THE COTfAGE GARDENER. 
177 
June 20.] 
liood of uncovered sewers, stagnant ditches and ponds, gutters 
always full of putrefying matter, and privies, the soil of which 
lies openly exposed, and is seldom or never removed.” And 
he proceeds to remark (page 4) :—“ The operation of these 
peculiar causes is steady, unceasing, and sure; and the result 
is the same as if twenty or thirty thousand of these people were 
annually taken out of their wretched dwellings and put to death, 
the actual fact being that they are allowed to remain in them 
and die. It has been stated, that the annual slaughter in 
England and AVales from preventable causes of typhus-fever, 
which attacks persons in the vigour of life, is double the 
amount of what was suffered by the allied armies in the 
Battle of Waterloo.” “ I particularize fever," he adds, in a 
subsequent page of the Keport, “ because fever is the most 
obvious and the most rapidly fatal of the diseases arising 
from the neglect of sewage, ventilation, and cleanliness; but 
it would be a very inadequate view of the pernicious agency 
of the poison unceasingly generated in these filthy and neg¬ 
lected houses, to restrict it to the disease the most obviously 
produced by it. Its indirect action is highly noxious, though 
the evil is not so manifest. It is a matter of constant observa¬ 
tion, that even when not present in sufficient intensity to pro¬ 
duce fever by disturbing the action of some organ, or some 
set of organs, and thereby weakening the general system, 
this poison acts as a powerful predisposing cause of some of 
the most common and fatal maladies to which the human 
body is subject. For example, the deaths occasioned in this 
country by diseases of the digestive organs, by inflammation 
of the air passages and lungs, and by consumption, form by 
far the largest proportion of the annual mortality. Now, no 
one who lives long in or near a malarian district is ever for a 
single hour free from some disease of the digestive organs. 
But disordered states of the digestive organs not only con¬ 
stitute in themselves highly painful and even fatal maladies, 
but they lay the foundation of several other mortal diseases.” 
It is hardly necessary to strengthen this testimony by any 
additional evidence. I shall merely add, therefore, an extract 
from the evidence of the excellent Dr. Arnott, who, when 
speaking of the increasing progress of the typhus-fever in 
Glasgow, observed (Report, page 47) that the medical attend¬ 
ants stated, that “it was the most severe amongst the labour¬ 
ing classes, even although the individuals were apparently 
somewhat robust, if their habitations were dark, damp, filthy, 
and unventilated;” and he continues (page 50):— “ Our in¬ 
quiries gave us the conviction that the immediate and chief 
cause of many of the diseases which impair the bodily and 
mental health of the people, and bring a considerable portion 
prematurely to the grave, is the poison of atmospheric impurity, 
arising from the accumulation in and around their dwellings 
of the decomposing substances used for food, and in their 
arts ; and of the impurities given out from their own bodies.” 
As relates to house-drainage, and the defects produced by 
its neglect upon the health of the inhabitants, the Commis¬ 
sioners afford an impressive summary when they say (Ibid, 
page 17):—“ The medical witnesses have brought before 
us facts in support of their strongly-urged and unanimous 
opinion, that no population can be healthy which live amid 
cesspools, or upon a soil permeated by decomposing animal 
or vegetable refuse, giving off impurities to the air in their 
houses and in the streets. They state the necessity of pre¬ 
venting all accumulations of stagnant refuse in or near 
houses; and of substituting a system of house-drainage and 
cleansing, aided by the introduction of better supplies of 
water into the houses.” 
Amid, then, all the ever-occurring objects which require the 
vigilant attention of the housekeeper, let him place in the 
first class, the construction and preservation of a good system 
of house-drainage! Such an effort, he may rest assured, in 
spite of the repulsive nature of some of its details, will be 
rewarded by not only a freedom from annoyance, but by the 
increased comfort, and health of body and mind, of all those 
who are the members of his family circle. 
Cuthbert W. Johnson. 
EGGS AND POULTRY. 
Eoos are just now very plentiful, and should therefore be 
used as much as possible in every household. In cottages 
where meat seldom finds an entrance, what a luxury is an 
egg! and even on tables where dainties are itsually seen, the 
egg still holds a foremost place. I wish many more of my 
humble readers would keep poultry, and thus be enabled to 
have a change of diet, which is so satisfactory both to the 
palate and the health. There are many ways of dressing eggs 
besides that of boiling them, though that method, from giving 
the least trouble, is the one usually adopted. There ore, as 
I dare say you have often heard, “ two ways of doing every 
thing," and it is certainly the case in sending eggs on the 
table. What can look nicer or more tempting than a snow- 
white egg; yet how often you see them discoloured, and look¬ 
ing anything but agreeable. To prevent this, if the eggs are 
from your own hen-roost, pay great attention to the nests ; 
change the straw directly it becomes dirty; this will generally 
secure your obtaining eggs clean and white; should you how¬ 
ever happen to have any that are stained or discoloured, wash 
them in cold water before putting them into the saucepan. 
Unless this is done the stains will remain, and the conse¬ 
quence will be, that a most uninviting dish appears at your 
table. Perhaps many of my readers will smile at my direc¬ 
tions as to egg boiling, and say they think themselves lucky 
to have an egg for breakfast without quarrelling with the way 
it is done; but, remember, “ if a thing is worth doing at all, 
it is worth doing well." 
Summer is the season of plenty, and consequently of 
cheapness, and the thrifty dame will take advantage of 
this, and provide such things for the sustenance of her 
family as are not to be had in the winter. If you have more 
eggs than you wish to consume, put them by till Christmas 
time. There are several ways of keeping them fresh, but 
I never tasted them so good as when kept in lime-water, 
which is very easily made in the following way:—Break the 
lime into small pieces and pom- over it some boiling water, 
stir it well, and when it is quite cold put the eggs into it. 
Be careful that the water quite covers them, and keep them in 
a cellar, or some cool place. I have heard of eggs kept in 
this manner being as good at Christmas as when they were 
put in at Whitsuntide. I intend trying it this year; but I do 
not recollect the proportion of lime to the water; perhaps 
some of my readers could inform me ? Bran is a very good 
receptacle for eggs; great care must be taken that it is quite 
dry, and the top layer must be three inches, at least, in thick¬ 
ness, in order to exclude eveiy breath of air. Another plan 
is to “ smear ” them with fresh butter or lard. This is, I 
believe, an effectual but a very troublesome operation. 
Poached eggs require a little more attention during the 
dressing than the boiled egg does, but it well repays the 
trouble; and a couple of poached eggs with a few potatoes 
will make an excellent dinner or supper for those who are 
unaccustomed “to fare sumptuously every day.” A wide 
saucepan or stewpan is the best utensil for poaching eggs in. 
Put into it a quart of water, set it on the fire, then break each 
egg separately into cups, when the water boils let the egg 
drop gently into it. In three minutes the white will have 
settled round the yolk. Tut a spoon or skimmer carefully 
under it, let it drain for a moment, and then place it on a 
piece of hot toast on some mashed potatoes. It the cottager 
is fortunate enough to possess a flitch of bacon and a couple 
of hens, he may provide himself a dinner “ fit for a prince.” 
Fried eggs and bacon is a most excellent dinner; and when 
you remember that in many cases it only requires a little 
exertion, a little energy, to procure these, you are surprised on 
being told that nothing is tasted for dinner but vegetables or 
bread. Look how many gardens are almost uncultivated—how 
many “bits of land" lying waste—which if dug and planted 
would enable you to keep a pig, and poultry; for poultry 
thrive and lay eggs as well (or nearly so) on a vegetable 
diet—if allowed at the same tune the “ run of the road ”—as 
they do when pampered and fed upon bailey and oats. A 
little management, a little forethought, a little exertion, and 
perhaps a little self-denial, would make our cottage homes 
more cheerful and more peaceful. Surely the wife (at any 
rate) would think this an advantage! Even in a worldly 
point of view, how pleasant it would be to see the husband 
returning after his day’s work to assist his wife in cultivating 
their little garden, instead of loitering at the public-house, 
and returning late at night, cross and out-of-sorts with him¬ 
self, and every one about him—and, in a spiritual view, how 
very superior! For though temptations are around us, and 
evil thoughts abound amidst every occupation, every scene, 
