1870.] THE KITCHEN-GARDEN. 65 



London by digging long trenches to the depth of 2 to 3 feet, and 

 putting 2 feet of hot dung into the bottom of them, on which 

 the Toots are packed closely together in any light soil. The trenches 

 are then hooped over and covered with about a foot depth of long 

 stable-litter or straw, and in this rude and simple way excellent pro- 

 duce is the result. Others again have long ranges of wooden pits 

 about 5 feet wide, with a hot -water pipe to supply both top and 

 bottom heat. These are, however, giving way to larger structures, 

 in which standing and walking room can be had. 



The amateur or cottage gardener who desires forced Rhubarb, can 

 easily produce it in a cellar or any outhouse where a few roots can be 

 placed in a temperature of 50° to 55°. When it is required for table 

 before the end of the year, the roots should be placed in the forcing- 

 house as soon as the leaves commence to decay. The best sorts for 

 early forcing are Prince Albert and Linnaeus. The Victoria yields a 

 greater bulk late in the season, and for general crops in the open air 

 is the most profitable. Whether Rhubarb is best when blanched by 

 forcing or when grown in the open air, is a disputed point, and depends 

 on taste. For my own part, I prefer it blanched, and cooked without 

 being skinned. 



Salsafy and Scorzonera. 



Both Salsafy and Scorzonera require precisely the same treatment, con- 

 sequently I have classed them together. There are few vegetables so 

 much affected by cultivation, " for better or for worse," as these, and 

 at the same time so carelessly regarded. True, the entire failure of a 

 crop is not of frequent occurrence, for they will grow after a sort under 

 the most careless treatment ; but the difference between really well 

 cultivated samples of these roots, and those produced by indifferent 

 culture, is exceedingly marked. 



A superior crop depends chiefly on the nature of the soil, and par- 

 ticularly on the manner in which it is prepared. To produce fine roots, 

 a deep sandy loam is the best ; it should be trenched, and thoroughly 

 broken to at least a depth of 2 feet ; and the subsoil, if retentive, 

 should be broken up with a fork. Soil into which manure has been 

 put for successive years, and by which the top spit has been enriched, 

 should not have any manure added to it, but be trenched, turning the 

 rich surface-soil to the bottom of the trench. Where manure is ne- 

 cessary, it should be mixed in the bottom of the trench, not adding 

 any to the surface-soil. The manure thus placed deep in the ground 

 entices the roots in search of it, and in this way considerably influences 

 the growth of the roots, causing them to grow straight and strong, in- 

 stead of producing a mere bunch of fibres, scarcely fit for culinary 



E 



