1864. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



119 



them. By earthing up gradually, the stems are 

 bleached and become tender and crisp. 



It should stand out doors until there is danger 

 of frost, which ought not to touch it. There are 

 various modes of keeping it. Ours is, to take it 

 up with as much of the soil as we can save about 

 the roots, and set it out in a cool cellar, in a plen- 

 ty of the earth in which it grew. If the plants 

 are set a little apart, and the temperature of the 

 cellar is cool and even, they will keep fresh and 

 ready for use until April or May. 



If the plants are set on the surface of the 

 ground, as cabbage plants are usually set, the 

 same process of earthing up must be observed. 



No weeds should be allowed to grow among 

 the plant, and the ground should be frequently 

 stirred with the hoe or some other implement. 



Celery is easily cultivated. There is no mys- 

 tery about it, whatever. Any farmer's son or 

 daughter may do it that will try. If one prefers, 

 he can purchase the plants ready for transplant- 

 ing. 



Fifty to a hundred of them might be enough for 

 a family. 



It is a convenient and healthful salad, and 

 should be more common on the tables of our 

 farmers. 



NEW BOOKS. 



Flowers for the Parlor and Garden. By Edward Spragce 

 Rand, Jr. Illustrations by John Andrew, and A. 0. Warren. 

 J. E. Tilton & Co., Washington St., Boston. 



It is one thing to write a book and make it 

 barely interesting, so that it shall have a place in 

 the memory for a month or a year, and then pass 

 away and be forgotten like a summer cloud or our 

 dinner of yesterday. It is quite another matter 

 to write a book that shall not only attract and 

 charm the reader while perusing it, but which, 

 when perused, shall leave such an impression on 

 the mind as will reproduce that charm whenever 

 the subjects of which it treated are again intro- 

 duced. The book before us is of the latter class. 

 It is a teacher. The subjects which it discusses 

 are so clearly and wisely stated, that the most in- 

 experienced in them may feel courage and safety 

 in following the details given. They are full, yet 

 brief, and always include those minor points with- 

 out which the whole would be valueless. An ex- 

 ample of what we mean may be found on page 

 94, in describing the methods of propagating the 

 charming Verbena. There is nothing omitted 

 here, it seems to us, that the merest novice would 

 desire to know. It is a model description. 



The general subjects of the book are, The Green 

 House and Consewatory ; Window Gardening ; 

 Plants for Window Gardening ; Cape Bulbs ; Butch 

 Bulbs; The Culture of the Tube Rose; The Glad- 

 iolus and its Culture ; How to Force Flowers to 

 Bloom in Winter; Balcony Gardening ; Tlie Ward- 



ian Case; Stocking and Managing the Wardian 

 Case; Hanging Baskets and Plants ; The Walton- 

 ian Case ; The Aquarium and Water Plants ; How 

 to Grow Specimen Plants ; Out-Door Gardening — 

 Hot Beds ; The Garden ; Smcdl Trees and Shrubs ; 

 Hardy Herbaceous Plants ; Hardy Annuals ; Bed- 

 ding Plants ; Hardy and Half-Hardy Garden 

 Bulbs ; Spring Flowers, and Where to find Them. 



The very titles of the chapters are enough to 

 inspire one to rush from the house to the garden, 

 even in mid-winter ! The chapter on Spring Flow- 

 ers, and Where to find Them, is a gem. Who 

 that reads it will not anticipate the spring with 

 quicker pulses and more impatience than ever ! 



The book is a civilizer. It abounds with beau- 

 tiful, refreshing thoughts, clothed in such simple 

 and expressive language, that they cannot fail to 

 reach every feeling heart. The artist, printer and 

 binder have so come to the aid of the author, 

 that there is a nice blending of thought and art 

 that is rarely equalled. We cannot but feel under 

 personal obligations to the writer for such a work, 

 as we always do to those who confer blessings 

 upon the race. 



We trust the pen of the author will still be ac- 

 tive in this flowery field. 



CULTURE OP LETTUCE. 



Everybody, we believe, likes lettuce. It is 

 considered healthful, has a slight narcotic influ- 

 ence on the system, and, perhaps, may be espe- 

 cially useful to such nervous temperaments as 

 find it difficult to secure a nap after dinner ! 



It thrives best in a light, rich soil ; a soil that 

 is rich from prior cultivation, rather than from 

 the immediate application of manure. 



If it is wanted quite early — and that seems de- 

 sirable — the seeds must be sown in a hot bed in 

 March, and transplanted in April, in a spot favor- 

 ably protected from cold winds ; and even here, 

 it may need occasional covering. It only requires 

 proper cultivation after this to secure a crop. 

 Allow sufficient room between the plants for them 

 to head out without crowding each other, and an 

 occasional evening watering if the weather is dry. 



Those who keep poultry will find it worth cul- 

 tivating for their use. They are excessively fond 

 of it. A dozen hens will eat two large heads each 

 day if they can get them. The store pigs like it 

 equally as well. We have been in the habit of 

 growing it along the sides of the paths in the veg- 

 etable garden, and on any little vacant spots, 

 where it appears well, and gives us a cart load or 

 two each summer for the pigs and the hens ! 



There are many varieties of lettuce, among 

 which,Jbur excellent kinds are the Early White 

 Butter, or Cabbage, the Early Curled Silesia, 

 Early Tennis Ball, or Rose, and the Imperial 

 Head, or Sugar Loaf. 



