CHAPTER IX 



THE VEGETABLE GARDEN 



Undoubtedly one of the greatest attractions of the 

 country cottage, with its well-tended garden, is the 

 luxury it affords in the way of freshly gathered fruits 

 and vegetables. Town dwellers, who for long have 

 depended upon the often stale produce of the green- 

 grocer's shop, are particularly appreciative of the crisp 

 salads, the early potatoes, and dessert fruits which seem 

 never to taste so well as when home grown. No 

 vegetable can be had in perfection when it has been 

 crushed for hours in crate or basket, tumbled in and 

 out of trains and waggons, and exposed, perhaps for 

 days, to the dust and heat of the market stall or re- 

 tailer's window. The very most should, therefore, 

 be made of the kitchen garden, and far from leaving 

 it entirely in the hands of the gardener or odd man, 

 its arrangement and care should be closely supervised 

 by the owner, even if he does not actually work in it 

 himself. 



Regarded as a nation, English people do not excel as 

 growers of fruit and vegetables. We have not yet 

 learnt the art of intensive culture, of which the French 

 are perhaps the greatest exponents. A French gardener, 

 who works the land himself and is obliged to practise 

 strict economy, manages to secure as much produce 

 from half an acre, as an Englishman similarly situated 

 usually obtains from twice or three times that area. 

 Although skill is largely responsible, it is more a ques- 



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