THE 



CHEMISTRY OF GARDEN CROPS 



A CONSIDERATION of the chemistry of the crops that en- 

 1A. gage attention in this country will afford an explanation of one 

 great difference between farming and gardening. And this difference 

 should be kept in mind by all classes of cultivators as the basis of 

 operations in tillage, cropping, and the order and character of rota- 

 tions. The first thing to discover in the cropping of a farm, is the 

 kind of vegetation for which the land is best adapted to insure in a 

 run of seasons fairly profitable results. If the soil is unfit for cereals, 

 then it is sheer folly to sow any more corn than may be needful for 

 convenience, as, for example, to supply straw for thatching, and oats 

 for horses, to save cost of carriage &c. &c. On large farms that are 

 far removed from markets, it is often necessary to risk a few crops 

 that the land is ill fitted for, so as to satisfy the requirements of the 

 homestead, and to save the outlay of money and the inconvenience 

 of hauling from distant markets. But everywhere the cropping must 

 be adapted to the soil and the climate as nearly as possible, both to 

 simplify operations and enlarge to the utmost the chances of success. 

 In the cropping of a garden this plain procedure cannot be followed. 

 We are compelled certainly to consider what the soil and climate 

 will especially favour amongst garden crops, but notwithstanding 

 this, the gardener must grow whatever the household requires. He 

 may have to grow Peas on a hot shallow sand ; and Potatoes and 

 Carrots on a cold clay ; and Asparagus on a shallow bed of pebbles 

 and potsherds. To the gardener the chemistry of crops is a matter 

 of great importance, because he cannot restrict his operations to such 

 crops as the land is particularly adapted for, but must endeavour to 

 render his land capable of carrying more or less of all the vegetables 

 and fruits that find a place in the catalogue of domestic wants. That 

 in certain cases he must fail at certain points is inevitable ; never- 



