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Leader (1850-1860), 26th October 1850, Edition Country of 1, Page 3

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      Miss Martineau's Garden Farm. We Lately ...

      ^^^^———^^ t ^ m ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ I v ~ « onher . Still we felt that we should like to feed our f two cows wholly at home ; andBobert again and again i hinted that he should like to take in half an acre from the j next field . The good fellow said nothing , and , I am con- ] vinced thought nothing about an increase of wages for i this additional work ; but I need not tell you that I « thoug ht of it . He is to have his cottage rent-free hence- j forth , in addition to his 12 s . per week , for the year round , i We considered that another half-acre would set us at J ease completely , and raise us above our close dependence 1 on good seasons , and other accidents . The owner of the land could not sell it ; but . he has given me a ten years 1 lease of it ; and there it is now , before my eyes , with ; six tons of cow food upon it , besides a goodly asparagus bed , some grass , and a portion where we mean to try a growth of lucerne . m The land was in bad condition—overgrown with obstinate weeds . A great slice of it is injured by the growth of a row of five ash trees ; and it is impossible to dram it effectually , from there being no sufficient outlet ; the proprietor of another field , which lies cornerwise between mine and the river , not thinking proper to drain his own , and thereby closing up mine . In consideration of these drawbacks , I have my half acre on the low rent ( as it is considered here ) of £ 1 15 s . a-year . The fencing cost me scarcely anything , as I had nearly enough of the best kind of hurdles . I had only to get a gate and two more hurdles . I hired the strongest and best spadesman 1 could obtain ; to whom I paid £ 2 10 s . for digging the half of the new piece . Robert dug the other half . 1 may observe here that the men seemed to work alikeparing off the weedy sod , burying it deep and upside downT and digging heartily . But a few weeks afterwards it seemed as if a line had been drawn across the half acre —Robert ' s portion being almost as clean as at first , and the other man ' s greenish with weeds . So much for the quality of the labour ! I laid on four tons of well-rotted stable manure , and half a bag of guano ; the two costing me £ 116 s . The whole expense—the fencing , digging ( which is a thing done with ) , manuring , and rent—is already repaid by the first season ' s produce . There can be no doubt of the next season paying the full proportion of Robert s wages , as there will be no hired spade-work , and little or no purchase of manure . Under the ash trees we grew vetches , as the soil was not deep or good enough for roots . Where the manure had stood to rot we got some very fine cabbages . There are now Swedes of four ages Belgian carrots , and mangold-wurzel . I have just got Robert to weigh some of our produce-not picking out the very largest . It must be remembered , too , that the cabbages will go on growing another month , and the turnips and beet two months longer . The cabbages weigh 24 lb . each ; the turnips ( scraped of roots and soil ) , lllb . ; and the beets and Belgian carrots , each 24 » - * do noi mention these weights as anything wonderful , but as giving you an idea of what our produce is like . Another year , when the ground is mellowed and looked ! Ve confidently expect » £ * ££ " * . food on the new half-acre , in spite of the ash trees , we have n " w , as I said , at least six . In the hayhouse is IboveTton and a half of hay , cut early enough to be Ktsi . St ^ ts- iisr ^ -s winter from crop to crop ; so I consider that , if our roots keen we 1 , we are provided till the spring . We have polls for six we eks after our autumn vegetaUes are done , and plenty of celery , cabbages , cauliflowers , f to . It redly amuses me , on going round ™* J' «™ £ ™ ; to see the quantity of cabbages pricked out for ^ an early s ^^ j ^ ^^ ^ iffia ^ w ^^ s ^ sMs tit . sr 3 vrjrjp « 3 S and really extraordinary flood , which occurred last February , cut off our early crop of cabbages ; and some of our neighbours have no belief that we can raise them in this climate . We mean to persevere in trying , however jandTif we fail again , we have food enough for next spring , so that our minds are easy . This was our worst disaster since we began . Let us 8 ee what our other drawbacks have been . Wehave partly failed in our first great potato crop . The rot destroyed a few ; but a greater mischief was done by our putting them between the rows of cabbages Ihe cabbages grew so much larger than we expected that they half-stifled the potatoes . We shal know better another year . We have only a six weeks' Hock instead of a three months ' . Then , both the calves thisjear are bull calves , and they will not sell ; and it would not answer to us to fatten them . I find that cow calves are down to 17 s ., so that calves are not what they were . Again , we have not managed our . fowls well , i

      ind them now all moulting at once ; and I suppose they will all begin to lay at the same time . We must see ibout having a succession . It is difficult to get broods tiere . The cats and the hawks make terrible havoc ; and ne actually have not a chick this year , abundant as » ggs have been . We have now a stout netting over the poultry yard , and have introduced some improvements , so that we hope our specimens of the pure Minorca breed may multiply . I think our list of misfortunes ends here . _ . . A , . The pasture is Robert ' s pet , and it is , to be sure , in Bne condition . " Thinking in his bed , " as he says , he devised a contrivance ( at the cost of 4 s . 6 d . ) by which the liquid manure barrel is made to shed its contents like a water cart ; and the grass grows thick and rich , compared with last year , though Robert expects a good deal of improvement yet . He is now going to try his hand upon a wheat crop , on a plot which has grown roots for two years . We may as well try , now we have a little more space to turn ourselves in . The bran and straw will be very useful , and we shall see what we can make of the grain . If we succeed , I suppose we shall grow nearly a quarter of an acre of grain yearly , turn and turn about You see that , exclusive of the patch of pasture , we are now feeding our cows , and supplying our own vegetables , from less than an acre of land . I find the cows now yielding more than their average —twenty-five quarts daily . As we are now keeping two pigs at a time , and as milk is more abundant in the neighbourhood than it was when we began , I believe we shall henceforth make a greater point of the butter , and less of the milk . We shall skim more closely , and give the milk to the pigs , instead of selling skim milk , which is as good as what I used to buy for new . I hear a good character of cocoa-nut-fibre mats for the cows to lie upon , and I think of trying it . It is difficult to manage the litter of cattle that have been brought up to roam the fells , and eat whatever they see . We have tried avanety of litter , but they ate everything—even brackens ( fern)—till last autumn , Robert bethought himself of giving them a bed of dry leaves . Those they did not eat . And now they may soon try again . As yet , however , scarcely a leaf has changed on the trees : so late are the seasons here ! I find our two pigs growing fat . The meal they are having is the only article , except a few grains for the fowls , we have had to buy , since our crops began to ripen . They cost 15 s . 6 d . each ; and will sell , when fatted for ( I suppose , in these times of cheap meat ) about £ 2 14 s . each ; that is , they will weigh about twelve stone ( for we do not make them excessively fat ) , at 4 s . 6 d . a stone . Not that I mean to sell the whole . Five quarters are bespoken , and I shall keep the other three for ourselves . I believe they will have really cost me nothing . Robert wishes for a quarter , as he did in the spring . Mis wife cures it admirably ; and they can always sell the ham , and enjoy the bacon . I really wish you could see how these good people , whom you put in the way of this new life , enjoy everything . I find them now so well and merry , that it is delightful to see them . Robert has been sending money to his old father-a large sum for a working man . His wife has had abundant employment m taking in washing all the summer . When I came home to breakfast this morning , I saw something flying along behind the trees ; it was Robert , with two monstrous cabbages in his great barrow , full of joy at their weight . I must tell you that , since the publication of my first letter to you ( by some means unknown to me , but not at all to my regret ) there have been large numbers of persons , many from distant counties , to see my ground , and the man who tills it . Early and late they have come ; and they have said enough to turn a vain man s head . All this has happened since I left home . I find Robert not only unspoiled , but not at all occupied with his fame , but wholly engrossed by his pursuit . He listens as earnestly as ever to any suggestion about our shortcomings , and about any methods of improvement . He was very clever when he came ; he is much cleverer now . He could not possibly be more industrious ; but he is in stronger health , and in glorious spirits . His pretty porch is grown over with roses ; and there are climbing plants about his walls , and balsams and geraniums in his window . You may be satisfied that all is right with them ; and a great satisfaction I know it will be to you . I think this is all I have to say at the close of our second season . Believe me , dear Sir , truly yours , IIAHMET MARTINI 3 A . U .

      Danesfort Mr Thomas Wright Oct. 26, 1850...

      Danesfort Mr Thomas Wright Oct . 26 , 1850 . ] «** &*«**** !? L _ ~ ' *""*** __ « . ri _ \ Ti T- * TI \ a * m # ih iA /*»? r » Tl # '

      Reproductive Employment In Woiiknotwiths...

      REPRODUCTIVE EMPLOYMENT IN WOIIKNotwithstanding nil the opposition made to it by indolent poor-law guardians and one-idead political economists , this question continues to be discussed in many parts of Ireland . Those who are in favour of organized industry in opposition to anarchical , demoralizing idleness , have been furnished with a strong argument in favour of their views by what has recently taken place in the Kilkenny Union : — « Nine or ten months ago , " says the Mfnnv Journal , « the question of taking land was mooted in ^ the > boardroom , and Mr . John Power ( who was then for Kilkenny

      , j < , < « ' Union the guardian ) , ( Foulksrath ) , and Mr . Richard Kelly ( of Ballysalla ) were appointed a committee to report on the question . These gentlemen promptly set to work and made a report accordingly , recommending in the strongest terms the Skmg of Jome land for the employment of the Paupers At this time , however , nothing was done , for a difficulty was felt in obtaining land sufficiently near the workhouse and suitable in other respects , as to make it a desirable take ior the guardians . Several offers were made , but the landlord ? demanded rents ^ monstrously exotlu tant , that their offers were scouted at the boardrooni table . No less than £ 3 and £ 4 an acre was looked for . Mr . Blanchfield , Mr . Bookey , justice of the peace , and we believe other guardians , happened to see a numberr of male paupers « sunning themselves' in the middle of the day , as the gentlemen afterwards expressed themselves m a report , adding , that some of the paupers with whom they remonstrated , said they « were not bound' to work ; and the report in question revived the subject in the board-room , the issue of which was that Mr . Blanchfield gave a notice of motion , as a preparatory step to the taking of land for the purposes of employment . Mr . Blanchfield on the proper day brought forward the motion , and forcibly commented on the condition of idleness , worthlessness , and abandonment to which young male paupers were given up under the then regime ; and in order to teach them how to become good farm servants and to enable them to earn their own bread at honourable employment , he said he was prepared , as a guardian , to encounter some loss in the management of such an undertaking ( which however he did not anticipate ) , rather than see bovs crow up in a lamentable state of helpless poverty . Mr . Bookey , justice of the peace , fully bore out Mr . Blanchfield , and the board willingly adopted the proposal submitted to them . The difficulty of getting land again beset them—suitable land , not land generally , of \ yhicn there was abundance in the market ; but contiguity to the workhouse , a fair rent , and other considerations pressed upon them . They were at last forced to accept I dear lot ( of Sir W . Cuffe ' s ) , but better they could not set . It was hard , dry , overgrown , and the season was late . Time and soil were againstr the labours of the husbandmen , and circumstances were against the guardians . Yet , how did willing hands make light work ? Mr . Blanchfield tells this at the last meeting of the guardians . His expectations were not great ; he did not look for a crop this season , owing to the period at which the land was taken and its condition ; yet he tells us that there is a fine crop of turnips-Swedes and Aberdeens—on it , together with that most useful dish oi tho dinner table , cabbages . And this is not all . Mr . Blanchfield says ' not a weed is to be seen ; ' and with the general mode of farming adopted and the work executed he-a practical judge , as Sir Wheeler Cuffe gracefully complimented him on being—is highly delighted .

      A Visit To The Shakers. New York, August...

      A VISIT TO THE SHAKERS . New York , August 10 , 1850 . Tired of sweltering at a laborious trade amidst this immense pile of hot bricks , with the thermometer for several days in succession at 95 deg . in the shade , I made arrangements to spend a few holidays in the country . Stepping on board one of the Hudson river steamboats at six p . m . we started for Albany , a distance of 160 miles , which we reached next morning early . About eight o ' clock I commenced my excursion to the Shakers , on foot . The village is in the township of Watervliet distant from Albany about six miles . For a city so large as Albany , and the capital of a large and flourishing state , there are very few country seats in the vicinity . Ere I had travelled a mile from " the state-house , I was in , a country settled by small farmers . The ground is higher as we advance from the river , and I walked leisurely up hill , when a young man in a farmer ' s wagon overtook me , and kindly enquired if 1 wanted to ride . I accepted his offer , and we entered into conversation . He said the land around there was pretty good , if well taken care of ; that cultivated farms were worth about 100 dollars an acre , but that plenty of land could be had for twenty and thirty dollars an acre . Funeral ceremonies were being observed in Albany that day , in honour of the late President ; and the young farmer , in adverting to the circumstances , appeared sincerely to lament the death of General Taylor . " I am a Democrat , " he said , " but I did not care about differing on politics with such a man . I believe he intended to do good . He was honest , and it is just such men we want . On my enquiring what character the Shakers received m the country around them , he promptly replied , " None better—they are an upright industrious people . " About three miles and a half from Albany the farmer reached his destination , and I pursued my way on foot . I had reached the highest elevation on the . Shaker road , and I had now a good view of the surrounding country . It is only partially cultivated , large tracts are not yet reclaimed . The soil is loose , light , and sandy ; great quantities of scrub trees and brushwood cover the ground ; no villages , that of the Shakers being hid by a strip of timber land . No signs of commerce , and the farmhouses widely separated . So near the capital of a state in New England thriving villages would be linked to-KOther , and the busy population engaged in manufacturing some Yankee notion . In Old England would be seen the country seat of the merchant , and the pleasuregrounds and substantial buildings of the landlords . In this neighbourhood there has been a drawback . A large

  • Citation
    • Leader (1850-1860), Oct. 26, 1850, page 3, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_26101850/page/3/