THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[February 27. 
338 
cows or swine, not forgetting our own species. Now, these 
tilings, like the carrot, are generally recommended by high 
cultivators to he sown in drills; and not without reason. 
The high culture involved in the drill practice is universally 
known and highly esteemed. Still, we ought not, in all 
cases, to take only an abstracted view of any question, for 
we are quite prepared to show', that the practice of the 
farmer and the cottier may, and ought sometimes, to differ 
with regard to root or green crops. As an associative crop, 
then, the parsnip may be grown on the double drill system— 
that is to say, pairs of drills within nine inches of each 
other, the centres of each pair a yard apart. 
At this season, between the parsnips, cabbages may be 
well cultivated ; but, to gain any positive advantage with this ! 
combination, the cabbages should either have been planted 
last October, or introduced immediately after the autumn- 
sown plants. A line being drawn down each centre, a row 
of cabbages may be planted about six inches apart all down 
each side of the line. The rows of cabbages will be thus 
about nine inches apart .also. The kind should be Match¬ 
less, York, or some of the early hearting kinds; for we 
would have the cottager grow no other, except a few Drum¬ 
heads for autumn cow-feed. These plants should be in 
heart in the end of April, nnd then bunched and sold at 
the nearest market. By this time the parsnip would be a 
nice plant; and then we would hoe carefully through them, 
single them out, and eradicate every weed;—this done, 
rough dig the ground where the cabbages stood. 
In July, a double row of curled kale, Brussels sprouts, or 
even swede turnips, may be planted just where the cabbages 
stood: we should prefer the kale, especially the tall kind. 
For this course of culture, the ground should have been 
pretty well manured previously. If parsnips are sown by 
themselves, they should be in rows at least half a yard apart, 
and the plants must be singled out, finally, to about eight 
inches. Sow in the last week of February. 
Horn Carrots. —We wonder how long it will take to per¬ 
suade the cottager or allotment holder to increase the culture 
of this most valuable root? The fact is, that people who do 
not understand its peculiar capability of being got early into 
the market, and of their realising thereby an astonishing 
profit (through the close culture of which it is capable), 
simply compare the full grown root with those of the Altring- 
ham, or larger kinds. This is the folly, for we can give it no 
milder name. Now, we are prepared to prove, that the 
culture of the Horn, rightly carried out, will yield thrice 
the profit of the larger kinds ; for we will undertake to 
produce two full crops between the first week of February 
and the first week of November, on the same plot. We 
have before alluded to this affair, and suggested that, when¬ 
ever the cottager has a light, or fine and favourable soil, he 
should, if a good market be at hand, endeavour to pay a 
good portion of his rental by these things. Three or four 
poles of ground under high culture, sown in the first week 
of February, and receiving a protection similar to early 
I radishes, would keep his wile and the larger bairns bunching 
| and marketing all May and June. 
Rhubarb—H ere is another article of easy culture, and one 
which may readily form part of an allotment plan ; at least, 
\ the production of very early rhubarb for the neighbouring 
! market. Those who possess a free and generous soil, and a 
warm and sheltered nook or slope of ground of a pole or 
two, may realise a very considerable profit by a little extra 
attention or labour, for it is principally by such means that 
a cottier must expect to better his condition. 
Those who would commence in earnest, should procure 
and plant some nice young plants, immediately, of the Vic¬ 
toria, or some good and early kind. The soil should be 
trenched deep, and dung introduced between the spits, 
placing the raw material, weeds, Ac., below, and keeping the 
rotten manure at a higher level. The plants will require to 
be a yard apart. About after culture, and a simple mode of 
| getting it early for market, more by-and-by. 
Leeks. —An excellent ingredient in the poor man's soup 
or broth. No cottager should be ■without a small bed or 
row of leeks. They should be sown directly, and if they 
can be planted in a trench like celery, and manured in a 
similar way, they will prove a very superior article, both in 
size and quality. They will be half as thick as a stout 
man’s wrist, and, being eartbed-up, will be eatable for nearly 
a foot in leugth. When in this high condition, they are 
equal, well boiled, to the finest sea-kale ; nnd should be 
eaten with a little butter and salt. 
Peas. —A good row in the first week of March, and 
another in the last week, will produce peas from the begin¬ 
ning of July until the end of August. We recommend the 
Green Imperial for both sowings, for it is a heavy cropper, 
and is sooner off the ground than any other; and this 
enables the cottager to pursue a most economical course, 
by securing a good after crop the same autumn. 
Broad Beans.— These have been so freely dealt with 
previously, that we need add little. It may be observed, 
that they are not an allotment crop of any profit, if planted 
after the middle of March. 
Cabbages, Greens, Ac. —It is difficult to assign any given 
period for the sowing of these useful tribes, when they form 
associative crops, or are intended to succeed any given 
spring or summer crop. Most of our readers are, doubtless, 
tolerably familiar with the time it requires for cabbage, 
green kale, or other greens, to become fit for transplanting ; 
they must, therefore, sow accordingly. As a general maxim, 
sow a little dwarf cabbage every month , from the end of 
February until the end of August. Sow green kale in the 
third week of March ; savoys in the beginning and end 
of the. month ; Brussels sprouts as the savoys. 
Miscellaneous Matters. —Having for the present month 
despatched the principal crops wdiicli concern the allottee or 
cottier, we will just bestow a passing glance on a trifle or 
two, which not every one can or will attempt. 
Spinach. —This may be sown in the first w r eek, soaking 
the seed in tepid water for one night. It is a very whole¬ 
some thing for either cows or pigs ; and, since it may be 
taken as a stolen crop, it is well to have some, providing 
ground can be spared. 
Cabbage Plants.— Every remaining plant should be got 
out in the first week of March. If of the dwarf kinds, 
every one will be useful, and they may be “ dodged in ” 
almost anywhere, as they will be soon oft’ the ground. If 
much pressed for room, plant a bed or two, manimed, at six 
inches apart; and if the kind lie the true Matchless, the 
produce will be enormous, and in a very short period. 
Lettuces. —A little Paris Cos, and some Drumhead Cab¬ 
bage lettuce, may be sown amongst the onions, as before 
observed. It is well, however, to sow a pinch of the former 
in a very warm corner, immediately. 
Jerusalem Artichokes. —These must be planted without 
delay. Any rough corner will do for them; and they would 
not make bad divisions to allotment plots, or boundary 
protection. 
Store Roots. —All potatoes in pits should bo carefully 
examined forthwith, if not already done. Suspicious sam¬ 
ples should be hurried into the market, after picking the 
roughest out for the cow or pigs. All those for seed should 
be immediately spread on some floor. 
Swede Turnips. —These begin to sprout betimes; and 
those who can find time, and desire to keep some very late, | 
will do well to strew them abroad some fine sunny and 
! windy morning, on a safe day; they will be well dried, and 
the vegetative powers checked, by the afternoon, when the 
sprouts may be rubbed, and they may again be housed or ! 
pitted. 
Carrots may be served as the former. 
Parsnips. —All those left in the ground must be trenched 
out forthwith, their crowns cut off, and served as the swedes. 
As a concluding piece of advice, let all digging, levelling 
! down, drill-drawing, sowing, Ac., be performed when the 
soil is very dry. No crop can be counted secure which is 
got in whilst the ground is wet; besides, such involves 
double the amount of after labour. Let the allotment 
holder make up his mind to give no quarter to weeds, and, 
to be in earnest, he must make an early start. No manures 
should be left uncovered after the beginning of March; if 
any is wheeled out, and not spread or dug, let a thin 
covering of soil lie put over it, smoothing the surface to 
keep out the rain. R. Errington. 
