Chapter I: Preface

In the present edition of the "Lady's Country Companion," a reduction has been made in the price, to render the work still more generally useful than it has hitherto been; but in all other respects it is essentially the same.

The principal object of this work is to save young housekeepers the pain and trouble of buying their own experience; and though it is particularly addressed to those residing in the country, I have had the satisfaction of finding that it has been in many cases almost equally useful to those living in towns. It may, however, be interesting to my readers to know that it was originally written for the benefit of a young friend, who was precisely in the position I have represented Annie to be in, and who, knowing I had resided in the country in my youth, asked my advice. Of course, in preparing the work for publication, many things were added or enlarged on, particularly in the parts relating to cooking and gardening, and in the suggestions for altering and furnishing the house; but nearly all the housekeeping and farm-yard details were the result of my personal experience. It happened in my youth, that my father, who was in the law, was obliged, from ill health, to give up his profession, and to reside in the country; and as my mother was dead I kept his house. I had thus to practise what I have here attempted to teach; and I shall be only too happy if I am the means of sparing others the annoyances I suffered myself.

I have stated these facts now, as it is possible, from the gradually declining state of my health, I may not have another opportunity of mentioning them in their proper place, and as I think my readers will be likely to place more confidence in my counsels when they know they are founded on realities. I have always been anxious to make my books useful, but I am now still more so than ever I was before.

J. W. LOUDON.

_Bayswater, Dec._ 10, 1851.

CONTENTS.

Preface

List of Engravings

LETTER I. INTRODUCTION. 1

BOOK I. THE HOUSE.

LETTER II. First Impressions of the Country.--Making Fires.

LETTER III. Hall.--Morning Room.--Book-Cases.--Plants in Pots.--Squirrels, Canary Birds, Parrots and Macaws, Monkeys, Gold Fish, and Cut Flowers.--Drawing-room.--Dining-room.

LETTER IV. Flies.--Servants' Offices, including the Housekeeper's Room and Store Closet, the Kitchen, and the Scullery.--Brewing; making Home-made Wines, Cider, and Perry; and making Bread, Rolls, Cakes, Rusks, Muffins and Crumpets, and Biscuits.

LETTER V. Impromptu Cookery.--Soups.--Poultry.--Pigeons.--Game.--Salads of Cold Meat and Potatoes.--Modes of dressing Potatoes and Carrots.--Sauces.--Omelettes, Creams, and Side Dishes.--Miscellaneous Cookery.--National Cookery.--The French Pot-au-Feu.--Italian Macaroni.--German Sauer Kraut--Polish Barsch.--Spanish Olla Podrida and Puchero.--Scotch Haggis, Barley Broth and Hotch-potch.--English Plum-pudding. Puddings.--Potato Flour.--Pickles.--Pork Pies.

LETTER VI. The Larder.--Salting Meat, Bacon, and Hams.--The Dairy.--Management of Milk.--Making and keeping Butter.--Making Cheese of various Kinds.--Ice-House, Ice-Cellar, and Ice-Cooler.--Ice-Creams.

BOOK II. THE GARDEN.

LETTER VII. Planting a regular Geometrical Flower-Garden.--List of Plants.--Mode of laying out regular Figures on the Ground.--Rules for arranging Colours.--Planting Side Beds.--Plants with fragrant Flowers.--Culture of Bulbs.--Reserve Ground.--Culture of Annuals, Perennials, and Biennials.--Hotbeds and Frames for raising and keeping Half-hardy Flowers.

LETTER VIII. Use of Plant-Houses.--Nature of Climates.--Different Kinds of Hothouses.--The Dry Stove, the Bark Stove, and the Orchideous House.--Culture of Plants in the Bark Stove.--Aquarium and Water Plants.--Red Spider.--Culture of Succulent Stove Plants.--Culture of Orchideous Plants.--The Greenhouse.--The Australian House, and Culture of its Plants.--The common Greenhouse, the Heath House, the Conservatory, the Orangery, and the Camellia House.--The Culture of Plants in the common Greenhouse.--Potting Plants.--Heaths.--Culture of Plants in the Conservatory.--Culture of Orange Trees.--Aphides.

LETTER IX. The Park and Pleasure-Grounds.--Situation of old Houses.--Water.--Forest Scenery.--Effect of a Shrubbery in harmonising a Flower-Garden with a Park.--Opening Vistas.--Scenes in a Park.--Fences against Cattle.--Styles in Gardening.--Use of a Terrace.--Patte d'Oie.--Planting an Architectural Garden.--Planting an Arboretum.--Renovating Turf.

LETTER X. Laying out a Kitchen-Garden.--Making Gravel Walks.--Box Edgings.--Crops of Culinary Vegetables.--Cucumbers, Melons, and Mushrooms.

LETTER XI. The Management of Fruit Trees.--Planting.--Protecting the Blossoms.--Stone Fruits.--Fig Trees.--Grapes.--Management of a Vinery.--Growing Pine-apples.--Forcing Peaches and Nectarines.--Standard Fruit Trees.--Kernel Fruits.--Fruit Shrubs.--Strawberries.--Tart-Rhubarb.

LETTER XII. Operations of Gardening.--Digging, Forking, and Hoeing.--Sowing Seeds.--Taking off Suckers.--Making Layers and Cuttings.--Budding, Grafting, and Inarching.--Pruning and Training.--Disbudding.--Manuring.--Keeping Fruit in a Fruit-Room.

BOOK III. DOMESTIC ANIMALS.

LETTER XIII. Quadrupeds kept for Amusement.--Horses for riding and driving in Pony Carriages.--Mules, Zebras, Quaggas, and Donkeys.--Dogs and Cats.

LETTER XIV. Quadrupeds kept for supplying Food.--Cows, Calves, Goats, Pigs, Rabbits, and Deer.

LETTER XV. Inhabitants of the Poultry-Yard: Fowls, Turkeys, Guinea Fowls, Geese, Ducks, and Pigeons.--Peacocks and Hens.--Diseases of Poultry, and their Cure.

LETTER XVI. The Inhabitants of the Ponds: Fish and Aquatic Fowls, including Swans, exotic Geese and Ducks.--Inhabitants of the Woods: including Pheasants and Partridges, Herons and Bitterns.--Aviary.--Apiary, and the Management of Bees.--Silk-worms.

BOOK IV. RURAL WALKS.

LETTER XVII. Shoes and Apparatus for Walking.--Rural Seats.--Natural Objects noted in a Country Walk; the Mole; the Shrike; the Black Snail; the Siller Cups; the Woundwort.--Pleasures of studying Botany.--Granite.--Appearance of the Clouds.

BOOK V. COUNTRY AMUSEMENTS.

LETTER XVIII. Archery: Targets; Self Bows and Backed Bows; Bowstrings; Arrows; Arm Bracer and Shooting-Glove; Belt and Tassel; and Quiver.--Sketching in the open Air: Block-Book and Pencils; Artist's Colours; Touch of the different Trees.--Swinging.--Pleasure-Boats.--Skating.--Sporting Terms.

BOOK VI. COUNTRY DUTIES.