444 
ing and the like are 
entirely discarded. 
At the start, the 
Parisian gardener 
only makes it his 
business to attend to 
the top soil. This 
is continually mixed 
with short stable 
manure until it has 
quite changed color 
and is as black as 
coal. When the up- 
per soil is in a suit- 
able state it is 
cleared away, and a 
layer or two of ma- 
nure in various 
stages of decompo- 
~ sition is placed on 
the ground —t his 
being finally covered 
in with the enriched 
mold. Thus, under 
the fine black mold, 
you have layers of 
other soil in different grades, which, when the surface spread- 
ing is exhausted, will take its place. Mark, too, the important 
fact that the layers serve the purpose of a universal hot- 
bed, embracing every foot of the land. After all this work 
it is no wonder that the land becomes of immense value, 
so much so that around Paris every gardener will have a 
clause in his lease providing that he shall be allowed to 
carry away eighteen inches of soil when his tenancy shall 
come to an end. Indeed, it is considered to be an excellent 
dowry for a daughter to grant her the right to the soil from 
a few rods of land. 
When the land has been changed to the requisite degree 
of richness, the time for planting has arrived. First of all, 
however, it is necessary to obtain a supply of the cloches or 
bell-glasses which form such a characteristic feature of 
the French gardens. 
As well, it is usual to 
have a number of 
frames, but it is 
noteworthy that the 
gardener will make 
all his own wood 
appliances. In order 
to protect the plants 
in the frames on 
cold nights, a qual- 
ity of rye-grass mats 
are needed, but 
these are very inex- 
pensive. In all, the 
outlay is really as- 
tonishingly little, 
when compared with 
the profits which are 
derived from the 
garden. In the lay- 
ing out of the land 
every bit of ground 
is taken into ac- 
count, even the 
paths leading be- 
tween the frames 
being cut down to 
AMERICAN HOMES 
Bell glasses are constantly used in French intensive culture 
Bell glasses are applied to the lettuce as soon as it is planted 
AND GARDENS 
November, 1909 
the smallest possible 
width. The usual 
crops for cultivation 
under the cloches 
are lettuces,  car- 
rots and the like, 
five plants being al- 
lotted to each glass. 
In the frames will 
be placed melons 
and cucumbers, and 
other plants requir- 
ing more room. As 
well, at times of the 
year when such 
crops would be prof- 
itable, radishes and 
other salads will find 
a place in the gar- 
den, no space being 
allowed to remain 
idle for any time. 
Even between the 
cloches the patches 
of ground are made 
to support the har- 
dier kinds of lettuce or other crops. Hard-headed gar- 
deners have laughed incredulously at the temperatures which 
the French growers declare that they get in their frames 
without any heat other than that arising from the beds. 
The best answer to give to these sceptical folk is, if possible, 
to get them to see the system for themselves in its work- 
ings. It will then be shown that it is perfectly simple to 
obtain a temperature of eighty degrees or even more in a 
frame by this method at almost any time of the year. 
The success of the newly established garden at Thatcham 
is the best proof of the fact that the question of climate 
and soil is a small matter where the French system is em- 
ployed. The land which has been rented for the carrying 
out of the experiment is a bare stretch of country in an 
exposed situation, whilst the quality of the ground is of a 
most ordinary na- 
ture. The enter- 
prising ladies who 
took up the farm 
contracted for the 
right to use several 
large fields covering 
in all many acres. 
By far the greater 
portion of the estate 
has either been sub- 
let, or is standing as 
pasture, simply be- 
cause 1t is mon 
wanted. On the acre 
of land which has 
been brought under 
cultivation there has 
been found a sufh- 
cient source of em- 
ployment for those 
at work on _ the 
farm. At the start 
it was decided that 
it would be wise to 
have the constant 
advice of a skilled 
man, and one of the 
