I am peculiarly indebted to Rev. E. Porter Dyer, of Hingham, for much valuable advice and assistance; and cannot too fully express my obligations for the unvarying kindness and courteous manner in which repeated, and perhaps often unseasonable, requests for aid have been received and granted.
My acknowledgments are also due to Hon. Joseph Breck, author of "Book of Flowers," and late President of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society; to Charles M. Hovey, Esq., editor of "The Magazine of Horticulture," and President of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society; to P. B. Hovey, Esq., nurseryman and seedsman, of Cambridge, Mass.; and to Daniel T. Curtis, Esq., seedsman and florist, and for many years Chairman of the Committee on Vegetables of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society.
For information or other very acceptable assistance, I am also indebted to Rev. Calvin Lincoln, of Hingham; Rev. John L. Russell, of Salem, Mass.; John A. Butler, Esq., of Chelsea, Mass.; Edward S. Rand, Jun., Esq., of Boston; Mr. Austin Bronson, of Enfield, N.H.; George W. Pratt, Esq., of Boston; John M. Ives, Esq., of Salem, Mass.; Mr. James Scott, of Hatfield, Mass.; Mr. Alonzo Crafts, of Whately, Mass.; Mr. John C. Hovey, of Cambridge, Mass.; Mr. Isaac P. Rand, of Dorchester, Mass.; Mr. George Everett, of Concord, Mass.; and Caleb Bates, of Kingston, Mass.
From a work entitled "Descriptions des Plantes Potagères, par Vilmorin, Andrieux, et Cie., Paris;" from Charles M'Intosh's excellent "Book of the Garden;" the "Gardener's Assistant," by Robert Thompson; "Rogers's Vegetable Cultivator;" and "Lawson's Agriculturist's Manual,"—I have made liberal extracts; and lest, in the course of the volume, any omission of authority may occur where it should have been accredited, my indebtedness to the valuable publications above mentioned is here candidly confessed.
In adapting directions for cultivation, prepared for one climate, or section of country, to suit that of another quite dissimilar, so much alteration of the original text has at times been found necessary, that I have not felt at liberty to affix the name of the original writer, but have simply added the usual marks denoting derivation of authority.
ABBREVIATIONS AND AUTHORITIES.
Big.—Plants of Boston and Vicinity. By Jacob Bigelow, M.D. Boston, 1840.
Bon. Jard.—Le Bon Jardinier pour l'Année 1859. Par A. Boiteau et M. Vilmorin.
Corb.—The American Gardener. By William Corbett. Concord, Boston, and New York, 1842.
Cot. Gard.—The Cottage Gardener. By George W. Johnson and Robert Hogg. Weekly. London.
Count. Gent.—The Country Gentleman. By Luther Tucker and Son. Weekly. Albany, N.Y.
De Cand.—The Candolle's Systema Naturale. By Prof. De Candolle. 2 vols. 8vo. Paris, 1818, 1821.
Down.—The Fruit and Fruit-trees of America. By A. J. Downing. Revised and corrected by Charles Downing, 1858.
Gard. Chron.—The Gardener's Chronicle. Weekly. By Prof. Lindley. 1844 to the present time.
Gray.—Manual of the Botany of the Northern United States. By Prof. Asa Gray. New York, 1857.
Hort.—The Horticulturist, and Journal of Art and Rural Taste. Monthly. By P. Barry and J. Jay Smith. Philadelphia.
Hov. Mag.—The Magazine of Horticulture, Botany, and Rural Affairs. By C. M. Hovey. Boston. Monthly. 1834 to the present time.
Law.—The Agriculturist's Manual. By Peter Lawson and Son. Edinburgh, 1836.
Lind.—A Guide to the Orchard and Kitchen Garden. By George Lindley. London, 1831.
Loud.—Encyclopædia of Gardening. By J. C. Loudon. London, 1850.
Loud.—Encyclopædia of Agriculture. By J. C. Loudon. London, 1844.
Low.—The Elements of Practical Agriculture. By David Low. London, 1843.
M'Int.—The Book of the Garden. By Charles M'Intosh. 2 vols. Edinburgh and London, 1855.
Mill.—The Gardener's and Botanist's Dictionary. By Philip Miller. Revised by Prof. Martyn. London, 1819.
Neill.—Neill's Journal of a Horticultural Tour, &c. 8vo. Edinburgh, 1823.
New Am. Cyclopædia.—New American Cyclopædia. D. Appleton & Co., New York. 16 vols. royal 8vo. 1857 to 1863.
Rog.—The Vegetable Cultivator. By John Rogers. London, 1851.
Thomp.—The Gardener's Assistant. By Robert Thompson.
Trans.—The Transactions of the London Horticultural Society. Commenced 1815, and continued at intervals to the present time.
Vil.—Description des Plantes Potagères. Par Vilmorin, Andrieux, et Cie. Paris, 1856.