THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 



187 



larly to which a confrere and myself awarded the 

 first prize in a competition for prizes offered by 

 the Eoyal Agricultural JSociety of England), it is a 

 practice to plant Cabbages a little wider than usual 

 in view of securing a fine crop of exceptional pro- 

 duce, and at the earliest season convenient to plant 

 rows of Potatoes of strong-growing kinds between 

 them, so that when the Cabbages are drawn or used 

 a Potato crop is ready for moulding, and a change, 

 as if by magic, takes place upon the ground. This 

 simple system is one which may well be followed 

 wherever the space of ground is too limited for crop- 

 ping in the usual way. Dig up the ground in a row 

 narrowly between each two rows of Cabbages, re- 

 moving any very large leaves which spread too 

 greatly, and dibble the Potatoes in a row between. 

 The variety of Potato known as Reading Hero, being 

 so strong and upright, is well suited for such a pur- 

 pose. So soon as the Cabbages are used, hoe or fork 

 along their whole standing-ground, and subsequently 

 draw the soil up to the rows of Potatoes. 



Late Broccoli and Vegetable Marrows. — 



The Vegetable Marrow is usually nursed and coaxed 

 upon manure-hsaps, following pot-growth, into ex- 

 cessive leaf -formation, and late limited fruit supplies. 

 The system of growing them, indeed of sowing 

 the seeds and growing throughout upon bare and 

 exposed fields, followed by market-garden farmers, 

 gives as a rule a much earlier and better crop. In 

 connection with all late spring Broccoli crops some 

 will " head in " earlier than others. Pull such plants 

 up for use, then place a couple of forkfuls of good 

 manure upon the vacant space, dig it in deeply and 

 well, and sow therein three Vegetable Marrow seeds 

 an inch or two apart. These if sown during the 

 last week in the month of April will come up, form 

 strong plants, and be prepared to range over a good 

 space of ground when the general crop of Broccoli 

 is removed. Meantime, if the kind of Broccoli be a 

 late one, the slowest ones to "head in" will aft'ord 

 good protection to the Marrows. 



Peas. — Limited areas may be made the most of 

 by sowing two sorts of Peas — viz., tall and dwarf 

 growing together. This suggestion is not a new one, 

 and answers well. Thus the dwarf Pea, Maclean's 

 Blue Peter, may be sown in the same row as Dr. 

 Maclean's Marrow. By this means the former would 

 come in for use first ; the haulm may be pulled up 

 with the last gathering from it, and the whole space 

 devoted to the ultimate full development of the 

 latter. Again, William I. and Telephone may be 

 sown together when the sowings are deferred until 

 the month of March, by which means the former 

 will come in early, and the other follow in quick 



succession. By pulling up the haulm of the former 

 when the last pods upon it are " fit," room will be 

 given to the latter, of branching habit, to spread 

 and develop its fine podding capacity. There are 

 several other examples which may be united in a 

 similar manner. The seeds of both varieties selected 

 to be grown together should be sown in equal quan- 

 tities, and the ground well prepared for them. A 

 nice mulching of decomposed manure along both 

 sides of the row, after the final earthing up and 

 sticking has been done, will mal^e them do all the 

 better. 



Onions and Lettuces. — The often-practised 

 process, consisting of growing a few Lettuces upon 

 Onion-beds, has much to commend it, especially as all 

 Onion-beds are, or should be, prepared deeply and 

 well, in a manner to suit the growth and higher de- 

 velopment of this invaluable member of the salads. 

 So soon as the bed is sown with Onion-seeds, scatter 

 a few seeds of any desirable kind of Lettuce over the 

 bed. Every care must be taken, however, ultimately, 

 when the seedlings are large enough, to thin them 

 out to a foot or more apart, and to choose such as 

 are to remain owing to their being placed between 

 the rows of Onions, and not likely to cause excessive 

 injurj^ to any part of this, the primary, crop. Such 

 Lettuces should also be drawn for use when young, 

 or so soon as fit for use in a small state. 



Spinach and Peas. — The Spinach crop being a 

 rapid-growing one, requiring besides good deep rich 

 ground and early use, is often conveniently grown 

 between two rows of Peas. The seeds are simply 

 drilled into the ground in a row between the Peas 

 at the time of sowing, the hoe being used simulta- 

 neously between both crops in all after-culture as 

 needed. 



Rhubarb and Sea-kale, — By growing these 

 two crops near together, or as regards dwarf- 

 growing eai'ly Rhubarb, one row of it planted 

 alternately with two rows of Sea-kale, an opportu- 

 nity will the more conveniently exist for forcing 

 both of these together, where the method of doing 

 so consists in the use of pots for covering the 

 crowns with, and fermenting materials. The upper 

 or leaf surfaces of such Rhubarb-leaves as encroach 

 unduly on the space allotted to the Sea-kale may be 

 cut away occasionally, letting the stalk remain to 

 die down, when no injury would be done to the ulti- 

 mate strength of the stools. 



Mushrooms and Sea-kale. — By keeping the 

 Mushroom house shut up close and darkened, Sea- 

 kale roots placed in a bed of soil within it force 



