VEGETABLES AND THEIR COOKERY. 



15T 



i grow freely when plnutcd in moist weather. Dou- 

 rockets, lychnidea, and many others, succeed well. 

 !!Jarnation and pink seedlings must be taken great 

 e of. They will be ready to plant out about the 

 Idle of June, and as innumerable varieties spring 

 ai sowing seed, they should be planted carefully 

 I bed by themselves sbt inches asunder^ and they 

 flower the following year, when you can choose 

 colors you most approve. Carnations properly 

 k under the head of biennials; but pinks are strict- 

 jerennial plants, and much has been written upon 

 i hardy and beautiful flower. It comes originally 

 n a temperate climate, therefore the pink loves 

 de: the fervid sunbeams cause its flowers to lan- 

 ih and droop. You may give them an eastern 

 set. 



$e careful to watch pinks when they are budding, 

 do not allow two buds to grow side by side, 

 ch off the smaller bud, which would only weaken 

 ;ompaniou. Keep the plants free from decayed 

 •es, and gently stir the earth round them occasion- 

 with your small trowel. This operation refreshes 

 n. Stake them neatly, that they may not fall 

 itrate after rain. 



f you wish to preserve any particular pink, let it 

 .v in a pot, or upon a raised platform, that it may 

 ilaced beyond the reach of hares, rabbits, or poul- 

 and be more easily sheltered from long and severe 

 t or rains in winter, and from the di-y heats in 

 mer, either of which destroj-s the beauty of the 

 er. The pots can be sunk in the ground in fine 

 ther. Do not hide your piuks among larger flow- 

 let them be distinctly seen. If you water pinks 

 much, their roots become rotten; and if you suf 

 .hem to be too dry, they become diseased. Be- 

 3 of extremes. The best rule is to keep them 

 moist. A fine pink should not have sharp-pointed 

 er-leaves; they should be round and even at their 

 ;s, and the colors should be well-defined, not run- 

 one into the other. The flower should be large; 

 lould possess a great many leaves, and form a sort 

 ome. Piping and slipping is the most expedi- 

 5 mode of propagating plants from any selected 



ansies, violets, &c., are very easily propagated by 

 ing the roots when the flowers are past. Pan- 

 are very beautiful flowers; and cuttings of their 

 ig shoots will grow very freely if kept moist and 

 led for some httle time. By refreshing the soil 

 y year, you insure large flowers. Pansies and 

 its bloom early in the spring, 

 [epaticas must be parted like violets. They ap- 

 ■ so very early in the year that no garden should 

 t without these gay and modest flowers. The 

 es appear after the flower has passed away, 

 he polyanthus blooms among the early trilie. In 

 iting this flower, be careful to insert the roots 



I in the soil, so that the leaves may rest upon it, 

 the roots are produced high upon the stem, and 

 'e roots must be enabled to shoot into the soil. 



polyanthus, like almost every other flower, loves 

 )od soil, with a mixture of sand. 



II dividing these filirous-rooted perennial plants, 

 only the strong ofi'sets, with plenty of fibers at- 



led to them. 



'olyanthuses, auriculas, double daisies, double cam- 



omile, Loudon pride, violets, hepaticas, thrift, prim- 

 rose.s, gentianella, &c., succeed well, taken up and di- 

 vided in September, for they will all have done flow- 

 ering by that time. Indeed, all perennial fibrous- 

 rooted plants may be taken up in October to have 

 their roots parted, and the soil refreshed round them. 



Peonies, and all knob-rooted plants, should be ta- 

 ken up in October, to part their roots and transplant 

 them to their intended positions. 



The saxifrage has very small roots, which are apt 

 to be lost in borders if not carefully looked after. 

 Like the anemone, Arc, sift the earth well for them. 



Dahlias re(iuire a word or two upon their culture. 

 They love sand, therefore allow them plenty of it, but 

 do not put manure to their roots, which throws them 

 into luxuriant leaf and stem, to the deterioration of 

 the flower. Peat mold is good, if you can obtain it, 

 to mis with the sand, as it assists the flower in devel- 

 oping stripes and spots. Train each plant upright, 

 upon one stem only, and give it a strong stake to 

 support its weight, which soon succumbs under gusts 

 of wind. Plant them in open and airy places. AVhen 

 the stems become black, take them up, separate the 

 roots, and plunge them into a box of ashes, barley 

 ehafl', or sand, to protect them through the winter. 

 Plant them out in May. — Ladies' Flower Gardener. 



VEGETABLES AND THEIB COOKERY. 



TuE following remarks upon vegetables and their 

 cookery, in the Soil oj the South, are worthy an at- 

 tentive perusal : 



The peculiar flavor of asparagus, green peas, green 

 corn, tomatoes, squash, egg plant, and salsify, cannot 

 be imitated by art, but is very easily spoiled by the 

 cook. 



There are many vegetables that should be cooked 

 so as to preserve the green color. Such as asparagus, 

 spinach, green peas, snap beans, okra, etc., this can- 

 not be done if cooked in iron. Brass, or vessels 

 lined with porcelain, will preserve the green of nature. 

 How often do we see okra as black as ink from being 

 cooked in iron ffissels, and green peas that are black 

 peas. It is not the looks alone, but the flavor is not 

 as good as when the green is preserved. 



jlsparagus. — This delicious vegetable is not yet 

 appreciated in the up-country of the South. Tie the 

 stalks in small bundles, and drop them into boiling 

 water, with a good portion of salt; ten or fifteen min- 

 utes' boiling is enough. Place some slices of soft 

 toast in a deep dish, and take the asparagus up on 

 the toast; saturate the whole with sweet butter, and 

 pepper to taste. 



Snap Beans. — Having taken off the strings, snap 

 them, and drop into boiling water, with the addition 

 of salt. Try with a fork, and when tender, take up, 

 and serve with melted butter or good sweet cream. 

 Many cooks snap with meat — but they are only 

 greens cooked with meat. 



Butter Beans. — Having shelled them, drop them 

 into cold water ; as the water boils, add salt. Try 

 with a spoon, and when done, serve up with melted 

 butter. 



Beets. — No knife should ever touch a beet previous 

 to boiling; rub the leaves off by hand, for if there ia 



