A STROLL THROUGH THE GARDEN. 
11 
causes them to push out other shoots which 
would otherwise have been dormant, and so 
the multiplicity of branches necessary to form 
a stocky bushy plant are produced in an in- 
credibly short space of time from the little 
single sprig which formed the cutting. The 
principle of this matter, is to pick out the 
heart — no more — just as soon as the shoot 
has reached the assigned limits, the actual 
length allowed being of course regulated by 
circumstances, but while the plants in pro- 
cess of formation, the shouts should seldom be 
left longer than two inches. Plants so treated 
need no support in the form of stakes or 
trellises, but form a compact even head, al- 
most in contact with the soil. 
A STROLL THROUGH THE GARDEN, 
Bf A TUTOR AND HIS PUPIL, IN THE MONTH OF JANUARY. 
Now, my young friend, as you are anxious 
to know something about horticulture, and the 
weather is very fine, we will take a walk and 
see what is going on in the kitchen garden ; for 
that is the most useful part of the establish- 
ment, because it provides us with all the 
vegetables you see at table from time to time. 
Now bring out your little book, to take notes 
of those facts which it is desirable to impress 
on the mind. 
When you inquired, the other day, the mean- 
ing of gardening, I told you it was the art of 
cultivating in one place, and in great perfec- 
tion, a variety of those vegetable productions 
which nature brings forth at very distant places 
and of an inferior quality. 1 explained to 
you then that the wild cabbage, the wild 
plum, and nearly all other subjects that grow- 
naturally and unassisted by art, were scarcely 
eatable, while some, by the difference of treat- 
ment alone, and others, by improvement of the 
breed, become the excellent fruits and vege- 
tables that you see every day on the dinner 
table and in the dessert. 
As an instance of the difference of treat- 
ment improving a production, you remember 
the wild celery I got for you in the lane the 
other day. It was strong, and bitter, and 
green all the way down to the root, but it was 
like the green part of the celery you see every 
day. I will not say that this breed has not 
been improved for size and solidity ; but, if a 
plant of the wild celery were taken up young, 
brought into the garden and grown as you 
will presently see our celery is grown for 
table, it would have a considerable quantity 
of white and comparatively mild eatable stem 
to it. This is caused by drawing earth to the 
stems as fast as they grow up, and thus keep- 
ing them from the influence of the light and 
free air, which would turn all our best celery 
green. Another instance of this may be ob- 
served in the common weed called dandelion, 
which grows rank and green by the road-sides, 
yet is picked and used for salads in its wild 
state ; but, if treated in the same way as 
endive or lettuce, and tied up to blanch, it 
would scarcely be known for the same plant, 
so much does the flavour and texture improve. 
I might tell you of many things that are im- 
proved by the means used in producing them ; 
but the greater part of our garden vegetables 
and fruits are improved by sowing seeds and 
marking the best, to save seed from every 
year ; and as each season some one may be 
found better than the rest, to save the seed 
from for the next year, there have been great 
improvements made from time to time, until 
we have produced many things so different 
from the original or wild subject, as would 
scarcely be known. Yet there is a great 
disposition to degenerate ; and if we sow 
the pips of apples, or the stones of peaches or 
cherries, nine out of ten, or perhaps ninety- 
nine out of a hundred, would produce only wild 
and useless fruits. The apple-pips would bring 
crabs, and the peach-stones a sort of wild 
almond, while the cherry-stones, for the most 
part, would produce the wild cherry-tree. 
But there may be, and generally are, some 
exceptions ; and it is from these that new 
varieties are and have been produced. 
But we have arrived at the garden. I shall 
take you to the man who is digging yonder, 
because I want to explain to you the nature 
of all the principal operations, and that is al- 
most the first that is performed on a piece of 
new ground. Observe, he has just dug a 
trench or gutter, you see, a foot wide all along 
one end of the piece he is going to turn up, 
and is wheeling away the last of the soil he 
has dug out, to the piece of ground just beyond 
the space he is about to dig. He does this for 
a purpose which I shall explain presently. 
When he returns, he will leave his barrow 
there, as he has done with it for the present. 
Now you observe he puts his spade in the 
ground about six or eight inches backward 
from the trench or gutter he has made, and 
thrusts it into the ground with his foot ; then 
he bends the handle backward, which loosens 
the earth that is on his spade. Observe, he 
then puts his left hand as close down as he 
can to the blade, lifts up the lump of soil, 
and, by a jerk of the spade, throws the earth 
bottom side upwards into the gutter he first 
made. Now observe, he takes another spade- 
ful further on and does the same, and so 
