FEBRUARY. 



604 



FEBRUARY. 



will transplant them from the seed bed to 

 the prepared ground. It is far better to 

 sow in drills, and then to thin the crop at 

 intervals, for the thinnings are always 

 useful as salading, &c. 



Parsley. This may be sown in drills, or 

 broadcast, or as edgings, or between dwarf 

 or short-lived crops. The seed should be 

 but slightly covered, trodden or pressed in, 

 according to the state of the soil, and 

 raked evenly. It takes several weeks to 

 germinate at this season of the year. 



Peas. Crops which are advancing 

 should be earthed up, both to protect and 

 strengthen them. A dusting now and then 

 with lime will protect from birds and 

 mice ; or white worsted stretched along 

 the rows will do so, if rightly managed. 

 Dwarf peas may always be grown advan- 

 tageously where sticks are an object, and 

 these may be sown closer together ; but 

 where sticks or hurdles can be obtained, 

 it is no saving to grow without them, for 

 the taller sorts, which grow six or eight 

 feet high, bear most enormously if in good 

 soil and mulched. 



Peas, Protettion of. One way of pro- 

 tecting peas by lines of cotton or worsted 

 is to have some half-circular pieces of 

 board, a foot wide, with pegs nailed to 

 them to thrust into the ground ; then have 

 five or six small nails on the upper edge 

 at regular distances ; these are fixed into 

 the ground at each end of the row, and as 

 many lines of worsted as there are nails 

 passed over the peas. This covers them 

 completely in. Others lay branchy sticks 

 over them. Some sow rather thickly and 

 leave them fully exposed, affirming that by 

 allowing for loss, the others are not drawn 

 up, thus avoiding more covering than is 

 necessary to insure a good crop. 



Pot Herbs. Chervil may be sown about 

 the end of this month, and also other pot 

 herbs, as savory, marjoram, coriander, and 

 hyssop ; unless it is desired to have them 



very early, however, it is as well to defer 

 sowing these till next month. They are 

 mostly very slow in germinating. 



Potato Onions, Shallots, &c. The bulbs 

 may now be set for multiplication by off- 

 sets in ground not too heavily manured. 

 Shallots should be set in rows 12 inches 

 apart, 8 inches between each plant, and 2 

 inches below the soil. Potato onions 

 should be placed at the same depth, but 

 the distance between the rows should be 

 15 inches, and between the sets 9 inches. 



Potatoes, Early. These may be planted 

 on a south border, or under a wall having 

 a sunny aspect. At this time it is well to 

 plant middling-sized tubers whole. The 

 early tops are apt to get cut off by spring 

 frosts ; but they bear none the less for it, 

 and they may be recovered, if not too 

 severely frozen, by watering with cold 

 water before the sun is up. When plant- 

 ing at this season, it is better to place the 

 tubers at a depth of 6 inches below the 

 surface, and, if the weather be very frosty, 

 to spread thick litter or boughs over the 

 ground. It assists very much to throw the 

 ground up in ridges running east and west, 

 and to plant on the south side of the 

 ridge. 



Radishes. In mild, open weather, a 

 sowing of radish is made ; and to protect 

 them from birds and frost cover lightly 

 with straw or fern, uncovering the beds 

 occasionally in mild weather. Although 

 they are best when sown in frames, they 

 do very well on a warm border. 



Rhubarb. Fresh plantations of rhubarb 

 may be made now, the roots being placed 

 at least a yard apart every way, if more 

 than one row of roots is wanted. 



Routine Work. The operations in the 

 kitchen garden in February will depend 

 very much on the weather, and must be 

 regulated by it. It is useless to attempt to 

 dig, plant, and sow in wet weather, for the 

 ground will cling in masses to the feet of 



