LECT. vii QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 107 



QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 



Q. You advocate the thin sowing of seed for raising almost 

 all crops ; can you give an idea of the quantity of seed to sow 

 a given extent of ground ? 



A. One sturdy plant of any kind is worth ten tall weaklings, 

 the result of overcrowding. Half an ounce of such small seed 

 as cabbage, cauliflowers, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, kale, savoys, 

 and turnips is ample for sowing broadcast over a bed of five 

 square yards ; but no one can err by sowing in drills six inches 

 apart and not more than an inch deep, the seeds not touching 

 each other in them. It is prudent to sow a portion of the seed, 

 as soon as the ground is in suitable condition, in March, and the 

 remainder about three weeks later. Cabbage seed must also be 

 sown about the middle of July and again during the first week 

 in August for the chief crops in spring and early summer. 



Q. Will you please name a few good varieties of the different 

 kinds of vegetables mentioned ? 



A. Cabbage : Ellam's Early for sowing in July ; Enfield 

 Market for sowing in August ; Early York is good for sowing 

 in spring, and the Rosette Colewort from the middle to the 

 end of May. Cauliflower : Snowball, small, early ; Autumn 

 Giant, large, late. Broccoli : Winter Mammoth and Leaming- 

 ton ; for later use Model and Sutton's Late Queen, but these 

 occupy the ground till May. Brussels sprouts : Exhibition. 

 Kale : Cottager's and Dwarf Curled. Savoys : Early Ulm and 

 Dwarf Green curled. Turnips : Early Milan for the first sow- 

 ing, Snowball to follow, Orange Jelly or Red Globe for sowing 

 after midsummer for autumn and winter use. 



Q. Similar information about other kinds alluded to in the 

 lecture would be useful, such as peas and beans, what sorts to 

 get, when to sow, and how much seed to place in a certain length 

 of row. 



A. A pint of small early peas will sow a row sixty feet long, 

 the larger and later sorts a length of eighty feet. Chelsea Gem 

 is a good early dwarf for growing, with or without sticks, in rows 

 eighteen inches apart. William I., early, three feet high; 

 Sharpe's Queen and Stratagem, later but better, about the same 

 height. Duke of Albany, four or five feet, fine. Ne Plus 

 Ultra, five to six feet, superior quality. Sow the early sorts 

 on the first fine day in February, following with any others as 



