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few of the growers know exactly when to gather the respective crops ; 

 they are either gathered too soon, before the flavour of each is fully de- 

 veloped, or are [allowed to remain so long as to become tough and fibry. 

 One rarely gets a dish of nice green-peas, for instance ; they are either 

 gathered before they are half their natural size, or are allowed to remain 

 on the stems till they are nearly ripe enough for seed. Beet-roots again, 

 are generally allowed to remain in the ground till they become old and 

 woody, consequently almost flavourless and not worth cooking. 



This might be remedied somewhat if purchasers of vegetables would 

 take a little trouble to explain to the growers when the various kinds 

 offered for sale are at their prime. We cannot yet expect too much ; one 

 point, and the principal one has been gained by their being induced to 

 grow European vegetables at all ; sooner or later they will see that it is to 

 their advantage to cultivate them with care, and to take them to market 

 in the best possible condition. There is another point, however, which 

 deserves the serious consideration of small growers, and that is the pro- 

 miscuous method of planting followed by the majority of them, and which 

 generally ends in failure and disappointment. Their motto is " multum in 

 parvo" which may be [carried out if gone about in a methodical manner, 

 but when indiscriminate planting is resorted to, without the least regard 

 to order, or the requirements of the several things grown, failure must be 

 the result. It is no uncommon thing to see in a small patch of ground, 

 yams, sweet potatoes, corn, cassava, sugar cane, red peas, cabbages, turnips, 

 a pumpkin or two running wild, a few coffee bushes, and the whole under 

 the dense shade of bananas and plantains, and choked with grass and 

 weeds. Cultivation under such circumstances cannot be a success. The 

 same number of plants might be grown in the same plot of ground, but the 

 plot should be sub-divided, and each division planted with one kind of 

 crop. No more labour would be required, finer crops would be the result, 

 and failures and disappointments lees frequent. The successful vegetable 

 grower must go about his work in a systematic manner, from preparing the 

 seed beds or boxes, till his produce is fit for table. The ground, too, should 

 be cropped systematically ; if a piece is planted with cabbages this season 

 try it with turnips next, peas the following and so on, but there should be 

 a regular rotation of crops, the same thing should not be grown for two 

 seasons in succession on the same piece of ground, and when the plot is 

 properly sub-divided this system is easily followed. After a few seasons 

 of such cultivation the grower finds out which vegetables thrive best in 

 his soil, and also the months of the year in which they do best, e. g. f 

 cabbages may be a failure with him in summer but may thrive well during 

 the winter or spring months, and the observant and systematic grower will 

 take care to have a vacant piece of ground for cabbages at the season when 

 he knows from past experience they are going to be a success with him. 

 Experience, every thing depends on that ; every grower must find out by 

 experience what his ground is capable of producing ; his neighbour a mile 

 or two away, and perhaps several hundred feet higher or lower, may grow 

 good potatoes, turnips, carrots or what not, but he must find out by ex- 

 periment and experience what his own land can produce, and once he has 

 gained that experience it is invaluable to him. He knows exactly what 

 to plant, and when to plant, and unless something unforeseen occurs he 

 may reasonably look forward to success. At the same time the grower 

 who is anxious to succeed may get useful hints and information from his 

 more successful neighbour, and he would do well whilst gaining experience 

 to test suoh hints and information, and he m»y profit by them. A mutual 

 interchange of opinion in this, as in other oases, often leads to good results. 



I have mentioned that many more kinds of vegetables might be grown, 



