THE KlTCiiEN GARDEN". 



107 



and where it is practicable, I strongly ad\dse that the 

 young haulms as they grow when planted at the base 

 of warm walls be trained, by the usual process of 

 nailing, horizontal, or as nearly horizontal as pos- 

 sible. Where convenient walls or fences do not exist 

 against which to train them, they may be planted 

 as near to such an aspect as possible, and be 

 23ermitted to grow over slates or trellis-work. A 

 mulching of straw placed around them would be be- 

 neficial, as it would neutralise the ground-damp and 

 coldness, whilst not depriving the plants of any direct 

 solar heat. Where the recumbent form cannot be 

 practised, they may be grown in a row as near to a 

 warm sunny aspect as possible, tied and trained to 

 stakes. 



Another very excellent and practical way is to 

 grow the plants on in pots until of goodly size, then 

 give a shift into large pots, placing the pots on any 

 elevation, such as the bottom of a vine border, having 

 a falling bank-front, in such manner that the plants 

 can grow down upon its sides. The pots, in this in- 

 stance, should not be crocked, however, and the 

 bottom of each should be placed upon rich soil, in 

 such manner that the lowermost roots can penetrate 

 into the rich soil below, which they will do with re- 

 markable results as regards cropping. Often very 

 valuable sites of this kind exist in gardens in con- 

 nectior^ ^dth soil and manure heaps, which could be 

 turned to good account in the production of Toma- 

 toes, but which thus far have been utilised for 

 Vegetable Marrows, or nothing at all. 



House-grown or " forced" Tomatoes are become a 

 general mid-winter and early spring luxury, the pro- 

 duction of which has been thus far a profitable indus- 

 try when undertaken for marketing purposes. Low 

 span-roofed houses, and all similar ones adapted for 

 Cucumber-growing, are excellent for this purpose, 

 permitting of the plants being grown somewhat after 

 their natural habit. Planted with young plants 

 during the midsummer season, when the Cucumber 

 crop is past, or Cucumbers are at a discount, they are 

 pushed on to produce xevy early crops of fruit before 

 the houses are again wanted for Cucumbers, and are 

 sold at a high price per pound. 



Cultivated varieties of the red-fruited kind have 

 been very greatly improved of late years, culminating 

 in such highly meritorious varieties as Excelsior, 

 Paragon, Trophy, Stamfordianum, &c., to which 

 further advances are yearly being added. That 

 named Greengage, and indeed Golden Trophy, are 

 great advances on the old " Large Yellow " in its pecu- 

 liar colour, &c. The Red Cherry and Red Currant 

 varieties are very ornamental, besides being useful, 

 though, as regards the latter, in far less degree than 

 the whole of those which precede them above. 



J:;uitable varieties for general culture are : — 



Acme, Hathaway's, Sutton's Perfection, President 

 Cleveland, Prelude, Horsford's Chiswicke Red, May- 

 flower, Paragon, Eclipse, and Golden Queen. 



Turnip {Brcmica Rapa). French, Navet ; Ger- 

 man, Speise-Riiheii ; Spanish, Xobo coimm ; Italian, 

 Navone. — The Turnip is a British plant, grow- 

 ing wild in its normal form in many districts, pos- 

 sessing little or no resemblance to the cultivated 

 varieties better known, probably, to many. The 

 French Turnip or Navet is not, when observed 

 also in its really normal form, identical with this 

 Ijritish species, Brassica Rapa, but is really a dis- 

 tinct species, named Brassica JS'apiis, or, in other 

 words, esculcntum, an edible variety of the well-known 

 Rape. Sufficient for this purpose is it, however, that 

 we deal ^\ ith the Turnip as generally known and un- 

 derstood, both British and French. It succeeds best 

 in free strong soil or sandy loam which has been 

 (■x]DOsed to winter frosts, &c., and buf^moderately en- 

 riched. Larger roots may be produced uj)on stilf, 

 more highly enriched land, but these are wanting in 

 that peculiar solidity which is a sure attendant of 

 free flesh and excellence of flavour. Those who 

 would succeed in the latter particulars, therefore, 

 must choose such soils as are suggested, and always 

 upon most fully-exposed sites. To attempt to grow 

 this and all similar surface-bulbing vegetables in 

 shaded situations, or in too immediate contact with 

 crops of taller stature, confined spaces, &c., is to 

 insure unsatisfactory results. 



In gardens and for household uses periodical 

 sowings are needful, by which means a succession of 

 tender produce can alone be insured, though for the 

 main winter supply a much larger breadth should be 

 sown and grown than for any other. 



With soil aerated by winter exposure, and slightly 

 manured at any time previously, preparations for the 

 first sowing within any given year must be under- 

 taken during the third or fourth week in the month 

 of i\Iarch. Slightly fork over the surface of the soil 

 which has lain in fallow, roughly breaking down all 

 lumps, &c. Rake the surface over well, to level it 

 and to remove all large stones, &c., and sow the 

 seeds broadcast. Thick sowing, or rather thick 

 growing, is always to be avoided. Owing, however, 

 to the predilection birds have for the seeds, the foi-mer 

 is a necessity. Choose at all times a dry day for the 

 operation, when the surface soil is also moderately 

 dry. After the seeds are sown, push a rake to and 

 fro over the ground, to duly cover the seeds with soil, 

 making every efl'ort possible to keep off small birds 

 until germination has been effected. Make yet other 

 small sowings about the middle of April and during 

 the third week in May. These spring sowings seve- 

 rally only produce moderate-sized bulbs, as the plant 



