The PREFACE. 



thing that is worfc. Bat of this no more, 

 it being not worth while to bellow much 

 pen, ink and paper about fach worth- 

 lefs mercenaries. 



But to proceed from this general intro- 

 duction and furvey of Kitchen Gardening, 

 and the improvements made in it in this 

 age, and I may add, in this Treatife ; give 

 me leave to be a little more particular in 

 the enumeration of them. 



Who then, till within thefe few years, 

 could have imagin'd that the cucumber, 

 which feldom was feen heretofore (even 

 fince my remembrance, who have not been 

 above twenty four or twenty five years a 

 praditioner in Gardening) till the middle, 

 or perhaps the latter end of May^ feldom 

 the beginning, that are now produced in 

 and about London^ andfeveral places in the 

 country, in the beginning of March ; and 

 the induftrious among the Gardiners are 

 fcill Arriving to outvie one another, and will 

 in all probability produce them in February ^ 

 or fooner ; and that as good or better than 

 they have in any of the fucceeding months, 

 when they have lefs time to tend them. 



The melon has likewife met with very 

 great improvements, both as to their good- 

 nefi and earlinefs j the firft indeed is ow- 

 a 4 ing 



