March 27.] 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
401 
to bring in some hal’d dollars, as a Yankee would say, by a 
marketing system, he is deoidly in a position to act as com¬ 
missary-general of the forces under his command. 
“ Stock,” too, must be taken into account; that is to say, a 
cow or a pig ; for we have no occasion to ascend to pluralities 
m this matter. Where the plot is small, and the holder lias, or 
will attempt to keep, a cow, of course he will keep a pig or two; 
for it is, indeed, this circumstance which renders the pigs 
much more profitable. In cases of this kind, roots, such as 
- the mangold and swede, become of eminent service, and 
every nerve must be strained to produce them. Without 
1 pasturage this becomes a strange uphill procedure, but if the 
holder has the good luck to possess an acre or two of ground, 
we would always, if possible, encourage a small portion of 
' good pasturage, inasmuch as the cow must, at times, have 
\ out-door exercise •, and whatever may be the benefits of stall- 
feeding, it is certain tbat a run in a pasture, even for a couple 
j of hours, is at least conducive to the health of the beast. 
( Such, however, forms the exception to the class for whom 
1 our labours are intended, and we must, therefore, dismiss 
this portion of the subject with a glance. 
To return, then, to our point. We will suppose that our 
small holder has thoroughly digested such matter, and 
proceed to cultural processes peculiar to the season. 
Preparation of Root Ground. —First of all potatoes. We 
are decidedly of opinion, as heretofore observed, that the 
potato disease is on the wane; we dare not say extirpated. 
The steadily progressive character of the restoration, how¬ 
ever, through the country generally, is, in our opinion, suffi¬ 
cient to warrant a much increased amount of confidence in 
this general favourite ; still second only to wheat as to the 
wants of the poor man. We may suppose that these are all 
planted by this period, and we may just remind our readers 
that if the early ones should be inclined to thrust their 
heads through the soil at the end of April, a little loose soil 
should be instantly drawn over them. We do not deem it 
safe to permit them to remain above the surface until the 
second week in May, unless some covering be furnished 
them. Moreover, it is by no means the case that the earliest 
above ground are the first in the market. We hold it good 
policy to get the potato at work, and full of root, as early 
as possible below the surface; such being the case, and no 
check from late frosts, they will grow with immense rapidity 
after the middle of May. We have found it a capital plan to 
drop a hill of new sawdust over each set, just as it is emerg¬ 
ing from the soil. This protects without impeding the pro¬ 
gress of the young shoot. 
Mangold Wurtzel. —The ground must be forthwith pre¬ 
pared (if such is not done) by deep digging, and a liberal 
manuring ; and if salt can be procured, let it be remembered 
that this plant is partial to it. The salt and soot mixture, 
so often recommended, would, doubtless, be of great service, 
in addition to a little manure. Mangold is not a remunera¬ 
tive crop in very poor soils; in those rich and deep witli 
high culture, it is, perhaps, second to none in bulk and 
quality combined. Sow from the tenth to the twentieth of 
April, in rows of from twenty to twenty-six inches, according 
to the power of the soil; the plants being singled, finally, to 
a distance of ten to fourteen inches. Of course, the above I 
advice is intended to apply to parallel rows. We always 
soak our seed in water for twelve hours previous to sowing. 
The Swede Turnip. —It need scarcely be observed, that j 
1 a very high degree of culture is requisite for all the turnip : 
! family; and the prime secret with the Swede, in order to 
avoid the fly, is to apply a little extra stimulus in the drill 
j with the seed; the plant, to be safe, must grow with rapidity. 
1 Farmers use guano and finely ground bone to accomplish 
this; but for an allotment man we would recommend a 
mixture. For this purpose soot, very old mellow and 
: powdery manure, leaf-soil, very old tan, etc., are eligible. 
Let a heap be formed on an in-door floor previous to use, i 
the bulk regulated by the quantity requisite, adding the 
soot last. The soot need not constitute above one-sixth 
part, and if a handful or two of good Peruvian Guano can 
be added, it will amply repay; or if the plot be small, the 
cottager will find it good practice to apply the guano in a 
liquid state with the water pot, just after the plant has 
j emerged from the soil. If he practice the latter, two ounces 
to a gallon of water is amply sufficient. The soot mixture 
must be thoroughly mixed, and almost any quantity of wood- 
ashes may be added to the mass, at least to the extent of 
half its bulk. This compost must of course be got. in with 
the seed, and it may be introduced with rapidity by an 
active person, indeed, as fast he can walk. Such plans we 
have tried for years, and would farmers practice it, they 
would seldom fail. They, however, scarcely understand the 
power possessed by what scientific men term humus; or, 
in other words, the black and fine residue of the dung-heap, 
the rubbish-yard, or the wood-pile. Nothing so speedily 
promotes quick germination and rapid growth whilst the 
plant is young. Turnips, to remain where sown, may be 
got in from the early part of April until the end. These to 
transplant after other crops, mnst be regulated by the 
period at which their predecessors are cleared off. 
Carrots. —We have before written repeatedly about the 
Early Horn; come we now to the larger kinds, as the 
Altringham Surrey, Ac. Trench deeply, and introduce ; 
what manure is necessary in the lower part of the trench ; 
we would have none nearer the surface than six inches, and 
none deeper than fifteen. Means must, therefore, be taken 
to blend the manure with the bottom spit, for the old way 
of 'paring the manure to the very bottom we entirely disagree 
with as a waste of property. Deep sandy soils are fittest for 
carrot culture ; we have, however, known very good crops 
from adhesive soils where means had been taken to ame¬ 
liorate them, and mellow dressings added. We consider 
carrots safer from the grub when sown late, say from the 
middle of April until the early part of May. Some able 
persons recommend spirits of tar as an antidote to the fly; 
it may be sprinkled over sawdust, and the sawdust sowed 
with the seed. Sow in drills about twelve to fourteen inches 
apart, and single out finally to about four inches. 
Parsnips. —These, of course, are sown; more about cul¬ 
tural matters in our next. 
Onions. —We have little to add to our last advice. Those 
who have not rolled them, had better do so when the beds 
are quite dry. Advice about the onion grub in next month's 
paper. 
Jerusalem Artichokes. —If not planted, plant imme¬ 
diately. Moderately manured, and in rows of thirty inches; 
moderate sized sets planted whole, one foot apart in the row. 
Pease. —A good row or two of the Blue Prussian, or 
Green Imperial, may be sown for the Cottager’s last crop, 
in the first week of April; later than this will scarcely prove 
profitable. 
Beans {broad). —A few more of the Broad Windsor or 
Green Long Pod may be planted immediately, in a half- 
shaded situation, on cool soil. We do not recommended 
them, however, for profit. 
Runners. —Nothing more useful to the cottager. These 
should be planted in the middle of April, not later. There 
are many ways of cultivating these. Being ornamental, they 
may decorate the cottage porch, festoon around its windows, 
hide unsightly buildings, cover brick walls, palings, &c. As 
to mere utility, they are as well in a row, highly manured 
and dug deep. Their sticks need not be more than four 
feet high; but in that event, their heads must be pinched 
off just before they reach the top of the sticks; and topping j 
must be repeated through the season if necessary. Runners i 
should he well watered in dry weather. 
Dwarf Kidney Beans. —Not so profitable or so good as J 
the former; these do best in warm nooks or slopes. The j 
Dun-coloured and Negro are the best. In rows, two feet 
apart; the beans four inches asunder; planted middle of 
April. 
Parsley. —Sow a little directly; sprinkle some soot on the 
ground before digging. 
Turnits (Early Dutch.) —Sow a few directly on any spare 
and poor plot. 
Cucumbers and the Vegetable Marrow. —In a warm 
and much sheltered corner, exposed fully to the sun, dig 
out a trench three feet wide, and one foot below the ground 
level; scrape together all the green weeds, long grass, or 
other waste herbage, and fill the trench to the ground level; 
then place some manure, three or four barrowfuls, in a 
flattened ridge, two feet above the ground, and soil the whole 
over slightly at first. Make stations to sow the seed, two 
feet apart, by forming a hollow for greater depth of soil; 
this fill with rich mellow soil, and drop a few seeds in each 
patch. Slope a few poles over the whole, touching the soil 
