PREFACE 



ALTHOUGH many kinds of fruits and flowers, and 

 a few other crops like Cucumbers, Seakale, Tomatoes, 

 Rhubarb, Mustard and Cress, have long been grown 

 in British gardens on " intensive " principles, it is 

 somewhat astonishing that the early production of 

 other vegetables and salads has been left almost 

 entirely in the hands of the French market -gardeners 

 around Paris. 



Just over forty years ago, Mr. Robinson was, I 

 believe, the first to call the attention of the English- 

 speaking world to the methods employed by the 

 Parisian growers, who for generations past have 

 practised the art of raising vegetables and salads to 

 perfection during the worst months of the year. In 

 the first edition of his admirable volume on The 

 Parks and Gardens of Paris, he wrote : " We have 

 several important things to learn from the French, 

 and not the least among these is the winter and spring 

 culture of salads inasmuch as enormous quantities 

 of these are sent from Paris to our markets during 

 the spring months. ... By the adoption of the 

 French system salads may be grown to fully as great 

 perfection near London and in the home counties as 

 near Paris. The fact that we have to be supported 

 by our neighbours with articles that could be so easily 



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