84 
Notes on Marhet-gardening and Vine-culture 
tinual cropping, and then its fertility is renewed by an admixture 
with it of the same quantity of peat as before, followed by a 
double manuring as just described. 
I have stated that one-fifth of the nominal acreage consists of 
water. Therefore the owner or occupier of the garden has the 
right to renew the fertility of his land by obtaining peat or mud 
from his side of the bed of the adjoining ditches, instead of from 
the subsoil of his land. 
When the land has been fairly brought into cultivation it is 
dug by hand every winter two spits deep, and in spring it is 
manured with from 10 to 12 tons per acre of stable-dung, which 
is forked in immediately before the first sowing. During the last 
fcAv years a sewage-manure, manufactured by the Goux process, 
has been somewhat extensively used at the rate of rather more 
than one ton per acre, with less than a ton of ordinary stable- 
manure. The Goux sewage-manure is said to contain 2J to 3 
per cent, of nitrogen, 3 to 4 per cent, of phosphoric acid, and 1^ 
to 2 per cent, of potash, and its price is 5/. per ton, which is as 
high in proportion as the cost of the stable-manure. 
Courses of cropping. — Doubtless many variations in the 
system of cropping which I shall describe may be found in 
the Amiens market-garden district, but I believe the following 
statement will give a fair general idea of the system pursued. 
It should be noted, in advance, that the gardeners generally 
grow their own seed, as they assert that seed obtained from even 
the best seedsmen generally fails ; and it is quite conceivable 
that a process of acclimatizing both seeds and people is neces- 
sary to a successful result under the circumstances. 
(1.) In February the land is sown with a mixture of short 
radishes and Tongres Carrots, and as these are gathered they are 
succeeded by a mixture of onions, leeks, and winter lettuces, 
which come off in succession. The lettuce is called " gliante," 
meaning glossy or shining, and has its leaves bordered with a 
reddish tinge. Amongst the onions a few seeds of cauliflowers 
are sown, for the purpose of bearing seed. 
It is impossible to say what the portion of land devoted to 
the above course in one year will bear the next, but it may be 
assumed that it will be one of the following, and probably all 
of them will be taken in turn. In fact, the course just described 
appears to occupy about one-third of the gardens every year, 
and thus onions are not taken on the same ground more than 
once in three years. 
(2.) This course is essentially devoted to the Marjolaine 
potato, which is planted in February. Between every second 
row of potatoes, and in place of a third, shoots of artichokes are 
planted in April, the plants remaining not more than two years. 
