152 



CULINARY OR KITCHEN GARDEN. 



planted to the bottom of a wall having a 

 southern exposure, where they will be 

 protected by the projecting coping, and 

 by the awnings used to protect the blos- 

 soms of the trees. In default of such, 

 plant in the warmest border the place 

 affords, and protect by branches or other 

 means most at hand. These may be set 

 at 6 or 8 inches apart, and the smaller 

 taken up with balls, and planted in the 

 open border about the beginning of May, 

 setting them 12 inches apart each 

 way, as the smaller and hardier sorts 

 should be chosen for this purpose. In 

 February and March, seed should be 

 sown on a warm border, and the plants 

 protected until fit for planting in the 

 more exposed borders or quarters of the 

 garden. For a first general summer crop, 

 sow about the end of March and begin- 

 ning, middle, and end of April, in a well- 

 exposed place, and continue sowing as 

 above. During the heat of summer, sow 

 on borders with a north aspect, and keep 

 the ground moist by watering. Lettuce 

 is much improved by careful transplant- 

 ing; therefore every crop, as soon as 

 the young plants will handle, should be 

 set in nursery-beds sufficiently thin as 

 not to touch each other. For this it is 

 impossible to give exact dimensions, as so 

 much depends on the varieties sown — 

 the cos or upright-growing kinds requir- 

 ing less space than the cabbage sorts ; 

 and even in each of these there exists a 

 considerable difference in size. In all 

 cases of nursery-bed transplanting, there 

 is no error in planting thin, as the thinner 

 the plants are the stockier they get, and 

 the better rooted — the purposes aimed at 

 in this stage of their growth. The beds 

 prepared for them should be in high cul- 

 tivation — that is, thoroughly enriched 

 and completely pulverised. If a little 

 half-decayed turfy soil, or half-decayed 

 leaves, were dug into such beds, the roots 

 would work into them, and lift with bet- 

 ter balls, and especially so by using the 

 transplanting trowel, fig. 27. 



In removing them from the seed-bed to the 

 nursery plantation, the ground should be well 

 watered if dry. Instead of pulling up the ten- 

 der plants, as is usually done, the ground should 

 be loosened by the transplanting fork, fig. 55, 

 which is a useful implement, and may be em- 

 ployed in taking up root-weeds too firmly fixed 

 in the soil to be drawn up by the hand. Its 

 principal use, however, is in loosening the soil 



about the roots of young seedling plants, such as 

 cabbage, endive, lettuces, or the like, previous 

 to their removal to the nursery-bed, and also in 



Fig. 55. 



TRANSPLANTING FORK. 



facilitating their removal from it to the place of 

 final planting, when the transplanters, figs. 29, 

 &c. are not to be used, or the transplanting 

 trowels, figs. 27 and 28. The use of all the 

 latter implements is to remove with compact 

 balls of earth around the roots; and they are of 

 great service when plants of a large size are to 

 be removed, particularly during dry weather, 

 and when the least possible check is to be given 

 to their growth. A saving of time and space is 

 obtained by their use : for example, most of the 

 Brassicse, the lettuce, and endive, may be retained 

 in nursery-beds, even should the former attain 

 a height of 9 or 10 inches, and the two latter 

 4 or 5, and until the ground intended for them 

 shall be cleared of its present crop. The fork, 

 fig. 55, is, on the other hand, to be employed for 

 lifting young crops of onions, leeks, lettuce, 

 endive, and similar long and tender-rooted 

 plants, so that, by loosening the soil around 

 them, they may with greater safety be taken up 

 than if pulled by the hand. These forks are 

 of various sizes— the smallest is 3| inches broad 

 at the points of the prongs, 5 inches in length of 

 prongs, and 104 inches, including the handle. The 

 prongs are flattened, and are half an inch broad 

 at the broadest part, tapering to a sharp point. 

 The fork is attached to the handle by a bent 

 neck, the part of which that is attached to the 

 prongs acts as a fulcrum, while the handle acts 

 as a lever. 



Fig. 56 is a modification of the last, the prongs 

 of which are 6 inches in length, and which, 



Fig. 56. 



TRANSPLANTING FORK. 



with the bending at the neck and handle, mea- 

 sures 13 inches in length. In this case the 

 prongs are round, tapering to a point, are three 

 in number, and form a fork 3 inches in breadth. 

 It is used for similar purposes as the last, and 

 also as a planting tool. 



When transferred from the nursery-beds 

 to the open quarters after the beginning 

 of May, shallow drills should be drawn 

 according to their size, and the plants 

 set in them : being somewhat below the 

 general surface, they will derive shelter ; 

 and should water be required, which will 

 be the case in dry weather, it can be 

 more advantageously applied. If in plan- 



