April 15, 1886. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
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COMING EVENTS 
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Royal Society at 4.S0 r m. Linnean Society at 8 P.M. 
Royal Botanic Society at 3.45 p.m. 
Palm Sunday 
National Auricula Society Show aud Primula Conference, S. Kensington. 
PROFITABLE GARDENING. 
[ERE are hundreds of practical gardeners out of 
employment, and many thousands of dwellers in 
towns very badly supplied with vegetables, 
fruit, and common flowers, and those who have 
the welfare of both classes at heart may well 
set the former to work to supply the latter. 
Not a few gardeners have invested their “ all ” 
in florists’ businesses and small nurseries, only 
to find that in most districts there were already 
Others have hired or built several forcing and 
plant houses, with perhaps a little land attached, with the 
idea of making a fortune with the profits attending the sale 
of fruit and cut flowers in the London markets; but these 
again, unless they are particularly keen and practical, are 
doomed to disappointment and failure. There are by far too 
many labouring to supply the principal markets, notably 
Covent Garden, and the sooner innumerable private gardeners 
as well as others beginning on their account realise this fact 
the better for them and those whom they serve. It is the 
small towns that as a rule are badly supplied, and it is 
among the middle and working classes that customers are to 
be found. 
I do not advise any gardener at present in a fairly good 
situation to exchange this certainty for what might prove an 
uncertainty, but were I out of a situation I would unhesi¬ 
tatingly commence on my own account, and most probably 
in this neighbourhood, where there are already several well- 
established market growers. As a rule the men that at 
present monopolise the business of small towns are greatly 
inferior in ability and general experience to the majority of 
the very men now struggling on, charitably employed it may 
be by various nurserymen, and waiting for head places that 
seem farther off than ever, and yet the former prosper simply 
from the fact that they are plodding and were content to 
make a small beginning. Now that the craze for building 
has subsided with no prospect of any immediate revival, 
much less difficulty is experienced in obtaining land com¬ 
paratively near to a town than many seem to imagine, 
especially if one would be contented with a moderately long 
lease. Then, seeing how easily money can be borrowed, it 
is decidedly a mistake to wait till such times as enough can 
be scraped together for a big commencement. There is no 
time like the present tor commencing, everything, including 
uncultivated land, manual and horse labour, boing plentiful 
and cheap, while houses can be built at a surprisingly cheap 
rate, and when a revival does take place the market gardeners 
will be the first to feel the reaction in the shape of a greater 
demand and better prices. 
It is a well-known fact that in spite of the poorness of 
the prices obtained by the senders to large market towns the 
inhabitants are rarely supplied at a proportionately cheap 
rate, or otherwise there would be a much greater demand, 
both growers and consumers being benefited accordingly, but 
sooner or later I hope these rapacious middlemen will come 
to grief. Even greengrocers and fruiterers in small towns 
No. 303. —Vol. XII., Third Series. 
too many. 
have to be watched very closely, and many of these must 
have everything for about half its value, even if there is little 
or no risk of its being unsold. If it is not possible for a 
beginner to open a shop for the sale of fruit, flowers, and 
vegetables, then the next best thing is to arrange for the 
regular supply of all that may be needed by a certain number 
of hotel-keepers, tradespeople, and other well to-do people 
who have no garden of their own. The smaller greengrocers 
will usually take all that may remain to be sold. This is no 
imaginary scheme, as I have been repeatedly asked to supply 
townspeople, and I am acquainted with several private 
gardeners who have long been obliged to sell surplus produce, 
and these men now have their regular customers. In one 
instance three private families are supplied with everything 
but Potatoes from one garden, and the plan works well all 
round. 
IP ’s unwise to depend solely on a vegetable and fruit 
garden for gaining a livelihood now-a days, as what is wanted 
is something of everything and not too much of a few things 
only. There are customers for all the surplus produce 
except those high-priced of private gardens, as well as that 
grown under glass and in the open by market growers. At 
the outset I intended to point out what I find pays best for 
growing, but as I have occupied much space in expressing 
my views on this important subject of how best to utilise the 
talents of many good yet unemployed men, I must at present 
confine my remarks upon the profitable cropping of the 
open garden, leaving choice flowers and fruit for another 
occasion. 
As before stated, high prices are seldom realised, and the 
aim should be to crop the ground as closely as may safely be 
done with the kinds of vegetables, fruit, and flowers that may 
be most in demand. Supposing there is a warm end or 
corner, it is here that the most scheming is required. There 
should be good breadths of Ashleaf Potatoes, Kidney Beans, 
notably Ne Plus Ultra and Canadian Wonder; Lettuces, 
preferably Paris White Cos; Nantes Horn Carrots, with 
Radishes everywhere. The latter are sometimes very profit¬ 
able, as they can be sown over the Potatoes among the 
Carrots in advance of the B6an3 and various other crops. 
Wood’s Frame and French Breakfast are the two best sorts, 
and hundreds of bunches at Id. per bunch or thereabouts 
may be quickly and profitably grown. Lettuces again may 
be grown by hundreds or thousands (we have already put out 
two thousand) on the ridges between the Celery rows, on 
young Strawberry beds, and other positions, and if only 
Is. per dozen is obtained they pay well and quickly. The 
Brown Cos, though one of the best sorts for a private place, 
is unsuitable for marketing. Neither do the buyers care for 
the Cabbage varieties unless there is no choice in the matter. 
Early Turnips are profitable, and an east border as well as 
spaces between fruit bushes may well be sown with Early 
Milan and Snowball, the latter in the greatest quantities. 
During the summer and early autumn months there is much 
less demand for Turnips, but for the winter supply it is ad¬ 
visable to sow a good breadth of ground, just cleared of early 
and second early Potatoes, with Veitch’s Red Globe Turnip. 
Nantes Horn Carrot is always profitable, so many bunches 
being drawn from a comparatively small pieceof light ground. 
It is also good for the winter supply. Onions, very small in 
bunches and fully grown, usually pay well, and so also does 
Beet. The former ought already to have been sown, but 
Dell’s Crimson Beet, the best for all purposes, may be sown 
any time in April or early in May. Celery we cannot grow 
enough of, and really good, not necessarily large, samples 
will, I believe, sell anywhere. There is no demand for early 
Celery, November, December, and January being the best 
months for it, and at 2d. per stick, or even less, it pays very 
well. We prefer Williams’Matchless and Leicester Red, good 
substitutes being Sulliam Prize and Carter’s Incomparable 
Crimson. 
Very early and late Peas do not pay; but a few rows of 
No. 1959. —Vol. LXXVV., Old Serie?. 
