120 VEGECULTURE 



one for summer and another for winter sowings. This vege- 

 table may be treated as a catch-crop. The summer varieties 

 (round-seeded) are sown at intervals of a fortnight, in drills, 

 from February to July, thinning the seedlings out to about 

 six inches apart. The sowings which have to stand the hottest 

 part of the summer are best sown between row of tall subjects, 

 such as Peas, in order to obtain the shade and conserved 

 moisture there afforded. The sorts for summer use are : 

 Longstanding Round, Thick-leaved Round, Victoria, Virofiay, and 

 New Zealand (Tetragona expansa). The latter is a fine, large 

 variety, and is sown in May, and requires but little attention 

 after being severely thinned ; the plants may also be raised 

 earlier in the year in heat and planted out afterwards. Leaves 

 from its two- to three-feet stems may be continually gathered all 

 the summer, and the plant is admirably suited to hot and dry 

 situations. The winter varieties include the Common Prickly, 

 Longstanding Winter, and Prickly Flanders. The seeds of 

 these are sown from July to September at frequent intervals, 

 thinning the seedlings put to quite one foot apart. During 

 severe frost protection must be given to these late sorts. The 

 summer Spinach must receive copious supplies of water or liquid 

 manure, and a mulch will assist in keeping down an inherent 

 tendency to run to seed. If Spinach seed is soaked in water 

 twelve hours previous to sowing, it will germinate more rapidly. 

 Care must be taken in gathering. Indiscriminate picking soon 

 ruins and exhausts the crop. Sufficient seed should be sown to 

 enable the leaves to be gathered in moderation to ensure supplies 

 for the table. 



OR ACHE (Atriplex hortensis). This is really a giant form of 

 Spinach, having stems, covered with large leaves, which rise to 

 a height of four or five feet. There are three kinds Red, 

 White, and Green, the culture of all of which coincides with 

 that of Spinach. 



