THE GENESEE FARMER. 



159 



s£: 



Ijortlrultural gfj);iriniciit. 



HOaXICULTUSAL OPERATIONS FOR MAY. 



The multiplicity of little thincrs to be attended to 

 this month, such as ventilating and sliutting up green 

 houses and hot bed frames, at sudden changes of the 

 weather ; shading, watering, fumigating with tobac- 

 co to kill the green fly on plants under glass; sticking 

 and tying, cleaning and turning, washing the leaves, 

 re-potting some and planting out other plants, make 

 it for the gardi ner the busiest one in the year, 



As a general thing, all the garden ground, where 

 not already done, should be highly manured and 

 spaded up as soon as possible ; for this is the time for 

 sowing the main crops of hardy vegetables. For 

 email seeds and dawrf-growing crops, as onions, car- 

 rots, parsneps, dwarf beans, spinach, salsify, lettuce, 

 radish, mustai-d and cres^, &c., the ground should be 

 laid out in beds five or six feet wide, with alleys two 

 feet wide and their edges cut even to preserve a neat 

 appearance. For tall growing plants, as peas, Lima 

 beans, sweet corn, and others of procumbent habit, as 

 cucumbers, melons, squash, &c., the ground can be 

 laid out in large squares. 



Peas — As soon as the ground is ready, stretch a 

 line across the square and draw drills, with a hoe, two 

 inches deep and four feet apart; and if the drill be 

 fifty feet lon;i:, it will take about one pint of peas. — 

 To supply a family of six or eight persons with a dish 

 every day, sow of the following varieties: Early Kent, 

 Champion of England, and Knight's dwarf marrow. 

 Three rows of each sown at the same time will come 

 in succession and continue fit for use for a month or 

 sis weeks. 



Sweet or Spgar Corn. — Hoe up little hills three 

 itichcs high and one foot square and four feet from 

 centre to centre. On the top of each hiil sow the 

 corn; bury it one inch deep; if three grow it will be 

 enough; should it mis^, sow again. 



LixfA Beans — Dig holes two feet square and one 

 foot deep, and four feet from centre to centre; mix 

 two or three shovelsful of good rotten manure with 

 the earth that comes out of the hole, and fill it in again ; 

 drive a pole leu or twelve feet long in the centre of 

 each hole and plant five or six beans around it; bury 

 them one incli. Three plants in a hill will be enough. 

 S*iw again if they miss. 



String Beans — In some sunny situation, sheltered 

 from co'id winds, draw a drill as recommended for peas 

 tpd sow early six weeks beans, about a pint to a drill 

 of fifty feet. If more than one drill be wanted at the 

 first sowing, make them two feet apart. To have a 

 Btificession repeat the sowing in three weeks. As 



these beanM are very impatient of wet and cold, it is 

 possible that the first sowing may parti. illy fail Kxt- 

 amine thein in five or six days and if found to be de- 

 cayed, sow again directly. 



Onions. — To secure a good crop of onions it ia 

 necessary that the ground be deep, rich and moist, 

 and the seed sown early. Make the beds about five 

 feet wide. Stretch a line six inches from the edge of 

 the bed and the whole length, make a drill with a 

 piece of stick, one inch deep; sow the seed thinly in 

 the drill; draw the earth over the seed with the back 

 of the rake. When up six inch.'?, thin them to four 

 inches apart in the row. These thinnings may be 

 planted in rather poor ground or in the shade of Io\y 

 spreading trees, and will come in well for pickling.— 

 Plant them in moist weather, or give a good soaking 

 of water. Make the drills for the main crop one foot 

 apart. Red Batch and Red Portugal are good vari- 

 eties; the former is the best keeper, but the latter thjB 

 mildest flavored. 



Parsneps and Beets. — Sugar or Hollow Crown 

 parsnep, Early Bassano beet and the Long Blood 

 beet may be sown in drills as recommended for onions, 

 but two feet apart. When up two or three inches 

 thin the parsneps to nine inches apart in the row, and 

 the Long Blood beet to a foot apart from plant to 

 plant. The Early Bassano beet may be thinned as 

 wanted for use, pulling out the largest first and lear- 

 ing the small ones to grow larger. 



Early Short-iiorx Carrot. — Sow in good ground 

 in drills a foot apart, bury the seed from half an inch 

 to an inch deep. When up keep clear of weeds; 

 they may be thinned as wanted for use, pulling the 

 largest first and leaving the smallest to grow larger. 



Salsify. — Sow a good bed of salsify. It will be 

 found very useful for winter and early spring use. — 

 Sow thickly in drills one foot apart, as reconnneiided 

 for horn carrot; bury the seed about one inch deep; 

 when up thin out to four inches apart in the row. 



Spinach — Sow a bed of round seeded spinach in 

 drills a foot apart; bury the seed about an inch deep; 

 when up thin out to eight inches apart from plant to 

 plant; keep the ground stirred with the hoe, and clear 

 of weeds. 



Cucumbers. — For ridge cucumbers dig a hole two 

 feet square and one foot deep: fill it with decomposed 

 turfy sods and rotten manure, or mix rotten manure 

 with the soil that came out of the hole and fill it in 

 again. This will raise the hill three or four inches above 

 the surrounding soil. Sow six or eight seeds about 

 the centre of the hill and press them mto the soil with 

 the finger about one inch deep; cover them with soil 

 and place a small frame, to be covered with glass, over 

 them. It will also be well to cover the fiame with 

 milenet or gauze to keep off the bugs. Ventilate a 

 little on all warm, sunny days, by tilting the sash of 

 glass a little on the opposite side from which the 

 wind blows, so as to prevent any cold air from blow- 

 ing in and chilling the plants. Ventilate a little soon 

 nher the sun has begun to shine upon the glass, and 

 shut up again about four or five o'clock in the after- 

 noon, before the sun leaves the glass. Do not allow 

 it to get burning hot in the morning before you vea» 

 tilate, for it is the sudden changes which do the mis- 

 chief. Where no milenet is used, they may retjuire 

 a little shading in very bright sunshine for a few Lours 

 in the middle of the day by shaking a little short 

 grass or litter over the glass. Water when dry with 

 lake- warm water. When they have made thraa 



