332 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER 



APRIL, as. IS'iS. 



3Ig#3i^a'SWlLl?WSi^lL! 



CFrom Ihe Horticultural Register.) 



FORCING FRAMES AND FORWARDING 

 EARLY VEGETABLES. 



tCcnlinned.) 

 FORCING RADISHES AND POTATOES. 



A moileiate I'ot hed limy bo id-epmefl at any 

 time lifter ilie first of Maii-h for foiciif^ railislies 

 and (jotatoes. The manner of maUiiig tlie b-d 

 and materials is tbe same as that recommended 

 for oiK'iimberg, wiiji this exception, namely — that 

 if possible, nearly all leaves are the best to be 

 nsed to give heat, and the bed phonld not be so 

 high, as the heat required will not be over 50 de- 

 grees. 



Having the bed made place on the frame as be- 

 fore directed to draw the heat. When the heat 

 has risen ooverthe whole of the inside of the frame 

 with linht rich earth about ei^ht inches thick and 

 close the frame again to draw up the heat ; when 

 the heat begins to rise the seed may then be sown 

 regularly over the bed, and some fine earth sifted 

 over it and gently beaten down with a spade 

 or shovel. Care must be taken in this stage of 

 forcing that the frame is luit kept too much con- 

 fined, hut plenty of air admitte<l in the day, and 

 some left ofi'at night to let off the steam that will 

 arise : the temperature should be kept from 4-5 to 

 50 degrees, and never over; when the radishes 

 begin to appear, which will be in a few days, ev- 

 ery attention shoulil be paid to give them plenty 

 of /ig-Zi? and air or they will be drawn in a weak 

 ami sickly state which they will never fully re- 

 cover — care must b ; taken to let off the steam at 

 the back of the frame, particularly when the sun 

 shines in it ; but this must be done in a cautious 

 manner when it is freezing severely, or, in many 

 cases, the cold air let in being too powerful for 

 the internal, freezes ihe young plants, tuid the sun 

 acting on them scalds ihem in a manner that they 

 can never recorer. This remark I hope will 

 serve through the whole proccs.=! s[)oken of in for- 

 cing frames. The temp(;ratiire may be regularly 

 kept through the process of a moderate degree of 

 50 to 56. Every precaution must be taken to 

 give plenty of uir of a fine ilay and cover widl at 

 night. VVhen the young plants arc coming into 

 rough leaf, they are to be thinned to a regu- 

 lar distance of two or three inches apart. 1 he 

 bed may now be regularly watered of a warm 

 morning about sunrise if not frosty, and the frame 

 may bo closed an hour or two but not too long to 

 scald the leaves of the plants ; this proces-! may 

 be continueil, and if the heat of the lied is decli- 

 ning a fresh lining may be applied. Recollect 

 the bottom heat should increase with the season, 

 and not decrease as is often the case. 



FORCING THE POTATO, 



For forcing the potato a bed may be in every 

 rnannir prepared as for that of the radish, with 

 the exception that six inches of soil will be suffi- 

 cient at the fir.st commencement : having the bed 

 prepared, the potatoes may be planted in rows 

 about a foot apart anil eight inches in the rows, 

 the planting may be pc;rtbimed by pressing the 

 potatoes on the surface of the soil, when the earth 

 is warmed through three inches, more may be 

 covered over the potatoes ; and after the plants 

 come up some inches, six inches may be given as 

 a final eartliing. 

 Diiriug tlia process of forcing, plenty of uir may 



be given of a fine day and every precaution taken 

 to cover well of a night to keep out the frost, which, 

 if allowed to freeze the tops, will greatly retard 

 their growth. 



FORWARDING C A EB AGE— CAUMFLO W F.RS — LETTUC E. 



In order to forward caSbage, lettuce, cauliflow- 

 ers and other esculent vegetables, a moderate hot 

 bed may be made al)Out the beginning of March 

 and covered with about six inches of good soil, and 

 in every way managed as for the radish and po- 

 tato. 



When the bed is in order, the seed of the dif- 

 ferent kinds of plants required to be grown may 

 be sown in drills three inches apart and lightly 

 covered with leaf mould — when the plants are 

 come lip and the rough leaf appears they may be 

 thinned to a regular distance and moderately water- 

 ed of a warm morning. In order to have the plants 

 strong ami vigorous for replanting in the ganlen 

 they may be transplanted out into a second frame 

 two or three inches apart each way. 



In the process of growing the plants every care 

 must be taken to give plenty of air of a fine day, 

 and covering the frame of a night, that the frost 

 may not retard their growth. 



TOMATO EGG PLANT PEPPER. 



The above kinds of vegetables may be forward- 

 ed in precisely the .same manner as the latter — 

 with t'.ie excel lion that more heat will lie required 

 and less air given. The heat given for the cu- 

 cumber will answer, anil if manure and frames are 

 not to be had at the early part of the season, the 

 seeds of the different kinds may be sown in large 

 pots and pl.-iced at the back of the cucumber frame 

 until the middle of March, when they are to be 

 trans()laiited out into a bed with a little bottom 

 heat in the same manner as recommended for ihe 

 cabbage and lettuce. 'I lie egg plants must be 

 planted fiiur or five inches apart in order to give 

 them room to grow to huge plants before putting 

 them out 'in the natural gnuind. 



HARDENING OF PLANTS FOR PLANTING OUT IN OPF.N 

 GROUND. 



Before closing the subject of framing, I must 

 give some few remarks on hardening plants for 

 planting in the open ground. There is nothing 

 that is more simply clone than forwarding the 

 vegetables spoken of, and few things generally 

 worse managed. 



In the manner of framing, the plants are gen- 

 erally at first mismtnaged by growing them too 

 slender, owing to keeping the frame too much 

 confined, and consequently they are liy the heat 

 and steam drawn weak ami succulent. The next 

 common error is that so soon as a change of warm 

 weather or days appear, the sftshes are altogether 

 taken otT in the day, and in many cases are left 

 off at night, and often the conseipience is that the 

 plants are frosted and retarded in their growth. 

 The plants should be gr.idually hardened off as 

 the warm weather increases. 



FORCING OR FORWARDL.G VEGETABLES IN TIN CAN- 

 ISTERS. 



The credit of this novel mode of forcing or for- 

 warding vegetables is due to a French gentleman, 

 some years since a su|>erintendent to the late Dr. 

 Hosack.of Hyde Park, N. Y.,who practised it very 

 successfully at that place. The method is so sim- 

 ple that any intelligent person may practise it 

 with every tiicilily, when once acquainted with 

 the process. 



The canisters are simply made of a piece of tin 



forming u tube of different dimensions, from eigh 

 inches to a foot in length. The width on the to[ 

 is from three inches to six ; on the bottom fron 

 four to eight. 1 hese different sizes must be usei 

 according to the vegetable to be cultivated. 



Having the canisters prepared, the bed may thei 

 be made in the usual manner, of a heat corre* 

 ponding with the nature of the plants to be forced 

 The bed being made, place on it the frame am 

 level the manure ; draw the heat, <Sz.c. as befor 

 directed. When the bed is in proper order t 

 receive the earth for planting, then place the tii 

 cani.sters into it, the largest end downwards ; wlie> 

 the frame is filled w itli the canisters, fill them wit 

 soil, and the places between them, so that ih 

 whole is level with soil, to the top of them. Thi 

 done, close the frame to draw the heat, after whic 

 seeds of the different kinds of plants reqiiirec 

 may be sown in the centre of the toji of each car 

 ister, to form hills or the like for trans|jlaiitin{ 

 The management of the frame must be in ever 

 v^ay corresponding to the nature of the plants 

 ami they must be managed in atnannerto harde. 

 them [irevioiis to their being transplanted into ttt 

 ground, as before directed. 



Transplanting the plants from the Frames. — Tli 

 operation of transplanting must be very carefiilll 

 (lone, as the plants will be much injured if ttt 

 roots are broken by removing them. The methc 

 I have generally adopted, is, first to take away tl 

 frame, then clear away the soil from the first ro 

 of canisters ; this done, take up the eaniste 

 carefully, by placing a sharp spade under the bo 

 torn, cutting it from the soil, and carefully placii 

 it with the ball entire in a wheelbarrow. Havini 

 the ground well prepared, the planting is |ierfori)i 

 ed by preparing a hole the depth of the canist( 

 svhich is placed therein and the earth placed abo 

 it in a neat compact manner : the canister is tli< 

 gently slipped up, without disturbing the iiiol 

 and the plants watered, in order to <;lose the loo 

 soil about it. 



This system is particularly adapted to Indii 

 corn. I hope to see the time when this meiht 

 will prove of advantage to the forcing of ear 

 vegetables ; but I am of opinion that it will I 

 much improved by making moulds of pot earth 

 the same consistence as for flswer pots, of til 

 same dimensions recommended ; and I give ■ 

 word of advice, for potters to commence on 

 small scale. 



The Massachusetts Horticultural Sociclij, eslnblisi 



ed in Boston, offers the following Premiums, J 



Fruits, Vegetables and Flowers, for 1838. 



The augmented and various displays of Flo' 



ers, Fruits, and Vegetables, and the zeal mat 



fested by the cultivators thereof, during the pf 



year, have been such as to induce the iMassachI 



setts Horticultural Society, to offer, for the [u-ii 



cut season, the following premiums, to promo 



the general interest of Horiicultnre, an<l to exei 



a sjiirit of emulation among its members for I 



public good. 



FRUITS. 

 Pears. For the best Summer Pears, not 

 less than one doz., a premi- 

 um of S5 

 For the best Autumn Pears, not 

 less than one doz., u premi- 

 um of 5 

 For the best Winter Pears, not 



