MARKET GARDENING 63 



London Clay which is always wasting into the river, 

 and on the best fields the herbage is almost wholly 

 composed of rye-grass and white clover, with the 

 particular silky sheen in the early summer which 

 only rye-grass shows when growing vigorously after 

 close cropping on the richest of land. 



Having crossed the river at Tilbury, we quickly 

 ran into a country of lighter soil which is nearly all 

 under the plough and in a high state of cultivation. 

 Here the corn crops were both heavy and early, the 

 wheat looking brighter and healthier than any we 

 had seen ; it was all near to harvest, indeed this 

 country was almost as early as the land near Ports- 

 down and Chichester. But corn-growing was being 

 alternated with potatoes, of which great crops are 

 produced by the aid of London stable manure brought 

 down the river by barge, and green vegetables of all 

 kinds. One large field we saw entirely occupied with 

 vegetable marrows the bush variety and very hand- 

 some they looked in the afternoon sunlight with their 

 broad strong leaves, among which the lighter green of 

 the gourds showed up conspicuously. 



All this side of Essex is famous for seed-growing ; 

 the soils are on the strong side, which results in 

 grain of a good weight per bushel and in firm biennial 

 roots (turnips, cabbage, mangold, etc.), which stand 

 well through the winter, but the most favourable 

 factor of all is the light rainfall and dry atmosphere 

 which generally prevails at the close of the summer. 

 Not only are seed crops difficult to harvest except 

 in continuous fine weather, but the colour, and with 

 it the saleability, of the seed is very readily deteriorated 

 by rain, even though the crop is eventually got up 

 in sound condition. We called at one farm on which 

 nearly all the crops were grown for seed, some of 



