330 



0)1 Cottage Gardening. 



and careful digging. Sow in drills, 10 inches asunder^ about the 

 middle of March rather thickly, because, as they are useful as soon 

 as they are of the size of a crowquill, the drills may be thinned 

 regularly as they are wanted either to use or sell, taking care that 

 all the strongest are left 4 inches apart to come to perfection. 

 The bottom of the shallow furrow made to receive the seed should 

 be firmly trodden with a foot before sowing, and slightly covered 

 with the rake. The intervals must be kept free from weeds by the 

 hoe, and the drills by the hand throughout the growing season ; 

 and in August, sooner or later, the onions will be ready to pull. 

 When pulled, they should be laid together upon a bare part of 

 the ground for a week or ten days to harden. After this the 

 greater part of them should be roped, as the most convenient way 

 for a cottager to keep them, or otherwise kept in a dry cockloft. 



There are many different sorts of onions, but the Spanish and 

 Deptford are two of the best for the cottager's purpose. Onions 

 are also sown in the autumn to draw young for spring use ; but 

 this v/ill be again mentioned at the proper time. 



Radish, Lettuce, ayid Turnip. — On the remaining bed to be 

 cropped in March (it being, like the three preceding pieces, about 

 3 yards lengthwise and the whole breadth of the garden) room 

 may be found for a small seed-bed of cabbage and savoys mixed, 

 another for white Silesia coss lettuce, another for short-top radish, 

 and the remainder for early Dutch turnip. All these are sown 

 broadcast, but regularly, over the fresh-dug surface and raked in. 

 The turnip-seed should be sown last, as early sowings soon run to 

 flower. If it be advantageous to the cottager to raise a crop of 

 early radishes for sale, he may take a bed off the potato ground ; 

 sow at Christmas, or soon after, pretty thickly on the fresh-stirred 

 bed, rake the seed well in, and smooth the surface Vv^ith the back 

 of a spade, and cover the whole bed with dry fern or short 

 littering straw 6 inches thick. The covering is kept on till the 

 seedlings are above ground, and then the covering is drawn off 

 every mild day, but always kept over at night till all fear of frost 

 is past. The labour and care of raising early radishes is of little 

 use to a cottager unless he is sure of having a ready sale for them. 



We have as yet said nothing of peas, because we do not think 

 they are profitable to the cottager ; but if he resolves to have a 

 few, one row only of Knight's marrow will be enough. They 

 may be sown any time in February below the cabbage across the 

 garden, and if sown thinly, earthed up once, and sticked when 

 5 inches high, are very productive, but, as already said, not pro- 

 fitable. 



When the beds of parsnips, carrots, and onions are sown, the 

 alleys between should be immediately planted with cabbage, if 

 plants can be had, for every foot of the ground should be cropped. 



