INTRODUCTION. 3 
not ‘‘ridden to death,” is an excellent thing, both to the 
otherwise busy or idle man or woman either. Now, there is 
no hobby at once so healthful, innocent, and absorbing as 
gardening, and no branch of the art more interesting or 
generally beneficial than the culture of indoor flowers or 
fruits. 
I cannot, however, advise my readers to attempt ‘‘ growing 
for profit” ; in fact, I must strongly recommend them, with 
scarcely an exception, to avoid anything of the kind, which 
in these days of severe competition, over-production and 
low prices, is too frequently a mere ignis fatuus. On a small 
scale, and in inexperienced hands, the expenses of ‘‘ growing 
for market” are almost certain to exceed the returns, and 
the ‘‘ profits” are consequently invisible. I do not mean to 
say that it is actually impossible to make anything in this 
way, even now; but the subject, or subjects, chosen must be 
popular ones, for which there is a large demand at fair to 
good, or, at any rate, remunerative prices; and if the 
adventurer, or adventuress, has some knowledge of the 
proper methods of culture, with sufficient capital to do the 
thing properly, and the undertaking is conducted in a 
methodical, persevering, and business-like manner, a reason- 
able degree of success may be experienced. But it must 
be understood that all such undertakings involve a large 
amount of hard work, and, still more, perseverance ; while, 
without the means of tiding over a possible bad season or 
two, it had better not be attempted at all. In the great 
majority of cases it is far wiser for the inexperienced 
amateur to ‘‘grow” for interest and pleasure only, and to 
cultivate -an assortment of any kind of plant for which he 
may have a fancy, or for the cultivation of which the soil, 
B 2 
