102 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
May 12. 
the culture of the more profitable kind, which time and 
an almost-unanimous public has stamped with its ap¬ 
probation. 
This useful vegetable is of more easy cultivation than 
many would suppose. All it wants is plenty of room, 
and a soil rather sound and deep than rich, as the 
latter is apt to produce a grossness in habit incom- 
patable with fruitfulness, while the shallow soils of 
some situations, or, what is equally bad, the over¬ 
crowding of plants, is at variance with their well-doing 
by their hastening to a premature end before the pur¬ 
pose they were intended for has been accomplished. 
Our readers who may have seen the mildewed appear¬ 
ance that this plant presents at times as early as August, 
will have some idea of the impropriety of denying it 
the room calculated to ensure a more healthy growth. 
And though it would be wrong to say that mildew is 
always the result of over-crowding, or a want of proper 
food, yet we think that these reasons very much en¬ 
courage it, and we know it can be kept a considerable 
time in a healthy condition, by securing it the advan¬ 
tages of a good depth of sound, fresh loam, of a kind 
not too stiff, but at the same time not too light, and by 
a proper thinning of the shoots, or, what is equally 
useful, by not planting too close at first, and allowing 
plenty of room in all directions afterwards; and in a 
very dry or hot summer, a partial shade will not be 
without its benefits. 
We have seen it grown in the alleys between beds of 
Asparagus, and we have seen it shaded by the high 
wall of the garden, or sometimes that of trees, the 
latter, we think, is certainly the most objectionable, and 
more likely to encourage tho disease we wish to avoid. 
It is not unusual to see a line plant of Vegetable- 
marrow, or some other of the gourd tribe, luxuriating 
in the highest state of perfection on the rubbish-heap, 
where, perhaps, a little spot has been cleared, and a 
plant put in. By rubbish-heap, we mean that accumu¬ 
lation of refuse matter which will neither burn, nor dig 
into the ground with care, yet the decayed matter, 
mixed with an abundance of stones, seems to suit the 
wants of this plant admirably. When, therefore, there 
is a heap of this kind on a spot not encumbered with 
trees, and safe from cattle or other depredators, it would 
be well worthy of a trial for this purpose. Heaps of 
compost would, of course, be better, but it is rarely these 
can be spared for this crop. If they are not likely to he 
wanted for other purposes, ridge Cucumbers would 
seem a more legitimate crop, and one to which more 
attention is usually paid. However, the Vegetable- 
marrow is well deserving a place in every garden, but 
to the amateur who has never grown it before, it is 
necessary to caution him against planting it near to 
any small-growing crop, for if it thrives, it will, assu¬ 
redly, overgrow them, and the chances are, that either the 
weak one will be fairly destroyed, or the rambler useless, 
by being denied sufficient space to grow in. It is no 
unusual thing to see a single Vegetable-marrow plant 
occupying as much space as an ordinary-sized room, 
and often more than that, yet at first planting it is 
better to plant two or three in the plot, and to pull 
one or two up afterwards, when it becomes apparent 
that one is likely to occupy the whole space. 
As we recommended, some time ago, that the seed of 
this vegetable should be sown in pots, and placed in 
heat, we can say no more here than suppose the plants 
to have been potted off singly into five-inch pots, and 
being gradually hardened off, are now in a condition to 
be planted out under the shelter of a hand-glass, or 
other contrivance, to encourage them on awhile; and, 
; as the number ol plants for most ordinary purposes 
I must necessarily be small, we would suggest that a 
j barrow-load of good soil be allowed to each plant, if 
that of the plot they are to occupy be not sufficiently 
good. This good soil will give them a start, and -when 
they have seemingly occupied it all, and the plant re¬ 
quires additional food, liquid-manure may, to a certain 
extent, be given it. We should observe, that one or 
two stoppings will also be necessary to the long, ram¬ 
bling shoots, for it partakes a little of the character of 
the Melon in that respect, and requires frequent stop¬ 
ping to encourage the fruit-hearing blossoms to swell 
out; but after the plant has once begun to bear tolerably 
well, thinning, rather than stopping, must be resorted 
to ; and if the situation be an exposed one, let the shoots 
be pegged down, or, what is equally good, short 
stakes stuck in amongst them will keep them in their 
places, and they will be less likely to suffer from 
mildew, &c., in such a position than in more snug 
quarters; but, wherever they be planted, it is proper to 
be prepared to expect them overgrowing their allotted 
space, unless the latter he the unlimited domain of the j 
rubbish-yard, or other large place. 
As w r e have said, the plant is subject to red spider ' 
and mildew in the latter part of the season, and some- j 
times this evil befalls it sooner than is wished for. We i 
advise the first symptoms of it to be met with a careful 
picking oft’ the affected leaves, and dusting those in 
their vicinity with sulphur; and if it be dry weather, 
and the ground evidently suffering from want of mois¬ 
ture, a copious watering will be of service, adding a 
little liquid-manure as well. This usually wards off the 
attack for a time, and a repetition of it at the proper 
time has a like beneficial effect; so that, on the whole, 
the season is prolonged, and the plants, if not kept in 
robust health, are, at least, in that fruitful condition 
which ensures a continuance of a nice useful produce; 
and though the plant is sure, sooner or later, to fall a 
victim to the disease we speak of, yet if it maintain 
itself in vigorous bearing until killed by tho frost, the 
cultivator will have been rewarded by a fair share of , 
produce for his trouble, provided that the same plants 
commenced bearing pretty early as well. 
It is scarcely necessary to enumerate varieties, for 
they all have their merits, but the “plain yellow” has 
with us given most satisfaction. There is a kind pro¬ 
ducing its fruit in great numbers near to the centre of j 
the plant, but it has no other merit save that it produces I 
less vine, but then it rarely keeps on bearing; so that, 
on the whole, it is worse than the older kinds. Some 
kinds have also a tinge of the Pumpkin breed in them, 
and show more or less of the showy colours this class is 
mostly patronised for, but we caution the inexperienced 1 
against trusting to these, unless they be recommended 1 
by competent and trustworthy parties as comprising the i 
requisite eating properties as well. But as the majority 
of those who partake of this vegetable prefer it in a 
young state, when about the size of a kidney potato, it 
is seldom that those showy kinds present their markings 
at that early age, and if not, their appearance is, on the 
whole, less beautiful than those of less pretensions that 
way; and, as we have said at the beginning, utility 
rather than beauty should be the criterion here. 
J. Robson. i 
CULTIVATION OF MANGOLD WURTZEL. 
The preparation of land intended for a crop of Mangold ! 
Wurtzel should begin as soon as possible after harvest, j 
because the early period at which the seed must be put in j 
does not give time for cultivating the ground in a proper ! 
manner during the spring months, more particularly when j 
the land is encumbered with couch grass. 
Therefore, as soon as the corn is carried from the land, if 
it be foul use the scarifier to a moderate depth, just suffi¬ 
cient to cut up the couch grass and any root weeds which 
may be found on the surface ; then use freely the harrows, 
