The Country Housewife's Garden is precious to us for its attention to the role of women: as cooks, lovers of fine flowers, and keepers of the herbal medicine cupboard. While making many suggestions about the practice of gardening and growing fruit trees, Lawson is particularly interested in the layout and design of orchard and pleasure garden. There are several fine woodcuts of knot-gardens and various designs for flower beds. At the end of the two main works, there are two contemporary, short pamphlets on grafting and on picking, packing and transporting fruit. Malcolm Thick is an agricultural historian.