5(5 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
April 24. 
Borders. —See to the beds of Brocoli, Lettuce, Caiili- i 
flower, &e., and weed them where wanted. Sow now 
Lettuce of the Drumhead, Cabbage, White and Brown 
(toss varieties, and plant ont those of the early sowing. 
Sow a bed of Rampions on the east border, and towards 
the end of the month prick ont Celery into a nice piece 
of well-prepared ground. Examine the wall-trees, and 
if insects infect the Peach or Nectarine trees syringe 
with tobacco-water, and commence disbudding them. 
Keep all things in order, and the garden will have a tasty 
appearance. 
FLOWER GARDEN AND ROCKERY. 
Although, in fashionable gardens, the month of May 
is a busy one in the Flower-garden way, yet, in the one 
we now treat of, we expect but little is wanted in the 
bedding system, which gives so much work elsewhere; 
but if any Geranium or Calceolaria plants can be had, 
let them ho planted, by all means, amongst the other 
plants in the front garden. Verbenas and Petunias do 
not answer so well among mixed flowers; for being of a 
straggling growth they are better adapted for mixing in 
a bed by themselves. Cupheas, Fuchsias, and Ageratums, 
may be planted at pleasure, and now and then little 
patches of the Dwarf blue Lobelia as well as the tall 
Scarlet one. Dahlias may also he planted when wanted; 
but there is not space for many, therefore dwarfish ones 
will suit best. Any overgrown plants from the win¬ 
dows may be planted, and their places supplied by 
striking young ones. Plant out, also, any annuals that 
may have been sown in warm places; Stocks and 
German Asters being excellent for that purpose. Keep 
all Lawns in nice order, the grass well mown, and 
everything clean and orderly, and water only the newly- 
planted things, unless the season be exceedingly 
dry, in which case, a sound soaking will be benefi¬ 
cial, taking care, afterwards, to prevent the ground 
caking at top. Keep adding to your list of flowering 
plants, and propagate any favourite one by cuttings 
or offsets. The Dielytra spectabilis and Yellow 
Alyssum, being two of the most conspicuous plants 
w'e have, strike freely when put in early. Some shady 
comer may be rendered light by the addition of 
sand or charcoal dust; and the cuttings put in three 
inches apart will speedily be plants fit to plant out. Tie 
up only such plants as will not support themselves; 
but the White and Purple Rocket will usually do so, and 
many others. Sow some Brampton and Queen Stocks at 
the end of the month, and a little Mignonette seed may 
be scattered over the bed then to succeed that sown 
earlier. 
FRAMES OF CUCUMBERS. 
This will be in full bearing now, and, consequently, 
will be full of vine, which thin by cutting away all 
i weak long-jointed shoots; admit air freely, and give 
neater abundantly, and towards the end of the month 
harden the plants off by gradually admitting more and 
more air until they will bear full exposure by the end of 
it, when the frame may be removed to another bed 
prepared for it, when Melon plants are in readiness to 
turn out, the Melons being reared in the Cucumber 
frame during the early part of the month, but protected 
at nights by some handlight or other covering put over 
them when the hardening of the Cucumbers is going on. 
A stiffer soil will suit Melons better. 
J. Robson. 
ALLOTMENT FARMING.— May. 
As this is a month when vegetation begins to make 
rapid growth, it is necessary to keep the hoe busily em¬ 
ployed for some time amongst, the young crops. The 
advantages of the drill system, in preference to the broad¬ 
cast, will be now perceptible in the facility with which the 
hoe can be worked between the rows, and to thin out the 
young plants to regular distances apart until they acquire 
sufficient strength to cover the ground and exclude all 
weeds. As it is probable that we shall now have a con¬ 
tinuance of dry weather, it is advisable to stir the soil 
between the growing crops, and to mulch with short grass 
or any other substitute, to prevent evaporation. When 
there is an indispensable necessity for watering, if the 
plants droop, a liberal soaking of water will do more good 
than many and frequent sprinklings. 
ROTATION OF CROPS. 
It is a subject of paramount importance to know in what 
manner vegetables perform their functions to maintain a 
healthy existence; how far they are influenced by atmos¬ 
pheric agents; and to what extent the soil ministers to 
their wants. It was the general opinion of the last and 
preceding century, that the atmosphere contributed little or 
no advantage to the production of fruits and vegetables, 
unless the benefit of showers—being perceptible by the 
more luxuriant growth of the crops on which they de¬ 
scended, and the greater increase and better ripening of 
fruit visible from exposure to the genial influence of the 
sun,—may be supposed to indicate some slight knowledge 
of the advantages of such influences; but to specify the 
qualities of the agents by which such changes were 
effected has been left for modern science to explain. 
Within the present century there have been many plausible 
theories suggested by some clever men, to explain the 
qualities of the atmospheric agents by which vegetation 
is influenced. Their views had been impeded by some 
thick mists that they could not see through, until Liebig 
penetrated them, and explained the whole phenomena so 
clearly, that all gardeners can now receive valuable instruc¬ 
tion from the sound reasoning and the well-attested facts 
detailed in his writings. That manures were known to 
possess fertilising properties is evident from the perusal of 
the works of the many authors who have written on the 
subjects of gardening and farming. Tull had taken great 
pains to prove that by frequently stirring and pulverising 
land, and by deep diggings and ploughings, a soil may be 
made to produce better crops, and a succession of them, 
without any manure, than land neglected in such particulars, 
hut supplied with manure, could do. The benefit derived 
from frequently stirring the soil around growing crops is 
generally admitted. Such benefit is to be attributed to the 
increased pulverisation of the soil, the more free admission 
of air, and the more certain destruction of weeds; but the 
nourishment that each crop extracts from the soil must 
be supplied by manures, organic and inorganic substances. 
A knowledge of the analysis of the plant to be grown, 
specifying the constituents of which it is composed, will 
give us the best clue to the application of the ingredients 
which it requires for its perfect development. It is well 
known that the second crop of the same sort of vegetables, 
grown on the same soil, will not be produced in the same 
perfection as the first crop. It is affirmed by some that an 
excrementitious matter, thrown off by the roots, will act 
injuriously on the same sort if immediately following; in 
short, that such root-excretions will act as a poison to the 
•ucceeding crop. But it is certain that what was formerly 
attributed to root-excretions is now proved to be caused by 
the crop extracting from the soil the different ingredients 
necessary for its existence and maturity. By supplying the 
soil with the particular materials of which the plant is com¬ 
posed, wc could then continue to grow the same crop on the 
same piece of ground for many years, the influences of air, 
heat, light, and moisture being the same. But until that 
more perfect knowledge, to which we are advancing rapidly, 
is attained, we must continue the rotation system of cropping. 
By that system, the long tap-rooted vegetables, which ex¬ 
tract nourishment from the soil at some distance from the 
surface, are succeeded by vegetables with fibrous or widely- 
spreading roots, which extend more closely to the surface; 
the ingredients extracted by one is no detriment to the 
other crop. 
