42 PRACTICAL GARDENING. 



cultivation, both, equally proper in their way, but the one 

 comprising all the arts required to bring things before their 

 time, the other trusting to the proper season only, and hus- 

 banding both time and money: the former adapted to the 

 enthusiastic gardener, who aims to beat the seasons, and often 

 succeeds ; the other is the wiser course for the cottage gar- 

 dener, who works for profitable crops, and will risk nothing 

 for the speculative gratification of either ambition or appetite. 

 But the plan of operations is the same both ways ; the dif- 

 ference is, that one sows half-a-dozen crops of peas, radishes, 

 and other vegetables, before the other sows at all. Let us, 

 then, look at the general directions for the proper season, and 

 the only difference will be, that one must use a hand-glass, a 

 frame, litter, hoops and mats, or some other protection, while 

 the other lets everything take its chance. 



Cropping. — Every one of the cabbage tribe — savoys, 

 picklers, Brussels sprouts, Scotch kale, cauliflowers, and bro- 

 coli, of all the kinds — should be sown on a seed-bed. Let 

 the beds for this purpose be four feet '\\'ide, with eighteen- 

 inch alleys between ; let them be well dug and dressed, and 

 the earth well pulverized. Divide these beds into as many 

 compartments as you intend to sow varieties ; and, laying 

 down a couple of old sacks, so as to leave only the part to be 

 sown exposed, sow the sorts of seed thinly, but evenly, to fill 

 up the allotted space, either raking it in, or sifting enough 

 fiiie soil over it to cover the seed ; by removing one sack close 

 up to the other, you will cover the sown part as far as you 

 have gone, and then remove the other sack from the place 

 unsown to the distance you want to occupy with the next sort 

 of seed. Li this way you may fill up your beds, and yet keep 

 each sort of seed very distinct. "\Yhen this sowing is done, 

 you may occupy other spaces in the garden with carrots, 

 spinach, onions, leeks, and other vegetables that have not to 

 be moved ; and at a later season the beet and parsnips ; beans 

 and peas may be sown any time, French beans rather late, 

 scarlet beans last ; also radishes and small salad, herbs, let- 

 tuces, and other subjects likely to be wanted. But we have 

 more to do with the practical part of the work than we have 

 with the seasons, which we have shown may be adapted to 

 please others. 



Pricking out. — When all the cabbage tribe, brocoli, kale, 

 and other things for planting out, have come up, and are 



