152 SEASONS FOR VARIOUS CROPS. 



of perennial ryegrass and a small sprinkling of 

 barley. The grass, besides proving a great con- 

 venience, is a valuable crop, and raised at no ex- 

 pence of labour; and the ground which it occupies 

 will afterwards be far more sensible to the stimulus 

 of manure, showing, in the garden as in the field, 

 the benefit of rest from bearing in too long suc- 

 cession the same sort of produce. 



Having offered these preliminary observations, 

 with a view to the general success of the vegetable 

 department, it remains now to consider the best 

 mode of securing the needful attention, in due 

 season to its individual productions. 



Season is the chief thing to be observed, as no 

 art of man can make up for the loss of time, and 

 the difficulty of redeeming it may be seen in a late 

 sown and worthless crop. But it is not easy to 

 the inexperienced gardener to recollect what should 

 be done in the several months as they proceed. 

 To meet this difficulty, some have arranged their 

 directions for the garden by making the months of 

 the year the heads of their chapters, and setting 

 down in each the work appropriate to the time. 

 But this, which seems a simple and perfect method, 

 happens in reality to be the most confused and in- 

 convenient that has yet been devised. The pre- 

 paration of the ground for any crop is to be found 

 in one month, the sowing in another, and the future 

 operations necessary to its culture must be sought 

 at a venture, under some of the twelve heads, and 

 most probably will not be sought at all. How 



