Gardening for Amateurs 



955 



of course, a remunerative crop. They can 

 be planted singly in cloches with four Cab- 

 bage Lettuces round them, or put out four 

 in a handlight, one in each corner. When 

 put four in a bell-glass, care is needed to 

 give air freely in mild weather, to keep them 

 as sturdy as possible. Early London Cauli- 

 flower is sometimes grown for cutting later, 

 but it is rather too large for frame work. 

 It can, however, be used under bell-glasses, 

 by planting towards the end of February 

 without heat in the open ground. If the 

 glasses are covered during 

 frosty weather and the 

 warmth of the sun hus- 

 banded as far as possible, 

 these will be quite large 

 plants by April, and can 

 gradually be hardened to 

 open-air conditions, allow- 

 ing the glasses or cloches 

 to be removed and put 

 into use for other crops. 

 It should be remembered 

 that the young plants 

 when in frames must have 

 protection during severe 

 weather, or many of them 

 will be lost. Mats and 

 straw or bracken are 

 generally used for keeping 

 out the frost. 



Celery. This crop is 

 not usually grown in 

 French gardens, and un- 

 less there is a known 

 demand there is no great encouragement 

 for the grower to produce it. Sow the 

 seeds in February or March, and prick 

 out the young plants resulting from this 

 sowing 3 inches apart in a frame, or the 

 seeds may be sown thinly over the surface of 

 a frame to save the labour of pricking out. 

 The young plants must be gradually hardened 

 in readiness for planting. When the succes- 

 sional crops are cleared and the frames and 

 lights removed, the Celery can then be 

 planted out 1 foot apart on the old beds of 

 soil and manure. Progress should be rapid 

 if the plants have ample supplies of water. 

 By the end of August or beginning of Sep- 

 tember the plants will be ready for blanching. 

 This can be carried out in various ways, but 



possibly the cheapest is by using the soil in 

 the alleys between the beds of plants. 

 First tie the leaves of each plant closely 

 together with raffia, then place the soil 

 amongst the plants to the height of stem 

 required to be blanched. If possible the 

 earthing process should be done in two 

 operations. Allow from a month to six 

 weeks for properly blanching the sticks of 

 Celery. The crop involves much labour and 

 does not always command a high price per 

 dozen. But it is one which occupies the 



Photo : Sutton & Sons. Copyright. 



Both cloches and frames are essential to a well-equipped 

 " French " garden. 



ground at a time when it might otherwise 

 be vacant. 



Chicory. This is a crop which can be 

 produced in winter in much the same way as 

 advised for Seakale. The thick, fleshy roots 

 are raised from seed sown in spring in the 

 open ground like Parsnips. The roots are 

 taken up in autumn and stored in sand or 

 soil and brought into slight warmth and 

 moisture. The position must be quite dark 

 or the growths will not blanch properly. By 

 means of these an excellent addition can 

 be made to salads when material for this 

 purpose is frequently scarce. The sort 

 known as Witloof is the one principally 

 grown, and can be made to produce fine 

 succulent heads very tender and good. A 



