178 THE FORCING GARDEN. 



tan is very liable to produce a most destructive fungus, 

 which I have mentioned before. If, therefore, some 

 old tan is first put upon the new bed, and then the 

 earth, no fungus will get through to the surface of it. 



It is as well to let the heat rise before sowing the 

 seed, as it is best for Carrot seed to be stimulated to 

 cause quick germination. The surface soil should be 

 fine and half dry, and should it get quite dry, a light 

 sprinkling may be done in the morning with a fine rose 

 waterpot. As soon as the seed is well up, which will be 

 in the course of a fortnight, admit a little air by day. 

 If cold nights come on, lay mats on the sashes, and if 

 sharp frosts ensue, first cover the sashes with dry hay 

 and then a mat. The Short-horn and James's Inter- 

 mediate Carrot will be the best sorts for this purpose. 



When the Carrots are drawn, some soot and salt 

 may be sown over the bed, in the proportion of one 

 pound of salt to three or four pounds of soot well 

 mixed for each perch of ground, and well worked into 

 the soil for five or six inches deep, and the Carrot seed 

 sown a second time. This will probably be about 

 March when young Carrots will be obtained a second 

 time from the same bed, long before any can be had 

 from the open ground. Soot and salt are no doubt the 

 best manure that can be had for Carrots, and for the 

 open ground two pounds of salt to the same quantity of 

 soot may be used. 



DWARF FEENCH BEANS. 



To get this desirable vegetable early whenever it 

 can be accomplished is no doubt the great wish of 

 most persons. The term ' forcing ' may be classed into 



