EXTRACTS. oi * 



•* ' Adam,' said Mr. Stock, ' do you remember who Octavius Ca;sar was 

 called— the first of the Roman Emperors!' ' Yes, papa; he afterwards took 

 the name of Augustus.' ' Well, then, the title, of the preseut month was 

 changed in honotir of him. Before his advancement to the dominion of the 

 Roman Empire, July and August used to be called Quintilis, and Sextilis, or 

 filth and sixth months, being the fifth and sixth in succession from March, 

 which was, originally, the first of the year : and, inconsequence, September, 

 October, November, and December were considered, as their names signify 

 iu Latin, the seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth months. 



" ' Come, my boy. we must set to work, and prepare yonder bed for. the 

 purpose of sowing some winter Spinach for our early spring crop. That bed, 

 1 mean, under the south wall; it is a good piece of soil, and lies dry and well 

 for the winter sun. Now, you shall do all this yourself; so dig it up iu your 

 neatest manner, and next week you shall sow the seed. Scatter it thinly over 

 the surface, then tread it in, and, lastly, rake it over lightly. If we have 

 good fortune with the seed, we shall have a line erop of Spinach for our din- 

 ners of early lamb, and many a good supper of it with poached eggs. I will 

 now give you full directions for managing this Spinach-bed, in order that I 

 may prove whether you bear in mind what I tell yon. So, remember that you 

 get the prickly seeded Spinach for the winter crop, because the plants are 

 more hardy. Then, do not forget, when the plants have come up about an 

 iuch above the ground, to weed the bed at the same time thinning it, leaving 

 a space of about four inches between each plant of Spinach. While you are 

 performing this task, I will be preparing two beds for sowing cabbage seed for 

 our next summer and autumn supply; and then I will prepare and manure 

 that piece of ground for transplanting some of the young brocoli plants, which 

 will be coming into perfection next spring with the lamb and spinach. I shall 

 plant them about two feet asunder, and you must remind me to water them 

 now and then, if the weather continue dry. I must also hoe up the earth 

 round the stems of those which we planted out last mouth. After this job, I 

 shall transplant some of those savoys, at the same distance from each other, 

 and 1 expect many a fine dish from them, all through November, December, 

 and January. 



" 'The next thing will be 1o prepare a bed or two for onions, to come in 

 with our spring sallads, and some carrots. As you and your brothers and 

 sisters are fond of radishes and small salad, you may prepare a small bed for 

 each. They will be ready for cropping by the time you have consumed the 

 last stock. And do not forget to remind me, towards the last of the month, 

 that I kw some cauliflower-seed for our spring supply.' 



" In the course of the present month, both the father and son did not omit 

 i th. young asparagus plants from weeds, and to transplant more 

 a l.-ry from the beds into trenches; also to keep carefully earthed up those 

 which they had planted out a month or two previously, and which were gro«» 

 ing. Tbey were also careful in watering regularly, while the weather was 

 dry, those young plants which they had last trenched. In the course of their 

 employment, too, they examined every now and then the artichokes, and as 

 the fruit began to fill, they cut oft' the small heads that grewupon the suckers, 

 in order that the whole vigour of the plant might be reserved for the principal 

 fruit. And as these reached their full size, and were fit for the table, they 

 broke the stems down to the ground, after cutting the produce. Then they 

 planted out httuces from the seed beds, and endive upon well-dug ground, 

 siting the rets about a foot apart, first trimming the lower ends and the 

 roots. 'J hoie winch had bei n put out last month, and had grown to a full 

 size, they tie. I up closely with bass, iif order that their inner leaves might 

 becom e white and lit fur salad*. 



" ' Paaa/ said Adam, why are the insides of the endive plants white after 

 ... i ■ .ii tnd upr ' Became,' said bis father * they are deprived of the 

 benefit of the light of the sun, which is absolutely necessary for i;iv ing to them 

 the green ting* which they acquire when growing in a natural state. Have 

 yon iii. i observed, that the stalks of potatoes, and of other vegetables imme- 

 umler tin- surface of the ground, are always white, and that the parts 

 of the same M* m above the ground are green, that is, when they art growing 



Vol. II. 



