Hints on Vegetable and Fruit Farming. 7 



English producers surely might supply the large towns with 

 salad-plants grown under glass, and, later on in the season, out 

 of doors, more cheaply and certainly in a more fresh condition 

 than the French gardeners. The quantity of these salad-plants 

 imported is enormous, and it is increasing, because practically 

 the importers now have the field to themselves. Early fruits 

 also could be grown on a large scale under glass to compete 

 with those that come from the Continent. In short, if well- 

 directed and well-sustained attempts were made to produce early 

 vegetables of excellent and good appearance, it is believed that 

 the foreign growers might be ousted after a time. It may be 

 thought that these are too trifling details for farmers proper to 

 worry themselves about ; but every farmhouse has its garden, 

 whose soil and situation are in nine cases out of ten the best on the 

 farm, and which is too often the worst-farmed part of the land ; 

 this entails the services of a gardener, or a workman who knows 

 something of gardening, occasionally or permanently. A better 

 gardener or an unusually intelligent labourer might be employed, 

 and the garden should be considered as a source of possible profit, 

 and tilled and tended in the most careful manner, and extended 

 to the farm land as circumstances might warrant. Near towns 

 it would be found that dealers would come out and take vege- 

 tables and fruit, until the quantity he produced would enable 

 the farmer to consign to market on his own account, or to make 

 arrangements with Supply Associations or retailers. In this 

 manner what may be called the garden of the farm woukl be 

 developed from the nucleus of the existing garden. All kinds 

 of smaller herbs could be produced. Cultivation under glass 

 might be adopted in the gardens of farms far more than it is at 

 present, and with much profit and advantage, in the production 

 of cucumbers and early salad plants, and gradually increased if 

 found desirable. This might be done not only with bell-glasses 

 and handlights, but also with frames and protection to fruit- 

 trees on walls, and with also cheaply-built greenhouses. Flowers 

 might be turned to profitable account. Upon the home gardens of 

 market-garden farms it will be found that every spare product 

 of vegetables, fruit, flowers, and herbs is sold, and spaces are 

 reserved for seed-beds to supply the farm with plants. The 

 cautious farmer may feel his way by means of his home-garden 

 to gardening upon a large scale on his farm. 



Another objection that is raised against extending vegetable 

 culture is, that it would require a larger supply of labour than 

 ordinary villages could furnish. This undoubtedly would neces- 

 sitate additional labour, and create a demand which, however, it is 

 believed, would soon be met. The better prices which farmers 

 would be enabled to pay would attract labourers to the country. 



