PREFACE. tii 



he had sown several sorts of seed a month previous, v\^hich 

 he had condemned as barren and unfruitful. On looking 

 over his land, I perceived a horse track : the animal had 

 broken his halter, and traversed the garden in different 

 directions. On tracing the horse's footsteps, I perceived 

 plants coming up thic-k in the tracks, which convinced me 

 that if the seed had been planted deeper, or the ground 

 rolled at the time of depositing the seed therein, the gardener 

 would have had no cause to complain either of the seedsman 

 or his seed. 



The above instance of loss, occasioned by want of attention 

 to points apparently of trifling importance, not being a soli- 

 tary one, I would urge the gardener to precision and dili- 

 gence in his undertaking; and, as my object has been to 

 impart useful knowledge in the following pages, they who 

 are in pursuit of information on the subject of gardening, 

 are invited to a perusal before they deposit their seed in the 

 ground. 



As in all the former editions of this work, it was my 

 earnest care to confine my attention to the most important 

 practical subjects, I may be allowed here to remind the 

 reader, that every article in the book contains ample direc- 

 tions for the cultivation of whatever it has reference to ; but, 

 as the inexperienced are apt to imbibe very erroneous ideas 

 on some points of culture, I have, in this edition, introduced 

 various notes, many of which are designed to point out the 

 evil which it is intended to remedy ; — for instance, a novice 

 in gardening undertakes to cultivate a piece of ground, and 

 having been informed that manure is a very important arti- 

 cle in the cultivation of his vegetables, procures, perhaps, 

 ten times as much as is necessary ; this he applies to his 

 beds in such extravagant quantities as to prevent the seed 

 from germinating, and in some cases it renders the ground 

 sterile, until time and exposure to the atmosphere reclaim 

 it. (See note page 15.) 



Another very prevalent error is evinced by persons de 



