Viii INTRODUCTION. 



lence ; cleanliness having become a matter of profit in 

 this immense metropolis, whence the soil is carefully 

 and expeditiously removed to fertilize the grounds occu- 

 pied by gardeners in the environs, which are now calcu- 

 lated to exceed an extent of six thousand acres within 

 twelve miles of London. These are constantly cultivated 

 for the supply of the metropolitan markets with fruit and 

 vegetables. 



Stevenson informs us, that three thousand five hundred 

 acres of ground in Surrey alone are employed as market 

 gardens ; and Middleton observes, that from Kensington 

 to Twickenham, the land on both sides of the road for 

 seven miles compose the great fruit-gardens north of the 

 Thames, for the supply of the London markets. It is 

 gratifying to see the number of hands this ground em- 

 ploys. Even during the six winter months, it is computed 

 that each acre affords work to five persons, and at least 

 double that number for the summer months; these are 

 principally females ; and if we add porters, hawkers, &c. 

 the amount will be trebled, and the total number will be 

 found to exceed ninety thousand persons, who are in the 

 summer months daily employed by the gardeners within 

 a circle of ten or twelve miles around London. 



The author has been anxious to discover the names of 

 the first introducers and cultivators of each particular 

 fruit, but in this endeavour he met with considerable 

 difficulty ; for rnodern historians are silent on the subject, 

 though they often dwell long on others not really so inte- 

 resting ; and the few works in our language on this head, 

 are either too expensive, or too strictly botanical for gene- 

 ral readers. Encouraged, however, by the observation 

 of Sir Joseph Banks, that " every anecdote that tends to 

 throw light on the introduction, or on the probable origin 

 of plants now collected for use, is interesting, even though 

 it is not quite perfect," he continued his researches till he 



