vi INTRODUCTION 



having the land at disposal may produce his own 

 vegetables, and by storing through the winter 

 and by forcing, in addition to growing the 

 summer crops in the open garden, may have good 

 home-grown produce on the table the whole 

 year round. They who delight in growing 

 vegetables for exhibition will find the special 

 methods of cultivation fully described, while those 

 interested in the rarer vegetables (many of which, 

 although most palatable and even delicious, are 

 sadly neglected), in herbs and salads, may consult 

 the following pages with advantage. It is not 

 always wise to recommend new varieties of 

 vegetables, even though they are put on the 

 market with a flourish of trumpets, so that in the 

 various chapters and tables only those are men- 

 tioned which, after trial, have been found to be 

 superior to certain existing sorts, in some way 

 or another. Older varieties still worth growing 

 have not, of course, been omitted. 



While the value of fresh, home-grown vege- 

 tables cannot be too strongly impressed upon the 

 public mind, it must not be forgotten that they 

 are easily spoilt by bad cooking. It is notorious 



