524 
THE GARDENER’ ASSISTANT. 
these conditions will continue bearing freely | collected, thrown in a heap to heat, and be 
till severe frosts intervene, and it frequently | then turned and framed out in a square heap, 
pays to roughly protect from the earliest of these. | 30 inches to 3 feet deep. 
Fig. 1294.—Vegetable Marrow. 
Vegetable Marrows are suitable for training 
over summer arbours, wall-trellises, fences, and 
such like. In these instances narrow trenches 
should be opened and otherwise prepared, as 
advised for the beds in the open. 
Forcing and Fruiting on Beds.—Vegetable 
Marrows may be grown on a hot-bed in a 
heated brick pit after the manner of Cucum- 
bers, or in houses, as Melons are grown, less 
heat, however, being desirable. They also suc- 
ceed in pots of the larger sizes and in boxes. 
In any case a rich loamy compost, in a coarse 
state, is desirable, and abundance of water and 
liquid manure must also be supplied. A tem- 
perature ranging from 55° to 60° by night with 
fram 5° to 10° increase in the daytime is quite 
high enough, and the syringe should be freely 
used in the mornings of clear days and again on 
closing the house. Do not stop the plants, but 
remove side shoots till the roof trellis is reached, 
afterwards extending the leader straight up the 
roof and secure as many fruit as possible from 
the side shoots. Itis of the greatest importance 
that every female flower be fertilized, or other- 
wise the embryo fruit at the base will turn 
yellow and drop off. The flowers only remain 
open a few hours, and it is frequently necessary 
to fertilize them before 6 a.m. 
A few plants could be forwarded in frames 
and hand-lights set on large beds formed with 
anything that will generate heat. A mass of 
stable manure, vegetable refuse, leaves, road 
trimmings, sweepings, and such like should be 
‘ 
On this shallow 
frames or hand-lights may be set, 
and hillocks of loamy soil placed 
in them. All this may be done 
sufficiently early to admit of plants 
being put out early in May. In 
addition to covering with glazed 
lights, mats or other protection 
should be afforded every night. Do 
not stop till the main growths are 
near the outsides of the frames, and 
the side shoots from these will give 
early fruit. Early in June commence 
blocking up the frames with a view 
to hardening off and allowing the 
plants to spread of their own free- 
will. In this manner early as well 
as continuous crops can be had, and 
a fine heap of manure be available 
for the garden during the following 
winter. 
Wood Sorrel (Oxzalis Acetosella).—A hardy 
perennial, native of Britain, where it grows wild 
CV 2) 
el 
NES 
— 
Fig. 1295.—Wormwood (Artemisia Absinthium). 
in woods. The leaves are occasionally used in 
salads, to which they are by many considered to 
be a grateful addition. In common with other 
plants of the same natural order, they contain 
