KITCHEN GARDENING UNDER JAMES I. iiy 



land in the time of the first Edward, and after his daies, but 

 in process of time they grew also to be neglected, so that from 

 Henry the Fourth till the latter end of Henry the Seventh 

 and beginning of Henry the Eighth, there was little or no use 

 of them in England, but they remained either unknown or 

 supposed as food more meet for hogs and savage beasts to feed 

 upon than mankind. Whereas in my time their use is not 

 onelie resumed among the poore commons, I meane of melons, 

 pompions, gourds, cucumbers, radishes, skirets, parsnips, 

 carrets, cabbages, nauewes, turnips, and all kinds of salad 

 herbes, but also feed upon as deintie dishes at the tables of 

 delicate merchants, gentlemen and the nobilitie, who make 

 their prouision yearelie for new seeds out of strange countries." 

 Hohnshed was writing to extol Elizabeth's reign, and though 

 a faithful chronicler of contemporary events, would be tempted 

 to colour them in order to enhance the glory of the period he 

 was describing. Although vegetables were now more fashion- 

 able and more used, still, from what is known of the gardens 

 of earlier times, it seems incredible that the neglect of them 

 had been so entire as Holinshed would have us believe. 

 Parkinson advises some vegetable seeds to be obtained from 

 abroad, especially melons, but says of many of those on Holin- 

 shed's list of seeds to be obtained from " strange countries, 

 Redish, Lettice, Carrots, Parsneps, Turneps, Cabbages, and 

 Leekes . . . our Enghsh seede ... is better than any that cometh 

 from beyond the seas." 



A striking proof of the progress gardening was making during 

 this period was the growing importance of those practising the 

 craft in and around London, until at length, in the third year 

 of King James I., they attained the dignified position of a 

 Company of the City of London, incorporated by Royal charter. 

 In that year all those " persons inhabiting within the Cittie 

 of London and sixe miles compas therof doe take upon them 

 to use and practice the trade, crafte, or misterie of gardening, 

 planting, grafting, setting, sowing, cutting, arboring, kocking, 

 mounting, covering, fencing and removing of plantes, herbes, 

 seedes, fruit trees, stock sett, and of contryving the conveyances 

 to the same belonging, were incorporated by the name of 

 Master Wardens, Assistants and Comynaltie of the Companie 



