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CHAPTER XIV. 

 A QUARTER ACRE OF FRENCH GARDEN. 



Description and Explanation of Garden Equipment Water 

 Manure Prices of Produce Average Crops Size of Bunches 

 Details of Cropping Estimated Produce and Values Summary of 

 Returns Estimated Annual Income and Expenditure Approximate 

 Cost of Equipment. 



ON the preceding page is a model plan of a French garden, 

 with a scheme of cropping. The dimensions are a trifle 

 over a quarter of an acre. There are 10 interchangeable 

 sections, each 36ft. by 30ft. 6in., any of which will afford space 

 for 18 frames, arranged in 6 rows, 3 frames in a row, facing 

 south, with a lOin. path between the rows ; or 486 cloches, in 

 beds of 3 rows each, with an 18in. path between the beds. 



The reasons for setting forth the possibilities of a quarter- 

 acre French garden are : (1) because this represents the maxi- 

 mum area which one average man can manage on this system ; 

 (2) because a French garden of this size is quite large enough 

 for a small holding where it is worked in conjunction with 

 ordinary market gardening. It must not, however, be supposed 

 that any person is advised to undertake this kind of work single- 

 handed. Many of the operations are done more conveniently 

 by two persons working together, and when this is the only 

 form of gardening carried on it will be found more economical 

 to have the garden large enough to employ several persons, as 

 then the time of the head man is not taken up with tasks which 

 can be performed equally well by a labourer. One working 

 head man can efficiently supervise about two acres. 



The equipment consists of 40 3-light frames, 500 cloches, 

 250 mats, spade, digging fork, manure forks with straight and 

 bent prongs, shovel, fine and coarse rakes, draw and push hoes, 

 large and small dibbers, garden line and reel, trowel, measuring 

 rod, soil thermometer, plant marker, planting board, firming 

 board, sieve, gravel screen, watering cans, water barrow, props 

 for lights, plant pots, pegs for cloches, a cloche carrier, and a 

 wheel barrow, most of which are illustrated on the next page. 



In a larger garden it would be necessary to have water laid 

 on in pipes, but on this small area an energetic man could 



