The Vegetable Garden. 



F practicable, the Garden should have a warm and southeasterly exposure. But when the ground slopes 

 to the north and west it is important to have it located on the sunny side of an orchard or buildings. 

 The most desirable situation possible should be set apart for the kitchen garden, as the exposure has 

 much to do with the early maturity of the crops. The soil must be in a friable state to secure the 

 prompt vegetation of the seeds and the proper growth of the plants. Soils are susceptible of alteration 

 and improvement in texture ; heavy clays can be rendered open and porous, and light sandy soils may 

 be consolidated and rendered more retentive of moisture. To secure a fair return in seasonable crops, 

 for the labor and outlay invested, it is essential that the soil of the Vegetable Garden should be well 

 drained, thoroughly trenched, and enriched by a judicious application of manure. 



ROTATION OF CROPS. 



A rotation of crops is as essential in vegetable gardening as in farming, as different plants appropriate different ingredients 

 from the soil. Care should be taken that deep-rooted plants, such as Beets, Carrots, Parsnips, etc., are not planted successive 

 seasons on the same soil, but should be followed by those plants whose roots extend but little below the surface, such as Onions, 

 Lettuce, Cabbage, Spinach, etc. ; plants of the Brassica, or Cabbage tribe, are apt to become diseased at the roots (club-rooted, 

 as it is termed), if too frequently planted in the same ground. 



HOT-BEDS AISO COLD-FRAMES. 



HOT-BEDS. — There are several aids to the economical management of the garden, which are almost indispensa- 

 ble : one of these is the hot- bed for growing early plants or vegetables. The sashes are generally made 6 feet long by 3 feet 

 wide, but we consider 4 feet preferable. Use 8 by 10 glass. The entire frame of four sashes is 16 feet 5 inches by 6 feet — 

 allowing 1 inch separation on the bearers. The glass should be imbedded in the putty and secured with points, and well painted 

 every year to keep in repair. After the season for use is past, store them away from the weather or keep in a pile with a board 



covering. Care in these respects will save considerable annual ex- 

 pense. The hot-bed should have a southern or southeastern expos- 

 ure, and should be made with fresh horse manure, which must be 

 laid in a heap preparatory to being used; when in a proper state of 

 fermentation, place the frame on the heap. Six inches of rich loamy 

 soil must be spread over the manure, then cover the frame with the 

 sashes, and after standing a few days to allow the rank heat and steam 

 to pass off, the seed can be sown. The heap should be made 2 

 feet longer and wider than the frame. Where the ground is well 

 drained, a better plan is to dig out a space the size of the frame from 

 1 to 2 feet deep, according to the season and the heat required, in 

 which the manure is placed, care being taken to pack it firmly and 

 evenly. In addition to the hot-bed frame, mats or shutters will be 

 required to cover the sash during cold days and nights. 



COLiD-FKAMES.— The cold-frame for wintering Cab- 

 bage, Cauliflower, Lettuce Plants, etc., should be constructed of 

 1-inch boards 1 foot high at the back and 9 inches high in front; 

 short posts, set 4 feet apart, will keep the frame in position. For 

 ordinary gardens a frame 12 to 16 feet long and 6 feet wide will an- 

 swer all requirements. The shutters should be 6 feet 4 inches long by 3 feet wide, made of common rough boards. The soil 

 should be enriched by old and well-decayed manure; the object being to preserve and not to grow the plants during the winter. 

 Give plenty of air every mild day, but do not expose the plants to the sun when the ground or plants are frozen, as it will destroy 

 - them. 



Very many who read this article on hot-beds and cold-frames do not require the expense for a few vegetable and flower 

 plants. To such there is an excellent substitute on hand in most dwellings, in the kitchen or basement windows, facing south 

 ' or east, inside of which is a temperature usually not far from that required for the vegetation of seeds, and where seeds of early 

 vegetables, or tender plants for the flower border, may be raised nearly as well, and with far less attention, than in a hot-bed. 



...Thorough Seed Tests... 



For the protection of the planter and the benefit of the seller careful seed tests are made before the selling season at our ex- 

 tensive greenhouse establishment at Riverton, N. J., where each variety is subjected to the most critical test, which places us in a 

 position to determine the germinating power. 



The trial grounds at our Rosemont Experimental Farm are devoted to the growing of all new and old varieties, and furnish 

 opportunity for comparison of their relative merits, and we are thus enabled to quickly ascertain, for our customer's interest, which 

 sorts to recommend or discard. 

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