March 13, 1889.] 



Garden and Forest. 



127 



Cultural Department. 



Forwarding Vegetable Plants. 



VT'EARS ago we thought it essential to success in growing 

 ^ early cabbages that the seed should be sown in Septem- 

 ber and wintered over in cold-frames, or, south of Baltimore, 

 planted out on the sides of elevated ridges. But this pracdce 

 has been generally abandoned. We have found it more satis- 

 factory to sow the seed in February, in bo.xes in a green-house 

 or in a hot-bed ; to transplant into other boxes as soon as the 

 plants are large enough, and then to harden the plants in a 

 cold-frame. Plants raised in this way are better than those 

 from fall-sown seed, for they make a more rapid growth in 

 spring, come in as early, and form a better crop, since they do 

 not run to seed. 



We use green-house boxes in preference to hot-beds for all 

 kinds of plants, always taking care to get them into a cold- 

 frame as soon as the character of the plant renders it safe to 

 do so. This saves the trouble of preparing manure and mak- 

 ing hot-beds, and handling, covering and airing through snow, 

 slash and rain. The work can be comfortably attended to 

 inside. Besides, by the use of shallow boxes not only is the 

 irksome work of transplanting into a frame avoided, but the 

 plants are kept in good shape for removal to the garden. A 

 plant lifted from the box on the point of a trowel, and set with 

 a lump of soil and manure on its roots gets a good start of one 

 pulled from a frame. 



Many amateur gardeners think when they make a hot-bed 

 and sow tomato seed thickly therein that they are forwarding 

 the plants for the garden. But a good, healthy plant started 



purpose a well-prepared cold-frame is better, if not used too 

 early. Here we sow our tomato seed in February, in green- 

 house boxes, transplant into other boxes as soon as the 

 plants are large enough to be handled, and then into frames 

 for hardening by the middle of March. In the latitude of New 

 York a month later than these dates will be the proper time. 

 Plants thus transplanted are stout, stub-pointed and vigorous, 

 if care is taken to expose them, after they go into the frames, to 

 the open air whenever practicable. Such plants, set out here 

 late in April, will give ripe fruit late in June or early in July. 

 This practice involves more trouble, for which, however, the 

 gain in earliness fully compensates. Egg plants and Peppers 

 will not harden well in frames like Tomatoes, and the effort to 

 make them do so will only result in stunted, unhealthy plants. 

 We always pot Egg-plants and shift them, like any hot-house 

 plant, until the weather is settled and the ground is warm — 

 generally about the middle of May in this latitude. After this 

 treatment, when the plants are put out, they are large and 

 robust, and do not easily succumb to the Colorado beetle, 

 which is fonder of them than of the Potato. A few early Cucum- 

 bers and early Musk-melons, treated in the same manner as 

 the Egg-plants, will do well and give an early crop. Seeds of 

 these very tender plants should not be sown even here before 

 March, and a month later at the North. While the cold-frame 

 is waiting for the tender plants some seed of early scarlet 

 Turnip-radish may be sown in it. These, with care, will be out 

 of the way by the time it is safe to trust the Tomato plants in 

 the frames. Of course, during the fall and winter, the frames 

 are kept at work with Lettuce and Cauliflower. The Lettuce be- 

 ing cut out, the Cauliflowers can be left without the glass when 

 the time comes to sow Radishes in March, and with an extra 



Auburndale Station, Boston & Albany Railroad. — See page 124. 



in the open ground a month later will surpass in vigor, earli- 

 ness and productiveness the tender and bleached plants raised 

 in a hot-bed. If a hot-bed is to be used, the seed should be 

 sown in a small bed ; a week or so later a larger bed should be 

 prepared, and into this the young seedlings should be trans- 

 planted as soon as large enough to be handled, though for this 



frame the same sashes that grew the Lettuce and Cauliflower 

 may be used for the Radishes and for hardening the Tomato 

 plants. Few amateur gardeners understand the full capability 

 of an ordinary cold-frame. A few sashes can be kept profita- 

 bly at work on frames from November to June or later. 

 Crozet, Va. W< F. Massey. 



