112 THE GARDENER. [March 



the dung. We don't think the spit of dung has anything to do with 

 the length of either Carrots or Parsnips. Soil for the Carrot should 

 be rich, just as for any other crop, but it should be open in texture, 

 and with a moist, cool bottom ; the tap-root of the Carrot will go 

 down a long way after moisture, which is the secret for long Carrots. 

 The soft, hairy, finely -cut foliage points to the great demand the 

 plant has upon it for water in dry summer weather. The moist boggy 

 lands in Surrey grow Carrots well : when sown early in such land they 

 will not readily go to seed ; but on high gravelly soil they will be sure 

 to bolt, and the roots will be all heart and woody. The same remarks 

 apply to the Parsnip still more forcibly. The Irishman's tale of the 

 Parsnip grown in the deserted pump-barrel, if a fiction, is certainly 

 founded on fact. Parsley also should be sown very early, and requires 

 a deep, rich soil : sow in drills and transplant a portion ; sow shallow, 

 — the ground is moist enough at the surface, and the sun not much 

 power to dry. Celery, another of the moisture-loving Umbelliferce, 

 though a hardy native, must be sown in heat for early planting; in 

 the south, for the main crop, it is time enough to sow in the open air 

 the end of March. 



There are a number of seeds which it is undesirable to sow too soon, 

 as the chances are they will perish largely ; for instance, the better sorts 

 of the Marrow Peas will quickly rot in cold wet soil. Kidney-beans 

 no one will think of sowing out of doors before May in the 

 north, the second week in April in the south. Peetis time enough in 

 April; for early use it may be sown in heat, and transplanted on a 

 warm border. Cold and wet injures the vitality of many seeds reputed 

 hardy — even cold and damp drawers in the seed-room — and v/hen a 

 failure comes the seedsman is blamed. 



On the other hand, it is well known that the seeds of many things re- 

 puted tender will live through the winter though barely covered, and grow 

 in spring ; for instance. New Zealand Spinach, Nasturtium, Mignonette, 

 and numbers of flower-seeds — and we have seen an instance of a 

 Tomato which came up and grew most vigorous, and ripened a heavy 

 crop of fruit in the open ground. 



All seeds, supposing them to be good, should be sown thin ; when 

 the seedlings come up thick, they at once begin a struggle for exist- 

 ence, and starve each other, and thinning does not improve matters for 

 the time ; we have known whole beds of seedlings go off very quickly 

 by being too thickly sown. Seed-beds should also be of rich soil : every 

 living thing, when young, should be well fed. There is no doubt but 

 there is quite three times as much seed sown on the cultivated surface 

 of these islands as is necessary, more particularly in gardens. Secure 

 good seeds, and sow them thin. The Squire's Gardexer. 



