Ch. XL v.] THE COTTAGERS GARDEN. 557 



wards cleared, manured, dug, and planted with cabbage colewort, 

 sown IVom the beginuinj^ to the end of June. 

 " Bed, No. 7. — Celery, sown in the middle of March, will remain all winter. The 

 ground in spring to be sown with peas. 



"' No. 8. — Potatoes, planted in the middle of April, winter cropped with savoys 

 and borecale, Scotch-kale, and turnips. 



'* No. 9. — Potatoes and radishes, spring crop. To be sown and planted with dif- 

 ferent kinds of lettuce as the potatoes are taken up. 



'• No. 10. — Turnips; the first part to be sown with early stone, about the 1st of 

 April. The second about the 1st of May. 



" No. 11. — Kidney beans to be planted from the middle of April till June. 



" No. 12 is a walk. 



" It will be seen that, by following this method of cropping, the greater 

 part of the ground will bear two crops in a year. Several tilings may 

 occm" to prevent the directions given in the plan from being followed 

 exactly; for instance, carrots will not come to any kind of perfection on a 

 clayey soil; if there is any portion of light soil in the garden, it ought to 

 be chosen for them. No good crops can be expected without the earth is 

 well dug, and often moved about whilst the plants are growing, to let in the 

 moisture and warmth, and loosen the earth, that the roots may grow. 

 Nothing is said about weeding — wherever weeds are allowed to grow, they 

 must of course grow in the place of the crops, and there cannot be weeds 

 and good crops together." 



Notwithstanding the business of gardening, whetlier belonging to a palace 

 or a cottage, is governed by a set of rules, deduced from experience, regulating 

 the operations as to the times and manner of performance ; and though, 

 by attending to them, the cottager cannot do much amiss, yet it should be 

 understood that a good gardener is never bound exactly to rules ; discretion 

 must often be exercised. There are many particulars which, if known and 

 attended to, augment considerably the annual produce of any given spot of 

 ground. This is accomplished by studying well the nature of the crops — 

 how they may succeed each other, and by taking care that no ground be 

 suffered to remain unnecessarily vacant in the growing season. As soon as 

 one crop is nearly fit for use another should be in readiness to take its 

 place. All vegetables that may be used at any stage of their growth, as 

 cabbage, lettuce, onions, &c., may be sown or planted in drills, on ground in- 

 tended for other crops ; for as soon as the first begins to encroach injuriously 

 on the second, it may be drawn for use. For instance, the ground intended 

 to be sown with ])eas or beans, in the spring, may be digged in the autumn, 

 and immediately planted with coleworts, in double rows, at such distances 

 as will admit beans to be dibbled, or peas drilled between, in January and 

 February. So, also, before bean or pea haulm is cleared away, in summer, 

 the spaces between the rows may be digged and planted with cabbage, or 

 any other winter crop. By such processes, together with the facilities 

 afforded by the row culture of putting in intermediate crops, much more 

 may be made of a limited piece of ground than can possibly be raised 

 where broad-casting seeds prevails. It is true that onions, radish, and let- 

 tuce are broad-casted together; and, if attention be paid to draw away the 

 radish and lettuce in time, the onions suffer no injury. This, though 

 allowed in cottage gardening, is suitable but for few kinds of vegetables ; 

 and is not to be generally recommended, except when confined for want of 

 room. 



Although the cottager may amuse himself by cultivating a variety of 

 vegetables, he must not neglect the more useful kinds, for they will require 

 unceasing attention ; and the potato, cabbage, savoy, onion, carrot, pars- 



