THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
103 
May 
will, moreover, prove an excellent substitute for the 
potato. These carrots will stand as close together in 
the first thinning as two inches; and by commencing 
to pull them at the above size, a most astonishing i 
amount of produce may be obtained from a very 
moderate-sized bed, proving a source both of profit 
and convenience, for a bunch may be pulled almost 
every day after the end of May. 
Large Kinds of Carrot. —These will now be 
coming up, and, if in drills, must receive the kind of 
culture suggested at the beginning of this paper. 
The plants may be thinned slightly at first, merely 
singling, but finally to about five inches apart if in 
beds, and to four if in drills. Re sure to keep down 
weeds, and to watcli for slugs. 
Parsnips. —Similar culture to the large carrots, 
only they must be allowed an inch or two more 
room. The final thinning, however, must not take 
place until the plant is eight or nine inches high; 
the thinnings then will be very useful for the pig. 
M angold. —The mangold will now lie fairly above 
ground, and will want weeding and “ singling.” The 
latter- signifies the first thinning out, which consists 
in merely removing a plant where two stand close 
together. In the next thinning they may be “ set 
out” at their final distances—about eight or nine 
inches apart in the drill; this thinning must not be 
performed until the plant is out of danger—say five 
inches in height. 
Swede Turnips. —Those sown in drills recently 
will now be up. Here, again, the same principles 
must be pursued as with the other drill crops. 
Thorough weeding after hoeing through between the 
drills, and singling or thinning out, must be at¬ 
tended to. 
Swede Seed-bed. —Those who desire to have stout 
plants of the Swede must, above all things, keep the 
seed-bed clean weeded from the very first. When the 
plants are beginning to grow rather tall or gross, we 
generally pass a scythe lightly over them, just cutting 
off the points of the leaves. This, by letting light 
and air amongst the stems, strengthens the plants, 
and renders them better able to withstand a period 
of drought, or intense light when transplanted. 
Various Greens in Seed-bed. —Clean weeding 
is here as necessary as in the case of the Swedes. 
It is necessary also to thin them out a little if they 
come very thick, providing enough plants are left 
for use. Those who wish to have very forward 
plants of a particularly strong character, should prick 
them out on rich soil betimes. Indeed, it is well 
thus to transplant all of this family, if time permit, 
when they are growing very fast, and the plot for 
which they are intended is not ready for them. 
Onions. —Let them be clean weeded, but not 
hoed through, unless in drills, and then the hoe 
should not go so close to them as to loosen the bulb. 
The grub is the great enemy to be dreaded. We 
have found it a good plan to save soapsuds betimes, 
putting them into anything that will hold them : in 
a few weeks they will become stale and very nau¬ 
seous, and in this state we water the onion beds with 
them about twice a week. This we have found a 
preventive, as the fly, which is the parent of the 
grub, does not seem to take to them under such cir¬ 
cumstances. Chamber lye, too, might be kept for 
this purpose until stale, and one quart added to each 
gallon of soapsuds; we would then add one gallon 
of water to a gallon of the mixture. As soon as 
watered, it would be worth while to dust either soot or 
lime, separately, lightly over them: this would adhere 
to the plants. The whole will prove at least a 
manuring. 
Lettuces. —These require a great deal of water, 
to have them large, as the season advances. The 
cottager need sow no more until the beginning of 
July, as they run to seed, and are not worth their 
land in the heat of summer. 
Dutch Turnips, if sown in the beginning of 
March, will soon be fit for use. As soon as large 
enough, they may be drawn up, their tops cut off, 
and, being piled in a heap in a cool, shady place, 
some damp soil may be beat over them. These will 
last the cottager’s wife for a couple of months, and 
the ground will be at liberty for other crops. 
Spinach. —This will soon begin to run up to seed; 
in this state it may be pulled up root and branch, 
and given to the pigs. It will be found a good pre¬ 
ventive of costiveness, to which pigs are sometimes 
liable when confined in a small stye, and fed on 
heating diet. The cow will also eat it greedily. 
Having thus glanced at most of the cottager’s 
crops in succession, we must now see what may be 
sown or planted, and cast our eyes over the divisions 
in our diagram, page 184, in No. 1. The potatoes 
will all be up : we advise the free use of the hoe, 
stirring the soil deep, especially in the centres be¬ 
tween the rows. When these potatoes are planted a 
considerable distance apart, some cottagers introduce 
green-hale between them thinly. To accomplish this, 
however, the rows should be nearly thirty inches 
apart, or much confusion occurs in getting up the 
potatoes. This is a course we have not advised with 
the winter potato, as it involves the loss of several 
rows of potatoes, which are the cottager’s chief de¬ 
pendence. If, however, the disease should unfortu¬ 
nately appear earlier than usual, it will be well to 
plant through between them immediately with the 
green-kale, the thousand-headed cabbage, or the Brus¬ 
sels sprouts; or those who are very anxious for keep¬ 
ing roots may try Swedes, but the latter will be most 
likely to become choked with the potato haulm. 
Spare Ground. —Any spare ground which may 
come to hand during the month may be most advan¬ 
tageously employed by sowing a bed of horn carrots. 
We would particularly advise this, for the other 
crops may suffer from the grub ; and, if these miss, 
some coleworts may be planted on the bed, without 
digging, in August. 
Cabbage or Coleworts. —A bed of these must, by 
all means, be sown about the middle of June, not later. 
These we consider very important, for we shall show, 
in Jidy, how some hundreds may be introduced 
amongst or around other crops. The best kind for 
this purpose, with which we are acquainted, is the 
Matchless ; but any of the compact early heading 
kinds of the Early York character will answer. Not 
less than one ounce of seed should be sown at this 
period. 
About celery, cucumbers, leeks, &c., we need say 
little here; plenty of sound advice adapted to the 
cottager may be found in the kitchen-garden depart¬ 
ment of this work. We may, therefore, merely con¬ 
clude this paper by strongly urging on the cottager 
the immense advantage to be derived from high cul¬ 
tivation, and a freedom from weeds, bet the cottager 
be firmly persuaded that every stroke with the hoe 
in his garden will be attended with a corresponding 
amount of profit, none the less certain although 
prospective. 
