Systems of cropping Kitchen-Gardens. 477 



article now submitted to the reader, and for which his indulgence 

 is entreated, is limited to what is properly called cropping, or 

 the succession of crops. Crops, in kitchen-gardens, are put in 

 the ground according to three distinct plans, or systems, which 

 ma}^ be termed successional cropping, simultaneous cropping, 

 and permanent cropping. 



Successional Cropping is that in which the ground is wholly 

 occupied with one crop at one time, to be succeeded by 

 another crop, also wholly of one kind : for example, onions to 

 be followed by winter turnips, or potatoes to be followed by 

 borecole. 



Simultaneous Cropping is that in which several crops are all 

 coming forward in the ground at the same time : for example, 

 onions, lettuce, and radishes, sown broadcast; or peas, potatoes, 

 broccoli, and spinach, sown in rows. 



Permanent Cropping is where a crop remains on the ground 

 several years ; such as sea-kale, rhubarb, asparagus, straw- 

 berries, &c. 



To these modes might be slA^qA, mixed ligneous and herbaceous 

 cropping; such as growing herbaceous crops among gooseberries, 

 currants, raspberries, and other fruit shrubs, and among fruit 

 trees. The practice of growing culinary crops among fruit 

 shrubs is, however, nearly exploded in the best gardens; on 

 account of the injury done to the shrubs, when they are young 

 and small, by the roots and shade of the culinary crops ; and of 

 the injury done to the culinary crops, when the shrubs are grown 

 up, by the shade and confinement which they produce. For 

 the same reasons, cropping between trees is by no means de- 

 sirable in small gardens, where the trees must necessarily be at 

 no great distance from each other; but, in the case of very large 

 gardens, such as those of commercial gardeners, where trees are 

 planted in close rows at 20, 30, or 40 yards apart, so as to 

 shelter the ground, the cropping may be carried on in the spaces 

 between the rows of trees, on the principles which regulate suc- 

 cessional, simultaneous, or permanent cropping, in ground where 

 there are neither trees nor shrubs. 



The object to be attained by a system of cropping is that of 

 procuring the greatest quantity, and the best quality, of the de- 

 sired kind of produce, at the least possible expense of labour, 

 time, and manure; and, in order that this object may be effectu- 

 ally obtained, there are certain principles which ought to be 

 adopted as guides. The chief of these is to be derived from a 

 knowledge of what specific benefit or injury every culinary plant 

 does to the soil, with reference to any other culinary plant. It 

 ought to be known whether particular plants injure the soil by 

 exhausting it of particular principles ; or whether, as has been 

 lately conjectured by De Candolle, and as some think proved, 

 Vol. XII. — No. 78. n n 



