FEBRUARY 159 



If the soil can be worked during this month, plant sweet peas 

 where they will have plenty of sun. Make a trench and add some 

 barnyard manure. Cover the seed about six inches deep. They 

 will begin sprouting as soon as mild weather comes. Start dahlias 

 of some of the new varieties or new colors from seed planted this 

 month. They may be started in hotbeds or coldframes and trans- 

 planted when danger of spring frost is over. Such plants would 

 blossom the same year. Try perennial phlox, pansies, violets and 

 other hardy perennials in the same way. 



A number of popular hardy flowers may be started in beds pro- 

 tected from the cold wind and exposed to the warm sun. Try 

 poppy, candytuft, hollyhock, larkspur, fox glove, snapdragon and 

 allyssum. If these are started in cold frames they will grow better 

 and will blossom in late spring and early summer. 



FEBBUAKY 



Vegetables. — Use the hotbed to start tender vegetables from 

 seed. It is not too early to plant tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, 

 and others. The window boxes may be used instead of the hotbed 

 for starting the seeds. Transplant them later to coldframes. 

 Sweet potatoes may be bedded some time this month according to 

 latitude. Irish potatoes should be planted in the open garden. 

 Use an early variety and you may expect the harvest by the last 

 of May or early June. Use Irish Cobbler, Early Triumph, or 

 Early Rose. 



Rhubarb and asparagus may be transplanted early this month. 

 Use very rich deep soil with plenty of manure. Some fingerling 

 roots of horse radish should be planted this month if not before. 

 The perennial garden herbs may be started this month from roots 

 or seeds. Sage, thyme and summer savory are worth having in 

 the garden. 



Plant small quantities of the earliest hardy garden vegetables 

 some time in February. These include early garden peas, cabbage 

 plants, cauliflower plants, parsnips, salsify, kohl-rabi, beets, 

 radish and turnips. Celery seed should be started in the coldframe 

 ready to set out later. 



If you wish to force some melons and cucumbers they may be 

 started in berry boxes or pasteboard boxes in the hotbed the last of 

 February. They do not transplant easily unless the dirt is kept 

 with the roots as in the boxes. 



The area to be used for the late garden planting should be 



