THE FRUIT GARDEN. 
65 
Beans. — Sow a few early beans in drills 
three feet apart, and the beans three inches 
apart in the drill. The end of this month, or 
beginning of next, is the season for main crops. 
Herbs. — Sow all that are raised from seed 
in any spare places you have ; but regular 
beds are preferable. 
Horse-radish. — If no provision was made 
in autumn for this useful root, a bed should 
now be planted. Dig a trench, eighteen inches 
deep ; throw in a little good rotten dung, and 
some of the soil, to the depth of three inches ; 
then cut roots of the Horse-radish into pieces 
an inch long, and lay them in rows in the 
trench, six or eight inches apart, and fill up 
the remaining fifteen inches with soil, being 
careful that it is well bruised and broken ; and 
the sticks will come up, and grow handsome 
in two seasons. 
Kidney-Beans. — The hardy early kinds 
may be planted three in a pot, to be forced 
in a green-house or hot-bed. 
Lettuces that have stood the winter may 
now be planted out in warm situations, and 
protected from wind, which at this season is 
even more destructive than frost. 
Mushroom beds require to be kept warm, 
and not too dry. If they are in the open air 
and the covering becomes wet, it must be 
changed, and replaced with dry straw. 
Onions. — Plant out a few of the finest bulbs 
for seed. The bulbs should be two-thirds in 
the ground, and a foot from each other. Also, 
plant the small autumn bulbs six inches apart, 
for use ; and sow a few seeds in drills, to draw 
young for salads. 
Parsley. — Sow in drills or around borders. 
The most curly-leaved is the most esteemed. 
There is a kind cultivated for the root, but, 
except the flavour is required very strong, it 
is not desirable. 
Peas. — Make small sowings about every 
three weeks. The first sowing this month 
should be three weeks from the last sowing in 
January, and so continue once in three weeks, 
till July. Earth up any that are advancing 
in growth. 
Potatoes. — Plant a few ash-leaf kidneys 
in the old asparagus beds, or a row under a 
south wall. Dig che space all along and well 
bruise the earth ; lay whole sets on the top, a 
foot apart, and cover them with earth to the 
depth of four inches, which may be sloped a 
little, and thus form a sort of bank just under 
the wall. 
Radisltes and Salads of all kinds may be 
sown in frames and on open warm borders. 
The latter must be protected with litter of 
some kind, on frosty nights, and removed in 
the morning. 
llhubarb and Sea-Kale may be covered for 
forcing, either with pots or boxes, and sur- 
47 
rounded with fermenting leaves or hot stable 
dung. 
Spinach. — Sow in open weather a small 
quantity, and continue the same every three 
weeks. Winter Spinach now in use, should 
have the outside leaves only picked, leaving 
the centres to grow out, and keep up a suc- 
cession. 
Turnips. — Sow a few early Dutch, or some 
of the new sorts, in favourable weather, to- 
wards the end of the month. 
CUCUMBER AND MELON-FRAMES. 
Cucumbers. — When the plants were sown 
as directed last month, they will be ready to 
plant out on the fruiting beds some time during 
the month. If the beds are of dung, the heat 
must get moderate before the plants are put 
out ; and the soil should have been placed 
ready in the frame some days previously, so as 
to get warmed through. Form the soil into 
a little hillock in the centre, and place the 
plant so as to be about six inches from the 
glass. Regulate the temperature, by linings of 
hot dung, to about a mean of seventy degrees by 
day, and eight or ten degrees lower at night. 
Sprinkle the sides of the frame every morn- 
ing as soon as the sun "pops out," and shut 
up close for half an hour ; then give more or 
less air through the day, according to the 
weather and the state of the beds. They must 
have the same kind of treatment if in hot- water 
pits, only they will then be less troublesome. 
Above all things, avoid a powerful bottom 
heat ; eighty degrees is quite enough at the. 
root. A few seeds should be put in, so as to 
have a constant store of young plants against 
emergencies. 
3/elons. — Very early Melons, though prized 
for the sake of the variety they afford in the 
dessert, are, in fact, but little worth : it takes 
all the sun of a good, bright, English summer 
to produce a good melon ; and what are ob- 
tained both very early and very late are but 
poor apologies for the " fruit in due season." 
A few seeds may he sown in the cucumber- 
frame, and as soon as they are large enough, 
that is, when two or three pairs of leaves are 
formed, they should be planted out, and treated 
as recommended for cucumbers, only the soil 
should contain a much greater proportion of 
strong loam. 
FRUIT-GARDEN. 
The general pruning of hardy orchard 
fruits, such as Apples, Pears, Medlars, &c, 
should have been finished before this time ; 
and also, that of the small fruits, such as Cur- 
rants, Gooseberries, &c. When it is not done, 
no time should be lost in having it completed : 
the pruning of the tender wall-fruits should 
not be delayed later than the middle of the 
month. 
F 
