THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, October 18, 1859. 
35 
rows two feet and a half apart by two feet in the row. 
Being all gross feeders, the ground cannot well be too 
rich for them. Earth them up when at the proper size, 
and they will require little more trouble. Brussels 
Sprouts are, perhaps, the most serviceable of all the 
winter Green tribe, as they may be always had from 
October till May. Savoys are best after enduring a little 
frost. Cut Bed Cabbages before they burst, or there is 
much waste. Curled Kale, and several kinds of Borecole, 
may be all treated the same as above; but Brussels 
Sprouts are the most useful and prolific of them all. 
CAULIFLOWER AND LETTUCE. 
If a few winter-preserved plants of Cauliflowers can be 
obtained from some one who has the means of keeping 
them, plant them on the early border in April, and sow a 
little seed in March and again in May, which plant out 
when ready. Lettuce of the Hardy Hammersmith kind 
may be sown the last week in August on some sheltered 
place to stand the winter, and being planted out will 
come into use in May. The Brown Cos and Drumhead 
Cabbage may be sown at various times up to the middle 
of June, and planted out in small quantities about a foot 
apart each way. Both. Cauliflower and Lettuce like rich 
ground. The first crop of them will be off in time to 
prepare a piece of ground to sow with winter Onions the 
middle of August, and anything else that may be wanted 
then. 
TURNIPS. 
Sow the Early Snowball in April, and the Early Stone 
in May and June. Thin in time. The last crop might 
follow the Broad Beans as before stated. Like all the 
Brassica family, Turnips like good, rich ground. 
RHUBARB. 
Trench deeply and put in plenty of dung, and obtain 
from some nursery about eight plants of My ait’s Victoria, 
and the same number of Linnear Rhubarb, which plant 
a yard apart each way, and this will afford you and your 
neighbours stalks for tarts for all the season. 
ASPARAGUS. 
This is better adapted for light than stiff ground; but 
if a bed must be had, trench and put in plenty of mortar 
rubbish into the bottom, and dung at top. Sow the seed 
in the miscellaneous ground, and in moist weather in 
June. Plant them out in rows two feet apart, and one 
foot from plant to plant. Do not cut any until the heads 
appear strong, and then do not do it too severely, and 
the plants will strengthen. Salt and liquid manure im¬ 
prove Asparagus much. 
LEEKS. 
Sow a little seed if these are wanted, but be sure and 
thin them well if you do not plant them out, which they 
bear very well. The London Flag is the best kind. Sow 
early in March. 
PARSLEY. 
Sow this as an edging by the sides of the walks. 
HERBS. 
Lemon Thyme may also he planted as an edging the 
same as Parsley, but the Common Thyme is too robust, 
and with Sage, Fennel, Mint, Hyssop, and Lavender, 
might be planted on some odd place. Summer Savory, 
Basil, and Sweet Marjorum require sowing every season, 
but there are many families which never require these ; 
though Mint, Thyme, and Sage ought to be grown by 
every one. 
MISCELLANIES. 
Besides the above there are other things which are 
occasionally wanted. Vegetable Marrows are very pro¬ 
ductive in hot, dry summers. A couple of plants raised 
in a flower-pot and planted out in May, will cover quite 
a rod of ground. Ridge Cucumbers are not so luxuriant, 
but are also useful. Sown and reared the same as the 
Marrows, and planted out the middle of May, with some 
shelter from cold winds, they will often produce a great 
deal of fruit. The top of the compost-heap may be very 
well occupied with this crop in summer, and they do well 
on such a position. Horseradish is too difficult to get rid of 
again, to be grown in a small garden kept neat and orderly ; 
but if wanted, crowns put in the ground in early spring 
furnish good sticks by the middle or end of summer, 
especially if the ground is good and deeply tilled. 
Garlic and Shallots are not likely to be wanted; but if 
so, plant the bulbs on fine, light ground in January. 
FURTHER REMARKS ON THE GARDEN. 
It is needless to say that all parts of it must be kept 
clean, not forgetting the hedge or boundary fence. Prune 
the Gooseberry and Currant trees in winter, and the 
Raspberry later on towards spring. Clear away the 
runners from the Strawberries as they are made, and put 
down straw, or something that way, to preserve the fruit 
from being dirtied. Dig up all vacant ground as it be¬ 
comes vacant, whether in winter or summer, unless it be 
very wet at the time. Scatter lime or wood ashes over 
the seed-beds and small plants to keep the slugs away. 
Water with liquid manure such crops as Celery, all the 
Cabbage tribe, Asparagus, and such like ; but do not 
commence watering Onions unless you can continue to 
do so. Support all tall crops—as Beans, Scarlet Runners, 
&c., from hanging on lower-growing ones. Allow no 
Lettuce to run to seed, unless you want to save some. 
Of course, the same remark holds good to Cauliflowers, 
Cabbages, &c., but keep only such kinds of Lettuce in 
seed-flower at a time, and the same of the Cabbage tribe, 
if you be saving seed of either. Dig the ground with a 
fork in winter, and use very little of the rake until the 
end of April. 
INSTRUCTIONS FOE CROPPING A LIGHT SOIL. 
The same crops will, in a great measure, thrive here as 
mentioned for the stiff soil. Carrots and Asparagus will 
do better; but all the Cabbage tribe will suffer more in 
a dry season, unless well supplied with liquid manure, 
which is the all-important agent here. Strawberries will 
not do well in the dry, hot part of summer, neither will 
Broad Beans and Peas; but crops will endure a hard 
winter better, and the ground is more pleasant to work. 
A dry soil in the west of England, where there is gene¬ 
rally double the amount of rain there is on the east side of 
it, is an advantage; but in the dry eastern counties vege¬ 
tables are very poor in the dry summer months on such 
soils, the stiffer soils being more productive there. These 
conditions ought not to be lost sight of by one superin¬ 
tending a garden, as no amount of human skill and energy 
' can completely triumph over a natural difficulty, how 
much soever they may modify it, and systematic water¬ 
ing by hand ought to be avoided if possible. 
J. Robson. 
(To be continued.) 
HINTS TO BEGINNERS—PROPAGATING. 
“I have put in Verbena cuttings according to the directions 
given, and more than half of them are gone, though I have filled 
up the pots repeatedly. In one place, rather airy, they dry off; 
and in another place, rather close, they damp off.” “ My variegated 
Geraniums, such as Floioer of the Day, Golden Chain, &c., are 
more than half gone ; the point damps, and away the whole rots 
and decays.” “ Calceolarias that you dismiss with almost a word 
are a great pest to me; even though I give them a little hotbed, 
they either wither and rot, or get covered with thrips and 
insects.” “ I put in nice cuttings of Heaths, as advised in an 
early volume, and they looked well for a week or two ; but now 
they are as brown as a berry, though the sand is quite moist 
enough.” “ I have put in the dark double Groundsel time after 
time, but it shanks and rots off before or as soon as struck,” 
“ I have placed cuttings of soft-wooded glove plants under a bell- 
