THE KITCHEN-GARDEN. 2O3 



or early spring on light, rich soil in rows eighteen 

 inches apart. An ounce of seed will sow fifty 

 feet of drill. If the soil is light, cover the seed one 

 inch deep ; if heavy, half an inch ; pack the ground 

 lightly, and cover the drill with a good dusting of 

 that fine compost we spoke of, or any fine manure. 

 This gives the young plants a good send-off. By 

 the use of the hoe and hand-weeding keep them 

 scrupulously clean during the growing season, and 

 when the tops are killed by frost mow them off. 

 I should advise sowing two or three seeds to the 

 inch, and then when the plants are three inches 

 high, thinning them out so that they stand four 

 inches apart. You thus insure almost the cer- 

 tainty of good strong plants by autumn ; for plants 

 raised as directed are ready to be set out after 

 one season's growth, and by most gardeners are 

 preferred. 



In most instances good plants can be bought for 

 a small sum from nurserymen, who usually offer 

 for sale those that are two years old. Strong one- 

 year-olds are just as good, but under ordinary cul- 

 ture are rarely large enough until two years of age. 

 I would not set out three-year-old plants, for they 

 are apt to be stunted and enfeebled. You can 

 easily calculate how many plants you require by 

 rembering that the rows are to be three feet apart, 

 and the plants one foot apart in the row. 



