802 CALENDARIAL INDEX. 



by the time they would naturally make their first appearance above gi ound. 

 This may well be done by adopting Mr. Armstrong's method, with regard to 

 melons, 202. Attend to your fruit m your fruit-room or cellar, on shelves or in 

 boxes, and, if necessary, pick it over, and cull out whatever is defective; wipe 

 the remainder dry, and pack it away anew. But if it is put down in some sort 

 of gra'n, dry sand, flax-seed chaff, or, what is probably best of ail, pulverized 

 plaster of Paris, you will not need to meddle with it. You may now, perhaps, 

 begin to force asparagus in hot-beds, 28. Sow under glass cases, (or transplanting 

 or otherwise, radishes, carrots, small salads, peas, beans, &c. Protect choice 

 plants, which may show a disposition to vegetate, by matting, litter, cases of 

 wicker, old bark, and other proper means. 



MARCH. 



Lettuce may be sowed in the open ground as soon as frost will permit, 191. 

 li may be sowed between vacant rows, intended for oilier plants, and pulled out 

 for use before the other plants are large enough to be encumbered by it. Early 

 peas cannot be planted too soon after the ground is thawed, 226. Radishe's 

 may be sowed as soon as the seeds can be raked in. Sow cabbages, cucum- 

 bers, melons, cauliflowers, sauashes, &c. in hot-beds, under glasses, &c., 84, 149, 

 202. Dig up vacant ground, applying manure. Dress borders, and clip edg- 

 ings of box. Clean, relay, or make new gravel walks. Attend to, and turn 

 over compost beds. Dress asparagus beds, or make new ones the latter part 

 of mis month or the beginning of April, 22. Select from your cellar the best 

 cabbages with heads, and set them in some proper place to stand for seed. Set 

 the different kinds remote from each other, to prevent their mixing at the time 

 of blossoming. Likewise, set some of your best cabbage stumps for early salad 

 and greens. If the ground is moist, set shallow ; if dry, place them about six 

 inches deep. Small salading, such as cresses, 80, 81, mustard, 207, 208, radish, 

 260, &c., when a constant supply is wanted, should be sown once a week or 

 fortnight. Celery, for an early crop, may be sown in this month, though the 

 principal sowing had better be deferred til) April, 74. Artichokes should be 

 sowed as early as the season will permit, 18, and horse-radish, 159. 



APRIL. 



In the Eastern Stales, generally, and in those parts of the Middle States where 

 '.oe ground is naturally somewhat moist and heavy, this is the mouth for sowing 

 toe principal garden" crops. Sow the hardy kinds as soil, site and season will 

 permit, that the plants may be firmly established before they are overtaken by 

 the heat and drought of summer. But a stiff and moist soil should never, on 

 any account, be dug, ploughed or harrowed when it is so wet as to be clammy 

 and adhesive. On th.- other hand, a light, sandy soil will be meliorated by be- 

 ing hoed, or otherwise wrought on while moist. 



" Earth of a consistence that will hold water longest without becoming hard 

 tcJtendry, is that of all others the best adapted for raising the generality of 

 plants in the greatest perfection. The great art of improving sandy and clay 

 soils is to give to the former such dressings of clay, cow-dung, and other kinds 

 *of manure, as will haVe a tendency to bind and make it more compact, and, 

 consequently, more retentive of moisture ; and, to the latter, coats of sandy 

 earth, pond mud, horse dung," &,c. M' Mohan. 



Sow artichokes, 18, asparagus, 22, horse, or garden beans, 33, kidney beans, 

 36, beets, 40, the last of this month, or the first of next, borecole, 51, Brussels 

 sprouts, 55; sow cabbage seed, 60, set out cabbage plants, 61. sow cardoons, 67, 

 carrots, 68, cauliflowers, 72, celery, 74, coleworts, 79, succession-crops of cresses, 

 80, 81 , cucumbers in hollowed turnips placed in a hot-bed, 87, or in pots un- 

 der hand-glasses, &,c. ; propagate fruit-trees by cuttings, 95. You may set out a 

 few dandelion plants in your garden, 97, and let us know how you succeed in 

 attempting to domesticate them. Look out for, and destroy insects, 169 ; sow a 

 liltlc early summer endive, 105, fennel, 108; propagate garlic, 136, leeks. 190 



