INTRODUCTION 



The collected and condensed experience of the win- 

 ners in the Garden Contest is believed to be of unique 

 value because of the skill and prominence of the narra- 

 tors and the completeness of description encouraged 

 by the nature of the contest. Full details of crop 

 methods are almost proverbially hard to get from 

 successful gardeners, who may often regard such 

 information as a kind of trade secreet. Here, on the 

 contrary, the hope of winning prominence and a large 

 money reward has brought out such a wealth of fact 

 and detail that the most rigorous condensation and 

 selection was needed, and only the most striking and 

 essential parts could be quoted or even summarized, 

 although it is believed that all points of practical and 

 permanent value have been retained. 



The greater part of Chapters I, II and XVII, and 

 other descriptive articles, were originally prepared for 

 the American Agriculturist weeklies by Mr. E. C. 

 Powell, one of the judges of the contest. 



The accounts as originally submitted have been 

 amplified and brought to date when necessary, by 

 further correspondence with prize winners. 



There were five thousand entries, about five hun- 

 dred complete accounts and one hundred prize winners. 

 From the leading accounts, the aim is to present a total 

 of selected experience with gardens of all sizes, from 

 one thousand square feet to many acres in extent, in 

 different sections of the continent and under numerous 



