|96 THE KITCHEN GARDEN. [Fee. 



feet six inches in front: to be about two feet ten indies below the 

 surface ; the wall to be from one foot to eighteen inches thick. In 

 these frames you can raise any kind of vegetables that are wanted 

 early; or small flowers, such as roses, carnations, stock-gilly, 

 wall Ho\vers, mignonette, heliotrope, nerembergias, pseonies, or 

 any low growing plants that you wish to bloom at an early season. 

 By placing the pots at the back side, they will not interfere with 

 cauliflowers, melons, or any other plants raised in a hot-bed, while 

 they are small. In making the hot-bed, observe the directions in 

 January, page 13, except that by having the bed below the surface 

 you can use a foot or eighteen inches of old leaves or tan in the 

 bottom; and then finish oft' as directed for cucumbers and melons. 

 Plant the cauliflowers about two feet distant every way; and 

 between the cauliflowers you may plant lettuce and sow radish 

 or turnip seed; white turnip is the best for this purpose: these 

 will be used before the cauliflowers bloom. It will be neces- 

 sary to look over the cauliflowers to see if any show flowers 

 before they attain their proper size, in which case, pull them up 

 and plant others in their place. Those early autumnal sown 

 plants which you have in frames, and that you are endeavouring to 

 protect with a covering of boards and mats, &c. without the assist- 

 ance of glass, should never have powerful sunshine admitted to 

 them while in a frozen state; for its sudden action upon these 

 tender plants, whilst in that condition, would prove their total 

 destruction; therefore admit it only at intervals, when weak, until 

 the plants and ground around them are completely thawed. 



The cauliflower plants which were raised from seed sown last 

 month, should as soon in this as they may arrive at a sufficient 

 size, which is about four or five inches, be transplanted into a new 

 moderate hot-bed, which will greatly strengthen and forward their 

 growth. 



Make the bed two feet and a half high and put a frame on, lay on 

 six inches deep of rich earth, when this is warm prick the plants 

 therein two or three inches apart, and give them a little water; as 

 soon as they have taken root give them plenty of air; and in mild 

 warm days take the glasses totally oft", but let them be carefully 

 covered every night and the glasses only raised a little behind in 

 cold weather. 



Plants thus treated will become strong and well rooted, bear 

 transplantin«; much better than if left in the seed-bed, and produce 

 larger and better heads; for, by transplanting, the tap roots are 

 checked, ami the plants push a number of lateral roots, which afford 

 them nourishment and strength: they become short-stemmed and 

 stout, and consequently more fit for a final and successful trans- 

 plantation than if suffered to remain in the seed-bed. 



Were these to be transplanted again, early in March, into an- 

 other bed it would be an additional advantage; it is by the neglect 

 of this necessary treatment that we have so few good flowers, for 

 the plants, when continued in the seed-bed till finally transplanted, 

 become long and spindling, tender and unfurnished with roots or 

 fibres; when planted out, for want of a sufficiency of roots, they are 



