A Year's Work in the Vegetable Garden 



the first move of vegetation this delicious vegetable will come into 

 use, and will generally be of finer quality than if forced. It happens, 

 however, to be the easiest of all things to force, and so, wherever it is 

 cared for, a plentiful supply may be maintained from Christmas (or 

 earlier) until May. As the leaf-stems must be thoroughly blanched, 

 covering is needful in all cases. 



Spinach may be sown in open quarters. If the frost destroys 

 the plant sow again. Some risk must be encountered for an early 

 dish of this highly-prized vegetable. The autumn-sown Spinach 

 must be kept clear of weeds, and in gathering (if it happens to be 

 fit to supply a gathering), pick off the leaves separately with a little 

 care. 



Tomato. Of the immense value of the Tomato as an article 

 of diet we need say nothing, but we may confidently affirm that its 

 merits for decorative purposes have not as yet been fully recognised. 

 Long racemes of brilliant glossy fruit are sometimes employed with 

 striking effect in epergnes, and there is a natural fitness in using them 

 for decorating the dinner table. All the Tomatoes can be grown 

 and ripened under glass in almost any fashion which may suit the 

 cultivator's convenience. Pits, frames, vineries, and Peach houses 

 will bring the fruit to perfection, either in pots or planted out. 

 Magnificent crops are also grown in the manner usual with 

 Cucumbers, but in a lower temperature ; and those who have an 

 early Cucumber house at liberty during the summer may turn it to 

 good account for Tomatoes. The soil should be prepared and laid 

 up in the autumn. It must not be too rich, or there will be much 

 foliage and little fruit, and the flowering will also be late. A compost 

 of leaf-mould and loam with an addition of sand will suit Tomatoes 

 admirably; but raw manure should be regarded as poison. Sow 

 thinly in well-drained pots firmly filled with soil. Barely cover the 

 seed with fine earth, and place the pots in a temperature of 60 or 

 65. When large enough to handle, transfer the seedlings to small 

 pots, and, if necessary, shade them for a few days. Keep them near 

 the glass until the roots are established, and allow them to suffer no 

 check from first to last. 



FEBRUARY 



THE work of this month is to be carried on as weather permits, 

 but with greater activity and more confidence, for the sun is fast 



