Feb.] THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 131 



The radishes sown last month must be carefully protected by 

 covering the glasses at night and in very severe weather with mats, 

 &c, and they must have plenty of air occasionally, otherwise they 

 will not root well. 



In order to have radishes tolerably early, or to succeed those 

 sown in January, let some of the early kinds above mentioned be 

 now sowed on a slight hot-bed, as directed in page 22, and treated 

 as there advised; or you may sow them on such beds, under cover 

 of oiled paper frames, or of mats; but radishes are not apt to root 

 well under covering of mats, especially when necessity requires 

 them to be kept on for any considerable length of time, unless you 

 are extremely careful to give them as much air and light at every 

 opportunity as possible, consistent with their safety. 



Spinage. 



Sow some prickly-seeded spinage, it being the hardiest kind, 

 about the latter end of the month; let some dry warm ground be 

 prepared for this purpose, and sow the seed thereon thin and regu- 

 lar, either broad-cast and raked in, or in drills a foot asunder, or 

 on four feet wide beds; being careful that in either case, the seed 

 be not covered more than from an inch to half an inch deep, accord- 

 ing to the lightness or stiffness of the ground. 



The smooth-seeded round leaved kind, is the best to sow during 

 the remainder of the spring and early summer months; but for 

 this early sowing, the prickly-seeded being more hardy, is pre- 

 ferable. 



$73°* I am well aware that in far the greater part of the eastern 

 states, the ground is generally, during the whole of this month and 

 a considerable part of March, so bound up with frost, as not to be 

 dug or cultivated; but this not being the case in the middle states, 

 except in very severe seasons, and not in all the southern states, 

 I am induced to give these directions for the sowing of early crops, 

 and where the state of the weather permits, they may be practised 

 to advantage, and where not, the business must be deferred a little 

 longer. 



Solving Lettuce Seed. 



If the weather be mild and the ground in good condition, you 

 may, about the latter end of this month, sow some lettuce seed on 

 a south border, which ought to be well defended by a wall, hedge, 

 or board fence, &c. The kinds most suitable to be sown at this 

 time, are the early curled and common cabbage lettuces, if intended 

 to be cut up for small sallading, in which case they are to be sown 

 very thick on the surface, after the ground has been raked tolerably 

 well, and then raked in; or they may be sown in beds or drills 

 according to fancy, observing that these seeds require but a very 

 slight covering. 



You may also sow any other kinds of lettuce, such as the white, 

 or green cos, Egyptian and spotted cos, which are excellent kinds; 



