January 3.] 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
189 
bo healthy and sturdy, ready to commence a rapid 
growth when the season turns in their favour. A 
slight covering, with air given night and day, and dry 
dust applied about them, if the earth is wet and cold, 
are highly benolicial. Plants established in a dry 
soil through the winter months must be early looked 
to, and water given. This remark applies more par¬ 
ticularly to plants in pots, for by keeping them in a 
dry state too long after the time when they should 
be growing, renders them more likely to button. 
Sowing Cauliflowers. —Those who have the con¬ 
venience of a hot-bed, or other structure artificially 
heated, should now sow a little seed in a pan. Prick 
out the plants, as soon as up, into other pans, and 
from thence under hand-glasses, or some other slight 
protection, on a rich open soil. By these means, lino 
cauliflower plants may be obtained for planting out 
in the open soil by the first week in March. 
Cabbages. —If the weather be open, continue to 
.assist the early cabbage plants by frequent surface¬ 
stirring, keeping them clear from decayed leaves, and 
filling up vacancies from the store-bed. Sow a little 
seed in a pan, if plants are likely to be scarce in the 
spring, and treat them as recommended above for 
cauliflower seedlings. 
Early-sown peas and beans, and the autumn-sown 
lettuce plants of all sizes, should have a slight appli 
cation of dry dust of an evening after cold rains, 
snow, or sudden thaws. Such sudden changes, and 
morning frosts, cause great destruction among such 
seedlings by producing canker or shanking of their 
stems. Moderate heat should be maintained about 
asparagus in forcing, and successive slight liot-beds 
made and treated as previously directed. Beds of 
asparagus, now in production, should be supplied oc¬ 
casionally with liberal soakings of tepid water, with a 
small quantity of salt dissolved in it. Cucumbers 
should be carefully attended to, and a moderate tem¬ 
perature maintained whilst the' days are short. From 
(18° to 1:1° are now sufficient for growing plants, 
whilst those in bearing may be allowed, with advan¬ 
tage, five degrees more. Fermenting materials should 
bo collected, and well worked. Make slight hot-beds 
for potatoes, radishes, carrots, early turnips, &c. 
Mushroom Bed-making. —The following, though 
in answer to a correspondent ( O. Tasker), yet being 
of general applicability, is placed here. A cart-shed 
can be very easily converted into an excellent mush¬ 
room house. Warm and gentle moisture have much 
to do with the growth of the mushrooms. How 
often, in August and September, do we hear country 
people, the best observers of nature, say, “ This is a 
beautiful morning for mushrooms, it is so warm and 
muggy !” We must imitate such mornings; there¬ 
fore, if the shed is covered in with slate or tiles, the 
space between the rafters inside should bo well 
stuffed with straw of any kind, which can be fastened 
up by nailing cross strips of boards from rafter to 
rafter. Then, after the bed is made, spawned, and 
finished, the front of the shed may be stopped up 
with thick and well-thatclied hurdles, which would 
be warmer and better than any other thin permanent 
enclosure. These hurdles can be readily opened 
whenever light is wanting, either to examine the 
beds, or to cover, or to uncover, or to collect, the 
mushrooms. It is also convenient to be able to open 
the house opposite where you wish, either to get in 
fresh materials to make a new bed with, or to take 
out an old one. If the length of the shed be from 
ill to 30 feet, it should give a large supply of mush¬ 
rooms during the winter and spring months. The 
beds should be made along the back of the house. 
Previously to making up the beds, a board, about 
nine inches high, should be placed as a frontage- 
board, from three to four feet distant from the wall, 
which is a nice width for the bottom of the bed. 
This front board may be supported upright by driv¬ 
ing three or four short stakes into the floor. The 
bed may be from two to three feet high at the back, 
sloping down to nine inches in front, which will give 
a very convenient width to reach over for all neces¬ 
sary purposes. Have the materials. ready to make 
the first bed about the last week in August. Let 
this occupy one-third of the length of the shed. 
Make up another of the same size about the last week 
in October, and the remaining third about the first 
of January. The principal part of the materials 
should be horse-droppings, mixed with a little dry, 
short, husky litter, and, if a few dry cow-droppings 
be broken up and mixed with it, all the better. The 
materials may be all placed in the shed at once, 
where the bed is to be made up, and they must be 
turned over to equalize and sweeten from three to 
five times. In making up the bed, let the whole be 
worked well together, and made as solid as it can be 
by beating with a fork, and the surface made smooth 
and even. Insert a stick to tell the temperature of 
the bed by; let it stand five or six days, after which 
time, the heat of the bed will be gentle if all has 
gone on well; but, if found too hot, shake up the 
materials of the bed again to let off the rankness of 
fermentation Do this twice a-day until the bed 
begins to be on the decline, and, drawing out the 
stick, it is found to be of a steady warmth of about 
from 50° to 55°. The bed then may be spawned. 
Insert the spawn about one inch and a half below 
the surface of the materials of the bed, either in mo¬ 
derate-sized lumps, or several bits put in together; 
make the whole surface smooth and even, and solid, 
and cover it with earth that is not too wet or too 
dry, which should be run through a sieve first, and 
should be of kindly adhesive nature, like that from 
an old pasture. This covering should be about from 
one to two inches thick. When the whole surface is 
covered over, it should be watered with a very fine- 
rosed water-pot, and beat down with a very bright 
spade, so as to make the surface plaster-like. Make 
use of no more water than will suffice. You had better 
apply to some respectable nurseryman for your mush¬ 
room spawn. Another year, probably, plenty would 
be found in the old beds. Always prefer mouldy 
hay for covering the beds with, but do not cover 
them too bountifully when newly-made, for fear of 
increasing the heat Loo strongly for the spawn. 
James Barnes and W. 
MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION. 
OUR VILLAGE WALKS. 
(No. 13.) 
I always feel, when the old year has been swept 
away, and the new one has begun, as if we had 
spring in possession. I immediately watch for the 
lengthening days, and 1 fancy I can see to write and 
work earlier and later, long before a perceptible 
change really takes place. This is a harmless fancy; 
but may it not lead to one that tends to destruction? 
May we not as hastily, and as completely, forget the 
spiritual past, which time can never sweep away? 
Our days may become brighter and clearer, trials 
may he removed, rough places may become smooth, 
all may go well with us, and we may say to ourselves, 
“ Peace, when there is no peace.” Let us remember 
