176 



THE VILLA KITCHE^^ aAEDEN.— No. XI. 



BY J. C. CLAEKE, 



Head Gardener at Cothelston House, Taunton. 



[HE cultivation of Summer Spinach is so easily accom- 

 plished, that I need not say much respecting it ; never- 

 theless, it may be useful to add, that, instead of sowing 

 it in hot, dry positions, as is usually done, between rows 

 of peas and other crops, if we wish to have this esculent 

 in perfection during the hot summer months, a cool north border or in 

 some out-of-the-way border, where the sun's rays do not penetrate 

 too strongly, is the best, not only to secure its succulent character, 

 but also to have it longer in duration, and fit for use after the winter 

 spinach is past. There should be two crops sown, the first in the 

 beginning of May, and the other in the middle of June. If sown 

 on such a spot as I have just advised, these two sowings will be suffi- 

 cient to afibrd supplies until the autumn sown is fit for use. But if 

 necessity compels the cultivator to sow it on the open quarters, then 

 a sowing every three weeks from the beginning of May to the 

 middle of July will be necessary ; but only a small quantity should 

 be sown at any one time, a row fifty feet long will suffice for most 

 families at this season of the year. In every case it thrives best and 

 produces the best results on deeply-dug, well-manured land. 



Wtntee Spinach, being a more substantial crop, requires more 

 care, and altogether a better preparation to induce it to succeed in all 

 cases ; upon the average of seasons, the best time of sowing it is 

 from the 15th to the 25th of August ; the spot should be moderately 

 well dressed with rotten manure, and deeply dug to secure the 

 carriage of the water from the winter rains below its roots, and if 

 the soil should contain even only a few of the wireworm, or the 

 black grub of daddy longlegs, a good dressing of fresh slaked lime 

 should be laid on and dug in previous to sowing. This will not only 

 materially prevent the ravages of those pests, but it will add to the 

 fertility of the land by speedily decomposing any organic matter 

 that may be in the ground from previous crops, so that the spot will 

 in every sense be the better for its application. The above prepara- 

 tions being carried out, we have only now to consider the sowing and 

 after-maAagement of the young plants. The seed should be sown in 

 drills fifteen inches apart, rather thinly, and when it is showing its 

 broad leaf, it should be thinned out six inches apart from plant to 

 plant, and the only after-management it requires is to keep it free 

 from weeds. The round'seedecl kind is the one most in favour for 

 summer use, while the pricJchj variety is considered the most hardy 

 for winter use. 



TuENiPS are another summer crop not always well-managed 

 in villa gardens, yet few crops pay better for liberal culture. 

 They require a rich open soil, and, for summer use, to be sown at 

 intervals of every three weeks, from the end of March until the end 



