44 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
April 21. 
and cases, yet we may venture to affirm, that a dry, 
gravelly soil will, under all circumstances, require to be 
treated this way, unless in very moist weather, or when 
the ground is frequently inundated by some artificial 
watering;—the former, it is almost needless to say, being 
the most beneficial ; however, many makeshifts are 
adopted, each one most likely more adapted to the wants 
of the particular place than any other would be, and each, 
to a certain extent, successful. A north border may be 
sown or planted with Lettuces during the early part of 
summer, which will probably arrive at a maturity su¬ 
perior to those grown under a more exposed position, the 
shade of a wall being certainly preferable to that of 
trees; the latter, in most instances, robbing the ground 
of its most useful juices, which, in summer, are never 
too abundant anywhere; so that whenever they seem 
deficient, recourse must be had to the watering-pot; and 
if liquid-manure is to be bad sometimes so much the 
better. 
It is, perhaps, better not to depend on one kind alone, 
unless on a proved good one; and in all cases, where a 
difficulty exists in rearing young plants, from the super¬ 
abundance of slugs, or other enemies, or where the dry 
nature of the ground renders it difficult to grow them to 
perfection, we advise the amateur to try them under 
different circumstances, for it may happen that the least 
promising may turn out the best, and vice-versa; so that, 
after sowing commences early in spring, some of the best 
Goss and Cabbage varieties may be sown every ten days 
or so until the end of July, and in different situations, 
and notunfrequently amongst other crops ; but after the 
above-mentioned time, only those capable of standing the 
winter ought to be sown, of which we shall mention more 
hereafter. In the present case, we advise the amateur to 
transplant those sown early in the spring on some piece 
of well-prepared ground, about fifteen inches apart each 
way, and some succeeding crops may possibly be treated 
the same way; but those sown after the middle of May, 
ought to be sown somewhere in drills, a foot or more 
apart, and the plants thinned out, leaving some to grow 
there, which they often will, while their neighbours, 
which were planted out, are running away to seed. 
This, as we have before stated, is more especially neces¬ 
sary on a dry soil than on a damp one, taking, of course, 
the character of the climate also in consideration. 
J. Robson. 
SOWING GRASS SEEDS. 
To insure success in the cultivation of Artificial Grasses, 
including the Clovers, great care and nicety in the prepa¬ 
ration of the land is requisite ; and the time of sowing, and 
the rotation of cropping, are also matters of much import¬ 
ance. In preparing the land for the reception of Clover 
seeds, it is essential that the finest tilth possible should be 
obtained, either by exposure to the weather, or by constant 
working of the harrows and roller; but the best tilth will 
usually be secured by the combined action of both frost and 
a liberal use of those implements. 
The best time for sowing the Clovers is from the middle 
of March to the last week in April, after which period the 
land often becomes too dry for these small seeds to vegetate 
at the proper time; and when the plants make their ap¬ 
pearance at a late period, the corn amongst which they are 
commonly sown becomes too strong for them and over¬ 
powers them. The consequence of this will be a deficient 
hay crop, and the succeeding crop of wheat generally 
suffers from the same cause, for it is well known to all 
practical farmers, that a good crop of Clover hay taken off 
the land is one of the best preparations for a wheat crop 
upon all dry and light soils. It is also hazardous to sow 
Clover seeds previously to the middle of March, because the 
night frosts peculiar to that month endanger the plant; it 
cannot withstand the effect of frost in the infant state; and 
thus large breadths of Clover seeds are cut off and destroyed 
in seasons when frosts occur at a late period. 
Clover seeds take best when sown after the roller, and 
followed by one light harrowing, or, otherwise, sown upon a 
fine harrowed surface, followed by the roller. I prefer to 
roll the land before the plants make their appearance, 
although it is a common practice, with many parties, to roll 
the land some time after the plants come up ; hut it will be ( 
found that the roller destroys great numbers of them, which, 
uuable to bear the pressure and disturbance of the soil, are j 
crushed beneath the broken clods, and do not appear again. I 
The quantity of Clover seed required per acre will be from 
12 lbs. to 14 lbs. of the Broad and Dutch sorts ; but of the j 
Hop-clover, or Trefoil, about 14 lbs. to 1C lbs.: these quan¬ 
tities are requisite when grown alone, but mixed with 
Italian, or other Rye grass, at the rate of one peck per acre, 
from 2 lbs. to 4 lbs. less will be sufficient. 
The most general mode is to sow Clover seeds amongst 
the barley and oats, hut they take well if sown upon the young 
wheat, the land being harrowed twice, and then rolled. The 
reason of the Clover plant thriving so much amongst the 
wheat is because the wheat usually stands thinner upon the 
land than barley or oats, thus affording the Clover more 
light and air. The most important point in Clover culti¬ 
vation relates to the rotation of crops, for it is found in 
practice that a good plant of Clover cannot he depended 
upon if sown every four years ; it has, therefore, been found 
desirable to change and alternate the sorts, by growing the 
Broad, Dutch, and Trefoil Clovers separately, which mode 
will, under the four-course system of husbandry, give a 
crop of each kind of Clover once in twelve years. This 
mode of changing the crop is rendered necessary by the 
land, in many cases, having become tired of Clover, or what 
is commonly called “ Clover sickhut this applies more 
particularly to Broad Clover, although the other varieties 
receive benefit by change. It is somewhat singular that 
scientific research, and practical experience combined, have 
not been able to find out the cause of this “ Clover sickness ” 
of the soil, and it is vain to hope for a remedy until the 
cause can be ascertained.* 
Italian Eye-grass should now (April) he sown amongst 
the young wheat plant, and harrowed in, leaving the land 
rolled. When autumn feed tor sheep is required in the 
wheat eddishes, this sort of grass furnishes a constant 
supply of nutritious food during the months of September, 
October, and November. It does not, however, answer for 
autumn food upon thin land, and on high, cold, and exposed 
situations, but produces sheep feed all the winter upon good 
rich loams, in warm, sheltered localities. 
In sowing grass seeds for two or three years lay, or for per¬ 
manent pasturage, I have found it answer best not to sow the 
seeds amongst the corn crops, but to prepare the land well, 
give it manure of some kind, and sow the seeds upon the 
fallow surface in the month of May. It will prove best if 
the land has not been recently ploughed, in which case the 
weed seeds near the surface will have vegetated, and maybe 
readily destroyed by using the scarifier previous to sowing 
the seeds. The grass should not be mowed for hay, or 
soiling, either the first or second year, hut fed by sheep 
or cattle; this will give time for the grass to get firmly 
rooted in the soil, and, if not fed too hard and close, is 
much preferable to mowing, as the lay is inclined to become 
hollow and bare after the scythe has been over it. 
The sorts of grass seeds necessary for permanent pasture 
will vary according to soil, and parties intending to seed 
land for a permanency will do well to apply to any of the 
large seedsmen, who, after the soil has been described, will 
furnish seeds adapted for use, already mixed, with directions 
as to quantity.— Joseph Blundell. 
REPENTING AT LEISURE. 
By the Authoress of “My Flowers .” 
In these days it is very much the custom for young people 
to take the law into their own hands. For this, no doubt, 
the parents are, in the first place, to blame; because they 
* The most reasonable theory is, that each plant has its peculiar 
enemies, either in a vegetable or animal form, and that the seeds of these 
enemies remain in the soil, allowing other plants to escape with impunity, 
but attacking with avidity the plant which affords them their proper 
nidus. By not repeating particular plants for a long period the seeds of 
its enemy are destroyed. 
