150 
KITCHEN GARDEN. 
case, the object is to keep clown the tempera- 
ture by opening windows whenever the weather 
is mild, and there are no cutting winds ; the 
great difficulty, however, is to keep down the 
temperature during a frost, for the necessity 
of tiring is obvious, and the most constant 
attendance is required to see that the tempe- 
rature is not raised too high, for it must be 
cheeked then by letting out the heat at the 
top of the house, and unless this is done cau- 
tiously, there will be j mischief. The great 
disadvantage in increasing the temperature is, 
that the plants set off growing, or are drawn 
up weakly, or they are forced into bloom be- 
fore you are ready for them, or they suffer 
changes and checks, which perhaps throw off 
the bloom altogether, especially the Camellias. 
Give therefore, this month, all the air you 
can; and if you can so manage, rather cover 
up against light frosts, than use fires : of 
course you must be prepared, at all risks, to 
have the aid of fire-heat in any very severe 
weather, but not more than you can help. 
As soon as plants show their flowers, remove 
them into the conservatory. 
KITCHEN GARDEN. 
Potatoes, the most important of the 
garden produce, may be planted for the main 
early crop. Many different kinds of early 
potatoes are now offered, and most of them 
good; for indeed there is no inducement to 
offer a bad potato, nor any inducement ever 
to grow one a second year. Most of the 
seed-shops have a favourite to recommend, 
but generally at a price which only enables 
us to grow for stock, varying from five to 
twenty shillings per bushel. But any of the 
approved and cheap, or moderately cheap 
sorts, will do. The growers of Chapman's 
potatoes, who took them up in November, 
and pitted them, or left them in the ground, 
to be covered over and dug up as they were 
wanted, should now introduce them to table ; 
they will be found as white in the skins, as 
clean and as fine, as the best potatoes at the 
best season. Many tons will be sold and eaten, 
as new potatoes, and be valued as fine ones. In 
planting the early potatoes for main crop, let 
them have a warm border in a sheltered situ- 
ation, where they can be well protected from 
cutting winds and frost.. Litter will always 
keep off the frost; and if the spot be sheltered 
from the winds, there will be but little chance 
of the litter being blown off, which has often 
been a misfortune to early crops just coming 
through the ground. These early potatoes 
should be planted in drills, about three inches 
deep, the stuff on the sides being drawn 
down upon them ; but if the ground be low 
and wet, they may be laid on the surface, and 
the mould be duo: from each side and covered 
over them. The other way of planting is to get 
some hot stable dung, dig trenches afoot deep, 
and nearly fill them with it trodden down, and 
cover dry mould over it; and on this plant 
them as is usual for earlier months. Towards 
the end of the month you may plant out some 
of a later kind, either in drills or by dibble, 
but we like drills best if they are drawn deep 
enough. When potatoes are planted on a large 
scale, the plough is sometimes used ; and some 
one following the plough, drops the sets into 
the furrow ; when the next furrow is making, 
the previous is covered with the mould thrown 
out. With regard to the ordinary distances 
at which potatoes should be set, something 
depends on the kind. The dwarf sort may 
be from eighteen inches to two feet. Those 
which grow taller, must have two-and-a-half 
to three feet. If any potatoes, already planted 
in warm situations, should be breaking the 
ground or peeping through, draw some earth 
over the tops to protect them ; and besides 
this, keep a good thickness of peas-haulm, or 
loose litter of some kind, every evening and 
during frost ; for although they are growing 
under ground, and doing well so long as the 
tops are not nipped or damaged, they would 
receive a great check if at all frosted. In all 
potato planting let the sets be whole potatoes, 
if you can get them ; they ought to be larger 
than the smallest chats, but smaller than are 
generally eaten ; not but we have had a good 
crop before now from very small sets ; and 
we are quite sure that whole sets are a safer 
crop in frost, dry, wet, or any other excess, 
than cut sets ever can be. 
Hot-Beds. — Any of these which have de- 
clined in heat, and are still wanted for any 
purpose, must be lined with fresh dung, as 
directed last month. Supposing that you have 
no hot-bed yet, and intend to grow cucum- 
bers, or raise any seedlings that require heat, 
such as capsicum, chilies, &c, the making 
of hot-beds must be managed as already di- 
rected ; but where they have been already 
made and in use, the heat must be kept up at 
any cost or trouble ; for either cucumbers or 
melons would be sure to suffer from any mate- 
rial diminution of warmth. If these plants are 
forward, the number of fruit must be limited; 
the weakly shoots should be removed, and strong 
bearing ones encouraged; not strong ones in 
mere thickness of stem, but short-jointed, 
vigorous shoots, with fruit showing; for there 
will often be strong, thick, long-jointed, rank- 
growing branches, which are better away at 
once. Air must be given in mild weather 
to whatever the hot-beds may contain ; whe- 
ther it be cucumbers, seedling chilies, capsi- 
cums, or other subjects. If you are fruiting 
either cucumber or melon for show, select a 
handsome fruit after it has begun to swell, 
