Market Gardening in the Vale of Evesham. 
99 
“ La Petite Culture ” under frames and bell-glasses, or 
“ French Gardening,” is the same system whereby the old 
English gardener produced all his early vegetables and salads 
under frames set on heaps of fermenting material. The 
writer had his first practical experience of the system in 1865, 
and practised it continuously till 1871. Since then “glass” has 
got cheaper, hot-water apparatus have been developed, and so 
the more or less uncertain hot beds have been replaced by hot- 
water heated frames, pits, or low roofed glass-houses. 
It may be remarked that a “ French Garden ” is not a piece 
of ground entirely covered by frames and bell-glasses, but that 
the amount of land so covered is equal to about one-fourth of 
the total area ; the glass being moved from quarter to quarter 
or plot to plot, as the various successive crops require 
protecting. 
So far as I know, there is but one bona-fide “ French 
Garden ” at Evesham, but I believe the nucleus of a second 
one has been formed. Considering that a large number of 
Evesham gardeners were taken to Paris several years ago with 
the special object of stimulating them to copy the French 
gardeners, and incidentally to show to them (the Evesham 
men) their backwardness and shortcomings, it is significant 
that the Frenchmen have had practically no imitators in the 
Vale of Evesham. 
Mr. J. N. Harvey, the owner of the French Garden in 
Evesham, has most kindly supplied the following particulars 
and estimates for the cost of, and returns from a “ French 
Garden ” of two acres, containing about half an acre of glass. 
This area of land is the item taken by the author of “ The 
French Garden,” on page 8 of his book. 
The quantities and prices mentioned are averages ; neither 
the best or the worst possible crops or prices being specified. 
Estimated average capital expenditure on and returns from 
a French Garden covering two acres of land with half an acre 
of glass, conducted by an intelligent man with an average 
knowledge of horticulture. 
Capital Account. 
1 10 frames @ 15s. 
330 lights. 
3,000 cloches ® 60Z. per 1,000 
Water-pipes, fittings, Ac. 
Mats .... 
Tools .... 
Sheds .... 
Crates, boxes, Ac. 
£ s. d. 
82 10 0 
123 15 0 
180 0 0 
30 0 0 
25 0 0 
5 0 0 
50 0 0 
20 0 0 
£516 5 0 
H 2 
