January 



Asparagus beds should be heavily manured, but the beds need 

 not be dug. Be content to lay the manure on, and the rains will 

 wash the stimulant down to the roots in due time. In gardens near 

 the coast seaweed is the best of manure for Asparagus, and the use 

 of salt can then be dispensed with. 



Beans may be sown in frames, and towards the end of the month 

 in the open quarters. Most of the Longpod section are nearly as 

 early as the smaller sorts, and far more profitable. But the smaller 

 sorts are prized for their elegance on the table, and they occupy 

 but little space to give a very fair return. Sow on ground deeply 

 dug and well manured. 



Cabbage may be planted out at any time when weather permits, 

 provided you possess, or can obtain, the plants ; and it is of the utmost 

 importance to secure them from a reliable source, or varieties may be 

 planted which will in a few weeks send up flower-stems instead of 

 forming tender hearts. At every season of the year vacant plots 

 should be kept going with a few breadths of Cabbage. With our 

 variable climate they may be acceptable, even in the height of summer, 

 if there has been a hard run upon other vegetables, or some im- 

 portant crop has failed outright. 



Cauliflower may be sown on a gentle hot-bed, or in a pan in 

 the greenhouse, or even in a frame, to make a start for planting out 

 in March or April. 



Cress, to be enjoyed, must be produced from a constant suc- 

 cession of small but frequent sowings. All the sorts are good, but 

 different in flavour, and they should be used only while young and 

 tender. Sow at intervals of a few days in pans, as in the case of 

 Mustard, until it is possible to cultivate in the open air, and then 

 give a shady position during summer on a mellow and rather moist 

 soil. 



Cucumbers are never ready too soon to meet the demand in 

 early spring. They are grown in houses more or less adapted to 

 their requirements, and also in frames over hot-beds. At this time 

 of year, however, frames are somewhat troublesome to manage, and 

 in trying weather they are a little hazardous, although later in the 

 season there is no difficulty whatever with them. For the present, 

 therefore, we shall confine our remarks to house culture. Almost 

 any greenhouse may be made to answer, but the work can be carried 

 on most successfully and with the greatest economy in houses which 

 are expressly constructed for Cucumbers. For winter work a lean-to, 

 facing south, possesses special advantages. But for general utility, 



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