PREFACE. ix 



upon tliese subjects; but has aimed to say what lie 

 means, in a condensed, business-like way, so that he 

 may be understood by the mass of readers. 



It does not by any means follow, that every one who 

 reads this book will at once raise the largest and most 

 luscious strawheriies and other choice fruits here named, 

 in the greatest abundance. Few persons are thorough 

 enough to do any thing well at first. 



Place a new recipe for making premium bread in 

 the hands of six cooks, and it would be quite remark- 

 able if half of them were so particular as to make good 

 bread on the first trial. Some little thing which seems 

 to the unskilled to be unimportant, may in fact be 

 essential. 



It is pleasant to know that so many intellip^ent cul- 

 tivators are now turning their attention to the produc- 

 tion of these fine fruits, and we may reasonal Jy expect 

 much additional light will be thrown upon some 

 points, which shall be included in subsequent editions 

 of this work. 



The writer is happy to acknowledge his obligations 

 to a large number of cultivators of these fruits during 

 the last few years, for valuable suggestions w^hich he 

 has become so familiar with in practice, that doubtless 

 even their precise language has been sometimes uncon- 

 sciously woven into the text of this work. If it were 

 possible, he would be more specific in his acknowledg 



