KITCHEN GARDEN. 
448 
was no other light than came in at the doors 
when they were opened. Many grow mush- 
rooms in a stove or hot-house, by nearly till- 
ing large sized pots with droppings, and 
putting a lump ol' spawn in each, with an 
inch of sifted mould at the top ; and some 
wonderful productions upon this plan have 
been exhibited at shows, where these pots 
have been crowded to excess with splendid 
specimens, forming a head like a large cauli- 
flower. 
Celery. — Earthing up celery is a matter 
of course to be followed up from time to time, 
as the plants grow up, for the blanched por- 
tions only are eatable. This operation should 
be so managed that none of the earth falls into 
the heart of the plant. Those who are very 
choice in the cultivation of celery for exhi- 
bition, tie up every plant with bast matting 
as close as a lettuce, while they earth up and 
effectually guard against the earth falling in ; 
and when they have finished earthing they 
untie the bast again, and release the plant. 
In the general culture this is not necessary, 
nor is it at all worth the trouble ; but where 
all are trying their best, and every point is 
looked at, all things are done to make sure. 
Cabbages. — Fill up all unoccupied places 
in the ground not wanted for anything else 
with cabbage-plants ; let them be planted very 
close in the row, and the rows about eighteen 
inches apart. They will be large enough to 
eat as greens in a few weeks, and when other 
green vegetables may not be plentiful, when, 
by drawing two out of every three, the others 
will have room to cabbage, and will come 
early if the winter and spring be at all mild. 
Small plants from the seed -bed may be put 
out, six inches only apart in the rows ; and 
when those to be eaten as greens are drawn to 
the number of two out of every three, the re- 
maining ones will be eighteen inches apart in 
the original rows, and the rows being the 
same distance from each other, there will be 
abundant room. Cabbage-stalks from all the 
places where the crop is done with should be 
planted very thick in almost any part of the 
ground where they will be out of the way, and 
they cannot be too close scarcely. They may 
or may not be useful for sprouts, which, when 
quickly grown, are excellent greens. 
Salads, as we have frequently said be- 
fore, ought to be provided according to the 
wants of the family. If the constant winter 
supply be required, all the sorts should be im- 
mediately sown and planted out ; and towards 
the end of the month the sowing should be in 
a frame, so that the whole could be covered on 
an emergency. Lettuces of the hardier kinds, 
Radishes, small Salad, such as Mustard and 
Cress, Rape, and even Onions, may be sown 
on warm borders ; but must not be depended 
on, although light litter will keep off an im- 
mense deal of mischief ; the only real depend- 
ence is in a frame. A Melon or Cucumber-bed 
that has done its work may be appropriated 
with advantage to the raising of Salad. The 
small Salad may, however, be sown thickly in 
pots, and put in a green-house, or in the dwell- 
ing-house, or almost anywhere ; the frames may 
be devoted to Lettuces, Onions, and Kadishes, 
all sown together. The Radishes, being ready 
first, will, by the drawing from time to time, 
afford the means of thinning the Lettuces and 
Onions ; besides which, if they are too much 
crowded, they must be thinned on purpose, 
and when taken out may be either thrown 
away, or planted to take their chance. Let- 
tuces from the seed bed may be planted out 
six inches apart where a frame can be put 
over them in bad weather. 
Cauliflowers. — Plant out under hand- 
glasses, five in a patch, taking the precaution 
to leave room for the hand-glass to be lifted 
off and placed between the patches when re- 
quired ; some, however, put the glasses nearly 
close, and keep a space the width of the row, 
so that the glasses are lifted on the blank row 
the whole length ; we prefer leaving the width 
of a glass between them in the same row, and 
by having these rows six feet apart, room is 
left to have a good crop of something between 
the rows, which diversifies the crops, looks 
better, and leaves each independent. When 
planted out they should be gently watered and 
covered up for a day or two close ; they may 
afterwards be tilted on the opposite side to the 
wind if cold, or taken off altogether in the 
day-time if mild ; but they must be always 
covered of a night when there is the slightest 
probability of a frost ; and, indeed, unless a 
man is on the spot to take advantage of every 
change, it is better to close them down at sun- 
set. The plants which have been pricked out 
from the seed-bed will require some kind of 
protection ; hoops and mats are used as a sort 
of make-shift, but there is a risk attending 
them ; nothing is so good as a common frame 
and light placed over them; for it is as essen- 
tial to keep off excess of wet as severe cold, 
and this can only be done with glass, or its 
substitute, transparent waterproof covering. 
If neither can be had, loose litter, such as 
peas haulm, may be tried, or hoops and 
mats. In hard winters they would not be of 
much use ; but in mild ones, like the generality, 
they would go through very well indeed. All 
the plants in the seed-bed that have not already 
been pricked out should be completed now, 
and the place on Avhich they are planted 
should be high and dry, or exceedingly well 
drained ; for on this much more depends than 
most gardeners imagine. As a general direc- 
tion, cauliflower plants, in any stage of growth, 
