"with a System of Crop-ping indicated. 119 



plan of a kitchen-garden laid down for the succession of crops 

 for a series of years, I must say that I felt inclined to turn my 

 attention to it. After considerable reflection, however, I do not 

 conceive it to be altogether practicable to carry it into effect in 

 such a way as for it to be universally applied ; as, in gardens of 

 considerable extent, a variety of soils are frequently found, some 

 of which are more proper for some sorts of vegetables than 

 others; and, consequently, such parts of the garden would be 

 reserved for such particular crops, or, at least, partially so, 

 which would more or less interrupt the routine of cropping 

 which otherwise might be adopted ; as, for instance, a deep soil 

 would be preferred for the tap-rooted esculents, &c. It must 

 also be observed, that, in some families, more of one or more par- 

 ticular kinds of vegetables are in demand than in others, and 

 also that the families whose country residences are far distant 

 from the metropolis, and who spend the early part of the season 

 in town, require but few, if any, of the early crops to be grown. 

 Again, various opinions are held as to the propriety of cropping 

 the wall borders. While some insist upon its being absolutely 

 necessary to the welfare of the fruit trees to let them remain 

 uncropped, others assert that light cropping is not injurious, and 

 that it is making too great a sacrifice to give it up ; which, in- 

 deed, appears to be the true state of the case. Mr. Mearns's 

 method of chambering a part of the borders for the fruit trees, 

 if its merits be equal to what he makes them appear to be, 

 would, by its adoption, set aside all contradictory opinions 

 upon the subject, and give a good portion of the borders for 

 those kinds of crops for which they have been generally found 

 desirable. 



The above considerations, with others that doubtless may be 

 urged, seem to militate against the possibility of laying down a 

 system such as might strictly be adhered to. Still, I think some- 

 thing might be done towards it ; particularly in cases where the 

 garden is composed of one sort of soil, and where the families 

 are always resident, or at least at such a distance only as that 

 the produce of the garden may be always available for their 

 purposes. 



In offering you, therefore, a plan for a system of cropping, 

 the above considerations must be taken into the account ; and I 

 shall assume that the borders are to be at least partially cropped, 

 which will give room for some of the lighter sorts of vegetables, 

 and for some of those from which an early supply is expected 

 by the proprietors of gardens, upon the success of which, in 

 many instances, the interests of the gardener depend, at least so 

 far as respects his being considered a good gardener. 



In order to simplify the process of cropping, I have, n the 

 annexed plan (,;%. 16.), divided the culinary departments into 



K 4. 



