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ICAN HERD-BOOTi' 



DEVOTED TO 

 AGRICULTURE, HORTICULTURE, AND RURAL AND DOMESTIC AFFAIRS. 



Perfect Agriculture \a the true foundation of all trade and industry. — Liebio. 



Vol.Vin.— No. 7.] 



2iid mo. (February) 15th, 1844. 



[Whole No. 109. 



rUDtlSHED MONTHLY, 



BY JOSIAH TATUM, 



EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR, 



No. 50 North Fourth Street, 

 PHILADELPHIA. 



Price one dollar per year. — For conditions sec last page. 



Give Gardens to the Million. 



Under the above caption we find the following arti- 

 cle in the April number of the Oardcner and Practical 

 Florist, published in London. We have heretofore oc- 

 casionally adverted in the Cabinet to the great value 

 and importance of the kitchen garden to the farmer, 

 and have e.\pressed the apprehension that it was not 

 60 generally appreciated as it deserves to be. The 

 farmer can scarcely appropriate his own time or that 

 of his labourers in a manner that shall add more to 

 the comfort of his household, than in dressing his gar- 

 den, stored with a rich variety of vegetables. His 

 table should be liberally supplied from one year's end 

 to the other, with the vegetables of the season. Health 

 end comfort would not only be thus promoted, but we 

 entirely believe that no spot on the farm would be 

 found more profitable. Potatoes, and turnips, and 

 beets, and parsnips, and tomatoes, and celery, and 

 onions, and beans, and peas, &c., &c., liberally pro 

 vided, are cheaper than the contents of the pork tub, 

 and give to those contents a relish they never can 

 have, where there is but a meagre supply of vegetables. 

 And if the garden be thus important to the large 

 farmer, it is not less so to his tenant, who labours for 

 him, and who may have a wife and several small chil- 

 dren at home, incapable of doing much for their own 



Cab.— Vol. VIIL— No. 7. 



support. How would a garden, well taken care of by 

 the wife, as it might readily be, add to her own com- 

 forts and lu.xuries, as well as to those of her children! 

 And how might the dollars saved by this provision, be 

 appropriated to the substantial good of the family. 

 Let the farmer then, not imagine that this is too tri- 

 fling a matter for him to think of: more of domestic 

 enjoyment is connected with it, than at first thought 

 would be apprehended; and if he would add to the 

 elasticity of his step, by feeling that he has conferred 

 benefits upon his dependants, let him not only look 

 well to his own garden, but also encourage his hired 

 labourers to do the same to theirs— let him supply them 

 with ground for the purpose, and with manure to make 

 it productive. — Ed. 



It is the fashion to provide for the millions, 

 and it is so good a fashion, that the marvel 

 is how the millions could have been ne- 

 glected so long. It is our ambition to do 

 our best in the gratifying task; and we trust 

 we shall contribute as much comfort with 

 our information as our more noisy fellow- 

 labourers, who initiate the crowd into the 

 mysteries of music, or our more active rivals, 

 who inoculate the innocents with the love 

 of dancing. Horticulture is one of those 

 beautiful sciences which give delight to the 

 ivery tyro — every step we proceed in it is 

 Icomplete in itself, and nature is a kind and 

 constant help-mate. If we accomplish but 

 ithe growing of a cabbage, there is an object 

 |achieved; and however limited our capa- 

 icity, the science has, among its thousands 

 'of lessons, some which we can learn, if there 

 be but a patient teacher to set us our task; 



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