COMMERCIAL GARDENING 5 1 



to the catalogues, but to endeavour to see the novelties 

 growing, or at exhibitions, and then found upon these 

 observations a trial for themselves. 



The official trials of the Royal Horticultural Society, 

 the exhibits at the fortnightly meetings of the Fruit, 

 Vegetable, and Floral Committees of this body, and the 

 trial grounds conducted by some of the County Councils, 

 afford abundant object-lessons of the greatest value. 

 The utmost advantage should be taken of every source of 

 information, including the numerous excellent periodicals 

 devoted to horticulture, which contain much useful 

 information respecting all novelties as they appear. 



The characteristics of new varieties which especially 

 appeal to the market grower and to the public may be 

 briefly reviewed under the following heads, viz., Earli- 

 ness, Productiveness, Constitution and Duration, Appear- 

 ance and Quality. 



Earliness. — In favourable situations, and by skilful 

 cultivation, it is possible to obtain some outdoor crops 

 much earlier than is usual, and the pecuniary advantage 

 of these first supplies is well understood. But it is not 

 always recognised how greatly the work may be assisted 

 by growing the early selections of standard crops, vege- 

 tables in particular, which are being continually raised and 

 distributed. If a week, or even a few days, can be gained 

 in the time a crop is ready for market, it often means all 

 the difference between a substantial return with a good 

 margin of profit and a result which barely pays expendi- 

 ture. In our variable climate there must be a limit 

 within which such earliness can be considered reason- 

 ably safe ; it is useless incurring the cost of producing 

 an early crop that runs a serious risk of being cut off 

 by frost. With the earliest garden produce there will 

 always be some uncertainty as to results, but it is the 

 same here as in other investments — if the profits are 

 large the danger of loss must also be reckoned in the 



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