INTRODUCTORY REMARKS 



/" H AHERE are few books written upon vegetable culture 

 * that do not emphasize those essential rules which regulate 



JL kitchen-garden procedure, i.e. : Better culture, more 

 space, quality before size, gathering at the best stage, and 

 improved cookery ; yet there appears to be quite as much 

 necessity to point to these things persistently as there has been 

 in the past, for although great improvements exist, much more 

 could be done in each of these directions. Great credit is due 

 to the many societies and individuals who have endeavoured 

 to awaken public interest in vegetable culture ; but a better 

 understanding as the result of study or acquired interest is 

 needed to make the growing of vegetables as popular and as 

 profitable as it ought to be, and can be. 



The model kitchen-garden, to my mind, is one that combines 

 the floral with the vegetable, not forgetting a certain proportion 

 of fruit to make the garden complete and self- 

 The Model containing. I do not wish this statement to be 

 Kitchen- read in the light of the crowded, jumbled mixture 

 Garden that one so often sees, neither do I claim any 

 sympathy with the silly vapourings the great war 

 has induced many to utter concerning the growing of vegetables 

 in the flower-border. Those who write about or regard the 

 combination of Cabbages and China Asters with seriousness 

 have certainly passed beyond the limits of common sense. 

 That one can with profit grow certain fruits and vegetables in 

 the floral quarters is quite true ; but the qualities of such 

 vegetables must always be on the ornamental-utility basis ; 

 and environment must also be taken into consideration. For 

 instance Beet as an edging to a wide border of perennials, 

 or an occasional specimen as an alternate item in a general 

 scheme of colour effect ; variegated Kales as a " first line " in 

 the shrubbery ; an amalgamation of both vegetables in a 

 general foliage scheme here we may have the artistic and 

 useful in perfect agreement and alignment, without destroying 

 the effect of either, or both. Again, there is a decided advantage 



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