114 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
May 19. 
To an observation which we made to the incumbent 
of a parish, who i§, also, lord of the chief part of 
its soil, that the chief want among his parishioners 
was Allotment Gardens, we received in reply—“ They 
should have them if I knew how to manage them.” 
; Taking him at his word, we made it our business to 
enquire for reliable information suited to our friend’s 
| guidance, and we are glad to he able to state that such 
' information came to us from many districts. The 
difficulty has been which to select, hut we have given 
the preference to a Report of the Committee of Allotments 
at Southampton, because it affords the requisite forms of 
documents, and details of facts, which will enable any 
one to pursue the same successful route. We shall, 
therefore, publish it without any omission, and think 
we may add that the members of the committee will he 
ready to give any additional information. 
“ The following report is published in the hope that it 
may induce others who live in large towns to undertake the 
management of allotments for the labouring poor on a 
similar plan, which consists in a committee renting the 
ground, having it divided, and letting it as allotments under 
their regulations; not as an act of charity, but by hiring 
the land at its market price and charging the allottees 
sufficient to cover all expenses. A portion of the report, it 
is hoped, may arrest the attention of the clergy who have it 
in their power to appropriate Glebe land to this benevolent 
purpose, without loss of rent-—or to influence others to do so. 
“ In country places, the allotment system has been carried 
out chiefly by the land-owners themselves, but where there 
is no resident proprietor who is willing to take the trouble, 
and in large towns, the present plan will be found feasible, 
and of great benefit to the industry, comfort, and health of 
the labouring poor. 
“ I he allotment system was commenced in this town by 
Mr. Betts: A field of 17 acres was let by him to one 
individual, at 45 an acre, or 7|d. a rod, who sublet it as 
allotments at 46 8s. 4d. an acre, or lOd. a rod. This was 
eagerly taken, and there was not an allotment vacant. 
Another field of 10 acres, called Hoglands, was rented by 
three persons,_ who sublet it in small allotments at lOd. a 
rod, although it was Lammas land and could only be culti¬ 
vated for six months, between March and September. This 
was all eagerly taken. 
11 f 11 consequence of the expressed wish of many more 
labouring men for allotments, and the refusal of the owners 
| of land to let any quantity to poor men who could not be 
responsible for a large sum, a working committee of three 
was formed. They hired a field of 18 acres, and had it 
divided by a surveyor into 146 allotments of 20 rods each, 
or eight allotments to an acre, with convenient paths. Each 
allotment was numbered, and a piece of wood, was driven in j 
at each corner of every allotment, one of the pegs having j 
the number of the allotment upon it. A map, with the j 
allotments numbered, was drawn at the top of a large sheet 
oi paper, with the rules beneath it, and the following form 
of agreement:— 
“ I agree to take the allotment to which mg name is attached, 
in the above plan, subject to the above rules.” 
“ Each allottee was required to sign this when put in pos¬ 
session of his allotment, and a printed card, of which the 
following is a copy, was given him:— 
No. 
EAST MARLANDS ALLOTMENTS. 
Committee. 
Joseph Bifilar, M.D. 
William Bullar, M.D. 
Edward Thompson, Esq. 
Who agree to let to 
twenty rods of Ltuul, at Sixpence per rod, being Number 
on the plan, subject to the following Rules. 
Lule 1. term of tenancy, from March 25th to September 
29th, 1850. 
Rule 2.—Five Shillings to be paid March 25th, and five 
shillings August 1st, 1850. 
„ 3.—No work to be done on any allotment on any 
Sunday. 
„ 4.—No wheel-barrows, trucks, nor carts, to be used on 
the public paths. 
,, 5.—The allotment to be used for no other purpose 
than garden-ground; and any infringement of 
these rules shall give the committee power to 
take possession of the said land, and all crops or 
other that may be upon the said land. 
Not transferable. 
“The collector was provided with a printed Cheque book 
with the following form:— 
No. 1 EAST MAELANDS ALLOTMENTS. No. 
ffi SOUTHAMPTON. 
t Received of 
ffl the Sum of Five Shillings, being the Rent of 
Y 20 rods of Land, due 
“The land was Lammas land, and could only be cultivated 
from the 25th of March to the 29tli of September. Half the 
rent was payable on receiving the card and signing the 
agreement, before taking possession, and the rest three 
months afterwards. 
“The first year (1850) the committee charged the 
allottees 6 d. a rod. or 10 s. an allotment, which was at the 
rate of .£‘4 an acre. 
“ Of the 145 tenants—120 paid in full, 7 paid 7s. 6 d., 1 
paid 6 s., 14 paid 5s., 1 paid 4s. 6 d.—so that 143 out of 145 
paid rent, and 2 only paid nothing, and these were ex¬ 
cused owing to death and severe illness. 
“ The whole sum which should have been received, had 
all paid in full, was 472 7s., and 467 9s. was actually paid 
by the allottees, so that the loss of rent was only 44 18s. 
“ The committee paid 450 rent for the half-year, but their 
expenses the first 3 'ear, owing to their having paid 418 for 
the repair of the public paths on two sides of the field, left 
them minus 48 3s. 1 d. 
“ The next year (1851) the committee slightly raised the 
rent, charging one shilling more, that is eleven instead of 
ten shillings per 20 rods 
“ Of the 145 tenants—141 paid in full, 1 paid 8 s. Gd., 1 
paid 9s. 6 d., 2 paid 5s. Cd. 
“ The rent which should have been received was 479 7s., 
and 478 13s. Gd. was paid, leaving only 13s. 6 d. impaid. 
“ Owing to the increased rent and diminished expenses this 
year, the balance on the two years was now 44 12s. Id. in 
favour of the committee. 
“ The third year (1852) the same charge was made of 11s. 
an allotment. 
“ Of the 145 tenants—134 paid in full, 1 paid 10s., 8 paid 
5s. Gd. 1 paid 4s. Gd., and one nothing, from inability. 
Instead of the full sum, 479 7s., 476. 5s. Gd. was received, 
leaving only 43 Is. Gd. unpaid, and, at the end of three 
years, leaving a balance of 410 14s. Id. in the hands of the 
committee, part of which they appropriate to the printing 
and circulation of this report. 
“ The applicants for allotments were taken indiscriminately 
by the collector, to whom they were to apply (his rule, he 
said, was “first come, first served”), and none were rejected 
the second year because they had been, the previous year, 
slow in payment, so that all had their allotments again if 
they wished them. 
“ The committee cannot but think this statement will be 
acknowledged as most satisfactory in regard to the payment 
of rent by so large a body of allottees taken indiscriminately 
in a large town where superintendence by the committee 
was out of the question, and that it shows the poor to be 
excellent tenants when the rent is diligently looked after by 
a zealous and honest collector. To the zeal, integrity, 
firmness, and yet kindness of their collector, Mr. Goodman, 
who from the first entered into the plan from a conviction of 
its benefit to the labouring classes, this result is greatly 
owing. His experience of three years showed him that it 
was very necessary to keep the allottees strictly to the order 
and rules of the committee, and that giving them, from kind 
motives, too much liberty, by allowing them to put off pay- 
I 
