98 FlVE AGUES TOO MUCH. 



It was late in April when the contract was closed 

 for the building of the country house, and it was es 

 sential to prepare and plant the kitchen garden im 

 mediately. My ideas on the subject were vague. I 

 knew what I wanted, but had not an accurate con 

 ception how those wants were to be converted into 

 realities. I must have a choice, yet ample supply. 

 Fresh asparagus is so delicate, fresh peas so tender, 

 fresh lettuce so crisp, cauliflower so immaculate, cab 

 bages so rich, beets so racy, and every other vegeta 

 ble so much better when just pulled. There should 

 be a plenteous variety, from the humble radish up 

 to the aristocratic egg-plant through all the range 

 of carrots, turnips, celery, spinach, and cucumbers 

 every thing that creeps, climbs, or stands but, above 

 all, must there be a grand, deep, rich bed of aspara 

 gus, with heads as big as your thumb. The fruits, 

 too, should not be forgotten : blackberries, gooseber 

 ries, raspberries, and especially strawberries ; pears, 

 plums, and apples dwarfs and standards ; currants, 

 grapes, and quinces ; the numberless productions of 

 the earth that wise men eat before breakfast or after 

 dinner. With these numerous necessaries, it was ap 

 parent that the planting must be done at once if 

 it was to produce a satisfactory result this year. 



But, before striking a spade, it was necessary to lay 



