242 



THE GARDENER. 



[May 



ffialen&ar* 



KITCHEN-GARDEN. 



Crops jvill now be advancing, and 

 will require constant attention to 

 get the necessary work done at the 

 proper time. Thinning, hoeing, and 

 weeding will keep the labour-power at 

 high pressure. In other departments 

 of gardening so much requires to be 

 executed without delay that it is 

 difficult to keep pace with increasing 

 duties. Artichokes (Globe) should 

 now be examined to ascertain what 

 amount of injury has been done by 

 the late severe winter; and where 

 suckers have grown enough to allow 

 their being taken off for a fresh planta- 

 tion, well-dug and properly -manured 

 ground should be prepared and plant- 

 ed with them, in rows three feet apart, 

 and as much between the plants, 

 "We prefer planting a portion each 

 season, and never allow the old stools 

 to remain many years on the same 

 ground. Asparagus will now be in 

 full bearing, and on properly-drained 

 land good soakings of manure-water 

 may be given : guano and a little salt 

 suit well for this purpose. Beans and 

 Peas may be sown at least twice dur- 

 ing the month : stake Peas and mulch 

 them ; top Beans to induce them to 

 pod ; sow French Beans and Scarlet- 

 runners twice in the month, — they do 

 well in deep rich soil. Beet may now 

 be sown for main crop. Well-broken 

 mellow soil, in which is a dash of sand, 

 gives clean-grown, tender Beet. Very 

 poor and rich soils are to be avoided — 

 tough stringy Beet is useless. More 

 Broccoli may be sown, and the plants 

 which are up in the rows should be 

 thinned aud transplanted preparatory 

 to plantiug out in open ground. 



Cabbage, Savoys, Brussels Sprouts, 

 Cauliflower, Kale, Parsley, Leeks, 

 Onions (the last named thickly on 

 poor hard ground for pickling), may all 

 be sown for late planting. When late 

 Potatoes are cleared off ground, it is 

 well to have plenty to fill up the space. 

 When ground becomes vacant in end 

 of summer and during autumn, it 

 should be preparer), sown, and planted 

 without delay. Planting thickly such 

 crops as Kale, Savoys, and Brussels 

 Sprouts makes provision for a good 

 supply of greens during spring ; and 

 never were such plantations more 



valuable than during the past season. 

 The loss of Broccoli and the whole- 

 sale destruction of other crops, by the 

 long severe winter, are lessons which 

 will not be unnoticed. Kale sprouts 

 and young Savoy tops have been of 

 much value to us. The whole of the 

 Cabbage left to sprout were entirely 

 destroyed, and such a loss was the 

 greatest which we sustained, these 

 being in great request, while young 

 Cabbage are not valued in any shape. 

 While raising such crops care should 

 be exercised to prevent the young 

 plants in the seed - beds from being 

 drawn up weakly : the rows should be 

 thinned, taking first the larger ones, 

 allowing the smaller ones to gain 

 strength. Carrots may yet be sown for 

 a main crop. This crop often suffers 

 from grubs and other vermin, and it 

 is well to sow Shorthorn frequently, 

 which will in a measure meet the 

 demand. Lettuce should now be sown 

 in small quantities every week or ten 

 dr.ys, they run so quickly to seed. 

 It is well to prepare ground thor- 

 oughly for them by giving plenty of 

 rotten manure — especially from a cow- 

 yard. Shady positions are most suit- 

 able during summer. The plants may 

 be thinned to 9 inches apart, and the 

 thinnings planted out behind a hedge 

 or fence ; they will give a succession. 

 Endive for a chance crop may be 

 sown at end of month. Leeks may be 

 thinned and planted as soon as they 

 are about 6 inches high : extra rich land 

 should be provided for them if fine 

 qualit} T is desired. Potatoes now up 

 and growing may have soil drawn over 

 their tops to ward off frost : if the tops 

 have come up very thickly they may be 

 thinned. The tubers will be larger and 

 of finer quality. Spinach, small Salads, 

 Turnips, and Radishes should be sown 

 every week in small quantities : by 

 this practice there need be no failures. 

 Salsafy, Chicory, and Scorzonera should 

 now be sown and treated like Carrots. 

 Attention to thinning should not be 

 forgotten till it is late enough to do 

 I mischief. Carrots, Beet, Parsnips, 

 Onions, Turnips, Spinach, Parsley, will 

 all require speedy attention ; better 

 that the crops soould be too thin than 

 too thick. Th re is much mischief 



