CHAP. XI VILLA GARDENING 445 



excellent vegetable, well - flavoured aud succiileut, it lacks the 

 deei3-greeii colom- aud pecidiar flavour of the real Spinach. This 

 Spinach Beet is much used iu some districts, with Thyme and 

 Parsley, for stutting corned beef. Still another substitute for the 

 summer Spinach is found in the Giant Okach, or Moimtain 

 Spinach, which is sown in spring, and the young leaves and tops 

 gathered as required. 



The Winter Spinach should be sown in August, early or 

 late in the month, accortliug to locality and climate. I always 

 sow twice — the first early in August and the last in September. 

 The produce of the fii-st crop is fit to gather in autumn and 

 through the winter. The last sowing is exceedingly valuable in 

 spring, continuing to make a new growth up till June. The 

 prickly-seeded variety is commonly used for winter, but a kind 

 called the Flanders has been much recommended of late years. 

 The winter Spinach — with me at least — succeeds best on land that 

 has been well manured for a previous crop, such as Potatoes. The 

 best plan is to dress the land with soot and lime, hoe it deeply, 

 draw drills 1 5 inches apart, and sow the seeds thinly. On land 

 so treated the crop does not foil from canker, as sometimes happens 

 when the land has been freshly manured and worked. It is well 

 known to cidtivators that some retentive soils are drier and warmer 

 if not deeply worked in autimin, when it is intended to sow a crop 

 immediately, especially if it is liable to canker in a cold retentive 

 soil. As soon as the plants are fairly up thin out to 6 inches 

 apart (or more if very large leaves are desired), and keep the soil 

 between and around them frequently stirred, as this not only keeps 

 down weeds but helps forward growth. 



Transplanting Spinach, though not common, may, if desired, 

 or if there is a necessity for it, be successfidly done. The plants 

 should be moved before they become too large. Lift them with a 

 fork, so that the roots may come away intact. Plant with a 

 dibble, and, if the soil is dry, water well to settle it around them. 

 Only the winter Spinach will succeed when transplanted. The 

 Spinach is dioecious — i.e. its male and female flowers are borne on 

 separate plants. Saving seeds is not ditticult, but it is hardly 

 necessary, as enough for a large supply may be bought for a small 

 sum. There are several varieties of the Round or Summer Spinach 

 oflFered, some of which are improvements on the old form. 



Mercury, or Good King Henry. — This is a hardy British 

 plant, much grown in the gardens of Lincolnshire, the leaves being 

 gathered and cooked like Spinach, and the young shoots in spring 

 treated like Asparagus. It likes a deep rich soil and top-dressings 

 of manure, with occasional soakings of liquid manure. The plant 



