AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST, 
[April, 
iQ4 
rows, one in the center and the others 18 inches 
from it, and the plants 18 inches apart in the row. 
Spread the roots, and set as deeply as can be 
done, without covering the center of the plant. 
Some prefer to set the plants a foot apart each wa^', 
but for varieties that form large stools, in hill cul¬ 
ture, 18 inches is none too great a distance. 
Kitclteii CSardeis, 
The notes for the month of April need to be 
made with a larger margin than those of any other 
month, as the differences in localities are more 
manifest than they are a few weeks later. It is 
impossible to give directions which will not require 
some discrimination on the part of the reader. As 
a general thing, many seeds are planted too early; 
for all but the very hardy plants it is better to wait 
until the ground is well warmed. Shelter is of 
-great importance to the garden, and a close fence or 
a thick belt of evergreens,.to ward off the prevail¬ 
ing winds, will bring things forward much earlier 
than when the winds have full sweep. It may be 
that there are some who have not yet made their 
selection of seeds ; such will do well to consult the 
list given ou page C3, Feb. For convenience of 
reference we place our notes this month in alpha¬ 
betical order. • 
Aaparagiis. —Remove the . coarser portions of the 
litter with which the beds were covered, and then 
go carefully over the bed with a fork and turn up 
the surface, taking care to work gently around the 
plants and not injure either buds or roots. New 
beds may be made if roots can be procured. The 
soil should be moder.ately light and very rich, and 
there must be such natural or artificial drainage, as 
will ensure a dry subsoil. In family gardens it is 
best to plant in beds, five feet wide, with alleys be¬ 
tween them, as this allows of cutting the crop 
without trampling the beds. The beds a're prepar¬ 
ed by spading 18 inches or 2 feet deep, working in 
a great abundance of manure. The best %vay is to 
trench the bed tborouglily, working the manure 
in to the bottom of each trench. Set three rows 
of roots in the bed, one row in the center, and the 
others one foot from the edge, putting the plants a 
foot apart in the rows. The plants should have 
their roots well spread, and their crowns three or 
four inches below the surface. Keep the bed free 
of W'ecds. If plants are to be raised from seed, 
BOW them in drills, a foot apart, in rich soil. An 
ounce of seed will jrroduce about a thoufand 
plants. When well up, thin to three inches. Salt 
is considered beneficial to Asparagus, and a di'essing 
is frequently applied in the spring. It is certainly 
useful in destroying weeds and worms, but whether 
directly beneficial to the Asparagus, is a point on 
which experimenters differ, the majority favor it. 
Artichoke. —The true artichoke is but little known 
in this country, and is not much esteemed except 
by a few. It is a plant with large thistle-like heads, 
%vbich are the eatable portion. The seed is sown 
this month in drills, a foot apart. Where there are 
old plants, suckers may be taken off next month. 
Seans. —It is too soon in most places for any but 
the English or Broad Beans, which arc not much 
fancied by Americans. These can be planted in 
strong clayey soil, as soon as the frost is out, in 
drills about 2 feet apart. Limas may be sown on 
inverted sods in the hot-bod, as described in March. 
Seets.—Sow the early sorts in a rich, light and 
finely worked soil, in rows 15 inches apart. Soak 
the seed in-warm water for 24 hours, turn the water 
off and keep the dish covered in a warm place un¬ 
til the sprouts show themselves,J.hcn roll the seed 
in plaster and sow. An ounce of seed will be 
enough for about a hundred feet of drill. 
Broccoli .—A plant much like cauliflower, but 
quite inferior to it. Treat the same as cabbage. 
Cabbages. —Plants, wintered in cold frames, may 
be put out if not already done. Those started 
early in hot-beds, are to be transplanted when large 
enough and the weather is suitable. The plants 
should be previously hardened by free exposure to 
the air. Sow seed in the open border in drills, 
about 4 inches apart. An ounce of seed will be 
enough for 40 square feet of bed. The young 
plants, whether under glass, or out of doors, are 
apt to be injured by the Cabbage flea. We have 
used ashes, freely sprinkled over the plants, with 
success. Others recommend Scotch snuff, soot, and 
lime. Cabbages need a very rich soil and thorough 
cultivation. One of our best cultivators informs 
us that the free use of lime will prevent club-foot, 
and that, by using it, he grows cabbages , on the 
same land, year after year indefinitely. 
Carrot. —For early crop sow in a warm place, the 
Early Horn. The Early Forcing is small, but very 
early. Soak the seed for 24 hours in warm water, 
dry off with plaster, and sow' as directed for beets. 
An ounce of seed sows 150 feet of row. 
Caulijloioer. —The treatment of plants raised un¬ 
der glass, is the same as for cabbage. Set out 2 to 
2}-^ feet apart; sow for late crop in open border. 
Celery. —Sow in a gentle hot-bed or cold frame 
for early, and when the plants are large enough, 
transplant to another frame, setting them 8 inches 
apart. Sow'ings in the open ground should not be 
made until the soil becomes thoroughly warmed. 
Treat Celeriac, or Turnip-rooted celery, the same. 
Chives. —An old-fashioned member of the onion 
family, figured and described^n June, 1864. It is 
sometimes used for edgings t^beds. Set the bulbs 
about 6 inches apart. 
Cres.s (Peppergrass.) — Sow thickly, in shallow 
drills, 6 or 8 inches apart, at intervals of one or 
two weeks. 
Cucumbers —Sow in cold frames, which are to be 
carefully closed at night and aired during the day. 
Keep the plants from being burned by the sun 
when the sashes arc on. Some weeks may be 
gained wdth cucumbei's by starting the seeds on 
bits of inverted sod, as described last month. 
These may be placed in a frame under glass, or set 
in a box in the kitchen window. When the plants 
are %vell up, leave only tw'O to the piece of sod, and 
■when they have made four rough leaves, pinch out 
the gro%ving end. In this way, strong plants -n'iH be 
ready to set out when the 'weather is warm enough. 
Egg Slant. —Sow in hot-bed. Those already up 
arc to bo transplajited, as soon as large enough to 
handle, into another bed with a gentle heat. Don’t 
let them get chilled, as they are slow to recover. 
Garlic. —This is propagated by breaking up the 
old bulbs into cloves or sets, and planting these 
six inches distant, in ro'ws a foot apart. 
Horse-radish. —This is a profitable crop near large 
cities. It needs a rich cleei) moist soil. It is prop¬ 
agated from bits of the root about 2 inches long ; 
these are put in with a dibble about 6 inches deep, 
in rows 18 inches apart, and 9 inches in the rows. 
The jflanting is done as early as possible. Some 
put the rows two feet apart, and sow early beets or 
carrots between the rows. In either case the sur¬ 
face should be kept clean. 
Herbs. —Under this general term arc included 
those plants grown for seasoning. Sage, Thyme, 
Savory, Marjoram, and Basil are the common. Sow 
in cold frame or in open border when soil is warm. 
Hot-beds and Cold Frames. —The iilants in these 
will need close attention. They must have all the 
air possible without danger from sudden changes of 
temperature; when the sash must be kept on dur¬ 
ing a cool day, see that the sun does not burn the 
plants. Put on the sash in the afternoon, before 
the air becomes cool. Give water as may bo need¬ 
ed, always taking the precaution to warm it to at 
least the temperature of the bed. Pull up weeds 
as they appear, and if the soil becomes 
hard between the rows, break it up with the 
finger. Thin out the plants before they become 
too crow'ded, and if desirable to save the thinnings, 
set them out in another bod. If the heat of a bed 
declines sooner than is desirable, place linings, as 
they are called, of hot manure around the old ma¬ 
nure. As the time for removing the plants ap¬ 
proaches, keep the plants exposed as much as is 
safe, in order to harden them off. 
Kohl-Rabi . — Sow and treat the .same as cabbage. 
Leeks. —Sow as soon as the ground is in order, in 
shallow drills, 15 inches apart, if they are to grow 
where they are sown, and but 6 inches apart if to 
be transplanted, which is the better way. 
Lethice. —Plants in cold frames need an abund¬ 
ance of air, and in warm rains, remove the sash en¬ 
tirely. Sow in a sheltered spot as soon as the 
ground is open. The Silesia is the hardiest and 
best for this purpose. Sow very thinly, in shallow 
drills, about 8 inches apart. Plants from seeds 
sown under glass may be transplanted to very 
rich soil; set them a foot a 2 >art, each way. 
Mustard. —Sow for salad as directed for cress. 
Melons. —Seeds for a few early hills may be for¬ 
warded on sods as directed for cucumbers. 
Onions. — Put out Potato .and Top onions and 
onion sets, in rows a foot or 15 inches apart, and 
the bulbs 4 inches distant. Onions from the seed, 
or “ black seed ” as growers call it, are not usually 
sudeessful much south of N. Y. eit}’. Wlierever 
they are grown, they should be sown early in high¬ 
ly manured soil. Hen manure is found to be -i'ery 
servicable for this crop.- Get the soil in the finest 
possible tilth, and, in the g.arden, it is a good plan 
to burn brush over the bed to destroy weed seeds. 
Be sure to get good and fresh seed, and sow it in 
drills 15 inches apart. An ounce will sow about 
200 feet of drill. For field culture our excellent 
pamphlet gives full details. See Book List. 
Parsley. —Soak the seed for 12 hours and sow in 
drills .a foot apart. It is a long while in coming. 
An ounce of seed to 200 feet of row. 
Parsnips. —Sow as early as may be, in deep rich 
soil, in drills 15 inches apart. Be sure of last 
year’s seed. An ounce to 200 feet. Allow some of 
finest of last year’s roots to produce seed 
Peas. —A light dry soil that has been manured 
the year before, is better than one recently enrich¬ 
ed. Sow as early as possible, putting the seeds 
three inches deep and an inch apart. It is custom¬ 
ary to plant double rows 9 inches apart. Set the 
brush between the rows. In the market gardens 
the rows are 3 feet apart, and as the peas grow, 
they are earthed up, •\vithoiit any brush. But in 
gardens neatness as well as prodnetiveuess require 
that the vines be supported. Soak before planting. 
Peppers. —Sow in hot-bed or frame, if not already 
done. Treat the plants as directed for Egg Plant. 
Potatoes. —Early potatoes are the only ones to be 
grown in the garden, where drills answer bolter 
than hills. Open drills 3 feet apart and G inches 
deep, and drop good-sized seed 9 to 13 inches apart. 
Radishes. —Any spare space in the frames may bo 
occupied by radishes. Sow early in the open 
ground, in light rich soil, in drills 10 inches apart. 
Sow every 10 days or 3 weeks, for a succession. 
Rhubarb. —^Fork in the manure placed on the bed 
last fall. Make new plantings if the growth has 
not started too much. Force a few roots by placing 
•a barrel, ivithout heads, over each, and surrounding 
it with hot manure. 
Salsify sow this month or next; see last month. 
Sea-Kale. — A vegetable little cultivated in this 
countiy. Plants are raised from seeds sown this 
month. The after-treatment is as for asparagus, ex- | 
cept to ridge earth over the plants in autumn. 
Spinach. —Remove litter from the wintered crop, 
and loosen soil around the plants. Sow the round- , 
leaved sort in 15 inch drills, in very rich soil. 
/Sguaste.—Some plants of the early bush sorts 
may be forwarded as directed for cucumbers. ; 
Seeds. —Those who save their own seeds. Should ‘ 
get their roots, etc., out early. Use only the best 
shaped and best kept onions, turnips, carrots, cab- j 
bage.?, etc., and set them out in well manured soil. I 
It is not ■vvell to attempt to raise the seed of more ^ 
than oue variety of each within the limits of a 
moderate garden. Never set a cabbage stump for | 
seed, but a whole plant, and the very best, and then 
ullo-w only a feiv strong central stalks to grow. 
Stdss Chard. —This is a variety of beet, the leave.? 
of which afford an excellent substitute for spinach 
in mid-summer. So-w and treat the same as beets. 
Sweet Potatoes. —Where only a few phmts are want- 
