Page:The family kitchen gardener - containing plain and accurate descriptions of all the different species and varieties of culinary vegetables (IA familykitchengar56buis).pdf/13

 pend upon the number of the family, and may vary from a quarter to a whole acre. The walks may be from three to six feet wide, straight or serpentine—the former preferred, however. Where fancy may dictate, the latter can be adopted, cropping the curves of the ground with flowers, fancy plants, or choice fruits. —I admit that the same vegetable can be grown upon the same spot with success, year after year, but I also assert that a rotation of crops will be more productive, which is of great importance in culinary gardening; therefore never grow exhausting crops in succession. Substitute those alternately of as different roots and constitution as possible. Keep these objects in view, and even with ordinary management we vouch for a crop. Assiduity in the destruction of weeds, neatness and cleanliness, a constant stirring of the soil, digging deep and manuring freely, must be the constant companions of the gardener; making the business a source of pleasure, profit and advantage to himself, and an object of admiration to others. —We may here premise that no garden will be worth its culture, unless well supplied with manure every year. The present day is a period of considerable agitation on this all important subject. We have tried several of the new manures, some of them to our loss and (when we have departed from the stable yard) few to our advantage. In Europe great attention has been given to this subject, and many specifics recommended, which, when tried, have had frequently uncertain results, though in particular cases they have been crowned with success. In this country, however, our resources of domestic materials are abundant, and on every farm and garden much goes to waste. All weeds and useless vegetables, sweepings of walks, &c., should be dug into the ground at once. The dung of domestic birds, compounded with fresh soil, is a great renovator; but, if applied by itself, use it sparingly. Guano can only be safely applied in solution, one pound to five