8 



JOURNAL OF THE EOYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



not misunderstand me. This is no golden road to riches. In growing 

 these vegetables, hard work year by year is the only means of gaining 

 success. It is true we may "French garden" here, but it is also true 

 that it entails very hard work. 



"Golden soil" is very alluring, and the gross profits of a concern 

 run on the lines indicated merits the name, but only the indefatigable 

 toil of a French maraicher devoted to it will make it a success. 



It may interest you to know how many of these lettuces, &c, are sent 

 every day from February to April to London. The usual consignment 

 every day is four to five thousand crates of lettuces, 500 crates of small 

 early carrots, 100 crates of asparagus, 100 crates of long French turnips, 

 and 50 crates of celeriac. 



Do not these figures give you some idea of the importance of this 

 method of gardening ? 



People say that this gardening will soon be overdone. I do not think 

 this will be the case. At the present time the prices of lettuces and 

 carrots in the very early spring are prohibitive to all but those who 

 are fairly well off ; but if by production one can cheapen them so that 

 they come within the reach of everybody, the present quantity of 5,000 

 crates of lettuces a day will speedily jump to 20,000. 



These particular lettuces are sold by the French gardener to a middle- 

 man at Qd. a dozen all through the season, the growers themselves do 

 not ship anything to England. If the French gardener gets 6d. a dozen 

 he is quite happy, and it pays him well, and I have seen no French 

 gardens which do not look as prosperous as they can possibly can be. 



As you all know, here there will be no difficulty in getting Is. 

 to Is. 6d. a dozen, even if they are what you consider to be low in 

 price. 



Many will remember the time when tomatos were grown only to a 

 very small extent, when they fetched a high price. When the Canary 

 Islands and other early places began to send in their tomatos, it was 

 thought that it would kill the English trade altogether, but has it? 

 I should say that at the present day there are two to three cwt. of 

 tomatos grown where one pound used to be grown years ago. They are 

 one of the most paying crops, no matter whether grown inside or out of 

 doors. 



When Guernsey began growing tomatos, did they suppose for 

 one moment that thousands of baskets would be sent away every week ? 

 Why should not this success be reflected in a partial way for these 

 lettuces and other produce ? 



I advocate growing strawberries under glass, not in green houses in 

 the ordinary way, but in frames such as are used for this particular style 

 of gardening. 



As you know, strawberries when they first come in from the open 

 ground are sold for anything from 9d. to Is. 6d. per lb., and if they had 

 been brought on earlier by being covered with lights they would have 

 sold for double that price, and at this price they are a very paying crop 

 indeed. 



