MONTHLY CALENDAR. 2o5 



potatoes will root into the dung of the old bed and be very fine : give these 

 plenty of air, but never allow them to get frosted. 



631. French Beans may still be sown as described last month, or they may 

 be placed in an old hotbed fresh lined. As the season advances, they will 

 require less heat, but will not do out of doors yet. Radishes, if sown now 

 on a slight hotbed, will come in much earlier than those in cold frames. 



632. Now is the time for making a hotbed for sowing ridge cucumbers, 

 vegetable marrows, tomatoes, capsicums, and such plants. Those who have 

 hotbeds in operation may sow these seeds in pots, and put them in the frames ; 

 otherwise it is necessary to make a bed for them. The advantage of the pit 

 made of fagots, as described page 1 85, will be apparent : in raising things of 

 this kind, the linings are more effective, and such beds will last several years, the 

 fagots only sinking a httle. Although it is advisable to get the dung, or begin to 

 prepare it this month, it is not desirable to sow the seed till March ; and even 

 the third or fourth week is time enough ; for these cannot be planted in the open 

 air till quite the latter end of May, unless hand-glasses are used to cover them, 

 and they are planted in a little heat, when they may be trusted out earlier ; 

 but March is quite early enough to raise them. 



633. Early Carrots may be sown, for succession, on a slight hotbed ; and very 

 dwarf peas also, which may be treated in the same way as French beans, 

 mustard cress, and lettuces, for succession. Some roots of mint, horseradish, 

 dandelion, or chicory, may be potted and placed in a hotbed : some use them 

 as salads. All but mint should be blanched, by covering from the light ; for 

 ■which purpose flowerpots will do : some parsley roots, jDotted up and placed in 

 heat, may also be useful. 



634. Stixncherry Plants in pots placed in heat now will fruit in April : they 

 will want liquid manure, occasionally, to keep them in vigour. Plants in cold 

 pits or frames should be looked over often, dead leaves picked out, slugs and 

 other pests destroyed. Cauliflowers, corn-salad, parsley, endive, lettuces, &c., 

 in cold frames, should have the earth stirred between them occasionally ; they 

 should have every ray of sunshine, and be uncovered entirely in mild weather. 

 Pick out dead leaves, and water if needful, but beware of over-wetting. 



635. Seedling Beds. — Cauliflower, lettuce, cabbage, broccoli, radish, carrrot, 

 onions, beet, &c., may be made in the cold pit or frame ; they will not come 

 on so quickly as those sown in heat, but will be earlier than those sown out- 

 doors. It may be desirable now to commence raising flowering plants and ten- 

 der annuals, for which purpose the fagot-pit will be useful. It is not well to 

 begin too early, unless an abundance of manure is at hand ; for be it known, 

 that the earlier begun, the more dung to maintain the heat is required : but 

 we may enter at greater length into this subject next month. 



636. I have grown melons, both in frames and in an ordinary melon-pit ;. 

 the latter is best for a main crop ; but to have them early, a hotbed and frame 

 is the next best thing to hot-water pits. In training them in a frame, have two 

 plants under the middle, and each light placed close together ; stop them at 

 the second leaf, when each plant will throw out three shoots, which are trained 



