10 



BUIST'S FAMILY 1UTCHEN GARDENER. 



gallons of water — the liquid to be used when the vegetables 

 are in a growing state. Gypsum is beneficial, but not of any 

 duration. Poudrette is a very active manure, highly exciting 

 to early crops. The safest and best of all manures are the 

 combined deposits of the horse, the cow, and the pig ; these, 

 thrown into a heap to ferment, saturating it with all the soap- 

 suds and urine that can be collected, wiU form the best, the 

 safest, and most permanent manure, not equalled by any or all 

 of the nostrums of the age. It may be applied at the rate of 

 from twenty to thirty tons per acre. This quantity is not too 

 much, when a garden is regularly cultivated. It requires no 

 adept in vegetable culture to take at least two crops a year 

 from the ground. Lime is not genial to the growth of vegeta- 

 bles ; its principal function as a manure appears to be, to dis- 

 solve the organic matter in the soil and facilitate its decay. 

 Soils of a sour, heavy nature, full of thready, undecomposed 

 vegetable fibre, are greatly benefited by a dressing of air-slacked 

 lime ; but on rich soils, well cultivated, its effects are unfavor- 

 able to the growth of culinary vegetables. 



ON IMPLEMENTS. 



It is not our intention to go into a detail of all the useful 

 articles connected with the culture of the garden, which would 

 take us beyond our limits. Our object will be only to point 

 out those most useful and essential to carry on the cultiva- 

 tion of the soil. The materials of which they are composed are 

 chiefly of iron and wood ; the best quality of both should be 

 used, nothing purchased merely for its being cheap. The 

 cheapest is the best and most durable to accomplish the end. 



The spade is a very common tool, and should be of steel, 

 with a hickory or ash handle, having two rivets through its 

 head. No. 2, of the manufactory, is the most convenient size. 

 Some American spades are equal to any o T British manufacture 



