trees from hares and rabbits, by washing them with lime mixed with soap-suds*. Prepare composts, gather leaves for manure, and cut rods for peas. Cabbages and savoys that are intended for seed, must be hung by the roots in a dry place, for a week or ten days: this is done to prevent their decaying. They must then be planted so deep, that the upper leaves may alone be visible. E. W. B. A FEW OBSERVATIONS ON GARDENING. "In the management of cottage gardens, no opportunity should be lost of collecting the rubbish from ditches, leaves, and household refuse, for manure. The surface should frequently be changed by deep digging, and the crops should also be changed. Stir the ground as deep as possible between growing crops. Water regularly, every evening in dry weather, and gather all insects by the hand as soon as they appear. The vegetables which may be most profitably cultivated by the occupants, are, cabbages of the early heading sorts, hardy borecoles, as the German greens, early potatoes, parsnips, turnips, carrots, onions, leeks, peas, beans, and kidney-beans; a plant or two of celery, thyme, mint, and chives, for seasoning; a few plants of rhubarb, a few fruit-trees and shrubs; (page 78.) a few flowers, and a rose and honeysuckle on the porch. If the climate be favourable, the most southerly sides of the house may be covered with a white muscadine, or a black July grape."-Abridged from an Encyclopædia. * Are any of the correspondents of the Cottager's Monthly Visitor acquainted with an effectual method of protecting young trees from being barked by hares? Some of the washes that are used for this purpose injure the trees; and guns and snares are illegal. ON THE INSTRUCTION OF THE DEAF AND To the Editor of the Cottager's Monthly Visitor. SIR, I BELIEVE there are in this kingdom a great number of poor deaf and dumb children who cannot obtain admission into asylums for the education of the deaf and dumb. And it appears to me that a few simple directions might possibly enable village school masters, or even the parents of such poor children, to give them such a degree of instruction, as would contribute to their happiness, and make them useful members of society. If you think the following introductory hints deserve your attention, I shall hope to communicate gradually, through the medium of your "Cottager's Visitor," some further directions, which I hope some of your readers may be inclined to put in practice. I am, Sir, your constant reader, D. D. Advice to the Parents of Deaf and Dumb Children. MY GOOD Friends, Do not be unhappy because you have a child that is deaf and dumb. Such children may become very useful, and very happy too, for I believe there is no such thing as being useful without being happy.-— I speak from experience, for I have several deaf and dumb children under my care, and happier creatures I never saw. In the hopes of being useful to those whom I cannot teach myself, I am going to try to give you a little easy advice how to manage your deaf and dumb child, and how to begin teaching it; and, if you will try and begin with what I tell you now, you shall find more about it in the next " Cottager's Visitor."-First, I advise you to be very tender and gentle with your poor dumb child, and never let any body beat or frighten it. Next, you should encourage it to take notice of every thing it sees in the house, and the garden, and the fields; and, if you do this, you will soon see that you and your child will find out a way of telling one another a great deal about these things, and will come to talk together by signs instead of words, and you will not have much difficulty in hitting upon these signs, for I dare say the child will be the first to choose them for himself. Suppose, for instance, you were to talk together, by signs, about the sun, perhaps the child would point up to the Heavens and put his hand before his eyes, as if he were dazzled with the light. For the fire, perhaps he would hold out his hands, as if to warm them, and then rub them together. For a tree, he will move his hand slowly from the ground upwards, to shew how the stem grows out of the earth, and then spread his hand about, every way out from the stem, to shew the branches and leaves. For a cow, he will shew you how the horns grow out of its head, and move his hands as if he were milking.-For a horse he will begin to trot, and so on, in this pleasant way, he will shew you a great many things which will stand for the names of these same things, when you talk together about them; and when once your child has found that you are kind and pleasant, and lively with him, and that you lead him to observe things, this will encourage him to go on inventing a surprising number of these different signs, so that he will be able to ask you for what he wants, and to tell you what has happened to him when you were away. It will help you very much in learning this way of getting signs for things instead of names, if you can get a few common pictures, such as are sold for a penny a sheet; or if some kind lady or gentleman will give you some little picture books; and then, when you have a few moments to spare after your day's work, you can take your child on your knee and look over the pictures together, taking particular notice of every part of them. I will tell you more about my way of looking at pictures, the next time I write.—I hope I have now said enough to encourage you to make a beginning; and if you will follow my directions, by little and little, without being discouraged, I hope that your child will soon come not only to make signs, but to spell with his fingers, and also to write words on a slate, and understand their meaning. In a few years, with the blessing of God upon your endeavours, I trust your child will even come to know something of his duty, and be brought to the knowledge of God and of another world; and that you will be rewarded for all the pains you bestow upon him, and find him a blessing instead of an affliction to you. I am your sincere friend, D. D. SECOND SUNDAY IN ADVENT. Repeat the Collect. QUESTION. Why did God cause all holy Scriptures to be written? Answer. "For our learning." St. Paul says to Timothy that "all Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness." Q. For what is all Scripture profitable? A. For doctrine. Q. For what else? A. For correction. Q. Is this all for which Scripture is profitable? A. No; it is profitable for instruction in righteousness, teaching us what we are to do, and what we are not to do. Q. But how can we know these useful Scriptures? A. The Collect. teaches us, first, that we must hear them. Q. But where may we hear them? A. In our Church. Q. In our Church then you may hear the Scriptures; but is hearing enough? A. No; because we are told to search the Scriptures, that is, to read them. Q. And why? A. That we may mark and learn what we hear and read. Q. What ought we to do when we have marked and learned what we have heard and read? A. We must inwardly digest it. Q. What do you mean by this? A. We must turn what we hear, read, mark, and learn, to the good of our souls, as the food we eat is turned to the good of our bodies. Q. And why? A. That by the patience which the holy Scriptures recommend, and the comfort which they hold out, we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life; which has been given us in our Saviour Jesus Christ. Q. Who gives us this blessed hope? A. The blessed Lord who has caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning. THIRD SUNDAY IN ADVENT. Repeat the Collect. QUESTION. Whose first coming is here mentioned? |