188 



JODENAL OF HOBTICULTUBE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ March 7, 1867. 



of this above the leaf constitutes the chief beauty of many 

 of the annuals. They are also more easily protected from 

 slugs. — W. Keane. 



DOINGS OF THE LAST WEEK. 



KITCHEN OARDEN. 



So far as frosty mornings are concerned, March has " come 

 in as a lion," and it remains to be proved whether it will " go 

 out as a lamb." The frost will do good in three ways — it will 

 help to keep back fruit-tree blossoms, the buds of which were 

 becoming too forward for the season ; it will dry and crumble 

 down the soil thrown up in ridges ; and the sun, which has 

 followed the frosty mornings, will help all plants that were 

 languishing in the dull weather, and will be of especial benefit 

 to plants in bloom that are intended to bear serviceable fruit. 

 With the exception of planting some Potatoes at the bases 

 of walls, planting-out more Cabbages, hoeing and forking the 

 ground among Spinach, so as to let the air circulate about the 

 plants, and partially dry the over-wet soil, the chief work 

 out of doors has been turning over the ridged ground, and 

 leaving it in shallow ridges so as to have it better exposed to 

 the air and dried before sowing and planting general crops. 

 Much of this labour would be worse than unnecessary in open 

 light soils. In such cases even ridging is often better dispensed 

 with, as, provided the staple has been sufficiently stirred, the 

 crops do better when the light soil is compressed rather than 

 loosened. A heavy soil requires to be made lighter even for 

 Onions, provided the surface is rolled when dry with a light 

 roller, or gently patted ; and in] many cases it is better to 

 dispense with both of these operations, and leave the surface for 

 a quarter of an inch or so loose or open, to prevent the stiff 

 soil cracking in dry weather in all directions, even before the 

 seedlings are large enough to permit of hoeing on the surface 

 to leave it loose. In light soils, even with heavy manuring, a 

 good crop of firm, fair-sized Onions can scarcely be secured 

 without consolidating the surface. Under sucli circumstances, 

 when the ground was too wet to roll at the sowing time, 

 we have frequently rolled with a light roller when the seed- 

 lings were just appearing, or not more than an inch in height, 

 and then if there was the least danger of cracking, a stirring 

 with a hoe, as shallow as possible, between the rows would 

 leave the young Onions firm enough at the surface, and thus 

 tempt them to quick bulbing instead of forming huge thick 

 necks. For all such crops, however, we would sooner wait a 

 week or ten days at this season than sow when the ground 

 was in an unkindly state. Further on in the season sowing 

 must often bo resorted to, even if harrowloads of material 

 should be brought for covering. What collects about the 

 potting-bench when riddled is generally very useful for this 

 purpose. 



Turnips. — It is too soon to sow yet out of doors unless the 

 young plants are protected from frost, and where deemed of 

 much importance young Turnips would pay as well under 

 glass as young Potatoes. It is not because of their tenderness 

 that it is too soon in most places to sow them out of doors, 

 but because of the simple fact, that when young plants are 

 touched with a few degrees of frost they are almost suie to 

 throw up flower-stems, and if a small Turnip is then formed 

 it is little better than a piece of soft wood. In cold places, 

 when wanted early out of doors, the young plants will need 

 protection in cold nights. 



Paitly owing to the rains and warmth of autumn, a young 

 crop with bulbs the size of hens' egps, on the north side of 

 a sloping bank, is already showing flower-stems, and though 

 these may be cut off, others will come, and the Turnips will 

 soon become hard in consequence, so these young plants will 

 not be so useful as we expected, and as we have found them 

 in most years. Those we spoke of lately as pulled up before 

 showing any signs of fresh growth, and which had suffered 

 nothing from the frost at the new year, have shown signs also 

 of growing, and have, therefore, had the tops cut and have been 

 laid in thin layers in a cool shady place, with just a sprinkling 

 of litter over them to preserve them from extremes of weather. 

 These will remain good for use when those on the bank, though 

 much younf»er, will be too stringy and hard. 



The chief work in this department has been keeping up a 

 succession of forced vegetables. Sea-kale, Mushrooms, Rhubarb, 

 Radishes, &c. ; forwarding Peas and Beans, and carrying on a 

 ceaseless warfare with our vermin enemies. 



In the Miishroom-Iiouxe the fourth piece was finally earthed 

 down in the usual way — that is, covered with rough turfy loam 



to the depth of about IJ inch, well beaten, and from a quarter 

 to half an inch of finer soil added, beaten firm, watered gently, 

 allowed to settle a little, and a clean spade drawn firmly over 

 it, so as to leave a smooth surface. This, when a little dry on 

 the surface, is covered with just a sprinkling of hay, which 

 keeps the casing from cracking, and renders the bed more 

 uniform in heat and moisture. In a Mushroom- house that is 

 heated by flues or hot water this hay covering is not essential. 

 We very often use it, however, as we can regulate the state of 

 the bed more easily by its means ; and hence, though we have 

 used light soil for earthing over very successfully, we prefer it 

 rather stiff, fresh, and beaten firmly to a smooth surface, so 

 that when we like we can sweep the surface of the bed clean, 

 and thus the spawn is prevented running on the bed instead 

 of sending up plenty of Mushrooms. In a fresh bed, watered 

 atad made solid on the surface, the first sprinkling of hay will 

 soon become wet ; as the bed dries that will be removed once 

 or twice, and fresh added before the Mushrooms show freely. 

 If they come faster than is wanted, the hay or litter covering 

 is removed. If they are wanted quicker, more is added. If 

 the bed has produced all over at once, and yielded a heavy 

 gathering, then often we sweep the bed clean with a hair broom, 

 water if dry, cover with a couple of inches of rough hay, and 

 in a week or two the bed will be like a sheet with white Mush- 

 rooms. Although not always the case, it very generally happens 

 that the Mushrooms thus covered are whiter, and those more 

 exposed come browner in the skin. Another advantage of this 

 hay covering is, that when successional beds are used, the 

 heat they throw off before being ready for spawning will gene- 

 rally be enough for the house without fire heat. We have 

 seldom used the hot-water pipe this season, except during the 

 severe frost in .January. From 50° to 5.5° is high enough for 

 the atmosphere for bearing beds in a house. The advantage of 

 dispensing with hay and using a regular fire heat, is that you 

 see all the beds at once, and there is less refuge for woodlice, 

 &c. ; but as it is, we seldom see any woodlice until spring, and 

 then we have beds under the thatched, covered shed open in 

 front. In that shed are good Mushrooms still, but with 8 or 

 10 inches of litter over them. The fifth piece in the Mush- 

 room-house has had the last layer of dung put on, the dung 

 mixed with turfy luam, and in a week or ten days it will be fit 

 for spawning. The two first pieces are bearing well, the third 

 will show before long. This succession of shallow beds, though 

 entailing a considerable amount of attention, generally secures 

 a good regular supply. Our most celebrated artistes of the 

 kitchen tell us that two things are indispensable to good 

 cookery — Mushrooms and Onions. 



Sca-kah'. — One of our best gardeners told us the other day 

 that he f(jllowed the same plan in winter as we do — namely, 

 took up the roots and packed them in pots, only we put ours 

 in the Mushroom-house, where it is dark enough to cause the 

 Sea-kale to come quite white, and he puts his in any place — 

 a house where there is heat, a stokehole, cSrc, and covers se- 

 curely with another pot so as to keep out the light. In one 

 point we differ: he sows every year, so as always to have a 

 succession, and after forcing he throws the old plants away. 

 We plant ours out again, taking them out of doors first and 

 covering with litter, so that they may not be iEJurcd by a sud- 

 den change of weather. We like young plants very well, but 

 these forced plants so treated we consider quite as good as 

 seedlings of the second year. We mention this all the more, 

 ] as many in small places may find a little difficulty with seed- 

 lings, as, when in the seed leaf, they are subject to insect ene- 

 mies, and before they attain that size they must be protected 

 in the ground from birds, mice, &c. Plants taken up and 

 forced this winter will, under ordinary treatment, when planted 

 out be first-rate for forcing again in the second winter— that 

 is, after having had two summers' growth. If in the summer 

 the crowns show too many shoots or buds it is well to thin them 

 to two or three. Just as in other cases, if two, three, or more 

 crops are taken from forced plants, they will in proportion be 

 less useful when planted out ; but in almost every case,^ if 

 treated as stated above, they will be as useful for transplanting 

 as one-year seedlings that were sown rather thickly. 



Rhubarb. — Similar remarks will apply. We have just turned 

 out some of the roots forced, planted them again, and covered 

 with a little litter. They will not do much the first summer, 

 but they will come strong in the second, and in the following 

 winter will do for forcing again. Good gatherings may be ob- 

 tained in spring from seed sown in April twelve months before ; 

 but to have strong stalks in winter the seedlings should haye 

 two summers' growth. We will put a tew more lumps into the 



