508 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
June  16  190^. 
only  had  he  cliarge  of  the  garden,  qualified  to  completely  trans¬ 
form  its  design,  but  he  also  was  responsible  for  the  proper 
l)lanting,  pruning,  and  thinning  of  forest  trees,  raising  nursery 
stuff,  designing  and  planting  avenues,  constructing  roadways 
and  fences,  with  an  oversight  of  men,  and  such  outside  matters 
to  look  to  as  buildings,  poultry,  cattle,  pigeons,  itc.  The  letters 
ar<‘  Avritten  in  the  most  familiar  manner,  and  although  Cockburn 
occasionally  “  blows  him  up,”  his  references  to  his  oAvn  “  AA’ife  ” 
and  brothers,  and  to  Bell’s  father  and  brother,  show  that  the 
relations  between  employer  and  employed  were  then  much  less 
formal  than  now. 
Cockburn  was  severely  utilitarian.  Flowers  do  not  once 
appear.  But  he  demands  unlimited  supplies  of  vegetables,  par¬ 
ticularly  Artichokes,  Leeks,  Onion.-?,  and  salading,  and  of  these 
he  desires  to  have  the  best.  “  I  design,”  he  says  in  one  letter, 
“  to  try  to  improve  the  fruit  in  the  garden,  and  also  to  have  all 
kinds  of  garden  stuff  in  ijerfection.”  “  Don’t  spare  dung.” 
‘‘  Get  good  kinds  of  fruit.”  And  in  the  case  of  these  he  was  to 
make  now  borders  of  fresh  soil,  to  keep  them  properly  pruned, 
and  to  cut  back  too  strong  roots.  Espaliers  are  commended  on 
account  of  the  little  space  they  cover  and  the  shelter  they  afford 
to  garden  crops.  The  tall,  overgrown  Apple  and  Pear  trees  then 
common  are  condemned,  and  dwarf  trees  ordered  to  be  got  to 
replace  them  by  degrees. 
Some  of  the  most  interesting  items  occur  in  letters  concerning 
Beil’s  private  affairs.  His  father  cultivated  a  market  garden  at 
Ormi.ston,  but  in  such  a  perfunctory  manner  that  Cockburn’s 
anger  seems  to  have  been  stirred.  Bell  is  accordingly  advised  to 
look  after  his  OAvn  interest,  and  in  spite  of  his  father  to  trench 
and  dung  the  ground,  to  root  out  the  old  fruit  trees,  to  plant 
lots  of  Raspberries,  to  grow  as  many  vegetables  as  possible,  and 
to  lower  the  prices  in  order  to  get  more  customers.  The  pro- 
prietj’  of  sending  stuff  to  Edinburgh  in  carts  instead  of  on  pack- 
horses,  as  was  the  custom,  is  also  broached,  and  though  Ave  have 
no  note  of  Edinburgh  prices,  he  gives  the  prices  he  pays  at 
Hampsteacf.for  certain  kinds,  the  inference  being  that  they  were 
cheaper  than  the  Scottish  market  gardener  charged.  “  Young 
Beans  and  Pease  are  6d.  per  peck,  fine  CollyfloAvers  at  3d.  apiece, 
Cabbages  at  2d.,  Gosp  (Cos)  Letuces  at  Id.  apiece.”  He  thought 
jMulberries  and  Quinces  Avould  pay,  but  advises  caution  in 
planting  in  case  they  did  not  succeed.  Both  require  a  Avail,  and, 
as  we  know  now,  they  are  not  a  paying  crop.  It  is  a  remarkable 
circumstance  that  at  this  early  period  a  market  gardener  at 
Inveresk  Avho  supplied  Edinburgh  had  retired  on  a  fortune  made 
in  the  business. 
Cockburn  often  secured  some  special  variety  of  seed,  now 
Onions: — “Arch.  Pringle,  Avho  has  lost  his  Avife,  talks  much  of 
his  Onion  seed,  so  I  send  you  a  little  of  it,  to  give  it  a  fair  trial 
as  soon  as  the  Aveather  Avill  alloAV  of.”  He  also  sends  an 
improved  prickly  Cucumber,  and  seeds  of  Melons,  concerning 
AA'hich  he  holds  out  no  prospect  of  success.  Pickles  is  all  he 
expects  from  them.  His  glass  Avas,  of  course,  not  extensive, 
only  bellglasses  which  he  sent  from  London,  and  dung-heated 
frames.  This  is  intei'esting :  Having  a  difficulty  in  getting  Leek 
.see4  from  Lowther,  his  usual  London  seedsman,  he  says: — “I 
called  at  SAviteser’s  shop  in  Westminster  Hall  ...  in  order  to 
get  Leek  seed.  I  took  a  fcAv  of  other  kinds,  Avhich  Sir  Ch. 
(Gilmour)  has  taken  with  him,  and  Avill  send  to  my  Avife’s  lodgings 
in  Edin.”  Bell  was  to  compare  the  produce  of  the  rival  seeds¬ 
men,  and  as  we  find  Lowther  supplying  in  the  future,  it  appears 
that  Switzer’s  must  have  been  aAvanting  in  some  respect. 
Besides  seeds,  he  occasionally  sent  fruit  trees,  now  Sweet¬ 
water  Grapes,  again  Morello  Cherries  or  Mulberries.  Turf  was 
to  be  chopped  up  in  which  to  plant  these.  “Plates” — flat. 
Stones  were  to  be  placed  under  them  previous  to  planting. 
“Loom,  with  hot  sand  or  ashes”  is  recommended  for  the 
Grapes.  Bell,  like  other  gardeners,  had  permission  to  dispose  of 
surplus  garden  produce. 
The  directions  concerning  tree  planting  are  equally — per¬ 
haps  more — minute  than  those  about  garden  stuff.  Size  of 
holes,  how  to  arrange  the  roots,  hoAv  Bell  himself  was  to  hold 
and  steady  the  tree  while  it  Avas  being  planted,  the  manner  of 
compressing  the  soil  about  the  roots,  directions  as  to  watering, 
are  each  given  in  detail.  Quantities  of  Elms  were  sent  from 
Herts,  but  Bell  also  layered  numbers.  Oak.  too,  was  a  favourite 
tree,  and  Swedish  Firs,  Horse  Che.stnuts,  Beeches,  Silver  Firs, 
Oriental  Planes,  and  Walnuts  Avere  also  planted  largely.  Hedges 
were  made,  some  temporarily  of  “  Rice ’’—that  is,  .stakes  were 
inserted  at  short  intervals,  and  the  shoots  of  trees  wattled 
among  them. 
Permanent  hedges  Avere  almost  exactly  like  those  mentioned 
by  LqAvson  and  by  Evelyn  in  the  preceding  century,  Avith  deep 
ditches,  the  soil  from  Avhich  formed  a  high  bank,  on  the  top  of 
AA-hich  a  hedge  Avas  planted,  AA  ith  trees  interspersed,  and  the  face 
of  the  bank  was  furnished  AAuth  Thorns,  Sloes,  Alders,  Brambles, 
SAA'eetbriar,  PriA’^et,  and  Honeysuckle.  The  1761  edition  of  Lord 
Haddington’s  “On  the  Maner  of  Planting,  &c.,”  contains 
plans  of  hedges  like  these,  Avhich  appear  to  have  first  been 
adopted  by  him.  AfterAvards  they  became  quite  common. 
To  those  Avho  can  get  it,  and  Avho  have  a  taste  for  this  form 
ol  literature,  the  book  as  a  AA’hole  can  be  highly  recommended.  ( 
Though  diffuse,  that  is  not  a  fault  in  letter-Avriting,  and  there 
are  many  truly  Avise  sayings  scattered  throughout  its  pages, 
AA'hile  the  varied  subjects  treated,  the  trotting  of  mares,  the 
selection  of  cocks,  the  curious  remarks  concerning  pigeons  as  to 
selection,  killing,  feeding,  Ac.,  his  notes  on  the  London  AA^eather, 
and  on  the  results  of  the  hard  frost  of  1740,  Avhen  nearly  every 
kind  of  vegetable  AAas  killed,  with  the  exception  of  Carrots. 
His  disgust  of  “  Our  comon  dirty  hog  stays,  Avhere  nothing  i.s- 
to  be  gott  but  nasty  barm,  Avhich  Ave  call  Tuppeny.,  and  by  acci¬ 
dent  ane  Oat  or  Pease  cake.”  These  and  dozens  of  other  items 
will  be  a  delight  aAvaiting  the  reader  of  its  pages.  The  editor 
is  Mr.  James  Colville,  IM.A.,  D.Sc.  (Edin.). — B. 
The  Garden  Village  oi  the  Small  Holdings 
Association.'' 
One  of  the  chief  social  topics  of  the  hour  relates  to  tho 
increasing  number  of  the  unemployed  in  our  toAvns  and  to  thn 
exodus  of  the  rural  Avorkman  from  the  country,  Avhich  he  leaves 
to  SAvell  the  members  of  his  class  in  the  Metropolis  and  other 
great  centres  of  population.  The  result  of  this  movement  is 
trouble  on  both  hands,  for  Avhile  our  city  authorities  are  puzzled 
to  discover  a  solution  of  the  unemployed  problem,  our  country 
people,  and  especiall.v  our  farmers,  find  it  difficult  to  obtain  an 
adequate  quantity  of  skilled  labour,  more  especially  between 
springtime  and  harvest.  In  some  parts  of  England  farming  is 
becoming  impossible ;  larger  areas  of  land  are  annually  being 
neglected  or  abandoned  altogether,  while  the  country  people — 
as,  for  example,  in  that  part  of  Surrey  in  Avhich  our  colony  is 
situated — are  draAving  almost  all  their  supplies  of  garden  and 
farm  produce  from  London,  the  quality  being  in  consequence 
infenor  and  the  price  exorbitant.  Why  has  this  difficulty 
arisen?  I  venture  to  believe  that  it  is  partly  educational, 
partly  that  the  younger  men  and  Avomen  are  dissatisfied  Avith 
the  humdrum  routine  of  an  unpromising  country  life,  a  dissatis¬ 
faction  Avhich  is  ^fanned  by  the  contagion  imparted  by  their 
friends  in  the  toAAqAS  and  by  the  glamour  and  fascination  of  tho 
music-hall  and  other  alluring  methods  of  excitement  and  so- 
called  enjoyment. 
Is  there  a  remedy  for  this  state  of  affairs?  My  belief  is  that 
there  is,  and  that  it  lies  in  the  natural  desire  of  man  for  tho 
possession  of  a  home,  of  land,  and  of  live  stock,  and  that  in 
order  to  acquire  possession  of  the  one  or  the  other  he  Avill  under¬ 
take  responsibilities  AA’hich  demand  unceasing  labour  and  a 
simple  and  frugal  method  of  existence.  The  lot  of  the  agricul¬ 
tural  labourer  to-day  is  by  no  means  a  promising  one.  His  only 
hope  is  in  the  receipt  of  higher  Avages,  and  this  hope  can  only 
be  gratified  as  he  believes  by  obtaining  employment  in  a  toAvn — 
Avhere,  hoAvever,  though  he  fails  to  recognise  the  fact,  his 
increased  expenses  absorb  more  than  the  increa.se  in  his  pay. 
The  education  and  the  experience  of  the  average  farm  labourer 
have  unfitted  him  for  the  acquisition  and  cultivation  of  land  on 
the  purchase  system.  Although  most  men  AA’ith  the  inclination 
are  able  to  save  something,  the  labourer  is  one  of  the  feAA’  who 
has  made  no  progress  in  this  direction.  He  lacks  enterprise  and 
energy.  As  is  customai-y  Avith  his  class,  his  duties  ai'e  performed 
at  a  jog-trot,  and  he  is  manifestly  unable  to  emerge  from  his 
groove  and  to  undertake  a  responsibility  involving  abundant 
self-reliance,  Avhich  Avould  necessarily  folloAV  upon  his  purchasing 
a  feAv  acres  of  land. 
The  miner,  the  collier,  and  the  artisan,  often  Avith  the  exer¬ 
cise  of  less  skill,  obtain  high  Avages,  and  are  able  to  provide  for 
the  fiiture  if  they  choose.  The  railway  porter,  like  the  soldier 
of  the  imagination,  carries  position  in  his  Avaistcoat  pocket;  the 
trader  can  commence  business  Avith  a  very  small  capital ;  but 
the  labouA’er,  Avho  lives  Avhere  successful  shopkeeping  is  next 
to  impossible,  affords  no  analogy  to  either  of  these  individuals. 
There  are  no  prizes  in  the  service  of  which  he  is  a  member,  while 
the  smallness  of  the  Avages  he  usually  receives  practically  pre¬ 
cludes  the  possibility  of  saving  money,  for  feAV  of  us  can  realise 
the  difficulty  of  putting  a.side  a  AA’eekly  sixpence  from  the  pit¬ 
tance  which  must  suffice  to  fill  many  mouths,  and  something 
more.  Yet  Avhat  often  follows  immigration  to  the  town?  The 
young,  sturdy,  and  AUgoroiAS  countryman  is  gladly  employed  by 
those  who  are  in  Avant  of  strong  arms  and  steady  nerves,  tho 
Avages  are  comparatively  high,  and,  in  spite  of  more  costly 
lodgings  and  more  extravagant  rations,  life  SAvings  merrily 
along,  and  the  young  man  drinks  of  it  to  the  full.  He  often 
adorns  his  person  in  the  orthodox  style,  sports  an  occasional 
cigar,  joins  a  band  of  boon  companions,  some  of  Avhom  were  once 
precisely  like  him.self,  and  thus  he  is  gradually  draAvn  into  the 
vortex  by  which  so  many  fine  felloAVS  are  overAvhelmed. 
His  robust  constitution,  hoAvever— part  of  his  inheritance — 
*  Manchester  Statistical  Society;  read  by  James  Long,  April  13th,  1904. 
