0)1 Cottage Gardening. 



327 



knobs must be pared off with, a knife before planting. Dib in 

 the plants as deep as tlie lower leaves, and fix them tightly 

 in the soil — now the labourer need not be afraid of planting too 

 many in this order, because every alternate row must be used 

 as soon as wanted, so that the intermediate spaces may be dug 

 or not, and planted with long-podded beans about the end of 

 January. The rows which are left for the principal crop of 

 spring-cabbage will be in use during May and June, and they 

 should be gathered by rows in succession. When the first row is 

 used, begin the second clearing off hand- smooth, as the cabbage 

 are wanted. The advantage of this mode of taking the crop 

 is, that it allows the cleared ground to be dug and recropped 

 if requisite. From the time the cabbages are planted until the 

 beans are put in, the ground should be frequently hoed between 

 when the surface is moderately dry, but not at all if wet. 



When the cabbages are planted there is nothing more to be 

 done in planting or sowing till the spring — but before that season 

 the cottager must be getting the rest of his ground ready for the 

 spring crops. As much of it as possible should be trenched ; and 

 if he can manage to trench the whole it would be a good job out 

 of hand. Every labourer knows how trenching is done, and 

 therefore advice on this point is needless : it may just be observed, 

 however, that the trenches may be made 2h or 3 feet wide, and 

 as deep as the staple allows — the first is wheeled to the other end 

 to fill the last trench. The top-spit or spadeful of the second is 

 turned to the bottom of the first, and the remainder is raised to 

 form the new surface, this being repeated over the whole piece. 



In the autumn or winter-fallovv ing of garden-ground the surface 

 is either laid flat or in ridges. If the soil be light and sandy, it 

 can hardly be laid too level, because such soil requires no ameli- 

 oration by frost, nor any exposure to the sun and drying winds to 

 exhale away its moist riches. But if the soil be naturally heavy 

 and clayey, then the surface should certainly be laid in ridges, 

 not only that it may be mellowed by frost, but that it may be 

 rendered as dry as possible before seed-time. These last ob- 

 servations are applicable to digging as well as trenching, for 

 strong land should always be laid in ridges during winter. There 

 is another advantage of ridging land to a cottager who may have 

 an opportunity of getting it into this state during the autumn ; it 

 is, that in the spring, when so much business is going on in the 

 fields, any portion of the cottage-garden is much more readily got 

 in order for either seeds or plants than if it had to be dug at that 

 busy time, when every hour of the labourer's time is so valuable 

 to his master and himself. 



During the winter the cottager must also set his head to work 

 about proportioning his ground to the quantities of vegetables 



