THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
June 30. 
THE CULTURE OF A ROOD OF GROUND. 
JULY. 
My notes on the Vegetable Marrow being deemed worthy 
of notice in The Cottage Gardener, I am induced to offer 
j a few hints on the operations necessary to be performed 
! upon a rood of ground, etc. But being but a self-taught 
man in my humble pursuit, I have no pretensions to remark 
anything beyond what I have simply gathered from practice, 
observation, and study. Therefore, I trust every allowance 
will be made for the many errors I may commit in attempt¬ 
ing to describe my system of cultivation. 
I must here beg to digress a little from my subject, to 
inform the reader that I was originally trained to the counter, 
but that effeminate occupation not agreeing with my health, 
taste, or prosperity, I resolved to exchange the tiny yard 
stick for that manly tool, the digging implement; and 
although a formidable implement to handle, in comparison 
to the measure, yet, from the ten years experience that I 
have had, I am proud to say I have no occasion to regret 
the change; but, on the contrary, to rejoice that I have, by 
the aid of an all bountiful Providence, restored my health, 
which alone is of more worth than the wealth of a nation 
could bestow, and, in consequence, have been enabled to 
cultivate my two acres with my own hands, without ex¬ 
periencing a day’s sickness during the above period, besides 
the many pleasures I derive from the pursuit, in comparison 
with the former occupation. Probably the reader will say, 
what has all this to do relative to the work to be done upon 
a rood of ground? I confess it has but little ; but thinking 
there may be many similarly situated to myself, I have been 
induced to offer these few remarks by way of encourage¬ 
ment in such an undertaking. 
Relative to the work to be done this month, I suppose the 
ground to be occupied with all the principal crops ; there¬ 
fore, the most important business to be attended to, is 
thorough tillage between the growing crops, and where the 
fork can be used with safety (for I never use the spade), to 
dig well between the rows of Swede Turnips, Cattle-beet, 
Cabbages, Ac. ; supposing all these crops to be in rows of 
sufficient width to admit of this operation. As the crops 
advance, and where the fork cannot with safety be used, I 
recommend the Derbyshire hoe. This simple tool I have 
found of immense service in working between the growing 
crops where the fork cannot be used. The following is a 
brief description of it:—“ The iron part should weigh about 
a pound-and-a-half, with a semi-circular neck hammered 
four-square, the spike part five inches long, by one-inch-and- 
three-quarters wide, at the widest part, and narrowed from 
thence to the point; the face next the hand to be flat; the 
back to be ridged along the middle to full half-an-inch thick 
where the widest part is, and tapering from thence towards 
the sides and point. The handlo about five feet long.” An 
engraving of this tool, and also of my digging-fork, is given 
in my little work on “ Spade Husbandry.” They are made 
by the Messrs. Kansome’s, Ipswich. I have another im¬ 
plement I use, called the hand cultivator, which I find to be 
very useful. I shall endeavour to give a description of this 
in a future paper. 
As the ground becomes vacant, now is the time to plant 
out Savoys, or any other winter Cabbages, likewise Broccoli. 
In the last week in this month, I sow my early Battersea 
Cabbage seed for early spring Cabbages, on the first vacant 
piece of ground. After giving it a liberal supply of manure, 
and a deep digging, I divide the land into beds four feet 
wide, and sow the seed in drills eight or ten inches apart; 
in this }vay the plants become much stronger than they 
: would by being sown broadcast, and they require no pricking 
j out previously to being transplanted where they are intended 
to stand. This is also the time for transplanting Swede 
Turnips or Cattle-beet on all vacant spots where the crop 
has failed, or on ground where early potatoes or cabbages 
have been taken off. The size of the roots, when set out, 
should be as large as a radish when fit for the table, or even 
larger. In this way I have had as fino crops as where the 
j seed has been sown in the regular way. I have often been 
astonished that all vacant spots in fields have not been filled 
up in this way, where the seed has failed to come up, or 
been takon off by the fly. Stone. Turnips may now be sown, 
i A great deal of food may now be collected for pigs, by 
stripping off the tops of beans, and by thinning the swede 
and beet crops. The Vegetable Marrow may still be set out 
where plants can be procured ; the particulars I have given 
in a previous article. 
I have tried experiments in growing Sun-flowers, these last 
two years, as food for poultry, which I find them to answer 
exceedingly well. I have grown them with my Swedes, Beet, 
Potatoes, &c., between every fourth row, which at such a 
space does not at all injure the other crops. More of these 
at some future period. Every attention should now be paid 
to collect all the manure possible for autumn use. 
Since I have declined keeping cows, I am giving my 
attention to pigs, poultry, and bees. Respecting Pig Stock, 
I think a breeding sow, where convenience offers, is profitable 
for the cottager to keep, particularly at the present time, as 
pigs are selling well. 
Those who have the convenience, I would recommend 
to keep Poultry, as a profitable stock, provided they are 
properly attended to. From the short time we have kept 
them, and the success we have met with, I am inclined to 
think there is no stock that would be more profitable to 
the cottager. So far as we have made trial, I prefer the 
Shangliae fowl. 
It has been asserted by an experienced breeder of 
poultry, that “to feed an ox to one thousand two hundred 
pounds weight, usually takes five years, while the same 
weight of poultry can be made ready for the table in about 
tliree months, and at less than half the Cost in food.” 
Where Bees can be conveniently kepj they are very profit¬ 
able in a favourable season, and ought to command the par- 
ticular attention of the cottager. As they support them¬ 
selves, all they require at his hands is the accommodation of 
a new hive when swarming, and a dry cool lodging for the 
winter. 
In The Cottage Gardener of May 12th, in an article 
headed “ Breeding Pure Chickens,” it is stated of the 
Turkey hen, that a short time with the male is sufficient to 
fertilise the whole of the eggs laid previous to hatching. 
I have proved the above case to be a fact. Last season 
I took my Turkey hen to a neighbour’s male bird, she re¬ 
mained with him only one day and night. She laid sixteen 
eggs and set on them. I had frequently remarked during 
the time that we should have no chicks. But as many 
asserted the truth of this, and others denied it, I was deter¬ 
mined to try the experiment. Alien the time of hatching 
arrived, I went to see if I had any increase of live stock, 
and to my astonishment, when I lifted the hen, the nest was 
full of young turkies, for every egg produced a bird.— John 
S lLLETT. 
TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
Diseased Golden Pheasant ( Scrutator ).—The pheasant forwarded 
died of scrofulous tubercles in the lungs, constituting consumption. A 
discharge of blood had occurred, part of which had been swallowed, and 
was contained in the crop. Consumption is the great scourge of delicate 
tropical animals reared in this country; warmth, with dry, pure air, and 
natural food, are only partial preventives. It is needless to say there is 
no cure. Extra carriage, 6d.—W. B. T. 
Suspended Baskets in a Cool Greenhouse (Anne). —See an 
article next week by Mr. Fish. 
Peach-trees in Pots growing too Vigorously (J. Watkins ).— 
It is now too late to cut the shoots back to three or four eyes, unless you 
can give fire heat to ripen the young shoots. The strong shoots should 
have been stopped some weeks since. Even now it would be advisable 
to stop the points of the very strong ones, and when these put out 
laterals, remove them, and though thus you will start a number of buds 
on your shoot, those near the base will become more ripened and matured. 
If the growing should still beat the maturing principle, curtail the sup¬ 
plies at the root, just so as to keep the leaves from flagging. If there 
are a few extra strong shoots on each plant, these may be stopped, as 
you propose; or, if they could be done without, removed altogether, 
and the weaker shoots will gain the benefit. Your Apricots and Plums, 
with the side shoots pinched back to one inch in May. Quite early and 
short enough at that time; you will, probably, either make the leaders 
too strong, or have the pinching to perform again. We should have 
preferred doing it more gradually, and a month, or nearly so, later. 
Cutting back the breast-wood of Cherries and Pears the end of this 
month is all right, as soon as you like, but begin at the top of the tree, 
and come down several feet, and there stop ; in ten days, take another 
yard away, and after a rest remove the lower division. Is the first of 
September the best time for planting cuttings of China and other allied 
Roses, fyc. ? Silver sand and hand-lights will help them, and they will 
do from thence to November; but they must not be moved until next 
spring. But the best time for propagating is just when the young shoots 
are three inches long, in the beginning of summer, as has been previously 
explained. Then placed under hand-lights, and in a slight hotbed, and 
in sandy soil, they are almost certain to succeed. 
Various (P, B ,),—Where should Orange and Lemon-trees be placed 
