138 THE VEGETABLE CULTIVATOR. 



scatter it pretty thickly on the surface, and cover it 

 with full an inch of the same sort of soil, and finish 

 by beating it down lightly with the back of a spade. 

 Should the weather prove sharp, a\ little litter laid 

 round the outside of the bed, will be the means 

 of keeping in the heat, and also of forwarding the 

 plants. In the course of a week, or when it is ob- 

 served that the plants have fully expanded their first 

 rough leaves, they will be of sufficient growth for 

 planting in pots ; the sooner this can be done the 

 better. The pots are to be about the size of 24* to 

 the cast ; long narrow troughs, like boxes, are also 

 useful for this purpose. 



Previous to the mould being put in the pots, &c., 

 the bottoms of each should be covered with an inch 

 or so of well consumed dung. They are then to 

 be half filled with soil similar to that in which the 

 seed was sown ; when, after taking the plants care- 

 fully up from the seed-bed, four should be set in 

 each pot, distributing the roots towards the centre, 

 and the plants in a sloping direction towards the 

 edge : after covering the roots with about an inch 

 of mould, a little water is given, in the tepid state, as 

 before advised. The pots, &c., may then be placed 

 in any cold part of the stove for two or three days, 

 and afterwards set on shelves or flues where there is 

 a vacancy for them ; but the nearer to the glass the 

 better. If they are placed on a flue of much heat, it 

 will be necessary, to prevent any bad consequences, 

 to set the pots on boards, resting on bricks or tiles. 



After the plants are observed to break freely, an 

 additional quantity of mould should be put into each 

 pot, so as nearly to fill it up. This earthing, with 



