves 
very slowly, it is done. If any scum arises remove it, but I 
have scarcely any. Have the preserving pots very clean, 
and if hot all the better; it prevents the candying of pre¬ 
serves. Fill the pots nearly to the top, as their contents 
always shrink. The following day cut some tissue papers 
rather larger than each pot, and dip them in some good 
salad oil, and apply them closely over each pot, taking espe¬ 
cial care that the paper fits the sides of the pot exactly. 
Take a piece of the same sort of paper, press it on the top 
of the pot, and cut a border about half-an-inch wide all 
round ; spread some thin paste over the border, place it on 
the pot, and, putting a soft cloth over, gently press it down. 
When dry, dip a soft brush or rag in a little oil, and spread 
a very small quantity all over the paper. When done in 
this way the state of the preserves may always be seen, as 
the cover is transparent. I prefer gently rubbing on tbe 
oil with a clean finger. Make some neat labels, write on 
each the name of the preserve, and date, and place them in 
any airy place secure from damp, but never put them in 
cupboards. I find a shelf over an upper flight of stairs is 
the best place with me. 
Rhubarb stalks, black currants, gooseberries, and quinces 
require 3 lbs. of sugar to the gallon, but in every other 
respect the above directions should be followed. Plums are 
scalded and skinned. 
Black Currant Rob, for sore throats, &c.—Pick one 
gallon of berries from their stalks, bake them in a very 
slow oven till they are most thoroughly done, then add 1 lb. 
of lump sugar beaten very small, mix with it 1 oz. of pow¬ 
dered gum arabic, and stir the whole together while very 
hot; put it in a preserving pan, and boil it till it is very 
thick indeed; take some large dishes, put the least quantity 
of oil or fresh butter all over them, and spread out the rob 
as evenly as possible about as thick as a five-shilling piece; 
dry it, either in the sun or before the fire, cut it in any form 
you like, and turn the pieces till dry. I have some made 
twelve months since perfectly good. Keep it in a dry place. 
If a less quantity be required, the proportion is lb. sugar 
to 1 lb. fruit. The gum may be omitted, but is very useful. 
A Nice Gravy, to use with Vegetable Marrow, Ac.—Take 
-§ lb. of shin of beef, cut it in slices as thin as possible; 
put it in about a quart of water the day before using. The 
next day, directly after breakfast, peel and cut some carrots 
and onions in slices, and set on tbe whole with an additional 
pint of water. Place the saucepan on the hob, and if it is 
an hour before it boils so much the better, but do not skim 
it; keep it simmering till twelve, and then put in any herbs 
you may like, seasoning, and as much flour as will thicken 
it to your liking. When wanted, strain.—S. C. 
PEACH LEAVES BLISTERING. 
This spring my peaches and nectarines, especially the 
latter, have some of them been severely attacked by the leaf- 
blister. The cause to which I have ascribed this diseased 
state of foliage, is a sudden vicissitude of temperature, the 
succession of bright and sunny days to frosty nights, and the 
only remedy I think likely to be successful is sheltering the 
trees by a canvass covering, combined with careful stopping 
and maturing of the wood. You recommend the reduction 
of the humidity of the soil as an effectual preventive; this 
(whatever virtue it may have in some cases) has, in mine, 
proved utterly powerless. I am anxious to call the attention 
of professional and practical gardeners to this subject; 
which has not yet received the consideration its importance 
deserves. I hope to see a scientific and sound discussion 
upon it in your pages. 
Everything that has met my observation since I last 
applied for your opinion has strengthend the theory I then 
entertained. I have noticed that the trees which suffer 
most are those which have been previously attacked; doubt¬ 
less, because the roots have been so weakened that they 
