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Gardening for Amateurs 



warm dark cellar can be utilised for the 

 blanching of Chicory quite as well as a 

 darkened frame. 



Cucumber. For the raising of both 

 Cucumbers and Melons a small bed of 

 manure should be made up much thicker 

 than for the successional crops of salads 

 and vegetables. I have seen it stated 

 that 18 inches is sufficiently thick, but 

 no one who has had to raise such seeds 

 in February upon a hotbed would make 

 this assertion. If the bed is to generate 

 sufficient heat and afterwards maintain it, 

 there should be a bed of about half old and 

 half new manure, and it will probably be 

 found that if the outside temperature drops 

 very much additions of fresh manure will 

 have to be made to keep the young plants 

 growing healthily. Scarcely anything we 

 can grow is so susceptible to sudden 

 fluctuations of temperature. Some writers 

 advise sowing the seeds in soil placed 

 upon the manure. It is a much better 

 plan to sow two seeds in a 3-inch pot, 

 using enough of these latter to plant out 

 the required number of lights. By the 

 beginning of April, or earlier, the young 

 plants will be ready for planting in their 

 fruiting quarters. It is possible there may 

 be frames from which crops have been 

 cleared, or frames will be at liberty from 

 Carrots, as these, or some of them at least, 

 should then be sufficiently advanced and 

 hardy to have open-air treatment. The 

 plan then is to form new beds of manure 

 of about 12 to 15 inches in thickness, 

 and on this place about 6 inches of rich 

 soil. In this, when the soil is thoroughly 

 warmed, the young plants may be placed. 

 Watering must be carefully done at first ; 

 give lukewarm water about the middle of 

 the day. The frames ought to have the 

 protection of mats at night, and if the manure 

 continues very steamy leave the frame lights 

 open at the top about a quarter of an inch 

 to allow the steam to escape during the 

 night. As the plants gain strength more 

 air will be needed in sunny weather and 

 water two or three times a week. The 

 growths must be stopped and thinned as 

 required. In very bright weather some 

 shading will be necessary, and instead of 

 using thick, heavy mats for this purpose it 



is better to syringe or paint a thin coat of 

 whitewash on the frame lights. By the end 

 of February or early in March another lot 

 of seeds may be sown to supply plants to 

 fill the frames when they are free from later 

 beds of Carrots, etc. It is wise to grow a good 

 variety of Cucumber, as the crop comes on 

 the market when ample supplies are usually 

 to hand, and when small, poor produce would 

 be sure to have a bad reception. Therefore 

 grow the best and give good cultivation, so 

 that fine Cucumbers are produced, then this 

 crop, which is not looked upon as one of the 

 most important, may become a profitable 

 one. A really good type of Telegraph is 

 as useful for the purpose as any variety 

 procurable. 



Dwarf Beans. In mentioning these it is 

 not advised that they should be made a 

 great feature in a French garden. One or 

 two frames might be given up to them by 

 planting over a warm bed in March. The 

 seeds are planted at about six inches apart 

 over the whole of the frame. It would be 

 possible to secure a crop of Radishes from 

 this frame previous to planting the Beans ; 

 then immediately the latter were planted 

 another sowing of Radishes could be made 

 on the surface, these would be cleared before 

 the Beans needed the whole space. It must 

 be remembered that Dwarf Beans are very 

 tender and susceptible to damage by frost. 

 Unless adequate protection and warmth can 

 be provided the crop should not be attempted. 



Early Potatoes and Radishes. Make 

 up a bed of manure in February partly of 

 old and partly of fresh material. The bed 

 thus made should be 18 inches in thickness 

 and well trodden and beaten down. If the 

 manure is not built out some inches beyond 

 the edges of the frame, the latter will slip 

 down, and this must be provided against 

 by building the bed sufficiently wide and 

 long. On the bed of manure place 6 inches 

 of good light soil, and when the heat of the 

 bed has fallen somewhat the sets of Potatoes 

 may be planted. Put these 3 inches or so 

 down in the soil at about 9 inches apart all 

 ways. When this has been done, the surface 

 soil can be levelled and raked and the 

 Radishes sown in the same manner as pre- 

 viously described. I would advise the plant- 

 ing of a variety such as Sharpe's Victor. 



