840 Report upon the Market-garden, and 
and in a corner was a large border of odorous wallflowers, 
small bunches of whose flowers were making 4c?. each. Here 
is variety enough in all conscience ! Mr. Gay grows many 
things and grows all well and successfully, for while many of 
his neighbours either had lost plant of parsnips, carrots, scarlet- 
runners, French beans, and onions, by reason of the onslaught 
of slugs, or the rapid progress of weeds, or from stress of weather, 
all his crops were good, with one slight exception — the French 
beans. His land was remarkably clean for the year, and his 
style of gardening finished and neat ; and the Judges had not the 
slightest hesitation in awarding him the first prize in this class. 
The weak point in Mr. Gay's armour is his book-keeping. 
This is somewhat rudimentary, though it is at the same time 
sufficiently plain to convince the Judges that his balance is on 
the right side, and that he makes his market-gardening profitable. 
As a rule it appears that market-gardeners do not keep accounts. 
In the first and second class of this competition the " method of 
book-keeping" was found to be of the simplest order. One 
competitor frankly said that he kept no accounts — " My bank- 
book is my account-book." Another took his cheque-book from 
his pocket, with a triumphant wave in the air, remarking that 
he required no other " method of book-keeping," thereby leading 
the Judges to infer that his banking account was in the most 
flourishing condition. It reminded them of the indignant pro- 
test — Rex sum, et super grammaticam, or, in the vernacular, " I 
am a market-gardener ; I make such profits that I can dispense 
with figures." Sundry small account-books were produced by 
one competitor, merely containing lump sums representing 
receipts on the one side and payments on the other — records of 
weekly sales and weekly payments. Failing complete accounts, 
the Judges accepted secondary evidence with regard to profit and 
loss, in the shape of the general prosperous appearances of the 
market-gardens and the contented minds of the market-gardeners 
themselves, which were pleasant to contemplate, while every one 
else connected with land was groaning and grumbling. They 
saw enough to show them that labour is the most serious, item 
of expenditure, particularly in wet seasons like the present, 
when it was most disheartening to see weeds hoed up one day 
at great cost and set again the next. There is a good supply of 
general labourers in most of the market-garden districts of Essex, 
but skilled labour is somewhat scarce. Wages run from 'ds. to 
3.S. iSd. per day for men, and from Is. od. to Is. 9r/. for women. 
The greater part of the work is done by the piece. Contracts are 
made with the labourers to keep onions clean through the 
season at from 4/. 10s. to bl. per acre, for which they are ex- 
