560 Bicton Gardens, their Culture and Management. 



back into their fields again ; as if they were afraid of losing 

 the sort of docks and thistles they so carefully cultivate. Do 

 you not think there ought to be some heavy fine for this method 

 of doing business? [See p. 193., and Gard. Gaz. 1841, p. 532.] 

 I fancy, if it were not for the beautiful soil and favourable 

 climate we are blessed with here, it would be short commons 

 with many farmers about this neighbourhood. 



I think you made a memorandum of my Method of preparing 

 the Ground for Cabbages, by casting up sloping banks at every 

 12 ft. to shelter the plants, and also to afford suitable slopes on 

 which to prick out late endive, lettuce plants, cauliflower, cab- 

 bage plants, &c. 



I think you understood my Plan of sowing Cauliflower seed 

 for spring growing, not sooner than from the 18th to the 25th 

 of September, when I sow both early and late inside of a frame. 

 As soon as they make one rough leaf I prick them out into thumb 

 pots, and shift them afterwards into larger. I keep them grow- 

 ing on freely all winter, at the bottom of a peach- house, vinery, or 

 cold airy situation of any kind, until February. Haying had the 

 hand-glasses put away all winter, and in spring got the ground 

 well prepared and in good order to receive them, they are turned 

 out, four under each glass, when they enjoy themselves, and 

 are ready in April when vegetables are scarce. 



The reason why I mention early and late cauliflower is, that I 

 observed last year a question asked and answered in the Gar- 

 dener's Chronicle respecting early and late cauliflower; and it was 

 answered in this way, viz. that there was no difference between 

 the early and late cauliflower except sowing the seed, which made 

 me fancy they knew nothing about it. I know, and have known 

 for years, that there are two distinct sorts both in foliage and 

 flower; and that there is a month or five weeks in their coming 

 into flower, though sown and planted on the same day, and 

 having the same treatment all through : and I can give you an 

 instance of my being very much disappointed. In the spring of 

 1832, when, by some mistake, I had got my late cauliflower 

 planted under my hand-glasses, and my early planted out in 

 the quarters, those I had planted in the quarters came in 

 twenty-six days sooner than my hand-glass plants. This mis- 

 take happened notwithstanding what you saw yourself, viz. that 

 I put a tally to every thing I plant and sow in my kitchen- 

 garden, with the name and day of the month. I do this more 

 for the sake of giving information to my men than for myself. 

 By having tallies placed on the above plan, when the crop turns 

 out any thing extra fine, the men feel more interested to look at 

 the tally to know when it was sown or planted, what preparation 

 made, what manure applied, &c. 



Now, Sir, gardening will always be done in a slovenly un- 



