4G 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
April 
and in full beauty. The poppy anemone, which is 
the parent of the best florists’ flowers, comes from a 
very sunny land, to enliven our northern soil. It is 
a native of the dry and burning plains of Syria and 
Asia-minor; and it also blossoms at the feet of the 
wallflower, on the verdant steeps of Mount Carmel. 
The poppy anemone has a delicate white flower, with 
a crimson ring round the centre; and, with the deep 
red and purple varieties, enrich and beautify our 
borders till late in spring. 
Among our cottage banks and hedges, and cluster¬ 
ing beneath their walls, that pretty, simple flower, 
the periwinkle, now blooms freely. It is a richly- 
growing, spreading plant; and fills up damp corners, 
odd nooks, and vacant spaces, usefully and prettily. 
The blue and white flowering plants should be placed 
together; and it asks for no boon but to be let alone, 
and bloom and spread in peace. I love to see it 
entwining itself among cottage pailings, and creep¬ 
ing over the banks md under the windows, where 
there is sometimes little space for other flowers to 
grow; and it is occasionally found in native wildness 
wandering by the sides of streams. 
The bright elegant blossoms of the larch are now- 
showing themselves on the taper sprays. They are 
small, and add nothing to the general appearance of 
the country, but when examined are exquisitely 
beautiful, and tinge the trees with a delicate hue 
before tbe leaf appears. They will soon, however, 
be surrounded by the soft green tufts that clothe the 
boughs; and when this graceful tree stands fully 
arrayed in its green and crimson dress, few can 
exceed it in beauty. Its spicy fragrance, too, is 
powerful, especially after rain, and then it sends 
forth its odours in abundance; and I have perceived 
the peculiar and well-known scent of a larch planta¬ 
tion at a very extraordinary distance. There is 
something exceedingly striking in the sweetness of 
trees and plants after rain has fallen. It is like the 
outpouring of praise for mercies granted, and speaks 
loudly to the careless, unthankful heart of man, who 
receives so many mercies daily and hourly, yet 
scarcely seems to feel them, or to think from whence 
they come. The song of birds, too, is more loud and 
tuneful when the soft shower has passed away, and 
the sun brightens the glittering scene. Let us, as 
we enjoy the smell of the refreshed earth, and the 
chorus of rejoicing birds, add our heartfelt homage 
for the showers of blessings He pours upon us in 
ten thousand forms; and let us exclaim, with worship¬ 
ping Israel, “ the Lord is good, for His mercy en- 
dureth for ever!” 
ALLOTMENT GARDEN RULES. 
“ An owner of allotments ” has favoured us -with 
the rules subject to which he lets them to the tenants. 
We think they contain all that is desirable ; and 
they have the great merit of being short and intelli¬ 
gible. The last rule, we agree with our correspond¬ 
ent in thinking new; and, moreover, it is highly 
beneficial and equitable. He says:— 
“ Before I drew up these rules I procured others 
from various quarters. They appeared, in general, to 
be too complicated. My object was to make mine as 
short and simple as possible. The last rule (that of 
leading in their manure for them,) I have never seen 
in any others. The poor people tell me, that is one 
of great value to them, as the hire of a cart and horse 
is a serious matter for them; and it costs me nothing. 
I send one of my carts down to a cottage; it is 
left there for a few horns without the horse ; the la¬ 
bourer fills it himself, and in the evening, after other 
work is done, one of my horses is sent again, and 
conveys it to the allotment field. No horse or cart 
but my own ever goes into the field. 
“ The twelve allotments, which consist of a rood of 
land each, shall be let at a yearly rent of twelve 
shillings each, that is to say, ten shillings for the 
land, one shilling in place of all rates and tithes, 
and one shilling for the maintaining of the gates and 
fences. 
“The land shall be let for one year only, and no 
notice to quit shall be considered necessary; but it 
shall be relet to the same occupier, provided his 
conduct has been satisfactory during the preceding 
year. 
“ The rent shall be considered due on Martinmas- 
day in each year, and if it remains unpaid for one 
week the allotment shall be forfeited. 
“ The allotments shall be cultivated solely by 
spade husbandly. 
“ Each occupier shall be allowed to fence and to 
divide his land as he pleases, but the same crop 
shall not be planted two years in succession on the 
same part. 
“ A space of eighteen inches shall be left on the 
south side of each allotment, as a division between 
it and the adjoining portion. 
“Any occupier trespassing on his neighboxu-’s 
allotment, or suffering his children to do so, or 
turning any live stock on the land, shall not bfe 
allowed to continue his allotment after the end of 
the year. 
“ Any manure provided by the occupiers, shall be 
led for them to their respective allotments free of 
cost.” 
EXTRACTS EROM CORRESPONDENCE. 
Gooseberry Blossoms. —At this season of the 
year great injury is done to the gooseberry blossoms 
by small birds taking or picking off a portion (and 
in some cases the whole) of the flowers. These they 
do not eat, but only pull them off, either for mischief 
or amusement, as you may find them lying under 
the trees from which they have been pulled. I have 
found that the blooms thus mutilated are never pro¬ 
ductive, their fruit seldom or never attaining the size 
of a good sized marble. The most effective and eco¬ 
nomical plan to prevent the birds destroying the 
blooms is to get a few sticks about three-quarters of 
a yard long; to insert these in the ground, a few 
inches deep, at a distance of six or eight yards apart, 
on each side of your gooseberry-trees; take a portion 
of knitting cotton (which maybe bought at the ho¬ 
sier’s for a halfpenny an ounce), tie it to the first 
stick, then pass it on to the next, wrap it round, and 
so on till you get to the end; then pass it up the 
other side in like manner, so as to form a line on each 
side of the trees. As soon as I find the birds have 
begun to take the blooms I adopt this plan; and do 
not recollect ever losing a single bloom afterwards.— 
J. Turner, Neepsend, Sheffield. 
Pea Supporters. — Referring to the hurdle, or 
pea-stick substitute, in the No. for 15th of March of 
The Cottage Gardener, as 1 have for two seasons 
used such a substitute, I beg to offer you my experience 
of such, as the error which I found in my substitute 
the first year also exists in yours, although our plans 
are different. My plan simply was, having a double 
row of peas, up each side I drove in a stake, say 
