GOOD FOOD FROM THE GARDEN. 85 



petted individually and gathered as required, each at its own 

 perfection. 



The best land is none too good for a garden. It should be near 

 the house, where each member of the family can spend the odd 

 minutes giving cultivation to the plants, and in turn receiving 

 fresh air. More outdoor work for women would add immensely 

 to the comfort of the family. The garden should be planted to 

 fit the family as carefully as a library should be selected. Many 

 a professional man, living in city suburbs, would save doctors' 

 bills as well as grocers^ bills by cultivation of a garden. 



Can we wonder that it is impossible to work the city poor out 

 into the country when all education is away from Mother Earth ? 

 Had Mayor Pingree started the potato gardens a generation ago 

 matters might stand differently today. Some foreign countries 

 have found it wise to teach horticulture in their public schools. 

 It is not strange that country boys and girls come to the city, 

 since they are not shown the interesting phases of country life. 

 Why do not the horticultural societies oft'er generous premiums 

 for the best lot of vegetables raised by boys and girls ? 



What has the future for us in the supplv of garden products ? 

 More progress than has been made in the past. By irrigation, elec- 

 tricity, and new devices, methods of agriculture will reach greater 

 perfection. New districts in New England even may become as 

 famous for some specialties as Kalamazoo for its celery, Boston 

 for lettuce, and Essex County for onions. 



New England is becoming a resort for summer travellers, and 

 change of food is as necessary as change of air. Let the board- 

 ing houses refrain from imitating the city hotels, and make a 

 specialty of fresh fruits and vegetables raised in the immediate 

 vicinity, and the better class of company will appreciate their 

 efforts. 



Professor Goodale said awhile ago that as yet hardly one per 

 cent of the plants known to exist are used as food. When we 

 think of the unpromising condition of the natural potato and 

 celery, here is an attractive field for experiment. Moreover, we 

 have not quite succeeded in supplying all the needs of our own 

 people when we import Scotch potatoes, Danish cabbages, and 

 Hungarian beans. 



The medicinal qualities of vegetables are known but little — they 

 vary according to the soil and method of cooking and serving. A 



