122 THE KITCHEN-GARDEN. [CHAP. VI. 



no earth between them and the gravel: and the 

 trench is tilled up by drawing the earth into it, 

 and pressing it close to the roots, so as to make 

 the plants quite firm. Nothing else is requisite 

 but a few waterings, till the box begins to 

 grow; and the only difficulty is to keep the 

 plants in a straight line, with the points of their 

 shoots at an equal distance above the soil. 

 W hen box-edgings are pruned, they should 

 always be cut in with a knife, and never 

 clipped with shears. They should also never 

 be suffered to grow too high without pruning; 

 and they should be occasionally taken up and 

 replanted wider apart, when their stems appear 

 to be becoming naked below. 



Cropping. — The crops grown in the open 

 air in a kitchen-garden are of two kinds, those 

 produced by the fruit trees, and those of the 

 herbaceous vegetables : and the latter are ao-ain 

 divided into the permanent crops and the tem- 

 porary ones. The permanent crops are those 

 which remain for a number of years in one 

 place, producing a crop, year after year, from 

 the same roots ; such as asparagus, artichokes, 

 rhubarb, &c. : while the temporary crops are 

 those that require sowing or fresh planting 

 every year, and these should never be sown for 

 two years in succession on the same ground. 



Permanent Crops. — In regular kitchen- 

 gardens, it is of very little consequence where 

 the permanent crops are placed, as every part 

 of the ground is generally alike accessible from 

 the walks, and alike suitable for cultivation : 

 but in small gardens the case is different; and 

 there are generally some awkward corners, 



