223 
English —— might conceivably produce similar light, stringless, 
sweet, yet mi — but whe "a pe ean or eannot, they do 
not do so, or, at least, they are not much to be seen in the London 
market. Of course w soil of bens 1 is tuer favourable to the 
rearing of delicate root crops. Even the winter radishes that are 
brought from there have an exquisite flavour, which is never surpassed 
by our own growth. 
Walking through the great vegetable markets, it is impossible not to 
admit that the best vegetables of all grades are of foreiga importation. 
The strong, rank cabbage comes from Holland, yet so does the big 
i We 
p the rearing of the sapin che of wie m But as regards 
delicate productions, high-class English cut flowers can hold their own 
against foreign porta rtations. Why not, then, English vegetables ? 
Tomato growing has been found to pay; in fact, the En glish tomato 
reared under ik in is fur indeed from being a failure. As has been said 
before, the tomato has become a singularly popular food with all classes 
— the country. As to mushrooms, one or two very small 
ushroom farms have been started, just beyond the north-western 
London suburbs, with hardly any capital at all. Yet they are honestly 
of cheap goods by the exportation of high-class ones. If webuy cheap 
German cutlery, we sell most expensive English. ‘The same with glass, 
napery, and hosiery. It has been argued that we have to fight against 
better climates; but this the dealer tells you is not the case. The 
French may be a month ahead of us; still, we might hurry on our crops 
to better advantage than we do. The “English production is but a small 
item in the market. The English farmer pestle yet he fails to 
become a market gardener either from lack of business enter erprise, or 
from ignorance of how to make it pay. The vepe market is by no 
means creditable to the average English agriculturist. 'The green- 
grocer’s stockis 10 times as heav vy as it was 20 years ago, yet for 
almost everything that is in it the dealer he purchases from looks to the 
Continent for his supply. i 
CCCCIIL—PRODUCTION OF PURE TURNIP SEED. 
The following correspondence raises a ques tion of considerable 
practical importane e. It is published for general information 
BOARD or AGRICULTURE to Roya. adis Kew. 
Board of Agriculture, 
4, Whitehall ee co S.W. 
SIR, 19, 
IAx directed by the Board of Piara to tr ient to you 
a copy of a letter addressed to this Department, and to state that the 
