APRIL 299 



It is also worth knowing that at this time of year, 

 when vegetables are scarce in the country, the fresh 

 green leaves of Rhubarb — generally thrown away — 

 make an excellent vegetable dressed like Spinach, 

 either with or without a little butter. 



One of the great diflSculties in a light soil is a con- 

 tinuous supply of Spinach, and gardeners never will 

 sow a sufficient succession in dry weather, when it 

 must be watered. It has a great tendency to run to 

 seed. In Sutton's book, ' The Culture of Vegetables 

 and Flowers,' he faces the difficulty and gives instruc- 

 tion for its remedy very efficiently. No other Spinach 

 approaches in excellence the real one, Spinacia oleracea ; 

 but for an extension of the supply two others should 

 be grown in every fair -sized kitchen garden. The 

 New Zealand Spinach (Tetragonia expansa) flourishes 

 in the hottest weather, and is best started in a box 

 under glass. The perpetual Spinach or Spinach Beet 

 (Beta Gicla) is a most valuable plant for its continuous 

 supply of leaves. Sutton says : 'When the leaves are 

 ready for gathering they must be removed, whether 

 wanted or not, to promote continuous growth.' This 

 is the case with a good many vegetables — Garden 

 Cress, Watercress, Chicory, etc. I shall give special 

 attention this year to sowing Spinach in all sorts of 

 places. Aspect and shade make so much difference in 

 the rapidity with which things grow ! 



Purslane is" a vegetable not often sown in English 

 gardens, but it makes a good summer salad, and is 

 useful in soup or dressed as Spinach. 



Last year I tried growing several kinds of Pota- 

 toes — five or six varieties recommended by Sutton — 

 but I do not think any turned out better than, if as 

 well as, Sutton's 'Magnum Bonum,' which we have 

 grown for years. 'Ring-leader' is the one we grow 



