ABOUT MARKET GARDENING. 311 



not only for the reason that vegetables contribute to the health 

 of every one, but also for the great amount of palatable and cheap 

 food they furnish to all our people. And knowing as we do 

 that there is a constant decrease in the quantity of meats pro- 

 duced in all of the older States in our country, we are at once 

 reminded that this loss in food for the million must be supplied 

 by the increased consumption of vegetables. And the proposi- 

 tion that vegetables are conducive to health, and also one of the 

 cheapest sources of food, appears to be so well settled as not to 

 require an argument to prove it. 



This business is a form of agriculture combined with horticul- 

 ture, and to be carried on successfully must have, in addition to 

 the original cost of the land, a considerable amount of capital 

 invested in manure, glass and structures, either in the form of 

 forcing houses or hot beds. And it requires more skill in the 

 preparation of the soil, more skill in the selection and plant- 

 ing of the seed, more skill in adaptation and application of 

 manure to the different varieties of plants, and more skill 

 and care in the preparation and marketing of the crops than is 

 usually practised in ordinary farming. 



It is also a source of constant care to any one who carries on 

 the business, and there exists a necessity of doing everything at 

 the right time, no matter what the state of the weather may be, 

 wet or dry. And there must be a constant watch kept for 

 insects injurious to plants, so that they may be promptly exter- 

 minated, and before they have increased so as to render their 

 destruction a matter of difficulty, or have done the garden 

 much damage. And as compared with common farming it in- 

 volves harder work, but is more profitable. In this business 

 about the first thing to be done is to select a proper location, 

 which should be near and conveniently accessible to a good 

 market. Near, to save cost of transportation of the crops ; 

 accessible, so that it may be reached easily at any time. A 

 variety of soils would be desirable, which should be free and 

 deep for carrots, parsnips, and, in fact, for almost all crops, 

 although cabbages and cauliflowers might perhaps be better on 

 a heavier soil. 



Having such a soil well broken up, it then becomes necessary 

 to manure heavily, not what farmers who have never been in 

 this business would call a good dressing, but at least ten or 



