THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
April 25.] 
pleased God to lay upon us the sharp stroke ol poverty, 
it is our first and most bounden duty to receive the 
affliction with eliild-like docility, and labour with our 
hands, if necessary, to supply our daily wants. Our 
Father has but recalled tbe things that are His own, to 
bestow when, and how, he pleases—“ Wherefore doth a 
living man complain.” 
One of the most important steps to take in our daily 
routine is to establish early rising. By this means one 
servant will be able to do almost the work oi two ; and 
where the lady is called upon to undertake some, at least, 
of the little household offices so interesting to her to per¬ 
form, if she loves her husband and her children, it will 
enable her to do everything during the early morning 
hours; and when her more affluent neighbours are just 
rising from their late breakfast, she will have gained 
nearly half a day upon them, and will be ready to seat 
herself beside the large basket of work, always over¬ 
flowing where children are concerned. 
I will, in connexion with this subject, mention the 
good effects of early rising, from the practice oi a family 
of near relatives, whose means were extremely limited. 
Seven o'clock was tbe hour of breakiast—an alarming 
intimation to some of my readers; and by that time 
their three children were dressed and hungry. The 
pretty cottage was in a state of perfect neatness long 
before dinner-time, and the lady busily employed with 
her needle, quite ready to receive her friends who were 
numerous and intimate, and who were yet wholly unsus¬ 
picious of all she had been engaged in since five o’clock 
in the morning. The maid servant was always the 
picture of neatness; the children were hardy, healthful, 
and well-ordered; and the little domicile of real hospi¬ 
tality was the admiration of all who entered it. 
Late hours are mischievous in every way. They are 
ruinous to the health, to the comfort, and to the con¬ 
venience of life. In a small establishment we are 
running all day after hours lost in the morning; and 
there is always hurry, confusion, dirt, and angry tempers, 
where there is much to be done, and no time in which 
to do it. 
Solomon in bis eloquent delineation of “ a virtuous 
woman,” alludes to her activity—“ She riseth also, while 
it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household.” It is 
impossible to retrench effectually without resolutely 
adopting early hours. 
Before entering upon other details, I am anxious to 
enforce the most material points, and to assure my 
readers that if they will only resolve to attempt what I 
have already pressed upon their attention, they will find 
such sensible advantages accruing as will reconcile them 
to much which may not be quite agreeable to their tastes 
at first, but which will make the other departments of 
economy comparatively light. 
A lady has so much in her power—always provided her 
husband will forego the grand essentials which appertain 
more especially to himself—that if she has only a “ heart 
inclined to the testimonies of God,” and a diligent hand, 
her home will be one of peace, and comfort, and order¬ 
liness, under many disadvantages. Let us all remember, 
that the blessing of the Lord is the one thing needful to 
us, whether in prosperity or in adversity; without it we 
may indeed “ rise up early, and late take rest, and eat 
the bread of carefulness ”—but our labours will not be 
sanctified, and our sleep will not be sweet. 
THE POULTRY-KEEPER'S CALENDAR. 
May. 
By Martin Doyle, Author of“ Hints to Small 
Farmers,” dc. 
Ducks.—T he Rouen, Rhone, or Rohan duck—for it is 
called by all these names—is a common variety of the Dutch 
species; though, as Mr. Dixon writes, “we might just as 
well call them Thames or ‘ London ducks,’ or 4 Mr. Smith’s 
ducks’—it would puzzle most people to find in what they 
differ from the every-day brown, or white and brown, farm¬ 
yard duck.” It has been supposed, but incorrectly, that the 
tame duck is the domesticated offspring of the mallard. 
The old proverb—“ we cannot expect tame ducks from a wild 
duck’s nest ”—expresses the true answer to that supposition. 
It is more likely to have been imported from the East Indies, 
where ancient travellers have found ducks exactly similar to 
ours. There are, however, among our tame ducks some 
breeds which very much resemble the mallard in plumage ; 
but there is one certain mark by which the wild duck may 
always be distinguished from the tame—the blackness of its 
claws. It may be useful for cockney sportsmen in particular 
to bear this distinction in mind. A case in point will prove 
this. A gentleman of our acquaintance saw what he con¬ 
sidered a flock of wild ducks, last winter, in a sedgy river within 
a few hours’ drive of London. Their rich plumage, shaded 
with black, and pimple, and green hues, and, more particu¬ 
larly, their distance from the poultry-yard, led him to the 
conclusion that they were wild. Fully convinced that six 
brace of mallards were in his power, bang went one ol the 
barrels of his fowling-piece, and about halt the fiock met an 
untimely death. The remainder moved away, certainly not 
in the style of mallards ; and bang went the other barrel, 
which completed the massacre. The sportsman, elated with 
his success, collected the victims of his error, and sent them 
in pahs—neatly ticketed, and marked “ Game to his 
friends in the city, and, we believe, a brace to the owner, 
who recognised his tame ducks, which had rambled to the 
neighbouring river. If the fowler had been aware of the 
unerring test, according to Col. Hawker, for distinguishing 
wild ducks—viz., black claws—he would have discovered his 
mistake immediately after the slaughter, if not previously 
to it. 
The Mush, or as it is more generally called, the Muscovy 
duck, might be found a suitable land for the inhabitants ot 
towns, as it has not the desire for water which other ducks 
have, nor is it of a gadding disposition. It is a dark- 
coloured bird, with a frizzled crest, and originally a native 
of South America. It is of a very dirty nature, and there¬ 
fore would be quite comfortable in the puddle of a confined 
yard. Its peculiarity in not bathing like others of its species 
is remarkable. It will never go near the water if it can 
help it; but prefers the stable, or even the piggery, to the 
clearest stream. This is accounted for, according to Mr. 
Dixon, by the curious fact, that the feathers do not resist 
wet as well as those of other water birds. r l he quill and 
tail feathers become soaked and matted like those of a hen ; 
so that if very long on the water, notwithstanding its being 
webbed-footed, it would sink and be suffocated. Its eggs 
are well-flavoured, and the flesh is delicate, if eaten when 
the bird is young; therefore, in the coming season, when 
ducks will be welcome with the approved accompaniment of 
green peas, it eaimot reasonably be rejected, though we may 
doubt the expediency of recommending it in place of the 
other kinds which occupy our poultry-yards. 
The White Aylesbury duck has a formidable rival for 
popular favour in the Rouen tribe. Mr. Daily, an eminent 
London dealer in useful and ornamental poultry, gives pre¬ 
cedence to the Rouen in his list, in which three varieties 
only are named, viz., the Rouen, the Labrador, or Buenos 
Ayres, and the Aylesbury. For a drake of either of the two 
