Again the glass house, such as that of the Lea
Valley pattern, is in some regards very much superior to the frame and cloche and hotbed of the French and Dutch maraichers, which succeed (as Prince Kropotkin, that great pioneer, long ago pointed out) by an intensity of labour that goes near to slavery. The work in the Essex and Hertfordshire glass houses is never excessively laborious. The two specialize in different things—the French gardener in lettuce and mush- room, the Englishman in tomatoes, cucumbers and flowers ; but in many directions—and the number of its products increase--the glass houses, artificially heated—absolve us from the handicap of the seasons ; and in spite of a set-back in the summer (so-called) of 1931, the profits have often been big and the output per acre portentous even according to the standard of the market gardens outside Paris or Delft.
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