March. J THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 207 



For the cultivation of this plant, make choice of a good spot of 

 light rich earth, not dry nor very wet, for in either extreme it will 

 not thrive. Sow the seeds pretty thin in shallow drills about 

 eighteen inches asunder, covering them half an inch deep; when 

 they come up thin them, leaving the best plants six inches distant 

 from one another: about the beginning of July your first crop, if 

 sown in March, will be fit for blanching, at which time you are to 

 earth it up as you do celery, and in three weeks after it will be in 

 a good condition for use. To have a regular succession of this 

 plant some seed must be sown every three weeks during the season, 

 and your late crops may be preserved in winter as you do celery. 



Capsicums or Red-peppers, Tomatoes, and Egg-Plants. 



The different varieties of the capsicums, tomatoes, and egg- 

 plants being in much estimation for culinary purposes, you should 

 sow some of each kind now in pots, and forward them in your hot- 

 beds, so as to have strong plants ready for planting out into the 

 open ground as early in May as the night frosts shall have totally 

 disappeared. Each and every of these kinds bear transplanting 

 extremely well, and from this sowing you may expect early and 

 abundant crops. For further particulars see April, May, &c. 



Planting oat Cabbages, Beets, Turnips, fyc.for Seeds. 



As early in this month as the weather gets open and tolerably 

 mild, plant out such cabbages, beets, carrots, turnips, parsneps, &c. 

 as you have preserved during the winter to raise seed from; the 

 cabbages are to be planted in rows four feet asunder, one foot dis- 

 tant from each other in the rows, and up to their heads in the earth; 

 the others may be planted in four feet wide beds, at the distance 

 often or twelve inches root from root, or in rows at pleasure; ob- 

 serving to tie up the shoots to stakes placed for that purpose, as they 

 advance for seeding, to prevent their being broken down by winds, 

 heavy rains, &c. 



Planting Potatoes. 



Potatoes may now be planted for an early crop as soon as the 

 weather opens, and the frost is entirely out of the ground; let the 

 soil in which you plant them be moderately light, a little enriched 

 with dung, and advantageously situated. 



Be careful to procure the earliest kinds, from which select a 

 quantity of the best formed and soundest roots, and of a tolerable 

 size; these are to be cut into sets, a week before planting, in order 

 that the wounds should have time to form a dry crust; for if planted 

 at this season immediately after being cut, they would imbibe too 

 much moisture, many of them rot, and all would be greatly weak- 

 ened thereby: cut each root into two, three, or more pieces, accord- 

 ing to their size; minding particularly that each cut be furnished 

 with one or two good eyes or buds, which is sufficient. They arc 



