190 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
Junk 24. 
3. Are you prepared with successional crops ? 
4. Have you plenty of winter greens ? 
5. Have you secured a seed-bed of swedes ? 
6. Is your allotment free from weeds ? 
7. Is it fit for your landlord to look over ? 
8. Do you keep a constant eye on manures ? 
Our readers must excuse our catechising, but the above are 
very wholesome questions to put at this period. 
If your ground is not all cropped, pray, then, lose not a 
day in either planting, sowing, or determining. As usual, 
we suggest root-crops as the first consideration, and winter 
greens as the second. This, however, depends on the posi¬ 
tion of the cultivator, whether he keeps a cow or a pig. The 
root-crops are always valuable to either, but the greens will 
certainly accomplish what the roots cannot; they will furnish 
the family table daily as a help to potatoes, and yield much 
garbage afterwards for animals. The second point, “blanks,” 
refers to crops which have missed in places, and, as before 
observed, swedes or cabbage-plants, of a dwarf and compact 
j kind, are the most eligible at this period. Not one hour 
should be lost in making such gaps good, especially if the 
ground be moist. The cultivator should, however, make a 
point of thoroughly clearing such plots of weeds first, or the 
transplanted things will be in danger of choking if the hoe 
; be not introduced before they get a start. As for blanks in 
crops, which will come off the ground in a few weeks, such 
had better not be filled ; they would only tend to fetter the 
hands as to succeeding crops. Successional crops have, we 
trust, been planned, and provided from the commencement 
of the season; if not, let such be considered immediately. 
Winter Greens. —As we have constantly urged, every 
cottager who holds a plot of ground should provide a nice 
bed of these. We pity the man who would rather depend 
on his neighbour than sow a bed, when all the seeds requi¬ 
site may be purchased for less than a couple of shillings. 
It is shameful neglect to go about, at the “ eleventh hour," 
trying to beg a few score of plants. Cabbages we have before 
recommended as very fitting for gaps in crops of potatoes, 
mangold, parsnips, or even swedes. Green kale being of 
taller and coarser growth, is fitter for planting in alleys, 
after row or bed-culture has gone through a thorough 
cleansing process. This green is highly to be recommended, 
as being the hardiest we have; no winter in Britain ever 
injures this most valuable vegetable. Planted in the begin¬ 
ning of July, the heads may be in constant cut from the end 
of November until March, or even April, and it will all this 
time yield sprouts abundantly. These sprouts we consider 
the finest-flavoured green we possess ; superior to all the 
other cabbage worts, combining, with the best cabbage- 
flavour, a slight amount of that taste so much admired in 
the turnip top. The Brussels sprouts is another capital 
thing, and may be planted in similar situations to the kale, 
with which it is equally hardy. It is not quite so productive 
in point of bulk as the kale, but as it may be planted much 
thicker, it thus becomes nearly a match for it. Savoys are 
famous autumn greens, yielding a considerable bulk of food. 
A good bouncing savoy of six pounds is a good match to a 
lump of fat bacon, as a Sunday’s dinner to the cottager with 
half a score children. Our gentry, who have their meats 
cooked so distinct, have no conception of the richness and 
mellowness of a savoy thus cooked. They are not by any 
means hardy; some winters totally destroy them, and we 
recommend a few as a November and December dish, to 
[ decoy the cottager’s wife from the real winter and spring 
I greens. The Thousand-headed cahbaye is one of the best 
things we know, where a cow is kept; its only fault being 
that it requires a deal of room. Its peculiar character con- 
{ sists in its great bulk, and its excitable nature. It will grow 
freely, and produce young sprouts in the very coldest 
weather, producing a great bulk of early spring food. 11 
. must be a capital thing for the lambing season for those who 
keep sheep. Brocoli is more of a delicacy' than a profit, 
unless grown for sale. The fact is, they are too tender to be 
allowed to supersede green kale and the other hardy cabbage 
worts. If the cottager will plant some, we advise Capes and 
Waleherens for October and November; the sprouting and 
Snow’s winter white for very early spring ; and the Protect¬ 
ing, Wilcove, &c., for April and May. 
Swedes in Seed-bed, if getting rather tall or drawn, may 
have their tops cut with a scythe, passing it lightly over 
them, and removing just the points; this stiffens them 
much. We have before named that swedes transplant ad¬ 
mirably when the bulb is as large as a duck’s egg ; we like 
this plant best, as enduring thought better. 
Roots in General. —All such things ought to have been 
duly singled out, if not placed at final distances, weeds extir¬ 
pated, and the hoe or fork well plied between the rows. Per¬ 
sist in high culture and cleanliness, feeling assured that you j 
will be well repaid both by the bulk of the crop and the con¬ 
dition of the land for succeeding crops; added to which it is 
well to possess the confidence and approval of the owner of 
the soil. Let ah transplanting processes be well carried 
out, not forgetting to puddle the roots, and attend to the 
other minutiae hr former allotment papers. Keep a sharp 
eye on carrot beds, and such crops as are liable to the devas¬ 
tation of snails and slugs. Use the mixtures so often recom¬ 
mended in these papers. Fine cinder-aslies, without the 
mere dust, can hardly be strewn too often amongst such 
crops; the slugs cannot bear to travel over such material. 
Let early Peas be drawn from the ground as soon as the crop 
ceases to be profitable; as for keeping them for seed, it is 
nonsense ; the ground will pay much better for a succession 
crop. 
Broad Beans should be well “ soiled up ’’ the beginning 
of the month for fear of storms, and let the tops be pinched 
as soon as a good bloom is out; nothing is gained by en¬ 
couraging too great a length ; it keeps them too long on the 
ground. If the fly attacks, pinch the tops speedily'if much 
bloom is out; this will stay the fly. See that Scarlet Banners 
are well staked, or conducted up their stakes or strings, and 
water well when dry. Onions must be watched for the mag¬ 
got; if it commence, apply soap-suds, sprinkling them with 
a waterpot-rose, or a syringe ; we have known this avert an 
attack or mitigate it much. It should, however, be done 
before the maggots are seen. It is intended to drive the fly 
which lays the eggs producing the maggots. Of course the 
onions have received their final thinning by this time ; ours 
are finished; every weed pulled out, and the alleys all dug 
and planted with Savoys. The beds being by' our practice, 
heretofore explained, a foot above the alleys, the savoys 
shoulder below the level of the onions, and do not molest 
them. Now these onions will, we doubt not, be off the beds 
by the middle of September, perhaps earlier; the beds will 
then be slightly manured, dug only six inches deep, and a 
crop of cabbages, from a Midsummer sowing, immediately- 
planted. These will be what London markehgardeners term 
Coleworts, and we shall plant them only' ten inches apart. 
This will seem sharp practice to those who do not know the 
value of land; but, for our part, we cannot bear to see a yard I 
wasted, knowing that the capabilities of the soil in general 
have never been fairly estimated. If our allotment, friends 
had as frequent calls as we have for a constant succession 
of young vegetables, they would soon discover the impro¬ 
priety of suffering ground to lay idle for a moment, either 
from want of interest or want of contrivance. 
Rhubarb. —Be sure to pluck every blossom shoot away 
except the favourite one for seed. Do not continue plucking 
it in a reckless way; the gooseberries should ere this have 
taken its place in the dumpling, and they will in their turn 
be ousted by the apples. 
Lettuce. —Sowings may be commenced fortnightly until 
the early part of August. We prefer the Bath or Ady’s Cos. 
Spinach. —-If required, sow a bed or row about the ‘20th of 
July ; this will yield bountifully until nearly Christmas. 
1’otatoes for Seed. —The Asli-leaved Kidneys, and other 
very early kinds, will be ripening by the beginning of August 
in some places; and we do think it good practice to take j 
them up just before they are dead ripe. We remove them ; 
instantly to a floor in some north building, and strew them ! 
thinly over the floor; there they green sufficiently without I 
sprouting. Such floors, however, should be very dry. 
R. Errington. 
THE APIARIAN’S CALENDAR.— July. 
By J. H. Payne, Esq., Author of “ The Bee-Keeper's Guide. 
Swarms. —Swarming has been earlier this year generally 
than is usual, and in some localities especially so. Some 
were as early as the 16th of May, and even in this 
neighbourhood, Bury St. Edmond’s, there were several 
