27(5 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
July 29. 
turnip, half smothered in weeds until the approach of au¬ 
tumn, the owner apparently as ignorant of the facts above 
suggested as though he had been bred in the back woods. 
This is truly a disgrace to the English farming character, 
and could only be justified in such parts as Australia, where 
agricultural labourers are a scarce article. If any one 
doubts the importance of a free admission of light as to its 
bearing on the qualities of vegetables and roots, let him test 
their feeding properties for a week or two, or let him toss a 
handful of potatoes to the pigs, part grown beneath the 
shade of trees, and part from high and dry upland soil, with 
nothing but the sky overhead, and see which the hog will 
select. But, if any doubt could possibly exist here, surely 
there can be none as to bulk of crop. It would not be 
extravagant to affirm, that a coarse crop of weeds permitted 
to run out with any crop, will abstract twenty per cent, from 
its value, that is to say, fifteen per cent, for soil robbery, 
and five per cent, for the baneful influences of shade. Let 
us express a hope, therefore, that these admonitions will 
come home to the negligent allotment holder, and that he 
will at once muster courage to pull every weed from his 
crops, at this period especially. 
Thinning Processes .—In all root crops, if handled accord¬ 
ing to our advice, there will be a good deal of thinnings 
coming to hand in the course of July and up to the middle 
of August. These thinnings are the consequence of reserv¬ 
ing a portion extra, in order to provide against casualties, 
such as the depredations of insects, birds, and such diseases 
as the canker, Ac. Such thinnings are of immense im¬ 
portance in the house economy; and we do think a cot¬ 
tager’s wife would be justified in looking very cross at her 
husband if he did not bring home a bundle of such things 
as carrots and parsnips every evening from the end of June 
to the middle of August. But not only may the bairns 
partake of such things, which, in their young state, make a 
capital soup with a bit of bacon, but some surplus thinnings 
should be obtained for the jug; and, indeed, in all such 
crops there are what are termed “ bolters,” and other coarse¬ 
necked plants, which should be collected. 
Gaps. —These, of course, were planted in July with cab¬ 
bages, swedes, Ac. A little care is necessary at first to get 
these a start; weeds must be kept away, and sometimes 
a stray leaf or two from the original crop plucked away and 
given to the pig. Care, however, must be taken not to 
trample on the crop ; this must not be allowed. 
General Cultural Processes .—Such at this time will consist 
chiefly in the free use of the hoe during dry periods, and 
the spade during wet ones. We are aware that the latter 
tool cannot, at this advanced period, be used among all 
crops, we merely urge that where cleaning processes become 
necessary, and the spade can be introduced, it is by far a 
more efficient weapon than the hoe, which demands a rake 
to follow it, at least, in all uncertain periods. We have a 
practice of this kind we term “ pointing in,” and it consists 
in slipping the spade in almost horizontally, and in doing 
so, the foot is not applied to the “ tread ” of the spade, but 
the knee is substituted. This is an old gardening practice, 
and by it a man will go over twice the ground as in ordi¬ 
nary digging, and bury the weeds efficiently. 
Hand-weeding .—In all weeding after this period, beware 
of treading on and mangling the leaves of existing crops; 
too much care cannot be exercised. 
Potatoes .—This has been a splendid season in the early 
potato way in these parts; but at the time we write (July 
18th), the disease has commenced in the foliage, and is 
becoming pretty general. Let us repeat former advice con¬ 
cerning the careful selection and preservation of seed for 
the ensuing year. Let those from very early crops be se¬ 
lected; and as to soils, where a choice exists, obtain your 
seed from high, dry, and sunny situations. Seed should 
never be selected from rich soils, nor from crowded allotment 
plots, neither from shaded situations. We grow our potatoes 
specially for seed, and would fain persuade the country at 
large to do the same. We select the driest and poorest 
plot, throw four-feet beds up, nine inches above the ordinary 
level, and dibble small whole potatoes in, at about one foot 
apart; the produce is a profusion of small potatoes, about 
the size of the seed, which are reserved to be planted whole. 
By this practice we have no large potatoes; and the soil 
being poor and totally free from manure, the produce is 
small, hard, heavy, and rough-coated, all which are gua¬ 
rantees of hardihood in the succeeding year. Select, then, 
betimes for seed, and spread it out on any cold, shady floor, 
not more than two potatoes deep, if possible; and in a 
month’s time let them be turned, in order to green them 
equally. In the beginning of October they may be pitted, if ■ 
necessary, on a high, dry, and shady bank, and remain so 
until the beginning of February, when they should be taken 
out and placed on a room floor, safe from the frost. Such 
is annually our practice with most of the kinds, and we are 
exceedingly successful. In pitting, however—a practice we 
only recommend on the score of labour-saving and safety— 
care must be taken to keep them in a narrow body, in no 
part more than lialf-a-yard through. 
'Turnips. —We here beg to recommend to the allotment 
man, and, indeed, to everybody, a new turnip which has 
appeared in these parts during the last two years, called the 
“ Grange Jelly." This has been given to the public by Mr. 
Chivas, Seedsman, Chester, who grows an immense stock 
for the agriculturists ; they are beginning to find its value. 
To allotment holders, it is of equal importance, as com¬ 
bining all that is requisite, viz., heavy cropping, short tops, 
and a peculiarly rich flavour and pulpy flesh. As we had 
some doubts of its earliness, we this spring tried a plot 
against the Early Dutch and Stone, a pretty good test, and 
it beat them hollow; and as for flavour and texture, there 
is no comparison. We were shown a field by Dr. Brindley, 
in April, which the Doctor said was sown in the second 
week of September last, and, strange to say, had produced 
at that late period a crop large as good-sized cricket-balls, 
and which had stood the winter in style. This is a great 
boon to those who want to crop very late ; for at that period 
most of our other kinds would be nothing but foliage. The 
allottee may sow some by all means, if he can get at it, for 
his family’s use as well as for the pig. Swedes will require 
general cultural practice; and we beg to remind the class 
of readers for whom we write, that mildew, so common to 
the swede, is the effect of a torpid root-action. Torpidity 
may be induced various ways : drought, stagnation through 
heavy storms, acting mechanically on soils naturally stub¬ 
born ; or an early and forced plant through the agency of 
quick-acting manures now become deficient in moisture; 
such and other causes, singly or combined, lead the way to 
mildew. Those who have but small plots should apply 
liquid-manure the moment it threatens. 
Mangold, Carrots, Parsnips, &c., will require to be tho¬ 
roughly cleared from weeds; and, as observed of other roots 
a good deal of useful thinnings should by this have found 
their way to the cottager’s house. 
Cabbages. —AVherever cabbages are standing uncut, and 
they are intended to produce sprouts after cutting for the 
winter, the heads should be cut and worked-up for some 
purpose. If the cutting of the summer’s cabbage is finished 
by the middle of August, the stems will produce a full crop 
of useful sprouts to face the winter with; indeed, many 
will produce nice-sized cabbages. Opportunities, therefore, 
should be seized of getting the store, pig on by such means. 
When all are cut, the ground should be thoroughly cleaned 
and deeplv-hoed through, drawing a little soil up their 
stems. Some of the dwarf kinds should be sown in the 
middle of the month, to be pricked out for the winter. 
Lettuces. —A little of the Ady’s Cos, the Bath Cos, and 
the Hammersmith Hardy Green, may be sown at twice; 
one lot about the 10th to prick out, and a second about the 
24th to remain in the seed-bed. 
Onions. —By the middle of the month, the onions may be 
bent down, in order to hasten their ripening, for we shall 
expect to hear of a good crop of Coleworts, from the June 
sowing, being produced where the onions stood. This is 
our practice every year. 
Greens for Winter and Spring. —Those who have delayed 
planting these things must lay hold of the old maxim— 
“ better late than never; ” these things are so valuable to 
the housewife, that it becomes an imperative duty, as well 
as a high point of interest, to provide them. Every nook 
must be searched, every crop scanned, to see if advantage 
can be taken to get some in. Savoys we do not advise 
planted late; green kale is the most generally useful at a 
late period, and plenty of dwarf cabbages, as Coleworts. 
The Pig. —Now is the time to push on the store pig at a 
