1870. 



l^W ENGLAND FARIMER. 



159 



of the wife and family that we have so often 

 urged the importance of the garden, and again 

 say if you cultivate nothing else have a good 

 garden. As a class, farmers are too much 

 meat and meal-eaters, and to whatever else 

 may be laid our lack of taste for vegetables, 

 it certainly is not because they are not health- 

 ful, economical and enjoyable that better and 

 fresher vegetables are not found on our ta- 

 bles at all seasons of the year. 



A garden, to give its greatest profit, should 

 have a little variety in soil, and the wljole of 

 it well drained, either naturally or artificially. 

 It should also be protected from prevailing 

 coid winds. The soil should be made rich and 

 deep, not by bringing too much cold under- 

 soil to the top, but by working and mixing 

 with it suitable fertilizers, keeping the best 

 Eoil a", the surface and bringing but a little of 

 the deeper soil up to become ameliorated. 



Asparagus — Clear off straw and litter, 

 forking in the fine, usinj* care not to injure 

 the crowns of the plants. A sprinkling of salt 

 worked in with the manure will be beneficial. 



Beans. — Little is gained in hurrying the 

 seed into ihe ground, as the bean is a tender 

 plant, and will not endure frosts. The soil 

 needs to get well settled and warmed before 

 they will grow. Prepare poles, if not already 

 done. Do not cut them too long, eight feet 

 is plenty long enough,— si.x feet and a half out 

 of ground ; cut them to an even length, and 

 let them be straight and smoothly trimmed. 



Beets. — These are hardy, and the seed may 

 be sown as soon as the ground can be worked 

 well. The seed is hard, horny, and is some- 

 time in softening so as to germinate. It would 

 be well to separate the seed. That which is 

 generally called a single seed is in reality sev- 

 eral seed joined in a bunch, and unless sepa- 

 rated will grow several plants. 



Cabbage Tribe. — Borecole, or Curly Kale, 

 Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Borage, Cabbage 

 and Cauliflower, all are hardy and will endure, 

 with little protection, considerable cold, and 

 miy be sown after the ground is well settled 

 and dry, or may be sown in the hot bed, when 

 desired for transplanting. All these make ex- 

 cellent greens while young. 



Cold Frames — Except wh^n the weather 

 is cold or rainy these may be Itft open. 



Cress {Pepper grass.) — Sow as early as 

 the soil and weather will permit, thickly in 

 six inch rows. It soon comes up and the 

 leaves are tic for a salad in a short time. Give 

 wa^m soil. 



Garlic — A vegetable but little used, yet 

 to those who are fond of onions in a milder 

 shape, this mav be desirable, its flavor being 

 somewhat different. Sow seeds in rich, mel- 

 low t'oil, or fcel; out divisions of bulbs six inches 

 apirt, in diids. Treat like onions. 



Hut Beds — For general purposes farmers 

 will liiid hot- beds quite as serviceable, made 

 early this month as if made earlier. Direc- 



tions have so often been given for making 

 them that there is little need to repeat them 

 here. The main requisites are a frame and 

 glazed sash set over a bed, two to three feet 

 of manure, for heating material, covered with 

 a few inches of rich fine soil to furnish a foot- 

 hold for the plants, or to deposit the seed in. 

 The seed should not be planted till the heat 

 recedes a little from its highest point, as it 

 will go to 100 degrees or over, and prove fatal 

 to the vitality of seeds. 



Leeks — Sow when the soil is open and 

 warm ; the seed may be mixed with onion 

 seed, and the plants treated alike till the 

 onions are pulled, when the leeks are left to 

 grow. 



Lettuce. — Sow in hot-bed and in the open 

 air as soon as the ground will admit. Varie- 

 ties are numerous ; some preferring one to 

 another, so different tastes may be accommo- 

 dated. 



Manure. — For the garden the manure 

 should be free of weed seeds. Compost, sta- 

 ble manure and muck, half and half, well de- 

 composed and fined, is the best general fertil- 

 izer. Liquid manure is one of the very best 

 inducers to rapid growth. Sink a cask in the 

 ground in some out-of-the-way corner, but of 

 convenient access, and into it deposit all the 

 house slops and any other liquid manure. 

 Keep it well covered, and reduce it as applied. 



Onions. — Sow seed in rich well prepared 

 soil. Yellow and white varieties are usually 

 better flavored than the large red, but the po- 

 tato onions are the best of all for table use. 

 These are offsets from bulbs, which should be 

 planted one foot apart each way, in rich, mel- 

 low soil, and the soil be kept loose and clean. 

 Top onions and "rareripes" are set in similar 

 soil, three to six apart, and rows ten to twelve 

 inches. 



Parsnips. — Sow in deep worked, rich soil, 

 in drills, eighteen inches apart, thinly cover- 

 ing the seed half to three-lburths an inch and 

 firm well. The seed is a long lime coming. 



Radishes. — Sow in warm, rich sandy soil, 

 protected fiom cold ; water with liquid ma- 

 nure, to induce rapid giowth; a slow-grown 

 radish is usually tough and woody. Sow seed 

 in any vacant place. Sow at intervals for a 

 succession. 



Seeds — So far as possible test all before 

 Using. Sown in wet cotton in a glass or in 

 moist soil, kept warm, they sprout in a few 

 days, at most. 



Strawberries, and other small fruits may 

 now be planted out, pruned, tied up, dug 

 about and manured, if not already done. 



ToM.vTOES. — Sjw seed in hot-bed, or in 

 boxes of soil, to be kept in the sunny window 

 of a warm room. Gen. Grant, Dwaif Pro- 

 lific, Crimson Cluster, Kegee Improved, King 

 of Tomatoes are ihe best. 



Tools. — A few durable, light and good tools 

 ought to be an appendage of every garden, 



