13S 
PRODUCTIVE FAMILY GARDENING. 
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potatoes, may be followed by peas. Very little 
attention (if that be properly devoted) will be 
necessary to prevent ground being wasted, or 
crops being out of place. When a garden is 
wanted for a family, and economy rather than 
variety is to be consulted, we are quite sure 
that asparagus, sea-kale, and similar expensive 
things, ought not to be undertaken. The first 
object is plenty, the second object is the choice 
of those subjects which last on the ground, or 
preserve well when taken off! Potatoes are a 
first consideration, onions, carrots, parsnips, 
and beet-root, are next, and Jerusalem arti- 
chokes are not to be forgotten, because all 
these are capable of being stored for months 
after they are taken up ; then, of those which 
last a long time on the ground, and afford a con- 
stant supply, scarlet beans, cabbages, onions, 
winter spinach, and savoys, are the most 
worthy of a cottager's attention ; and brocoli 
(except the sprouting, which is a hardy useful 
vegetable), cauliflowers, peas, and other sub- 
jects, which yield less produce on the same 
ground, by reason of the greater quantity of 
room they take, or the longer period of remain- 
ing on the ground, must be considered as 
luxuries. Every body with a garden must 
consider the circumstances under which he has 
to cultivate it. If he has more ground than 
his family require for their supply, care must 
be taken to have the surplus of a useful and 
marketable nature, such as are always saleable, 
and if not bought on the ground, capable of 
being preserved for some time. All the 
articles mentioned in the first instance are of 
this nature. Potatoes, carrots, parsnips, beet- 
root, onions, and such like subjects, when 
ripened, will keep, and are always in request, 
whereas to over-grow any perishable crop is 
unwise, because they will bring nothing, as 
when one person is overdone, most people are 
in the same predicament. There are some 
seasons in which it is better to sow for main 
crops, but in a general way it is better 
to have different sowings, and not too large, 
because all will frequently come in to- 
gether, and so in a few days all be gone by. 
How frequently do we see a whole planting 
of cauliflowers come in and go by in a single 
week ; they are unlike cabbages in this 
respect, for a cabbage is eatable from the time 
it has four good leaves until it is hard and 
solid ; hence cabbage is the most useful of 
the green crops, and should be sown at all 
seasons, that there may be always some ready 
to plant out. Savoys are perhaps the most 
hardy of the good winter greens. Scotch kale 
may be an exception, for hardly any degree 
of frost will kill it. Brussels sprouts are an 
excell nt green ; but when the object is 
economy of ground, it is better to limit the 
crops to those which are most servicable as 
food, or most saleable as a surplus. As a 
general rule, where ground is an object, double 
culture is desirable, that is, the planting of 
one crop between the rows of another crop; 
sowing rows of spinach or peas, or planting 
rows of French beans, or lettuces or leeks, 
beet-root or parsnips, between rows of other 
subjects. The only good object to be attained 
by this is the saving, perhaps, of a month or 
something more occasionally by digging be- 
tween the rows of a crop that may be not 
cleared off for a month or six weeks, and 
planting young stuff that will not be in its 
way till that time arrives, although it will be 
getting on pretty nearly as fast as if there was 
nothing there. When the other crop comes 
off, the digging of the ground on which they 
stood will let air into the soil, and greatly 
