GARDEN HUSBANDRY. 



as they belong to a higher kind of 

 horticulture ; but a moderate hot-bed 

 made with fresh dung, and covered 

 with mats laid over hoops, is indis- 

 pensable for the raising of early ve- 

 getables. By these means radishes 

 and various salads may be raised very 

 early in the spring, and sometimes in 

 mild winters, witliout any interrup- 

 tion during the whole year. 



" An abundant supply of manure is 

 indispensable in a market garden, and 

 this can generally be obtained in large 

 towns at a trifling expense. The 

 neighbourhood of a town is therefore 

 a necessary circumstance towards 

 the production of the crop, as well as 

 its sale. It would be impossible to 

 make a sufficient quantity of manure 

 by means of the horses which are em- 

 ployed to carry the produce to mar- 

 ket, and the extent of land usually 

 laid out in garden ground could not 

 raise sufficient food for cattle with- 

 out taking up a space which may be 

 more profitably employed. The only 

 animal which can be kept to advan- 

 tage by a gardener is a pig. This 

 animal will live well on the offal of 

 vegetables, and the gardens of cotta- 

 gers could not well be kept in a fertile 

 state if it w^ere not for the manure 

 made by the pigs. 



" The market gardeners about Am- 

 sterdam are mostly Jews, and the 

 vegetables which they bring to mar- 

 ket are similar to those of the Lon- 

 don or Paris gardeners ; but they ex- 

 cel particularly in raising cauliflow- 

 ers, large white cabbages for making 

 saur-kraut, French beans, cucumbers, 

 and melons. They also excel in the 

 forcing of early pease and beans, and 

 in the general management of hot- 

 beds. 



" The profits of a garden near a 

 large city, of the extent of 10 or 12 

 acres, are as great as that of a farm 

 often times the extent cultivated in 

 the best manner, without the help of 

 purchased manure. But if manure 

 can be obtained at a reasonable rate, 

 as is often the case in great thorough- 

 fares, where many horses are kept 

 for public conveyances, although 

 there be no immediate demand for 

 318 



vegetables, a garden may be very 

 profitably cultivated, entirely for the 

 purpose of raising seeds. The de- 

 mand for seeds of all the most com- 

 mon (iroductions of a garden, and es- 

 pecially of flowers, is very great, and 

 the profit of those who retail them 

 in small quantities is so great that 

 they can afford a liberal price to those 

 who raise them with proper care, so 

 as to keep the varieties distinct. 



" Many plans have been proposed 

 for the distribution of the crops in a 

 garden ; but none of them are suited 

 to every situation. Much depends 

 on the nature of the soil, which may 

 be better suited to one kind of prod- 

 uce than another, and also to the 

 demand far any peculiar class of ve- 

 getables. New sorts may often be in- 

 troduced with advantage. The rais- 

 ing of any useful plant with great 

 care will often give a man a reputa- 

 tion, which makes it advantageous to 

 him to confine himself to these prin- 

 cipally, and raise them in the great- 

 est perfection. An ingenious man 

 will find out what is most for his own 

 advantage ; and, from the list of 

 plants which may be cultivated for 

 ornament or for use, a selection may 

 be made which may be well suited to 

 the situation of the ground and the 

 circumstances of the grower. The 

 practice of the market gardeners may 

 be examined with advantage ; and 

 long experience, with the test of prof- 

 it, will lay down better practical rules 

 than the most plausible theories." 



The implements necessary for gar- 

 den tillage are displayed in Xhe figure; 

 the plough may be used to assist in 

 trenching, and improved drills for 

 sowing ; but the spade, rake, and hoe 

 are the principal tools ; indeed, labour 

 is the great essential in the garden. 



" The application of the garden 

 husbandry must be in the preparation 

 of the soil by deep trenching and dig- 

 ging, carefully drilling or dibbling all 

 the seeds in rows, stirring the soil 

 between the growing plants, and 

 keeping the ground clear of weeds 

 by the hand and the hoe. These last 

 are the most essential part of the 

 cultivation. By dailv attention to 



