130 THE KITCHEN GARDEN. [Feb. 



the inclemencies of the weather; and when the beds wherein they 

 are growing, become cold and destitute of that warmth so necessary 

 for the above purpose, you must give them a slight lining of fresh 

 horse-dung, to renew the slow temperate heat so congenial and ne- 

 cessary to these plants at this season. 



Sowing Celery. 



Towards the end of this month if the weather permits, prepare 

 a small bed of light rich earth in a warm border, to sow some celery 

 seed therein for an early crop; the best kinds to sow are the solid 

 and red celery, both of which are excellent. 



Break the earth very fine, and either sow the seed on the surface, 

 and rake it in lightly, or rake the surface smooth, sow the seed 

 thereon, and cover it with light earth, sifted over near a quarter of 

 an inch deep; or the ground being formed into a three or four feet 

 wide bed and the surface raked, then with the back of the rake 

 trim the earth evenly off the surface about a quarter of an inch deep 

 into the alley, sow the seed on the bed, and with a spade cast the 

 earth over it evenly and rake the surface smooth. 



Though this seed may not come up for a length of time, there 

 will be no danger of its perishing in the ground, and it will be in a 

 state to receive the first advantage of the growing season: if a frame 

 and lights or hand-glasses can be spared to put over it, they will 

 greatly forward its growth; when raised in this way, though it 

 will not be so early, it will not be so subject either to start to seed 

 or to pipe, as if sown and forced in a hot-bed. 



But those who wish to have celery as early as possible, should 

 sow the seed on a slight hot-bed, and cover it with a frame and 

 lights, or with hand-glasses, or in default of these, cover at night 

 and in bad weather with mats placed on hoops stuck archwise over 

 the beds to support them, being careful in either method, when the 

 plants are come up, to admit the free air every mild day. 



There should not be many of these early sown plants planted 

 out for a continuing supply, only a few to come in before the gene- 

 ral crop, for they will soon pipe and run to seed. 



Solving Radish Seed. 



Towards the end of this month, if the weather is mild and the 

 ground open, you may dig a warm border to sow therein some early- 

 frame, short-top, and white turnip-rooted radish seeds, to draw for 

 sallads in April and early in May. Dig another piece at the same 

 time for salmon-radish, which will succeed the former. 



Let them generally be sown broad-cast on the surface, either in 

 a continued space, or in four or five feet wide beds, and rake them 

 in with an even hand; or in sowing large crops in one continued 

 space, if quite dry light ground, it is eligible, before raking in, to 

 tread down the seed lightly, then rake it in regularly. 



You may sow among these crops of radishes, a sprinkling of 

 spinage and lettuce seed; the spinage will come in after the radish, 

 and the lettuce after the spinage. 



