There are two things necessary for a supjdy of good
vegetables, which is, perhaps, the jn-imary object of tlie
garden, viewed from the standpoint of domestic economy.
Tlie first is good and plentiful manure ; the next is good
seed. In regard to the first, there should never be any
difficulty where cows, horses, and fowls are kept ; though
the mail will invariably expect to be allowed an unlimited
order for a supply from outside sources. By far the best and
cleanliest plan is to have all the stable and cow house drop-
))ings jmt on to the land at once, and not piled in a heap.
There is always some plot unused in a garden, and here
the manure can be thrown and ploughed in at once. Tins
effectually prevents the volatile parts of the manure from
flying off into space, and as these are the most valuable
portions, the plan is economical as well as efficient. Roughly
speaking, it saves about one-quarter of the fertilising power
to put the manure into the soil at once. Another advantage
is, that it becomes thoroughly mixed with the soil, and the
white ants— which invariably follow manure— have ravaged
and gone before the seed is put into the ground ; whereas,
with ground fresh manured, they are certain to do mischief
to the crop. Even if the home farm does not supply enough
fertiliser for the garden, it is false economy not to pur-
chase elsewhere. It costs just as much to water a bad crop
as a good one. Do not trust the mdH to ask for manure
when wanted. His belief in Providence is too strong for
him to be a safe guide ; and as he looks on the manure as his
])erquisite, he will keep the fact of there being none to put
on, dark, if possible ; though, when driven to a corner, he
will be shameless in his demands. It may safely be asserted
that garden ground cannot be too well manured ; but as this
may convey little impression to the mind of the mistress, it
may be remarked that the best strawberries the writer ever
saw in India were raised on ground manured fifty tons to the
acre. Therefore, while it is evident that no fertiliser should
be lost from the gardener’s j)oint of view, the mistress will
find it a convenience in another way, since it is tar more
wholesome to have refuse thrown on the land at once and
ploughed in, than to have it fermenting in heaps about the
Housekeeper and Cook 131
back premises. The next desidei'atum is good seed. As a
rule, it is better to import from home ; at least, sueh is the
experience of the writer. And it is, perhaps, wiser to deal
with regular exporters of seeds, such as Carter, Sutton,
Cannell, &c., than with smaller firms, who have not the
experienee of sending seeds to India. Haage & Schmidt,
however, at Erfurt, Germany, have excellent and extremely
cheap seeds for the main crop, and are aceustomed to export.
1 he best results in the writer’s expei'ienee are obtained when
the cold-weather seeds are ordered so as to arrive about the
middle of J uly. Flower seeds should be ordered in a separate
tin, as it is well not to open them till the middle of August.
And here a strong protest must be entered against the indfscri-
minate handing over to the mcili s tender mercies of the seeds.
Page 89
Presented as published in 1898. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
There are two things necessary for a supply of good vegetables, which is, perhaps, the primary object of the garden, viewed from the standpoint of domestic economy. Tlie first is good and plentiful manure ; the next is good seed. In regard to the first, there should never be any difficulty where cows, horses, and fowls are kept; though the mali will invariably expect to be allowed an unlimited order for a supply from outside sources. By far the best and cleanliest plan is to have all the stable and cow house droppings put on to the land at once, and not piled in a heap. There is always some plot unused in a garden, and here the manure can be thrown and ploughed in at once. This effectually prevents the volatile parts of the manure from flying off into space, and as these are the most valuable portions, the plan is economical as well as efficient. Roughly speaking, it saves about one-quarter of the fertilising power to put the manure into the soil at once. Another advantage is, that it becomes thoroughly mixed with the soil, and the white ants—which invariably follow manure—have ravaged and gone before the seed is put into the ground ; whereas, with ground fresh manured, they are certain to do mischief to the crop. Even if the home farm does not supply enough fertiliser for the garden, it is false economy not to purchase elsewhere. It costs just as much to water a bad crop as a good one. Do not trust the mali to ask for manure when wanted. His belief in Providence is too strong for him to be a safe guide; and as he looks on the manure as his perquisite, he will keep the fact of there being none to put on, dark, if possible ; though, when driven to a corner, he will be shameless in his demands. It may safely be asserted that garden ground cannot be too well manured ; but as this may convey little impression to the mind of the mistress, it may be remarked that the best strawberries the writer ever saw in India were raised on ground manured fifty tons to the acre. Therefore, while it is evident that no fertiliser should be lost from the gardener's point of view, the mistress will find it a convenience in another way, since it is tar more wholesome to have refuse thrown on the land at once and ploughed in, than to have it fermenting in heaps about the
Housekeeper and Cook 131
back premises. The next desideratum is good seed. As a rule, it is better to import from home ; at least, sueh is the experience of the writer. And it is, perhaps, wiser to deal with regular exporters of seeds, such as Carter, Sutton, Cannell, &c., than with smaller firms, who have not the experience of sending seeds to India. Haage & Schmidt, however, at Erfurt, Germany, have excellent and extremely cheap seeds for the main crop, and are accustomed to export. The best results in the writer's experience are obtained when the cold-weather seeds are ordered so as to arrive about the middle of July. Flower seeds should be ordered in a separate tin, as it is well not to open them till the middle of August. And here a strong protest must be entered against the indiscriminate handing over to the mali's tender mercies of the seeds.