140 
GARDENING AND FARMING 
this plant are picked off for boiling ; and the 
plants continue to produce them for a long 
time. In a temperate climate they do well. 
The seeds should be sown in a sheltered spot, 
and the plants put out at a yard apart every 
way in rich soil ; about a score of plants will 
furnish a good supply. The seeds are sold in 
England at 6d. per oz. 
Cucumber. — The ground must be dug and 
levelled, and three or four seeds placed in a 
patch two or three inches from each other, and 
these patches should be ten feet apart. The 
best kinds to take out would be Syon- 
house, Cuthill's black spine, Hamilton's do., 
Mills' do. All may be had at 6d. or Is. 
a packet. As soon as the plants have six 
leaves, pinch off the top to encourage side 
branches, and if these incline to ramble along 
instead of throwing out side shoots, pinch the 
ends off of these also, but if fruits show they 
may be safely left to themselves. 
Squash, Vegetable Marrow, &c. — This 
is the name given to many of the gourds, but 
nearly all of the gourd tribe are eatable at an 
early period before the formation of the seeds ; 
they may all be grown like cucumbers, only two 
plants in a hole are enough instead of three. 
Parsley. — The best 4d. per oz. An ex- 
cellent herb for broths, stews, stuffings, and 
other seasoned dishes. To be sown thinly in 
drills ; when up, pull out so as to leave the 
plants six inches apart in the rows, and the 
rows should be a foot from each other ; if it 
can be done, pull out those with the plainest 
looking leaves, and leave those with the best 
curled foliage, This is an herb constantly in 
use, and should not be neglected ; the seed also 
imparts the flavour, as in the case of celery. 
Salsaft, Scorzonera, Skirret, Sorrel, 
Balm, Bazil, Chervil, Fennel, Marjo- 
ram, Sage, Savory, Thyme, and many other 
herbs, may be had in packets of seed, requiring 
no more than sowing, thinning out to six, 
nine, or twelve inches apart, according to the 
size of the plant, and then remaining to form 
a complete herb bed. It is as well to take 
the majority of these, because there is no get- 
ting them three or four hundred miles up a 
strange unknown country, and a store is no 
sore if you do happen to find some of them. 
All may be had in 3d. packets, or even less. 
Lettuce. — The best of salads, and the nu- 
merous kinds admit of keeping some all the 
year round. The best sorts are Bath Cos, 
Brown Cos, "White Cabbage, all 6d. or Is. per 
oz. These may be sown thinly enough to cut 
them out to six inches apart, and then left to 
heart. When they have grown to a full size, 
if they have an inclination to heart of them- 
selves, there will be no occasion to tie them 
up ; but if you want some earlier, tie up the 
plant so that the heart cannot grow out, and 
it will fill and whiten sooner. The cabbage 
kind heart very well ; they want no aid. In 
England and in North America lettuces may 
be planted out at proper distances after they 
have grown large enough to be handled, but 
in hot countries they will not bear this, nor 
will they in all places come to heart at all ; 
they will run away to seed. The best chance 
is to sow them where they are to stand, and 
give them room by cutting out all that inter- 
rupt their growth. Less than six inches 
apart will not do, and in some places they 
want nine inches, growing much larger and 
finer than ordinary, but this will soon be 
found out. 
Endive. — An excellent salad for any sea- 
son. Sow it thinly all over a bed ; when up, 
cut the weak plants, leaving the rest at about 
six inches apart. When these have grown to 
a fair size, tie them up close like a lettuce, or 
lay a board on them, or if you do not mind 
the trouble of washing them for use, dig up 
the soil between and cover them up ; they 
require to be kept from air and light a few 
days, to whiten them, but how you do this 
matters not ; you may cover a pan over them, 
if you please. They are eaten raw, like other 
salads. The principal sorts are white curled, 
and white Batavian, 6d. an oz. 
Radish. — This favourite salad root has 
only to be sown thinly, and drawn when large 
enough to eat. There is a long sort and a 
round sort, and of each there are several 
varieties. The early scarlet, early short to- 
red turnip and white turnip, may all be had at 
2s. per quart, and are worth taking out. Salad 
radish is to sow and eat like cress, mustard, &c. 
Corn Salad. — The seed is 3d. per oz. 
Sown and thinned to six inches apart. The 
leaves picked form almost a perpetual salad ; 
always a nice addition to any salad, and eatable 
by themselves. 
Mustard. — An excellent salad, and a very 
necessary condiment in the seed state, for by 
grinding it, and sifting out the husks, we 
obtain the mustard of commerce, only very 
much more pure and serviceable. It is sown 
as thick as cress in rows to cut for salad ; but 
sown very thin and hoed out to nine inches 
apart, to save seed from. If the ground be 
rich, it will require eighteen inches instead of 
nine. Seed Is. per quart. 
Rape salad is not so pungent as mustard, 
but has much the nature and appearance of it, 
and must be sown the same way as cress and 
mustard ; cut at the same age ; it is in most 
markets sold as mustard. 
Cress. — Used as small salad ; sown thickly 
in drills, and when two or three inches high, 
cut close to the surface. Seed Is. per quart. 
Cress, American. — A perennial, and 
