July, 1908 



AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 



285 



Summer Gardening in France 



By Jacques Boyer 



N FRANCE, and above all in the vicinity 

 of Paris, there are many orchards and veg- 

 etable and flower gardens. As land is dear 

 no ground is wasted, and very often flowers, 

 fruits, and vegetables are grown on the 

 same property. 



This article deals entirely with the work 

 done in a little French garden during the summer season. 

 Toward the first of May the kitchen garden is hoed and 

 weeded. Cabbages, some varieties of artichokes, and Roman 

 lettuce are planted about the end of May. Peas are twined 

 on poles, and their tops, if in flower, are pinched. The 

 variety of peas known as the "clamart," although they come 

 a little late, is very popular with gardeners, as they do not 

 need rich soil. Peas are sown either in rows about seven 

 inches apart or in bunches every seven inches. Once earthed 

 up each bunch is supported by props. Peas grown in this 

 way are shorter than those in rows, but have more sunshine 

 and are easier to pick. The buds are nipped to hasten their 

 ripening. This process consists in cutting off from the stalk 

 the top of the plant, with its flowers, and the tendrils of the 

 underlying foliage. A portion of the crop of peas is thus 

 sacrificed, but the rest can be picked ten days sooner than 

 otherwise would be possible. Peas are never sown two suc- 

 cessive years in the same ground. They should be planted 

 at intervals of thirty days, so as to have a continuous growth. 

 The French bean ought to be planted in May or June. 

 The favorite varieties are the very productive "flageolets," 

 the kidney beans, which are picked very young if eaten as 



fresh vegetables, and the large bean called "blancs de 

 Soissons," a white bean of Soissons, which is dried and kept 

 to be eaten in the winter. Beans grow well in soft, freshly 

 plowed earth. Manure is too rich for them, but some cin- 

 ders mixed in the soil will help their growth. It is easy to 

 start early beans called "Naines of Holland" in hotbeds or 

 under glass, but, of course, this is winter work. 



Like other vegetables, the Milan and Brussels cabbages 

 are sown in May. Spinach, which grows in the shade, is 

 planted in June. Turnips, chicory, endives, lettuce, carrots, 

 and black horseradishs are sown in the autumn. In July 

 the celery is bunched up in order to have a sufficient supply 

 on hand to meet the demands of the table. Scallion, leek, 

 and onion are planted then, which are picked in October. 

 This is also the time to nip the lettuce heads in order to 

 whiten them. In August the tops of the artichokes, whose 

 product has been picked, are cut. The most successful varie- 

 ties of artichokes are the "Gros Vert de Laon," which are 

 very large, and the "Gros Camus de Bretagne," which are 

 cultivated in the east of France. The first is large and pale 

 green, and the "red" artichoke, which, like the purple arti- 

 choke, is small, and is eaten generally as a salad. 



Artichokes require a great deal of water and increase en- 

 tirely by shoots, which sprout every year from the neck of 

 the plant. After the shoots are cut they are immediately 

 watered, and then for a time sprinkled every two days. The 

 earth is plowed to loosen it. After fructification it is nec- 

 essary to cut the stem of the artichoke very near the root, so 

 that the plant will not be exhausted. At the first sign of 



' r 



Picking the Roses 



Heading the Lettuce 



