836 
Report upon the Market- Garden and 
of the land, the extent of each holding, and the nature of the 
soil. 
Class I. 
Mr, William John Gays Market-garden. 
The Judges awarded the first prize in this class to Mr. W. J. 
Gay, for his exceedingly well-managed market-garden, forty- 
four acres in extent, situated close to the town of Barking, in 
Essex. 
This is a typical market-garden, worked in the most approved 
manner, with every inch of it highly and thoroughly cultivated. 
Mr. Gay has no particular rotation of crops ; but he endeavours 
to get as much as he can off the land, and to suit the course of 
cropping to the season, as well as to what he imagines will be 
the chief requirements of the markets. Most market-gardeners 
prefer to work in this manner, and grow what they think will 
pay them best. A few, however, like Mr. Lancaster, who com- 
peted in another class, grow specialities, as celery, for example ; 
but, as a rule, the rotation depends upon circumstances in a great 
degree. Thus, in the present most backward and trying season, 
many of the crops were late before they were got off, so that 
there was not time to put in the crop that should have followed 
in due course. In some cases the crops, as winter onions, cab- 
bages, coleworts, and other greens, were destroyed by the frost, 
necessitating an entire change in the arrangements. Again, in 
many instances, scarlet-runners, French beans, carrots, parsnips, 
cucumbers, and vegetable-marrows, and these two last espe- 
cially, were so much injured by the wet and cold weather, that 
they were ploughed up. 
Mr. Gay's aim is to get two crops in the year, if possible, 
from every part of his holding. He sows onions, carrots, 
parsnips, spinach, peas, and potatoes, in the early spring, after 
the winter "greenstuff" — such as hardy greens, or coleworts, 
known as collards, savoys, purple sprouting broccoli — has come 
off the land. After cabbages, which should be all cut in, ordi- 
nary seasons quite by the end of May, Mr. Gay plants potatoes, 
scarlet-runners, French beans, blue peas, red beet, marrows, 
cucumbers, and summer lettuces. Where cabbages come off 
latest, peas are sown between the rows, or Lisbon onions for 
"bunching" in early spring, or savoys, or coleworts, or winter 
spinach. Mr. Gay grows all manner of herbs : thyme, mar- 
joram, sage, mint, parsley, and lemon thyme, and his large bed of 
beautifully shaped winter lettuces was a sight to be remembered, 
considering the ordeal of weather the plants had passed through, 
