THE GARDEN WEEK BY WEEK 



Jan. an example, one of the nicest crops that I ever had was 

 1^31 grown on a bench in a potting shed through which a 

 hot-water pipe ran. The bench was covered with slates, 

 and the roots were packed in soil upon them. The only 

 real danger in such circumstances is that of the soil 

 getting dry, and this matter needs careful watching. It 

 is a good plan to use tepid water. At the worst, a few 

 roots of Rhubarb can be forced out of doors by putting 

 an old basket or box over the stools, and covering it with 

 manure fresh from the stable. A good way of getting 

 some very fine Rhubarb fairly early (although not so 

 early as under glass or with manure), is to get an empty 

 barrel of a cheap kind, take out the bottom, and stand it 

 over one of the stools when growth begins in spring. 

 The stems grow up strongly in the barrels. This is a 

 favourite plan with cottagers. 



Early Summer Cauliflowers. — The Cauliflower is the 

 sweetest of all the Greens, and it is also, I think, the most 

 fastidious. Any way, people come to grief with it who 

 might be expected, from their general experience of 

 vegetables, to succeed. The fact is, they treat it in a 

 Cabbagy sort of way because it is a relative of the 

 Cabbage — sow it anyhow and anywhere, let it get scraggy 

 before they plant it out, and so on. The Cauliflower 

 will not stand that sort of thing. It needs more care. 

 If an amateur wants some tender and delicious young 

 Cauliflowers in early summer, he had better take the 

 plant seriously, just as he would Begonias, and sow in 

 boxes of fine, moist soil under glass now. The seed 

 should be sprinkled very thinly in shallow drills drawn 

 two inches apart from front to back. A shallow heated 

 pit, a warm frame, or a shelf in a heated greenhouse wmII 

 be a suitable place. When the seedlings are growing 

 they will need plenty of air. and the soil must be kept 

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