PRODUCTIVE FAMILY GARDENING. 
361 
eveu. The beds, like those of all crops sown 
broad-cast, ought to be four feet wide, with alleys 
of one foot. The month for sowing for a main 
crop is March, quite the beginning ; when 
they are up they should be hoed out, so as to 
leave them six inches apart, and in a week or 
two a second hoeing will be found necessary ; 
as the onions grow there may be found some 
close to each other — two in a place instead of 
one. These should be drawn by hand, so as 
to leave only one, and they must be kept clear 
of weeds all through their growth. When 
the period for taking up approaches, and the 
bulbs have swelled nearly as much as they 
will, the market gardeners make a practice of 
breaking down the foliage, under an impres- 
sion that to keep on growing would exhaust 
the onion, and that stopping the growth of 
the leaves by breaking the necks throws all 
the strength into the bulb : we venture to 
affirm that this is a mistake, the breaking 
down of the leaves can be of no service ; they, 
like all other plants, receive one kind of 
nourishment from their foliage, another from 
the root, and unless all goes on harmoniously, 
things cannot be at their best. However, 
when the foliage begins to turn yellow the 
bulbs are ripe, and may be lifted and left on 
the surface of the ground to dry out some of 
their moisture ; they should be preserved in a 
cool dry airy place. The sowing of earlier 
crops and later ones for present use may 
always be done where something else is grow- 
ing, such as between lettuces that are planted 
out, or any warm border or corner, or in 
frames ; they do not come under our defini- 
tion of productive garden, but rather among 
the luxuries than otherwise. The sorts best 
adapted are the Deptford, white Spanish, 
Tripoli, and Portugal ; all these keep well 
and grow to a useful size. 
JERUSALEM ARTICHOKES. 
The value of this root was, perhaps, hardly 
known by a large portion of the public until 
the scarcity of the potato rendered all vegeta- 
bles available ; as a substitute it is very poor, 
but as a vegetable capable of being dressed 
many ways, and requiring very different 
treatment in cooking from the potato, it is 
worth a place, because it is preserved as easily 
as any vegetable in store all the winter, and 
can be made available. It is chiefly used in 
stews, alone or with other vegetables. The 
culture is very easy ; the haulm grows six 
feet high, therefore requires room and support. 
The best place is along the back of a border, 
or next to north or east palings and hedges. 
One row is found prolific, but as the uncouth- 
ness of this crop is against it, most people 
who cultivate it only have a large patch in 
the worst part of the garden, so that neither 
sun nor air can get to the roots. They are 
mostly left for years, the tubers becoming 
numerous and small. If there is to be a 
second row, there ought not to be less than a 
yard between the rows ; plant them like po- 
tatoes, and dig up the crop annually, and keep 
it clean ; take out every tuber, and, at the 
proper time, plant them again. 
TURNIPS. 
This is one of those useful vegetables that 
can be enjoyed with almost everything. In 
field culture it is precarious, but in garden 
quantities it is very manageable. They may 
be sown every month from February to Sep- 
tember, and for families using quantities it is 
better to sow every month. They should be 
sown broad-cast in four feet wide beds, and as 
they get four rough leaves they should be 
hoed out six inches apart, and be cleared of 
weeds. They may require several hoeings, 
and a succession of crops for those who con- 
sume many will be desirable, but regard 
should be had to the probable supply of other 
vegetables when these are likely to come in 
for eating, and this, with the quantity likely 
to be wanted, must always guide these com- 
paratively perishable crops ; for turnips are not 
so well stored as carrots, parsnips, or beet- 
root ; but no vegetable can be more whole- 
some than the turnip, and so that they be not 
oversown they are really good. The new 
early stone, the Dutch, and the Maltese yel- 
low, are the best for culinary purposes. The 
best month for sowing a principal crop is 
June, but if showery weather come in July, 
that is a good month. 
CABBAGES. 
Of all the green crops this is the most valu- 
able ; it may be sown and planted out, if the 
weather be open, every month in the year ; it 
stands almost any frost. It is eatable from the 
time it is large enough to handle until it has ac- 
quired a hard close heart. It is a crop to put on 
every bit of otherwise idle ground ; it can be 
planted between rows of anything and every- 
thing, either to be eaten as greens when large 
enough, or left to cabbage on the coming off 
of other crops. They should be sown thickish on 
a seed-bed in January, and every week there 
should be a lot put out, three inches apart, to 
strengthen for planting out. The sowings 
should be repeated every month till August, for 
a constant succession of plants is everything. 
There need not, however, be large quantites 
sown each time ; the quantity must be regu- 
lated by the wants. Nor is the use of this 
excellent vegetable over when the full grown 
cabbage is cut, for the sprouts which follow 
are equally good. Planted out to cabbage, 
