THE CULINARY GARDEN. 



81 



and laid up so as to be conveniently at hand when wanted, 

 fn the gardens of cottagers, &c., the ground should be turned 

 up, and the fences repaired ; any manure that can be collected 

 by the road-side, or other places, should be now carefully 

 attended to, and if the cottager be unemployed, his time can- 

 not be better spent, than in wheeling into his garden any old 

 oanks by the sides of roads, or other waste places, where per- 

 mission can be obtained. It will much improve his soil if it 

 be laid on the ground, and left to pulverize till the following 

 month or March, when it should be dug into the ground along 

 with any other manure, which he may be able to procure from 

 his pigs, or the ashes of his fire. 



Where the nature of the ground requires draining, this is 

 the season to have it done ; if that very necessary process has 

 been neglected in the formation of the garden, no time should 

 be lost ; and in making the drains, it may be observed, that the 

 nearer they are to the surface, the better, in order that they may 

 be filled with stones or other materials. A regular plan of all 

 drains should be kept in the gardener's room, and all altera- 

 tions or additions carefully and accurately inserted. This will 

 prevent confusion at any time, that it may be deemed necessary 

 to examine or repair them. In bad weather, the garden-im- 

 plements should be examined, and such as require it, put in 

 proper repair, and where any are wanting, let them be sought 

 after, and replaced. However trifling this may appear, it will 

 save much time and expense, at the time when they are wanted 

 for use. 



We would here recommend, as a rule adopted by ourselves 

 during the whole course of our practice, to give an inventory of 

 all seeds, tools, &c., connected with the culinary garden, into the 

 hands of the kitchen-garden foreman, or under-gardener, and 

 that he give to each of his men the proper tools for the par- 

 ticular employment allotted to him, and to make every man 

 responsible for them. Each gardener should have a full set of 

 tools ; he should consider them his property, while he is in the 

 employment, and when one is broken or worn out, by reporting 

 it to his foreman, he must be supplied with another. 



A tool-house is an appendage attached to almost every gar- 

 den, fi-om the nobleman's to the tradesman's villa : but it is, 



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