28 % THE KITCHEN GARDEN. [JAN. 



early season, in young green shoots, for salads and mint-sauce, &c. 

 A bed for a small or middling garden frame, of one or two lights, 

 may be sufficient for supply of a moderate family ; and in general 

 about two feet thick of dung ; set on the frame, and lay about four 

 or five inches deep of earth on the bed, ready for planting. 



Then having some roots of common spear-mint, place them upon 

 the surface, pretty thick, and cover them with earth about an inch 

 and a half deep; or you may place the roots in drills, and draw the 

 earth over them. 



The mint will appear in about a week or fortnight, and will be in 

 fine order for mint-sauce, &c., and either to use alone as a salad, or 

 to mix among other small herbs. 



By the same means you may obtain green tansy and tarragon. 



SMALL SALADING. 



Make a slight hot-bed, in which to sow the different sorts of small 

 salading, such as cresses, mustard, radish and rape, and likewise let- 

 tuce, to cut while young. 



The hot-bed for these seeds need not be more than about two feet 

 thick of dung, and must be covered with a frame and glasses. The 

 earth must be light and dry, and laid about four or five or six inches 

 thick on the bed ; then let small shallow flat drills be drawn from 

 the back to the front of the bed; sow the seed therein, each sort 

 separately, and very thick, covering them not more than a quarter of 

 an inch deep with earth; or, if but just covered, is sufficient, and the 

 plants will rise more expeditious and regular ; or the seed may be 

 sown thick all over the surface of the bed, each sort separate ; smooth 

 it down with the spade, then sift as much light earth over as will 

 just cover it, as above observed, and directly put on the glasses ; or 

 in want of frames and lights, may use hand-glasses, observing in 

 general to cover the glasses every night, and in severe frosty weather, 

 with mats or straw litter, &c. 



As soon as the plants appear, give them as much air as the state 

 of the weather will admit of, by raising the glasses on props ; other- 

 wise they will be apt to mould or fog, and spoil as fast as they come 

 up. 



It must be remembered that where a regular succession of these 

 small herbs is required for salad, should repeat the sowings, at least 

 once a fortnight. 



If you have not hot dung to spare to make hot-beds for this pur- 

 pose, may sow in a sloping bed of natural earth, under a shallow gar- 

 den frame, covered with glasses: allotting for this occasion some 

 warm compartments of rich earth in the full sun : preparing it in a 

 sloping manner fronting the south, a foot higher on the north side 

 than in front. Set a frame thereon, sinking the back part, &c., so 

 as to have the whole surface of the earth within six or eight inches 

 of the glasses ; sow the salading, put on the glasses, cover them care- 

 fully with mats, &c., at night and in very severe weather, and you 

 need not doubt of success ; though, generally, a hot-bed will always 

 prove the most effectually successful on this occasion. 



