182 M^IntosKs Practical Gardener. 



" Old asparagus land affords a good preparation for potatoes or carrots. 

 " The strawben7, currant, gooseberry, and raspberry, for the same. 

 " Turnips give a suitable preparation for celery or endive ; and peas, when 

 well manured, are a good preparation for spinach, &c." (p. 62.) 



The remaining portion of the kitchen-garden consists of a calendar. The 

 following ought to be impressed on the mind of every gardener: — In bad 

 weather, cut, paint, and number labels of all sorts, and lay them up so as 

 to be conveniently at hand when wanted. Where there are many drains 

 in or about a garden, a plan of them should be kept in the gardener's office, 

 and all alterations or additions carefully introduced, so as to admit of easy 

 examination, repair, or renewal. " We would here recommend, as a rule 

 adopted by ourselves during the whole course of our practice, to give an 

 inventory of all seeds, tools, &c., connected with the culinary garden, into 

 the hands of the kitchen-garden foreman, or under-gardener, and that he 

 give to each of his men the proper tools for the particular employment al- 

 lotted to him, and make every man responsible for them. Each gar- 

 dener should have a full set of tools ; he should consider them his property 

 while he is in the employment, and when one is broken or worn out, by 

 reporting it to his foreman, he must be supplied, with another. A tool- 

 house is an appendage attached to almost every garden, from the nobleman's 

 to the tradesman's villa ; but it is, generally speaking, a name only, and 

 more often filled with useless lumber than implements of horticulture. 

 Nothing shows the want of regularity and system, and consequently bad 

 management, more than to see a spade lying in one place, a rake in an- 

 other, and a wheelbarrow in a third. We would recommend that every 

 operative be compelled, on quitting his work, to carry such of his tools 

 as he may have been using into the tool-house, where they should be pro- 

 perly cleaned, and either placed upright, or hung upon nails, according 

 to their respective kinds ; and this house should be regularly locked by the 

 foreman, and opened by him in the morning. A system of regularity of 

 this sort will prevent altercation, and in a short time will cease to be un- 

 pleasant to the men ; they will perform it as mechanically as they do most 

 of their other duties. At this season the store-house should be examined; 

 all bulbs, onions, and roots carefully looked over, and those in a state of 

 decay removed, to prevent contamination. Every attention should be paid 

 to such things as are liable to be injured by frost, in order that they may 

 be protected in time, for, if deferred too long, an irreparable loss may be the 

 consequence. Where there is much wheeling to do, this is the proper sea- 

 son to perform it, as during frost the men will do more at this work than 

 they can accomplish when the walks and ground are soft. Leaves should 

 be collected in the woods for the purpose of undergoing fermentation, either 

 for accelerating crops or fruits, or if not wanted for such purposes, the}' 

 should be gathered in heaps to rot into vegetable mould, which will always 

 be useful in the kitchen-garden, and in the other gardens it is actually in- 

 dispensable." (p. 82.) 



It is the sudden transition from cold to heat, or of sunshine after severe 

 frosts, which destroys our early crops, and hence it is that lettuces planted 

 on the north slope of an east and west ridge are often saved, when those on 

 the south side are destroyed. Instead of ridges, cones maj' be tried, and 

 the chances of safety will be materially increased. 



March. Dandelion is an excellent salad, and a good stomachic. Where 

 it abounds as a weed, cover it at this season with rotten tan, or decayed 

 leaves, it will soon come up and be well blanched, and form a great addi- 

 tion to spring salad. It will also force well all the winter, on a slight hot- 

 bed, or in a warm cellar. 



April. Birds may be scared from seeds of the ^rassica tribe by suspend- 

 ing a potato, stuck full of feathers of different colours, from an elastic hazel 



