136 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTrEIST. 



VEGETABLES IN ENGLAND. 



The Pall Mall Gazette thus speaks of 

 English-grown vegetables as compared 

 with those of Canada : — 



"Of thorough going fruity vegetables 

 — such as the tomato — we in England 

 know nothing. We never have sun 

 enough to ripen them })r()[)erly ; and 

 even with all the appliances of modern 

 gardeners, they never get thoroughly 

 red and soft throughout in our gardens 

 as they do in the open air under a 

 Canadian or Italian sky They always 

 have a half-green taste, and are wholly 

 lacking in the true rich tomato flavor. 

 Indeed, the tinned American spocimens, 

 though tasting of the solder, of course, 

 are better savored after all than our 

 poor, starved, sunless English things. 

 As to purple egg-fruit and green chow- 

 chows, we know them not at all ; while 

 the profusion of rich retl-flesheJ water- 

 melons and primrose-skinned squashes 

 and golden pumpkins in a Massachu- 

 setts market would astonish Covent 

 Garden. These things require the sun 

 to ripen them, and we see his face here 

 as a rule for some two a id a half hours 

 weekly, as duly registered at Glynde 

 Place, Lewes. 



" Then, again, there are the wintei- 

 cherries, the sweet potatoes, and best 

 of all earthly vegetables, g»een Indian 

 corn, eaten off the cob with fresh but- 

 ter, and likest to nectar of all mortal 

 delicacies. As for pulse generally, oar 

 beans are all stringy ; we have neither 

 the variety nor the tenderness of the 

 American bean. Our peas have some 

 good points — for English peas ; but 

 they are not half so large, or luscious, 

 or melting, as American peas. They 

 take too long growing, and have got 

 old and hard before they are big enough 

 to pick. 



" In the matter of leafy vegetables 

 we can do a little better, but not enough 

 to boast about. We are strong in 



salads ; our climate provides us with 

 plenty of fresh green lettuce, and plenty 

 of slugs, too, to hide in its recesses. 

 But our cauliflowers and broccoli ai-e 

 not nearly as good as the American ; 

 they are neither so white nor so delicate 

 in flavor. We can grow cucumbei-s 

 (under glass), because cucumbers are 

 eaten green ; but what a miserable 

 farce are our vegetable marrows ! 



" What is true of vegetables is even 

 more true of fruits. To be sure, our 

 English hot-house grapes are the best 

 in the world ; but for strawberries, 

 raspberries, currants, gooseberries, 

 plums, and cherries, we must go to 

 America." 



SHALL WE PLANT LARGE OR SMALL 

 TR]']ES ? 



A resident of one of our large vil- 

 lages, who had come into possession of 

 a lino lot which he wished to plant, but 

 who had had little experience with tree 

 culture called on a neighboring nursery- 

 man to make purchases. He wanted 

 nothing but large trees — two inches in 

 diauieter if he could find them, and ten 

 feet high. He cared much less for the 

 kind than for the size — anything which 

 was gigantic, early or late, fruit or orna 

 mental, was eagerly taken. The nur- 

 seryman frankly gave his opinion that 

 trees of moderate size wouhl be better, 

 but the purchaser quickly replied, "I 

 want big trees now — I may not live for 

 the small ones to grow up." He carri- 

 ed off a load of monsters. In a few 

 years he came again to make additional 

 purchases. The nurseryman at once re- 

 marked, "I suppose you want all the 

 largest trees you can get — I think I can 

 supply you." "No! no!" exclaimed 

 the purchaser, "I've had enough of big 

 trees ! No more for me ! Those I got 

 of you have scarcely grown any since, 

 the ! mall iv ones have overtaken them, 

 and they are ever so much handsomer 



