March 10,1887. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
199 
seed box anil dibbled into others at a distance of 2 inches apart. These 
will form a very early batch of Celery, as they will be ready for use or 
exhibition by the beginning of August; but this is much too early for 
(he main crop of Celery, and that'which is required about October and 
onwards may be reared now. The first seed sown germinated in good 
heat, but the present sowing need not be forced rapidly, and a tempera¬ 
ture of <50° or 65° will suit the young plants. If the seed is sown in 
one or two boxes it will be found that a large number of plants may be 
secured from a small space, and this is the way we produce thousands 
of plants every spring. Celery should have rich soil from the beginning 
to the end of its culture, and watering must never be neglected, as if 
the seed or young plants are alloiVed to become dry once it is enough to 
ru i:i them for the season. Too much heat is also objectionable, as if the 
young plauts are forced in a very high temperature now they are apt 
to receive a check before the summer is here, and we invariably prefer 
stunly plauts to the forced ones. 
Potatoes. —Admit air freely to those advancing in growth in frames. 
Always open the lights on the lee side, and keep them shut when the 
wind is keen, as the stems are exceedingly tender, and a check now 
would weaken the crop. Cover at night to protect from frost, and do 
not keep them too wet. The open-air planting of early Potatoes should 
now receive attention. Hitherto, what we have planted have been 
placed close to the bottom of a south wall for protection ; but those to 
be planted now may safely be put in the south or east border. Only 
early varieties should be planted. Those of the Ashleaf type are the 
best. Give them moderately rich soil, keep the rows from 20 inches to 
2 feet apart, with 1 foot between the sets, anil put them 4 inches below 
the surface. Heavy soil is unsuitable for early Potatoes. We use plenty 
of leaf soil with our early Potatoes, as they turn out of it so clean. 
Spread out the second early tubeis in a light airy place to sprout, and 
sec that all the seed Potatoes are subjected to treatment which will in¬ 
duce them to produce short robust sprouts before planting. It is a 
great mistake to allow them to form sprouts several inches in length, as 
these will be broken in planting, and the second growths are never so 
good as the first ones. 
Spring Cabbages. —We have had these earlier than they are at 
present. They were planted at the usual time last autumn. Deaths 
have been few but growth slow, and they will not be ready by Easter 
unless the weather improves rapidly ; but they are a useful crop, and 
everything should be done to induce them to form heads as soon as 
possible. Make up the blanks, shake a little soot, guano, or nitrate of 
soda round each plant, and then earth them up. Another plantation 
may be formed from the plants which have been in the seed bed all the 
winter. Give them rich soil. This is about the time that Cabbage 
plants are offered for sale in the markets, and in buying them it is an 
advantage to get them planted as soon as possible. As a rule they are 
very dry at the root, and appear as if it would not matter whether 
they were planted to-day, to-morrow, or next day, but the longer they 
are kept out of the soil' the later will they be starting or becoming 
established plants. 
Stoked Hoots. —Now that we are looking forward to new crops we 
are liable to neglect the old ones, but it will be a considerable time 
before young roots are plentiful, and the old ones are still capable of 
doing good service. Pick out all the Onions that are sprouting and 
throw them away. Keep the firm bulbs in a cool place. Turn Carrots, 
remove decayed ones, rub the growths from the crowns of the sound 
roots, and store in sand or ashes. Turnips should be examined in the 
same way. All Parsnips and Salsafy should be lifted and stored. 
Keep all roots cool but not too dry, as they may shrivel. We do not 
object to store roots under a tree at this season, and cover them with 
leaf soil. 
Autumn-sown Onions. —Transplanting these should be completed. 
They may be more successfully dealt with now than earlier. A very 
rich soil and sunny position will invariably produce good bulbs. The 
rows may be kept 15 inches apart, with 6 inches from plant to plant, 
and after dibbling them in they should be trodden all round with the 
feet. We approve of firm soil for Onions above everything. 
Leeks. —Keep young plants in pots or boxes near the glass, in a 
temperature from 60° to 70°, and well supplied with water. Sow a good 
batch of seed in the open ground ; so long as the soil is rich they are 
sure to grow, and they may either be sown in rows or broadcast. 
Should the ground on which the old Leeks are now growing be required 
for other crops, dig them up and place them in by the heels in any odd 
corner. Only Leeks for exhibition should be raised under glass. Open 
air rearing suits all main crop plants admirably. 
1UDISHE3.—Thin out the young plants in frames before they injure 
each other by crowding. Radish seed may be sown in the open ground 
at once, and the roots from this sowing, which will be ready for use 
before April is over, will lie very acceptable where salad has been 
scarce during the winter. 
Turnips. —These can never be ready too early, as the old roots often 
fail to keep until the new ones are grown, and a scarcity never pleases 
the cook. We have tried to get the young shoots ready in March or 
early in April by sowing in January or February, but success did not 
atteu 1 our practice, as from the earliest sowings we hardly had any 
plants, and the February ones bolted before bulbing. Now we do not 
sow until the second week in March, and we always secure useful little 
bulbs from our first sowing. The Early Milan is the best variety to 
sow as a first crop. It bulbs a fortnight earlier than any other variety 
we have tried. Good soil and a sunny position should be given the first 
crop. Sow the seed thinly in drills 15 inches apart and 11 inch deep. 
Cover over carefully, and look out that the birds do not draw a quantity 
of the young plants up. If they attempt this dust with soot or lime. 
Spinach. —There are few vegetables more useful in the hands of a 
good cook than Spinach. The autumn sowings have been injured by 
the winter frosts, and they will not prove profitable crops this spring. 
Indeed, we have dug our winter Spinach down and sown seed of the 
round variety for a spring crop. It may be sown in quantity now, and 
as it grows fast the leaves will be ready for gathering in four or five 
weeks. Sow in drills 1 foot apart and 2 inches deep, and let the soil be 
rich and in good order, as the leaves are not worth gathering from poor 
soil. Many sow Spinach as an odd crop between fruit bushes, but the 
early crop must have a good position, as quick returns should be the aim 
of all at this season. Fork over and break up a piece of soil on a south 
border or other early position, and sow a pinch of seed of the following 
vegetables;—Lettuce, Cabbage, Brussels Sprouts, and Cauliflower. 
Parsley may also be sown, but not as a main crop yet. 
FRUIT FORCING. 
Vines. — Early Houses .—Early Vines in many places have not made 
satisfactory progress this year, especially those with the roots in cold 
borders which have not been covered with fermenting material. The 
Vines have started very slowly and the bunches show a tendency to 
blindness, some of them running off to tendrils and others not advancing 
freely. Under such circumstances a slight increase of temperature and 
a reduced supply of moisture for a short time may be beneficial. 
Thinning should be kept well in hand, commencing as soon as the berries 
likely to swell freely can be detected, and as a rule thin out well in 
the interior of the bunches, leaving the berries with room to attain their 
full size without wedging, and yet so full as not to fall out of shape 
when placed on a dish. Liquid manure applied to inside borders will 
materially assist the swelling of the Grapes after having been thinned, 
applying it at a temperature of 80° to 85° ; and a liberal supply of 
moisture charged with ammonia, whether it be had by occasionally 
sprinkling with liquid guano or mulching the border with fresh stable 
litter with the straw shaken out, will be beneficial. Bright sunny days 
with sharp winds may now be expected. Avoid sudden changes of tem¬ 
perature, and admit air in small quantities at a time, closing early in the 
afternoon at 85°, allowing the house to fall to 65° at night. Grapes that 
have passed the stoning process should have copious supplies of warm 
liquid manure. Avoid the close stopping system until every part of the 
trellis is well covered with foliage, as every leaf promotes root action, 
which it is necessary to maintain as active as possible, so as to secure 
well-swelled berries. 
Succession Houses .—Disbud and secure the growths as they advance, 
stopping them two joints beyond the bunch where the space is limited, 
but where there is space allow a greater extension of the shoots before 
stopping. Remove the laterals from the joints below the show of fruit, 
except from the two base leaves, which stop at the first leaf, and to one 
afterwards as produced. The laterals above the fruit may be allowed to 
make such growth as can have exposure to light without crowding, and 
then be stopped, keeping closely pinched afterwards, as well as in the 
case of those not having room for extension. Remove all superfluous 
and ill-formed bunches of the free-setting varieties as soon as those that 
are most promising for the crop can be determined. Vines started early 
in the year will be in flower ; a rather dry atmosphere with a free circu¬ 
lation of air and a temperature of 65° to 70° at night and 70° to 75° by 
day are conducive to a good set, moderate moisture being maintained by 
damping the house two or three times a day in bright weather ; any shy 
setting varieties, such as Muscats, should be kept 5° higher, the flowers 
being carefully fertilised. 
Late Houses .—Start the houses intended to afford fruit in August 
onward ; indeed, Muscats, Alicantes, Lady Downe’s, and other late sorts 
should be encouraged to move now, as the fruit keeps much bttter when 
ripened in August or early in September, than when the season is more 
advanced at the ripening period. Vines, however, which have only been 
recently pruned, should not be started for some time yet. In the case 
of late Hamburghs, the Vines may be kept cool and not started until 
next month. In the case of inside borders, they can be brought into a 
thoroughly moist state by the application of water at a temperature of 
about 80°. It will in some degree stimulate the roots and compensate 
for the lack of fermenting materials, which can do little good after this ; 
indeed, no advantage accrues to the roots from an application of fer¬ 
menting material to outside borders when artificial heat is not applied 
before March. The atmosphere should be kept moist by damping th ■ 
rods and every available surface two or three times a day, 50° being a 
sufficiently high night temperature, and 65° by day with sun. 
Fruiting Vines is pots must sustain no check through dryness at the 
roots or want of food, affording liquid manure liberally, surfacing the 
pots with rich material, and if the roots extend beyond the pots feed 
them there as well as in the pots. 
Vine eyes inserted as before advised will now be rooted, and should, 
as soon as the roots reach the sides of the pots, be shifted into 6-incli 
pots, placing them on shelves over the hot-water pipes in preference to 
plunging them in bottom heat. Syringe well amongst them and pinch 
the laterals at the first leaf, unless they are intended to be planted out 
this season, when the laterals should be left entire. 
Vines cut back for fruiting in pots next season will now be fit for 
shaking out, repotting, or shifting into 12-inch pots. If these, or the 
