August 28 .] 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
H27 
WEEKLY CALENDAR. 
M 
W 
AUGUST 28—SEPT. 3, 1851. 
Weather near London in 1850. 
Sun 
Sun 
Moon 
Moon’s 
Clock 
Day of 
D 
D 
Barometer. 
Thermo.; Wind. 
Rain in In. 
Rises. 
Sets. 
R, & S. 
Age. 
bef. Sun. 
Year. 
28 
Th 
30.1 14 — 30.064 
67—40 
N. ' 
1 
7 a. 5 
55 a. 6 
8 
4 
2 
1 
11 
240 
29 
F 
St. John Baptist beheaded. 
;30.153 — 30.141 
67—32 
w. 
— 
9 
53 
8 
29 
3 
0 
54 
241 
30 
S 
Great Fritillary Moth seen. 
30.253 — 30.221 
68—33 
N. 
— 
10 
51 
8 
52 
4 
0 
36 
242 
31 
Son 
11 Sunday after Trinity. 
30.300 — 30.292 
62—42 
W. 
— 
12 
49 
9 
17 
5 
0 
18 
243 
1 
M 
Clouded Buff Moth seen. 
30.348 — 30.333 
72—46 
N.W. 
01 
14 
47 
9 
47 
6 
0 
0 
244 
2 To 
Berberries ripe. 
!30.385 —30.292 
72—11 
W. 
— 
15 
45 
10 
21 
3 
0 
19 
245 
3 W 
Meadow Saffron flowers. 
30.238 — 30.190 
64—51 
s.w. 
— J 
17 
42 
11 
0 
8 
0 
38 
246 
In the time of James and Charles the Fivst, there was a very close 
alliance between the two great Yorkshire families of Fairfax and Bellasis. 
Sir Henry Bellasis had married Ursula, sister of the first Lord Fairfax of 
Cameron’ and the union led to the employment of the same retainers and 
co-operation, not only in the culture of the agricultural parts of their 
estates, but to emulation in gardening, and in planting. A father and 
son were then in their employment; Richard Lawson, the son, being 
steward and agent for Lord Fairfax, and William Lawson having long 
acted in the same capacity for Sir Henry Bellasis. Of Richard we have 
no record, and all that we know concerning him, is one letter published 
in the Fairfax Correspondence, dated in the November of 1731, “ From 
the Rose and Crown in Gray’s-inn-lane.” It contains a report of the 
progress made in some family business, and concludes with the Court 
new 3 . “ The Queen (Henrietta Maria) was delivered on Thursday last ; 
God hath sent her a daughter. There was great rejoicing in the city, and 
bonfires made in every street. Her Majesty lies-in at St. James’s, which 
was the cause of my Lord of Danby removing to Cornbury.” The Princess, 
j whose birth was thus gratulated, was Mary, afterwards the wife of the 
Prince of Orange, and the best friend of her family during their exile. Wm. 
Lawson, the father, was the author of A New Orchard and Garden; or, 
the best way for planting, grafting, and to make any ground good for a 
\ rich Orchard, particularly in the North parts of England. With the 
Country housewife's garden for herbs of common use, and also The Hus - 
j bandry of Dees, &c., all grounded on the principles of art, and pre¬ 
cepts of experience, being the labours of 48 years. The edition dated 
1618, the only one we have seen, is dedicated to Sir Henry Bellasis, whom 
he praises as a patron of gardening, and of “delightful skill in matters 
of this kind.” The practice was now more and more firmly established 
of publishing such works only on the culture of plants as were the 
results of experience, and that now before us bears internal evidence of 
the truth of the author’s statement. “ I show a plain and sure way of 
planting, which I have found good, by 48 years’ and more experience in 
the north of England.” We shall not quote any of the rules or practices 
he recommends, but we will quote, for the admonition of young prac¬ 
titioners, his opinion of the superior influence and duty devolving on the 
gardener. 
“ A gardener,” he says, “must be honest, for honesty in a gardener 
will grace your garden, and all your house, and help to stay unbridled 
servingmen, giving offence to none, not calling your name in question by 
dishonest acts, not infecting your family by evil counsel or example, for 
there is no plague so infectious as popery and knavery ; he will not purloin 
your profit, nor hinder your pleasures. He had not need be an idle or lazy 
lubber; there will ever be something to do. Weeds are always growing. 
The great mother of all living creatures—the earth, is full of seed in her 
bowels, and any stirring gives them heat of sun, and being laid near day 
they grow.” 
Many editions of this work have been published, and in 1648, it was 
printed at the end of Markham’s Way to get Wealth. One edition was 
published in 1623, and it had, as an Appendix, A most profitable new 
Treatise, from approved experience of the Art of propagating plants. 
The author of this, but then dead, was Simon Harward, who, like 
Lawson, strongly recommends raising new kinds of fruit by sowing 
kernels, and saving only “the likeliest plants.” “Simon Harward,” 
says Anthony Wood, “whose native place is to me as yet unknown, 
became one of the chaplains of New College, Oxford, in 1577, was in¬ 
corporated Bachelor of Arts the same year, as he had stood elsewhere, 
but in what University or Academy, it appears not. Afterwards he pro¬ 
ceeded in Arts as a member of the said College, left the University soon 
after, and became a preacher at Warrington, in Lancashire. Thence he 
removed to Bansted, in Surrey, about the latter end of Queen Elizabeth, 
and thence, having a rambling head, to Tanridge, in the same county, 
where I find him, in 1604, to be a schoolmaster, and, as it seems, a prac¬ 
titioner in physic.” After giving a list of his published works, em¬ 
bracing subjects in divinity, science, and physic, his biographer adds— 
“ What other things our author hath written, I cannot yet find ; nor do I 
know how to trace him to his grave, because he died not at Tanridge, as 
a worthy knight of that town, Sir W. Hayward, hath informed me, but 
removed thence to another place, which I think was Blechingly.” 
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 712° and 4p.8° respectively. The greatest 
heat, 85°, occurred on the 1st in 1843, and the lowest cold, 38°, on the 
3uth in 1838. During the period 96 days were fine, and on 72 rain 
fell. 
If, in conjunction with the three implements described 
at page 250, any of our readers procure the Vernon 
Hoe, described and figured below, he will possess all 
that he can require for garden culture, except the small 
narrow-bladed hoes necessary for thinning and loosening 
the soil between his drilled seedlings. The following is 
from a correspondent who subscribes himself A. M. 
“ Above I give you a drawing of an implement I find ex¬ 
ceedingly useful, called the Vernon Iloe. As a scarifier, I 
! cannot conceive a more useful implement, as it will penetrate 
j the soil to the depth of six, or even eight inches, and is suit- 
I able for all kinds of soil. I use it constantly amongst the 
flower-borders and seed crops in drills; for the former it is 
far preferable to the small one-handed fork. It is made in 
three sizes, the smallest is inches in the blade in length, 
and one inch in width at the widest part, tapering to a point. 
It is admirably suited for ladies’ use, as it will penetrate 
j even very heavy land without much exertion, and is not 
liable to disturb plants by working too near their roots.” 
Before resuming the publication of our reporter’s re¬ 
marks relative to the horticultural implements and tools 
in the Great Exhibition, we think it but equitable to 
insert the following communications received by us, 
relative to Alsop’s Sulphurator and Fumigator, noticed 
at page 299. By inserting them, we beg to state that we 
express no opinion as to the claims of originality—that 
must be decided by a tribunal that has authority to 
decide between litigants, after hearing the evidence on 
both sides. Neither our reporter nor ourselves 
profess to do more than criticize the machines and 
§ tools as we find them in the Crystal Pavilion. 
Mr. Brown, the proprietor of the well-known 
Fumigator, says:— 
“ Your correspondent, for whom you claim credit on 
the score of honesty and soundness of judgment, in 
reporting upon the horticultural implements and tools 
in the Crystal Palace, cannot be aware that the portion 
of Alsop’s Sulphurator, which relates to fumigating, is a 
piracy on Brown’s patent; and he may not also be atvare, 
that any person found using or vending that instrument, 
as exhibited, will be proceeded against by the Patentee’s 
attorney for the infringement, and that Mr. Alsop has been 
cautioned to this effect.” 
Mr. G. Fry, gardener to Mrs. Dent, Manor House, 
Lee, Kent, also writes as follows :— 
“ Permit me to state, with reference to the Sulphurator 
and Fumigator, exhibited in class 9, 25 A., in the Great Ex¬ 
hibition, and noticed by you in your leading article of last 
week, page 299, that I am the bonafi.de inventor, which I 
am prepared to prove; Mr. Alsop having been employed in 
the first instance, to manufacture them for me. As it would 
be, perhaps, occupying too much of your valuable space, I 
No. CLIL, Vol. VI. 
