AUSTERE PURITAN GARDENS 99 



which it was proposed to build. Here it was jointly 

 agreed that each of the inhabitants should have a two- 

 acre lot. This more liberal allowance no doubt took 

 into consideration the dignity which it was desirable 

 a town of such proportions should have, as well as the 

 likelihood of the residents having only their town plot, 

 with no fields beyond the settlement. 



The "gardens" of all this period were what gar- 

 dens commonly are to-day — kitchen gardens. Now 

 and then a reference is thus specifically made, as in 

 Wood's "New England Prospect": "The ground 

 affords very good kitchen-gardens for turnips, pars- 

 nips, carrots, radishes and pumpions, mush-melons, 

 isquoukersquashes, cucumbers, onions; and whatever 

 grows well in England grows as well there, many 

 things being better and larger." A writer of 1671 

 says that "the quinces, cherries, damsons set the dames 

 awork. Marmalad and preserved damsons is to be 

 met with in every house. Our fruit trees prosper 

 abundantly, apple trees, pear trees, quince trees, cherry 

 trees, plum trees, barberry trees, I have observed with 

 admiration that the kernels sown or the succors 

 planted produce as fair and good fruit without graft- 

 ing as the tree from whence they were taken. The 

 country is replenished with fair and good orchards." 



Josseljm enumerates principally the kitchen garden 

 products, interspersing them with grains and a few 



