40 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
October 25. 
placo one frame for sowing on the bare ground, or 
fill up eithor the cucumber or the melon bed where 
it stands, with some of the old half decayed linings, 
leaves or refuse of any kind that may be then at 
hand, just to secure a gentle bottom heat. A few 
inches' of soil is placed over this refuse, and it is 
allowed to remain a day or two, so that tho warmth 
may rise, and the materials settle; a little more soil 
will then be required to fill up level with the top of 
the frame. The seed is then sown, and beaten down 
with the hack of the spado; a little good earth inter¬ 
mixed with charred dust is then covered over the 
seed, and the lights placed on until the young plants 
begin to make their appearance, when air is immedi¬ 
ately given by propping up the lights slightly at first, 
but increasing gradually both hack and front, and as 
soon as the plants are fully up the lights are taken off 
entirely. The earth is surface-stirred as soon as 
possible, and a little dry charred material often sifted 
amongst them, to prevent mildew, or shanking, and 
to keep them hr health and vigour. As soon as tho 
plants can be handled they are pricked out on ano¬ 
ther well prepared bed close to the glass, or into thumb 
or small-sized pots, and plunged, keeping them well 
aired both night and day, and watering them with 
tepid water when necessary; as soon as required, we 
shift them into larger pots, never allowing them to get 
pot-bound, or to be still, and become stunted, as they 
would in that case be almost sure to button, or to 
form flower heads so small as to be useless. The 
beds, where the early celery has been taken up, are 
prepared by the application of a good dressing of 
manure, and the ground is well trenched, ready to 
receive the plants early in the year, when, taking a 
favourable opportunity in open weather, we turn out 
our cauliflower plants from under a hand-glass, where, 
if well attended to afterwards, they will grow freely, 
and become strong enough to produce good and 
handsome heads of flower in the month of April—a 
very valuable acquisition at that season when the 
winter vegetables are almost exhausted, and the 
spring grown produce not very abundant. 
Parsnips. —When the ground is required for im¬ 
mediate trenching and cropping, the manure should 
be wheeled on to the ground, and the parsnips trenched 
out, leaving the bed formed either into sloping banks 
or ridges. If the ground is not required until the 
spring, the parsnips will keep best in the ground 
where they have grown. 
Young Carrots and Radishes in Frames should 
be well aired, surface-stirred and thinned, and, if in¬ 
clined to become too long-legged, or to canker, sift 
very carefully a little dry dust amongst them; and 
when water is required use it always in a tepid state. 
Young Cucumber Plants should have a very mo¬ 
derate heat applied, and a liberal portion of air. The 
heat should bo applied at tho top, keeping it very 
moderate at the bottom. 
Lettuce Plants in Frames must also be well at¬ 
tended to with regard to liberal airing, surface-stir- 
ring and dredging, with dry dust. 
Mushroom Reds should be formed of dry materials, 
such as four or five barrowsfull of horse droppings, 
which have been saved for the purpose, four or five 
barrowsfull of road sweepings, and four or five bar¬ 
rowsfull of dry husky dung from the stable dung- 
heap. Let these bo all well turned over three or four 
times, to sweeten in some dry place. If the mixture 
should ho found too dry to ferment sufficiently, then 
sprinkle it with a little water at the time of its being 
turned over. Shake it and mix it well together, or, 
as gardeners say, “give labour." The quantity of 
materials depends on the size of the beds required. 
The place where the beds are to be made should bo 
dry at bottom. The materials being in good condi¬ 
tion proceed to make up your bed as solid and firm 
as it can be beat together with the fork, whether in 
ridges or half ridges, or whatever shape may be 
thought most convenient. Let the outside be beaten 
smooth and well with a shovel or spade. Then insert 
a stick to prove the temperature of the bed by. In 
about ten days after the bed has been made it will 
be fit for spawning, if all has gone on well, and the 
heat be found about that of cows’ milk, but if the 
heat be too great defer it for another week, and shake 
open the bed a little to let off the rank heat. If too 
cold, add a little fresh materials, and work it up well 
together. Before putting in the spawn make the 
beds firm, smooth, and even; then open holes 
with the hand about an inch below the surface, and 
eight inches apart every way. Place in each hole a 
moderate sized lump or handful of bits, and cover it 
over again with the same dry materials of the bed. If 
there is no fear of the bed being too hot, it may be co¬ 
vered over at the same time about an inch and half 
thick, with good turfy loam, rather dry and run through 
a sieve first. When all is regularly covered over, 
sprinkle the whole with water from a fine rose water- 
pot, and pat the whole surface down level, leaving it 
as smooth as a fresh plastered wall. Let it remain 
to dry off, giving plenty of air to dry it off the 
quicker. After this, the bed should have a nice co¬ 
vering of any thing like mouldy hay, such as tops 
and bottoms from the hay rick, or liaybands untwisted, 
or the like. Cover up according to the heat of the 
beds. If you have any doubt whether it is too hot, 
let the covering be light. 
Routine Work. —Take up any nearly full-grown 
brocolis and lay them in deep, in either east or west 
wall borders, pretty close together, turning the heads 
towards the north. Cover their stems well up with 
earth; leave sufficient room to pass along between 
the brocoli and the wall, to prune your trees, &c. 
The earth might be forked up close under the wall, 
and a row of endive nearly or quite full-grown, might 
be let in with the dibble close under the wall. This 
endive planting should be done in a fine dry day. 
Shake off the earth from the roots, and keep the 
hearts up close in planting, and put the plants as 
close as possible to each other, to make the best of 
the situation. A board might be rested on two 
bricks, between tree and tree, just above the endive, 
to throw off the wet in case of too much. Keep the 
earth stirred among the young growing turnip quar¬ 
ters, and see that the plants all stand singly, and at 
least eight inches from each other. Attend to the 
sea kale beds (see last week,) and asparagus beds too. 
Take up carrots and beet root in dry weather, get 
them in-door, but they may be packed away any 
rainy day. Do not stop to pack away when so much 
wants to be done other ways out-door in dry weather. 
Let tho head, eye, and hand, work together, and 
plenty will be found to be done. 
James Barnes and W. 
MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION. 
ALLOTMENT GARDENING.— November. 
In consequence of the fearful havoc sustained by 
tho potato growers through the disease, it behoves 
every one, but especially the cottager, to take extra¬ 
ordinary pains in securing the other root crops ; for, 
we need scarcely observe, there will be an extra de- 
