250 



THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



loams, trenching two spits deep is equal any 

 time to a dressing of manure, and generally 

 of far more importance than any amount of 

 manuring. Old garden soils are often sick 

 and sour with manure, hut a deep stirring 

 buries the vermin at a depth at which they 

 perish, and brings into action the fresh un- 

 tilled earth beneath, with all its dormant 

 powers ready for useful action under the in- 

 fluence of the atmosphere. It will always 

 pay when labour is scarce to make work 

 for labourers in deep tillage of garden and 

 allotment grounds ; the process is nothing 

 less than a complete renewal of the soil 

 wherever the material exists below for the 

 purpose. Of course where there is only a 

 thin layer of vegetable earth over hard rock 

 or gravel, the case is different, but very 

 often some of this unpromising material 

 improves the staple when broken up and 

 mixed with it. 



Asparagus and Seahale may be forced 

 by the roughest of methods where there are 

 plenty of leaves and large deep pits. Any 

 one can make up a forcing-bed, on a plot of 

 spare ground, by means of a few boards to 

 form the boundary of the pit, or turf walls 

 where turf is plentiful. Five or six feet of 

 leaves, without dung, will do very well, 

 and when the roots are planted, rough 

 boards put aslope to carry off rain and snow 

 may be used to cover in lieu of glass frames. 

 During hard weather any amount of dry 

 litter may be heaped over, and a supply of 

 either of these delicious vegetables be had 

 for the mere cost of the roots in the first 

 instance. As ample instructions have been 

 given in this work for forcing these roots, 

 we need not here go into detail, but we 

 mention this rough-and-ready method as a 

 hint to amateurs who want a little work 

 for the winter, and who have not conve- 

 niences for forcing by hot water and other 

 expensive methods. Seakale will pay the 

 poor man best to force by impromptu 

 methods, and this should be completely 

 blanched ; but asparagus should have air 

 and light when the shoots appear, as it is 

 valueless unle;s the tops have two inches 

 or so of green growth. 



Caulifloioers potted for keeping over 

 winter should be kept [rather dry, and as 

 much as possible exposed to the weather, to 

 keep them stocky and hard. Keep the 

 lights or glasses on always at night from 

 this time forth, removing them every morn- 

 ing, except during frost or drenching rains. 

 In wet, muggy weather, tilt the lights upon 

 blocks of wood or bricks, so as to create a 

 circulation of air amongst the plants, and 

 yet keep them from being soddeued with 

 water. 



French Beans. — Our mode of forcing 



French beans reduces the labour consider- 

 ably ; and we advise its adoption where 

 these delicacies are in demand during 

 winter. Instead of pots, we use boxes six 

 inches deep, two feet four inches in length, 

 and one foot four inches wide. The boxes 

 are made of inch deal, well pitched inside 

 and out, with a few drainage holes. They 

 are crocked all over at the bottom with 

 small convex crocks, hollow side down- 

 wards. Over the crocks are laid lumps of 

 rotted turf, and they are then filled to 

 within one inch of the top with a mixture 

 of rotten cucumber dung, leaf-mould, and 

 turf, well broken together and pressed firm. 

 The soil is then marked out in lines four 

 inches apart, all over, except next the sides 

 of the boxes, where the lines are two inches 

 from the side. This arrangement allows of 

 seven rows the long way of the box, and 

 four rows across — the whole four inches 

 apart, and the outside rows two inches from 

 the side of the box, over which the leaves 

 and the outside plants project a little, the 

 inch thickness of the wood being a gain 

 for that purpose We use either Chinese 

 Dwarf, Early Fulmer, or Newington Wonder, 

 preferring the second to the other two when 

 we make only one sowing, with a good 

 heat at command ; but when we grow a 

 few in early spring with very little arti- 

 ficial heat, we prefer the last named as the 

 hardiest of the three. The seeds are sown 

 an inch deep. When sown the boxes are 

 placed on a tank or flue, and the plants 

 show about eight days afterwards. As soon 

 as the seed leaves are developed, the plants 

 are earthed up with a mixture of rotten 

 dung and leaf-mould, which is spread be- 

 tween them, and pressed moderately firm 

 as high as the seed leaves ; and after this 

 operation there is nothing more than ordi- 

 nary care required to secure a good crop 

 of beans. 



Lettuces. — Treat as recommended for 

 cauliflower. 



Peas and Beans. — Sow at a risk Dilli- 

 stone's Early, Sangster's No. 1, and Ad- 

 vancer peas, Beck's Gem and Mazagan 

 beans. In low situations, where snails and 

 slugs abound, there is little chance of 

 success. On high and dry positions they 

 will probably endure the winter, and come 

 in earlier than spring-sown crops. Aspect 

 is not of so much importance as dryness. 

 Raised borders under walls facing south are 

 generally chosen for these sowings ; but an 

 exposed position, if dry, will be nearly as 

 safe. The usual causes of failure are damp 

 and vermin. 



Seakale may be planted now in well- 

 prepared ground in well-drained positions ; 

 where the soil lies low or damp, however, it 



