7he PREFACE. 



glallcs, and that with little trouble, fown 

 in January and February ; and the fruit (if 

 It mav be To called) which ufed to be fit 

 to gather heretofore not till the middle of 

 June^ is now fit for the table bv the begin- 

 ning or middle of April and wdiich is 

 more, bv the great skill and improvement 

 of our indufcrious Gardiners it continues a 

 conitant and moft ufefiil difli for every 

 week in the vear between that and the 

 beginning of OBober. 



Even peafe and beans, that were hereto- 

 fore the produce but of two or three 

 months, fiirnifli the table with an agree- 

 able difli for feven or eight ; ^viz, from A- 

 pril to almoft Chrifimas ; fo expert are our 

 Gardiners now in the retardation of the 

 produce of the Garden, as well as in the 

 brin^-in^ of it m early. 



It would be endlefs for me to enume- 

 rate the improvements that have been made 

 in lettuce, and all other falletings ; but the 

 raifing the afparagus and artichoke, efpe- 

 ciallv the firfr, has been the moft advanced 

 of any one vegetable the garden produces", 

 and even at Chrifimas, that which is near 

 as green and as good as that which comes 

 by nature ; Gardiners not keeping them fo 

 dole now as (by miftake) they formerly did. 



I might 



