306 THE KITCHEN-GARDEN. [APRI V : 



under hand or bell-glasses. For this purpose, make trenches three 

 feet wide, and two deep, in a warm dry part of the garden, and fiil 

 them, to the surface, with good fresh horse dung, as directed in Ja- 

 nuary for other hot-beds ; then you may either earth them direct- 

 ly, or in two or three days after, when the dung will be settled, and 

 the heat arisen to the top of the bed, laying from seven to nine 

 inches thick of ligTit rich earth over every part. 



When this is done and all the surface made smooth, lay on your 

 hand or bell -glasses, in the middle of the ridge, four feet asunder, 

 and keep them close down, till the dung has thoroughly warmed the 

 earth, then proceed to put in the plants. 



You may plant under each glass two strong melon plants, or three 

 cucumbers ; observing if possible, to remove and plant them with 

 balls of earth about their roots. 



As soon as they are planted, let them be moderately watered, and 

 directly set on the glasses : if sunny weather, and the sun power- 

 ful, shade them a little with a mat over each glass ; and repeat the 

 waterings occasionally,, once or twice a week, according to the de- 

 gree of warmth in the bed, and temperature of the weather"; but 

 let moderation be always observed, in performing this work, espe- 

 cially when newly planted. 



When the plants are well taken with the ground and growing 

 freely, give them plenty of air, by raising the glasses on one side, 

 and when they have grown so large as to run out under the glasses, 

 let these be raised on brick-bats, stones or pieces of wood, to give 

 full liberty to the plants, and do not take them off totally, till to- 

 wards the end of May. 



Cucumber and melon seeds may be sown about the middle of 

 this month, on ridges made as above, and protected with glasses ; 

 these will be much earlier, than if sown in the beginning of May, 

 in the open ground, and much more profitable to market'gardeners> 



Planting Cauliflowers. 



la order to have cauliflowers in good perfection, you must be- 

 provided with stout early plants, such as are strong, and, in the 

 middle states, perfectly fit for planting out, early in this month : 

 being furnished with these, select a piece of very rich loam, rather, 

 inclining to moisture, but by no means wet, and such as will not be 

 subject, either to burn or become stiff and bound by severe drought, 

 always avoiding sa^id, or clay, as much as possible ; give it at least, 

 four or five inches deep of well rotted cow-dung, or if this cannot 

 be had, other old manure ^ dig or trench it one good spade or 

 eighteen inches deep, incorporating the manure effectually there- 

 with, as you proceed in the digging or trenching. 



Then in the first week of this month, take up your plants, which 

 \yere managed as directed in the preceding months, with a trans - 

 planter or hollow trowel, one by one, preserving as much earth as 

 possible about their roots, and plant them down to their leaves, in 

 rows three feet asunder, and the same distance, plant from plant,, in 

 the rows, forming a little hollow (bason like) about eight inchei 



