ALBERT R. MANN 
 LIBRARY 
 
 New York State Colleges 
 
 OF 
 
 Agriculture and Home Economics 
 
 AT 
 
 Cornell University 
 
SB 32i.B§g™*"""'«'^"V Library 
 
 The american kitchen-gardener. 
 
 3 1924 000 336 432 
 
Cornell University 
 Library 
 
 The original of this book is in 
 the Cornell University Library. 
 
 There are no known copyright restrictions in 
 the United States on the use of the text. 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924000336432 
 
THE 
 
 AMERICAN 
 
 KITCHEN-GARDEI(ER, 
 
 CONTAININa 
 
 COMPLETE PRACTICAL DIRECTIONS 
 
 FOB THE OXILTrTATION OF 
 
 CULINARY YEGETABLES AND HEEBS, 
 
 lOQETHBE WITH mSTRUCTIOHS FOB 
 
 FORCING OR FORWARDING- VEGETABLES OUT OP THE 
 ORDINARY SEASON. 
 
 By THOMAS BRIDGEMAN", 
 
 Gardener, Seedsnum, and Plorlst. 
 
 SEW edition: bbtised, enlaeged, and illustrated. 
 
 NEW YORK: 
 
 WILLIAM WOOD & CO., 61 WALKER STREET. 
 
 1867. 
 
Entered according to Act of Congress, jn the year 1866, \>y 
 ALFBED BBIDaEMAlf, 
 
 In the Clerk's Office of the district Gonrt of the United States for the S( othem Dis- 
 trict of New York. 
 
 ThS New York Printihq Co., 
 
 8i, 83, (Old 85 Cmire i^eet, 
 
 New Yosk. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 Th^ primary object in first publishing The Toung 
 GtArdener's Assistant, was to enable our respectable 
 seedsmen, while furnishing a catalogue of seed for the 
 use of the Kitchen and Flower Garden, to afiPord instruc- 
 tion, at a trifling expense, to such of their customers as 
 Lad not a regular gardener, and thereby save themselves 
 the blame, of those who may not have given their seed 
 a fair trial for want of knowing how to dispose of it in 
 the ground. 
 
 The Author, having shown his primary object in 
 adopting the catalogue form, presumes that his readers 
 will not be disappointed if they do not find there the 
 names of all the species or varieties of plants they may 
 wish to introduce into their gardens, the mode of culture 
 of such being generally alike. If a catalogue of this 
 kind was essential, it would occupy more space than is 
 allotted to this book ; besides, it would be impossible to 
 keep pace with our enterprising horticulturists and 
 florists, who are continually introducing new species into 
 
VI PREFACE. 
 
 our country. When, also, it is considered that there are 
 a number of indigenous plants at present unknown to 
 us, it will appear evident that the most extensive cata- 
 logue would not be perfect in this respect for any length 
 of time; the Author, therefore, thought it unnecessary to 
 attempt anything more than is essential to the attainment 
 of a tolerable share of the products of the garden, 
 by ordinary exertion. How far he has succeeded in this 
 respect, must be left for the reader to decide. 
 
 Thomas BeidQeman. 
 
KITCHEN-eiARDENlHa. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 GENERAL SEMARKS 0]* KttCHfiN-aAftftBSING. 
 
 Previous to preparing a Mtclien'garden, the gardenfjr should, 
 provide a blank-book> and prepare a map of his ground*, oir 
 which he should first lay out a plan of his garden, allolriBng a 
 place for all the different kinds of vegetables he intends 1>o> cul- 
 tivate. As he proceeds in the business of planting his, groand^i, 
 if he should keep an account of everything he does lelative^to 
 his garden, he would soon obtain some knowledge »f ' the' art. 
 This the writer has done for more than twenty ysarsj and! he 
 flatters himself that a publication of the results of Ms-, practifce; 
 will be interesting and useftll to his readers. 
 
 If gardeners would accustom themselves to record the diates 
 and particulars of their transactions relative totHliage, jJaotSag, 
 etc., they would always know when to expect their- seed to 
 come up, and ho* to regulate their crops for- successicm j said 
 when it is considered that plants of the hmsska:, or Cabbage 
 tribe, are apt to get infected at the rootsj, if too frequently 
 planted in the same ground, and that a rotation of crops in 
 general is beneficial, it -will appear evident that a complete 
 register of everything relative to culture is as essential to suc- 
 cess in the kitchen-garden as in agriculture proper. 
 
 Those who have not a garden already formed, and cannot 
 avail themselves of such a slope of ground or quality of soU 
 as tbey desire, must take up with such as may be within their 
 reach. If practicable, a kitchen-garden should have a warm 
 and south-easterly exposure. But when the ground slopes to. 
 
 1* 
 
10 KITCHKN-GARDBNING. 
 
 the north and west, as is frequently the case, it is important to 
 have the garden located on the sunny side of a grove, forest, 
 or out-buUdings. Every person, previous to choosing a locar 
 tion for out-buildings and a dwelling-house, should select the 
 most desirable situation for the Eitchen-garden. 
 
 LATINO OUT THE GBOUND. 
 
 If desirable, a border may be formed around the whole gar- 
 den, from five to ten feet wide, according to the size of the 
 piece of land. Next to this border, a walk may be made from 
 three to six feet wide ; and the middle of the garden may be 
 divided into squares, on the sides of which a border may be 
 laid out three or four feet wide, in which the various kinds of 
 herbs may be raised, and also gooseberries, currants, rasp- 
 berries, strawberries, etc. The 'centre beds may be planted 
 with various kinds of vegetables. The outside borders will 
 be useful for raising the earliest fruits and vegetables, and 
 serve for raising and pricking out such young plants, herbs, 
 and cuttings, as require to be screened from the intense heat 
 of the sun. 
 
 The mode of laying out the ground is a matter of taste, and 
 may be left to the gardener himself, the form being a thing of 
 trifling importance in the production of useful vegetables ; and 
 it matters not whether the ground be laid out in beds of four 
 or ten feet wide, provided it be well worked, and the garden 
 kept neat and free from weeds. One should determine what 
 kind of vegetables he designs to raise as well as the quantity of 
 each kind. If the object be simply to supply one family with 
 vegetables, it is better to appropriate only a small plot of ground 
 to this purpose, as a large garden at a distance from a good 
 market is not always a source of profit, while it requires a 
 great deal of labor to keep it in order. It is far better to have 
 a small plot of ground of only a few square rods thoroughly 
 pulverized, well manured, and properly dressed, than one twice 
 as large, and all these things alluded to, only half done. Very 
 many persons in the country, who raise no garden produce for 
 
KITCHEN-GARDENIKTG. 
 
 11 
 
 market, err greatly in laying out gardens mucli larger than 
 they cultivate profitably. 
 
 All standard trees should be excluded from a kitchen-garden, 
 as their roots spread so widely, and imbibe so much moisture 
 from the ground, that little is left for the nourishment of any 
 plant within the range of their influence ; and when in ftdl 
 leaf, they shade a large space, and obstruct the free circulation 
 of the air, so essential to the well-being of all plants. More- 
 over, the droppings from some trees are particularly injurious 
 to whatever vegetation they fall upon. When any plants re- 
 quire a shade it is infinitely better to make a temporary pro- 
 tection with wide boards placed on stones, or billets of wood, 
 than to attempt to plant in the shade of trees. In the absence 
 of wide boards for .screening plants from the intense heat of the 
 sun, two or more narrow boards may be placed side by side. 
 
12 KITCHEN-GARDENING. 
 
 ARRANGEMENT OF THE GARDEN. 
 
 The cut herewith given, represents a very satisfactory man- 
 ner of disposing of different kinds of plants and vegetables in 
 the kitchen-garden. The illustration requires no explanation. 
 The arrangement can be varied to suit the fancy or conve- 
 nience. 
 
 MANURE. ^HOW APPLIED. 
 
 One important point to be attended to, is to have a supply 
 of good, well-rotted manure ready to incorporate with the soil ; 
 and also a portion of ashes, soot, tobacco-dust, and hme, for 
 the purpose of sowing over seed-beds in dry weather, to destroy 
 insects, which sometimes cut off young plants as fast as they 
 come up. 
 
 If the ground cannot be all manured every year, as it should 
 be, it is of primary importance that those vegetables be pro- 
 vided for which most need manure. A perusal of the catalogue 
 wiU enable the young gardener to judge of the kinds of garden 
 products which require it most. Good, rich manure is indis- 
 pensably necessary for the production of Broccoli, Cauliflower, 
 Cabbage, Lettuce, Spinach, Onions, Radishes, and Salads in 
 general. 
 
 In the event of a scanty supply of manure, those kinds of 
 vegetables which are raised in hiUs or drills, may be manured 
 immediately under the seed or plants by applying a light dress- 
 ing before the seed is dropped, being careful to cover it with 
 soil, so that the seed may not come in immediate contact with 
 stimulating fertilizers. 
 
 As some cultivators, by their method of using manure, show 
 that they have very erroneous ideas as to its real object or 
 utility, I would remind them that manure should be employed 
 with a view to renovate and strengthen the natural soO, and 
 not as a receptacle for seed. In order that manure may have a 
 salutary effect, it should be thoroughly incorporated with the 
 earth by the operation of digging or ploughing. When it is 
 used in hills or on a given spot, it should be well pulverized 
 
KITCHEN-GAEMNING. 13 
 
 and mixed with the earth so as to form a compost. These 
 remarks apply especially to strong animal manures, the excre- 
 ments of fowls, as also to soaper's, tanner's and glue manufac- 
 turer's manure, rags, etc. Lime, ashes, bone-dust, poudrette, 
 urate, salt, sulphur, gypsum, nitrate of potash, and other porta- 
 ble manures, may be sown broadcast over the land previous to 
 harrowing or raking it, or such manures may be formed into a 
 compost when used in hills or drills. They should in every 
 case be used with caution, as an indiscreet use of them will 
 destroy the seed or plants, and thus defeat the cultivator's 
 object. Many gardeners can corroborate these facts, from 
 having used strong compost as a mould for their hotbeds, 
 thereby poisoning the germs of the seed, and causing the 
 plants to die off prematurely ; and it is notorious that a great 
 proportion of failing crops is occasioned by an injudicious mode 
 of using manure. 
 
 IMPEOVING POOB SOILS. 
 
 Much depends on the manures used on particular kinds of 
 soil. The great art of improving sandy and clayey soils con- 
 sists in giving the former such dressings of clay, cow-dung, and 
 other kinds of manure, as will have a tendency to bind and 
 make them more compact, and consequently more retentive of 
 moisture ; and to the latter, coats of horse-dung, ashes, sand, 
 and such other composts as may tend to separate the particles 
 and open the pores of the clay, so as to cause it to approach as 
 nearly as possible to a loam. 
 
 SALTPETEB AS A FERTILIZER. 
 
 Saltpetre is pernicious to many species of insects ; it is also 
 an excellent manure, and may be used to great advantage when 
 dissolved in the proportion of one pound to four gallons of 
 water. This liquid, applied to plants through the rose of a 
 watering-pot, will preserve health and vigor. Soapsuds are 
 equally beneficial, if used occasionally in the same manner — 
 say once a week. These remedies, applied alternately, have 
 
14 KITCHEN-GAEDElsriNG. 
 
 been known to preserve melon and cucumber-vines from the 
 rav^es of the yellow-fly, bugs, blight, etc., and to keep the 
 plants in a thriving condition. 
 
 refeIlino insects. 
 
 As liquid, however, cannot be conveniently used on a laige 
 piece of land, it may be necessary, if insects are numerous, to 
 sow tobacco-dust, mixed with road-dust, soot, ashes, lime, or 
 the dust of charcoal, in the proportion of half a bushel per 
 acre every morning, untU the plants are free or secure from 
 their attacks. 
 
 It is necessary that the gardener should have a hogshead 
 set in the ground always at hand in dry weather, containing 
 solutions made of waste tobacco, lime, soot, cow-dung, elder, 
 burdock leaves, etc. A portion of these ingredients, or any 
 other preparation that is pernicious or poisonous to insects, 
 without injuring the plants, thrown into a hogshead kept 
 filled up with water, if used moderately over beds of young 
 plants in dry weather, would, in almost every case, insure a 
 successful crop. Such liquid, however, should never be used 
 when the sun shines ; and if applied too abundantly to the 
 leaves, there is danger, sometimes, that the leaves and stems 
 will be destroyed. 
 
 Manure should be applied to the most profitable and exhaust- 
 ing crops ; and the succession of crops should be so arranged 
 that the ground may be occupied by plants either valuable in 
 themselves, or which may contribute to the increased value of 
 those which are to follow ; and the value of the labor required 
 to mature vegetables and prepare them for market, should be 
 always taken into consideration. 
 
 VALUE OF PEAT ASHES. 
 
 The farmers of Europe consider peat ashes of more value 
 than any others; and I am persuaded that, could they be 
 fairly tested by some of our best cultivators, great good would 
 result to the community. If the farmers in England can afford 
 
KITCHEN-GASDBNING. 15 
 
 to keep men under pay, perpetually burning peat for the sake 
 of the ashes, it is natural to suppose that the poor of our com- 
 munity may be placed in easier circumstances, as respects the 
 article of fuel. Thousands of acres of land are to be found in 
 the States of New York and New Jersey, and within a few 
 miles of this city, which abound with peat earth; and the 
 owners of such have already begun to explore their treasures 
 of this description. Good peat burns well in all sorts of stoves 
 and grates, whether made for wood or coal, and also on the 
 hearth ; and if the ashes are not used to any better purpose 
 than other ashes have hitherto been, it is the cheapest fuel 
 known. I am persuaded that this subject is worthy of serious 
 consideration ; and if the editors of the different papers would 
 arouse the public attention, so as to direct some of our most 
 active citizens to a consideration of this subject, incalculable 
 good would result to the community at large. 
 
 PEBPARATIOSr OF THE SOIL. 
 
 A light, sandy soil wDl be benefited if worked when moist, 
 as such treatment will have a tendency to make it more com- 
 pact ; on the contrary, if a clayey soil be worked when too wet, 
 it kneads like dough, and never fails to bind when drought 
 follows ; and this not only prevents the seed from risiug, but 
 injures the plants materially in their subsequent growth, by its 
 becomittg impervious to moderate rains, dews, air, and the 
 influence of the sun, aU of which are necessary to the promotion 
 of vegetation. 
 
 The nearer the ground approaches to a sandy soil, the less 
 retentive wiU it be of moisture ; the more to" a clayey, the 
 longer will it retain moisture ; and the finer the particles of 
 which the clay is composed, the more retentive will it be of 
 water, and, consequently, the longer in drying, and the harder 
 when dry. But earth of a consistence that will hold water 
 the longest, without- becomitiff hard when dry, is, of all others, 
 the best adapted for raising the generality of plants in the 
 greatest perfection. This last described soil is called loam, 
 
16 KITCHEN-GARDENING. 
 
 and is a medium earth, between the extremes of clay and 
 sand. 
 
 Many gardens can never be brought into a state of great 
 productiveness on account of an excess of water in the soil 
 If the soil be heavy, and continues wet and heavy in the spring, 
 let it be drained at once. After this, plough deep, pulverize 
 thoroughly, manure highly, keep the weeds subdued, atid 
 in a few years you will have a garden that will produce 
 anything that will grow in your locality. If the soil is heavy, 
 haul on muck, sawdust, chip manure, in great abundance ; and 
 when such substances decay, the soil will be light, mellow, and 
 productive. 
 
 ROTATION OF CROPS. 
 
 Perhaps the next important point to be attended to is the 
 most proper rotation of crops. Virgil, who was a philosopher 
 as well as a poet, very justly observes, that " the true repose 
 
 OF THE earth is A CHANGE OF ITS PRODUCTIONS." 
 
 It is a curious feet, that a plant may be MUed by the poison 
 which it has itself secreted, as a viper may be destroyed by its 
 own venom. Hence it has been very generally noticed, that 
 the soil in which some particular vegetables have grown, and 
 into which they have discharged the excretions of their roots, 
 is rendered noxious to the prosperity of plants of the same or 
 allied species, though it be well adapted to the growtlj. and 
 support of other distinct species of vegetables. 
 
 It is proved by experience, that fall Spinach is an excellent 
 preparative for Beets, Carrots, Eadishes, Salsify, and all other 
 tap, as well as tuberous-rooted vegetables. 
 
 Celery or Potatoes constitute a suitable preparative for Cab- 
 bage, Cauliflower, and all other plants of the JBrassica tribe ; 
 as also Artichokes, Asparagus, Lettuce, and Onions, provided 
 such ground be well Situated, which is a circumstance always 
 to be duly considered in laying out a garden. 
 
 Lands that have long lain in pasture are, for the first three 
 or four years after being tilled, superior for Cabbage, Turnips, 
 
KITCHEN-GARDENING. 17 
 
 Potatoes, etc., aad afterwards for culinary vegetables m gene- 
 ral. 
 
 The following rules are subjoined for further govemnient : 
 
 Fibrous-rooted plants may be alternated with tap or tuberous- 
 rooted, and vice versa. 
 
 Plants which produce luxuriant tops, so as to shade the 
 land, should be succeeded by such as yield small lops or nar 
 row leaves. 
 
 Those which, during their growth, require the operation of 
 stirring the earth, should precede such as do not require 
 cultivation. 
 
 Ground which has been occupied by Artichokes, Asparagus, 
 Rhubarb, Sea Kale, or such other crops as remain long on a 
 given spot, should be subjected to a regular rotation of crops 
 for at least as long a period as it remained under such perma- 
 nent crops. Hence in all gardens judiciously managed, the 
 Strawberry-bed is changed every three or foui" years, till it has 
 gone the circuit of all the compartments ; and Asparagus-beds 
 should be renewed, on the same principle, as often as they fail 
 to produce luxuriantly. Indeed, no two crops should be 
 allowed to ripen their seed in succession in the same soil, if it 
 can be avoided ; because, if its fertility be not exhausted by 
 such crops, weeds will accumulate more than on beds frequently 
 cultivated. 
 
 SEED AND SEEDING. 
 
 I am an advocate for early sowing and planting, even at the 
 risk of losing a little seed, provided the ground be fit to receive 
 it. Some gardeners, as well as some writers, recommend cer- 
 tain fixed days for sowing and planning particular kinds of 
 seed ; I think it necessary to guard my readers against being 
 misled. The failure of crops may be often attributed to the 
 observance of certain days for sowing. If some kinds of seed 
 be sown when the ground is wet and cold, they will become 
 chilled iu the ground, and seldom vegetate. If they be sown 
 in very dry weather, the germinative parts of the seed may 
 become injured by the burning rays of the sun, or the young 
 
18 KITCHBN-aABDENING. 
 
 plants may get devoured by insects as fest as they come up. 
 To obviate tbese difficulties, I have generally allowed a week 
 or ten days for sowing the seed, intending the medium as the 
 proper time for the vicinity of New York. With this clearly 
 borne in mind, the reader who observes the difference in the 
 degrees of heat and cold in the different parts of the country, 
 will know how to apply these instructions accordingly. 
 
 PLANTING IN DRILLS. 
 
 I have, in most cases, recommended drills to be made at cer- 
 tain depths for the different kinds of seed ; and when I hare 
 stated that the drills should be two inches deep, it is intended 
 that the seed should be covered only one inch, which it will be 
 when planted in these drills and covered; and so in. proportion 
 for any other depth required. This may serve as a guide to 
 the young gardener ; but circumstances alter cases. If, for 
 instance, some particular crops should fail, this would render it 
 necessary, if the season be far advanced, to risk a further plant- 
 ing of seed, even if the weather be hot and the ground dry. 
 If this be planted a little deeper, it may escape the violent heat 
 of the sun, and in the event of a shower, the ground would be- 
 come sufficiently moist to bring it up ; whereas it sometimes 
 happens that seed sown after a shower does not vegetate until 
 after the season is too far advanced to bring the crop to perfection. 
 
 The work of drilling by those who have no machine, may be 
 performed in various ways ; in some cases a plough is used, in 
 others a small hoe, or a dibble drawn along the edge of a board 
 or line. It is of little consequence which way the work is done, 
 if it be well done. While I leave the gardener to make his own 
 choice of tools, I would suggest that he be provided with two 
 or three drilling machines ; these, every handy man can make 
 for himself; they should be in the form of a garden-rake, with 
 a stout, heavy back, and five teeth, about two inches broad, 
 and tapered so as to enter the ground and leave drills two 
 inches deep. If one be made with the teeth eight inches apart, 
 another twelve, and another fourteen, they will be useful in 
 
KITCHEN-GAEDENING. 19 
 
 making drills for the various kinds of seed; and drills thus 
 made serve instead of straining a line when transplanting Cab- 
 bage, Lettuce, Leek plants, etc. ; the line being stretched at 
 one edge of the bed, and the drilling machine drawn straight 
 by the line, makes five drills at once. If they are straight, they 
 may be kept so, by keeping one drill open for the outside 
 tooth to work in, until the ground be all drilled. 
 
 Gardeners practise diiferent methods of covering up seed ; 
 some do it with a hoe, others with a rake or harrow ; some 
 draw a portion of the earth to the side of the bed, and after 
 sowing the seed, return it regularly over the bed ; in some 
 particular cases a sieve is used, in others a roller. Rolling or 
 treading in seed is necessary in dry seasons ; but it should never 
 be done when the ground is wet. 
 
 Many kinds of seed, such as Asparagus, Capsicum, Celery, 
 Fetticus, Leek, Lettuce, Onion, Parsnip, Parsley, Rhubarb, 
 Salsify, Spinach, etc., will not vegetate freely in dry weather 
 unless the ground be watered or rolled. Where there is no 
 roUer on the premises, the following contrivance may answer 
 fof small beds as a substitute : after the seed is sown, and the 
 ground well raked, take a board the whole length of the bed, 
 lay it flat on the ground, begin at one edge of the bed, and 
 walk the whole length of it ; this will press the soil on the seed ; 
 then shift the board till you have gone over the whole bed. In 
 the absence of boards, tread in the seed with your feet, or 
 strike on the bed with the back of your spade or shovel ; but 
 this should not be done when the ground is wet. 
 
 If it be necessary at any time to sow seed in extremely dry 
 weather, it is recommended to soak the seed in water, and dry 
 it with sulphur. This practice, with attentive watering, will 
 cause the seed to vegetate speedily. 
 
 I have, in most cases, recommended seed to be sown in 
 drills drawn from eight to twelve inches apart, in preference to 
 sowing broadcast ; because the weeds can be more easily 
 destroyed by means of a small hoe, which, if properly used, 
 greatly promotes the growth of young plants. 
 
20 
 
 KITOHEN-GABDENIKra. 
 
 If it should be requisite to traBsplant anything when the 
 ground is dry, the transplanting should always be done as 
 soon as the earth is turned over ; and the roots of the plants, 
 before they are set out, should be steeped in mud made of rich 
 compost. 
 
 TABLE SHOWING THE NUMBER OF PLANTS ON AN ACRE. 
 
 The following table shows the number of plants or trees 
 that may be raised on an acre of ground, when planted at cer- 
 tain distances apart : — 
 
 Distance apart. No. of Plants. 
 
 1 foot 43,560 
 
 li feet 19,360 . 
 
 2 feet 10,890 
 
 2ifeet 6,969 
 
 3 feet 4,840 
 
 4 feet 2,722 
 
 5 feet 1,742 
 
 6 feet 1,210 
 
 Distance apart. No. of Plants. 
 
 9 feet ..#... 537 
 
 12 feet 302 
 
 15 feet 193 
 
 18 feet 134 
 
 21 feet 98 
 
 24 feet 75 
 
 27 feet 59 
 
 30 feet 48 
 
 The preceding table may serve as a guide to such as are not 
 expert in arithmetic, in h,jiag out a garden, as it shows at one 
 view many proportions of an acre of land, in squares of dif- 
 ferent dimensions. The last line, for instance, shows that, if 
 forty-eight trees be planted on an acre, each thirty feet apart,, 
 there may be forty-eight beds of thirty feet square, or thirty 
 beds of forty-eight feet square, formed from the same quantity 
 of land. An allowance of about one-eighth must, however, be 
 made from the above calculation for walks and paths. 
 
 DISTRIBUTION OF MANURE. 
 
 The table may also serve to show the gardener how to dis- 
 pose of any given quantity of manure, that may be allotted 
 for an acre of ground. If, for instance it requires three hun- 
 dred and two trees to plant an acre when placed twelve feet 
 from each other, it will require as many heaps of manure to 
 cover the same quantity of ground, if dropped the same dia- 
 
KITCHEN-GARDENING. 21 
 
 tance apart. It therefore follows, that if one hundred loads be 
 allowed to the acre, each load must be divided into three 
 heaps. If seventy-five loads only be allowed, every load must 
 be divided into four heaps, and so on in proportion to the 
 quantity allowed. But if the gardener should choose to drop 
 his heaps five paces, or fifteen feet apart, he may make such 
 distribution of his loads as to have one hundred and ninety- 
 three heaps on the acre of land ; in which case, by dividing 
 each load into four heaps, he will require only forty-eight loads 
 to cover the acre, and he may decrease the quantity stiU more, 
 by allowing greater distances fi:om heap to heap, or by divid- 
 ing his loads into smaller proportions, so as to accommodate 
 himself to whatever quantity of manure he may allot to any 
 given quantity of ground. 
 
 THE VITALITY OF SEEDS. 
 
 As it may not be generally known that some kinds of seed 
 are apt to lose their vegetative qualities much sooner than 
 others, the following hints are subjoined as some rule for the 
 gardener's government, provided the seed is carefully pre- 
 served, and not exposed to excess of heat, air, or dampness : — 
 
 Parsnip, Rhubarb, and other light, scale-like seeds, cannot 
 be safely trusted after they are a year old. Beans and Peas 
 of different species, Capsicum, Carrot, Cress, Leek, Nastur- 
 tium, Okra, Onion, Salsify, Scorzonera, and small herb-seed in 
 general, may be kept two years. Artichoke, Asparagus, Egg- 
 plant, Endive, Fetticus, Lettuce, Mustard, Parsley, Skirret, and 
 Spinach-seed, may with care be preserved three years. Broc- 
 coli, Cauliflower, Cabbage, Celery, Kale, Radish, and Turnip- 
 seed will keep four years, if properly attended to> Beet, 
 Cucumber, Gourd, Melon, Pumpkin, and Squash ; also Burnet, 
 Chendl, and Sorrel-seed, have beeji known to grow freely when 
 five, and even seven years old ; but it is not prudent to ven- 
 ture seed in the garden, or any other place, when there are 
 any apprehensions that any portion of it has lost its vitality by 
 age, or in any other way. 
 
22 KITCHEN-GARDENING. 
 
 In order to put sucli on their guard as may attempt to raise 
 seed either for their own use or for the market, I would 
 observe that great care is necessary ; as it is an indubitable fact, 
 that if seed of similar species be raised near each other, dege- 
 neracy will be the consequence. It is therefore difficult for 
 any one man to raise all sorts of seed, good and true to their 
 kind, in any one garden. 
 
 If roots of any kind become defective, they are unfit for 
 seed, as the annexed fact will show. I once planted for seed 
 some beautiful orange-colored roots of Carrots ; but as they 
 had been previously grown with some of a lemon-color, they 
 produced seed of a mixed and spurious variety ; and as this is 
 not a solitary instance of degeneracy from the like cause, I 
 have come to the conclusion that, as in the animal frame, so it 
 is in the vegetable system — disorders frequently lie dormant 
 from one generation to another, and at length break out with 
 all their vigor. I would therefore advise seed-growers not to 
 attempt to " bring a clean thing out of an unclean ; " but if 
 they find a mixture of varieties among their seed-roots, to 
 reject the whole, or they will infallibly have spurious seed. 
 
 SEEDS OF STONE FRUIT. 
 
 If the seeds of the Apple, Pear, and Quince, and the pits 
 of the Apricot, Cherry, Peach, and Plum, were not planted in 
 autumn, let it be done as soon as the earth can be brought 
 into tillable condition in the spring, because exposure to frost 
 is usually essential to their vegetating, unless the shells are 
 separated by some means, so that moisture can reach the 
 germs. The chief object of exposing pits to frost is, simply 
 to open the shell. 
 
 OAtrSES OF FAILtTRE IN THE GERMINATION OF SEEDS. 
 
 As some gardeners attribute all failures of seed to germi- 
 nate to its defectiveness, I shall offer a few observations to 
 convince such persons of their error. 
 
 Seeds denominated hardy and half-hardy, are subject to risk in 
 
KITCHEN-GARDENING. 23 
 
 unpropitious seasons, from unfitness of the soil to promote vege- 
 tation, rendered so by cold rains and variable weather. If 
 sprouted seed survive a severe cbill, it is the more susceptible 
 of frost, to wMch it is frequently subjected early in tbe season. 
 Some species of plants that, in an advanced stage of gro-wth, 
 will stand a hard winter, are often cut off by a slight frost while 
 germinating, especially if exposed to the heat of the sun after 
 a frosty night, or while in a frozen state. Cabbage, Carrot, 
 Celery, Turnip, and many other growing plants, which survive 
 the ordinary winters of England, are here classified as half- 
 hardy, for the reasons above stated. 
 
 The most tender species of plants frequently perish from 
 excess of rain. Lima Beans, for instance, have often to be 
 replanted three or four times in the month of May before any 
 will stand. Melons, Cucumbers, Egg-plants, Tomato plahts, 
 etc., are sometimes cut oflf by variableness of the weather. 
 Those who plant tender things in open gardens early in the 
 season, must reconcile themselves to loss in the event of 
 unfavorable weather, instead of throwing blame on the seeds- 
 man. 
 
 Such species and varieties as, from their nature, are apt to 
 vegetate quietly, are very liable to be devoured by insects 
 before they make any show on the surface. Turnip-seed, for 
 instance, will sprout within forty-eight hours after being sown ; 
 and under fevorable circumstances, most of the species of this 
 class wiU come up within a week ; but if insects attack the 
 seed-beds in dry weather, a total loss of crops will be the con- 
 sequence. Every experienced farmer is convinced of this fact, 
 by having frequently to sow his Turnip-ground three or four 
 times before he can get any to stand. 
 
 Sometimes a sudden shower of rain will cause plants to 
 grow out of the reach of insects ; but every good gardener 
 should have his remedies at hand to apply to seed-beds in 
 general, and especially to those in which plants are raised for 
 the purpose of being transplanted. The seeds of some plants 
 require from two to three or four weeks to vegetate in unfa- 
 
24 KITCHEN-GAEDENIlfG. 
 
 vorable seasons. Some plants are retarded by cold, othen 
 by excess of dry -weather ; and at such times, seed may fail to 
 vegetate for want of pressure. In tie event of drought after 
 heavy rains, seed and young plants ^often perish through 
 incrustation of the soil, and from' other untoward circum- 
 stances, -which can neither be controlled- nor accounted for, 
 even by the most assiduous and precise -gardener. It must, 
 however, be conceded, that failures often oecur through seed 
 being deposited too deep in the ground, or left too near the 
 surface. Sometimes, for -want of sufficiency of seed in a given 
 spot, solitary plants -will perish, they not having sufficient 
 strength to open the pores of the earth ; and frequently inju- 
 dicious management in manuring and preparing the soil -will 
 cause a failure. 
 
 I have been induced to expatiate, and to designate, in the 
 seventh range of the preceding table, such plants as are generaUy 
 cultivated first in seed-beds and afterwards transplanted for the 
 purpose of being accommodated -with space to mature in, -with 
 a view to answer at once the thousand and one questions asked 
 by inexperienced cultivators. 
 
 QITANTITT OF SEED. 
 
 Some persons, from ignorance of the nature and object of 
 raising plants for transplanting, ask for pounds of seed, when 
 an ounce is amply sufficient for their purpose. For example^: 
 an ounce of Celery-seed -will produce ten thousand plants. An 
 ounce of Cabbage-seed -will produce from three to four thou- 
 sand ; sufficient, when transplanted, to cover nearly half an acre 
 of land — ^which land, if sown with spinach, for instance, would 
 require from four to six pounds of seed. 
 
 TIME TO COMMENCE aARDENING. 
 
 The following directions for the management of a garden 
 are founded on the results of practical experience in the vicinity 
 of Ne-w York. City, where the soil is generally susceptible of 
 gardening operations towards the end of March. These direc- 
 
KITOHEN-OARDENING. 25 
 
 tions may, However, be applied to all other parts of tlie TTnitbd 
 States, by a minute observance of the diflference in temperature. 
 In the extreme northern parts of the State of New York, as 
 well as in all other places similarly situated, the directions for 
 the beginning of April will apply to the latter part of the same 
 month, with very few exceptions. In our Southern States, 
 the directions for APEIL, which m'a,j be considered as the 
 first gardening month in the Eastern, Western, and Miedlb 
 States, will apply to January, February, or to whatever season 
 gardening operations may commence in the respective States. 
 In the varied climates of each particular State, if the same rule 
 of application be pursued, success is certain. 
 
 FORCING various KINDS OP VEGETABLESi 
 
 The following simple method of forcing vegetables on a 
 small scale is recommended by a correspondent of a London 
 magazine. The writer says : 
 
 " I obtain mushrooms in winter by a very simple process. 
 Provide boxes three feet long, and one foot eight inches deep ; 
 a quantity of horse-droppings, perfectly dry, some spawn, and 
 some light dry soil. Fill the boxes by layers of droppings, 
 spawn, and soil, which must be well trodden down. Eepeat 
 these triple layers till the boxes are fuU, and all trodden firmly 
 together. Four such boxes at work are sufficient for a mode- 
 rate demand ; and out of a dozen, four brought iu at a time, 
 and placed upon a flue of a greenhouse stove, wiU produce a 
 fine supply. The surface of these portable beds may be covered 
 with a little hay, and occasionally, though sparingly, watered. 
 It is not absolutely necessary that they be set on the flue of a 
 greenhouse ; a warm stable, cellar, or any other similar place, 
 will suit equally well. This plan is also convenient for afford- 
 ing a plentiful stock of superior spawn. 
 
 " The same-sized boxes will also do for Asparagus ; but for 
 this purpose a sufficient stock of three-year-old plants must be 
 at hand ; also eighteen boxes, four of which are the necessary 
 set to be forced at one time for one family. Half fill the boics 
 
26 KITCHEN-GARDENING. 
 
 ■witli decayed tanner's bart, leaf-mould, or any similar mould; 
 on this pack tLe roots as thickly as possible, and fill up the 
 boxes with the bark, etc. Any place in a forcing-house wi]] 
 suit them where they can enjoy the necessary degree of heat 
 Besides Asparagus and Mushrooms, Sea-Kale, BudarKale, 
 Angelica, small salad, and various potherbs may be raised in 
 the same manner." 
 
 Those who have not the conveniences recommended in a 
 greenhouse, may place the boxes in a hotbed. The glassij. 
 being laid on, and the beds covered at night, will soon promote 
 the growth of the plants, and produce vegetable luxuries at a 
 season when garden products in general are comparatively scarce. 
 It is unnecessary to show of how much value such processes 
 may be in' minor establishments, or in a new country. I wisli 
 it to be understood, that in order to the successful cultivation 
 of some of the rare vegetables I have treated of, great pains 
 must be taken in every stage of their growth. If the advice I 
 have given be attended to, I flatter myself we shall soon obtain 
 a supply of many of these luxuries of the garden. My directions 
 are founded on the success attending the practice of some of the 
 best gardeners in this country. I have also had sufScient ex- 
 perience to warrant me in this attempt to contribute my mite 
 towards the attainment of this kind of useful knowledge. 
 
 HOTBEDS. 
 
 For the purpose of raising Mustard, Cress, and other salad* 
 herbs, also Egg-plants, Tomato-plants, etc., in small -quantities, 
 a hotbed may be made early in the spring, of good heating 
 materials, on the top of which may be laid leaf-mould, old tan, 
 or light compost, to the depth of about nine inches. The 
 various kinds of seed may be sown in boxes or flower-pots, 
 and plunged in the top mould up to their rims, and by being 
 well attended to, a supply of small salads, as well as small seed- 
 ling-plants, may be raised without much labor or difiSculty. 
 This method is also well calculated for raising annual flowe^ 
 plaats at an early season. 
 
KITCHEN-GARDENING. 21 
 
 ADAPTING PLANTS TO SOILS. 
 
 The various species of plants whicli occupy our greenhouses, 
 gardens, and fields, require each their peculiar aliment — ^they 
 having been collected frora all the diversified regions, climates, 
 and soils through earth's remotest bounds; they consequently 
 comprise natives of mountains and rocks, as well as of plains, 
 valleys, and watercourses. The most essential aliment for 
 natives of warm climates and dry soils being heat, artificial 
 means are used in cool seasons and unpropitious climates to 
 produce it. Natives of temperate climates require salubrious 
 air, hence they are cultivated to the greatest perfection in our 
 Northern States in spring and autumn ; and in our Southern 
 States in the winter; and natives of humid climates, as also 
 amphibious plants in general, require a more than ordinary 
 share of moisture, and grow best in wet soil; but these 
 THREE ELEMENTS coUcctively constitutc the food of plants in 
 general, and should be judiciously imparted to the various 
 species, in due proportions, according to circumstances. I 
 have also shown that the roots of various species of plants 
 require each their peculiar aliment, which is not to be found in 
 all descriptions of land. This is demonstrated by roots of 
 trees being frequently discovered spreading beyond their ordi- 
 nary bounds in quest of salutary food. 
 
 DEEP PLANTING. 
 
 Although it has been admitted that excessive deep planting 
 of trees and plants is injurious, and in many cases fatal to their 
 very existence, it does not follow that all annuals and biennials 
 are injured by the same means. On the contrary, the earthing 
 up of particular Species of plants in a late stage of growth is 
 calculated to promote early maturity, which constitutes the 
 most essential art in gardening for the market ; because the 
 earliest crops are always the most profitable. It is moreover a 
 necessary practice in climates where the seasons for gardening 
 are short — as without such practice, many kinds of vegetables 
 
28 KITCHEN-GAEDENING. 
 
 could not possibly be matured in due season for gathering 
 before winter. 
 
 I would here tate tLe opportunity of proving this last posi- 
 tion, by reminding the reader that the effect of deep planting, 
 in the Peach-tree for instance, is discoverable soon after the error 
 is committed, by its fruit ripening prematurely, and this is 
 often the case for a year or two prior to its final decease, and 
 should operate as a salutary lesson against planting perenml 
 plants and trees too deep. I would urge gardeners and culti- 
 vators to consult the operations of nature in aU their mral 
 pursuits ; and with a view to aid them, I subjoin the fol- 
 lowing rules, which are further illustrated under the different 
 heads : 
 
 1. In transplanting fruit-trees, let the collar, or that part from 
 which emanate the main roots, be near the surface. A medium- 
 sized tree may be planted an inch deeper than it was in the 
 nurseiy bed; and the largest should not- exceed two or three 
 inches. 
 
 2. In the cultivation of such plants as are transplanted, or 
 grown in hills or clusters, as Indian Corn, etc., keep the earth 
 loose but level around them in their early stages of growth, hy 
 frequent hoeing, ploughing, or cultivating; and to promote 
 early maturity, throw a moderate portion of earth about the 
 roots and stems at the last or final dressing. 
 
 3. In the sowing of seed, remember that in unity there is 
 STKENGTH, and that fi-om the germinative parts of a seed being 
 weak and diminutive, it cannot be expected to perforate 
 through the soil solitary and alone. To insure a fair chance, 
 plant your seed moderately thick, and thin out the surplus 
 plants while young. In planting seed in drills, which is the 
 most eligible plan, the size of the seed and strength of its 
 germ should be considered. Large seed, producing vigorous 
 roots, requires deeper planting than diminutive seed, producing 
 delicate roots and slender stalks. 
 
 4. In the choice of compost for exotic or greenhouse plants, 
 imitate the native soil of each peculiar species as nearly as 
 
KITCHEN-GARDESriNO. 29 
 
 possible,' by a judicious mixture of maiden earth, Icam, sand, 
 leaf, swamp, and rock mould, decomposed manures, and such 
 otter composts as are recommended under the dififerent heads. 
 Remember, that although strong manure is essential to the 
 growth of some plants, it is poisonous to others. PuitsuE, 
 THEN, A MEDIUM COURSE. From youT soil not being too stiff 
 nor too light, too rich nor too poor, too cool nor too warm, 
 too close nor too porous, if not positively salutary and conge- 
 nial to all, it must render the situation of each endurable. I 
 again repeat, that temperance in the use of aliment is as 
 essential to the welfare of the vegetable family as it is to the 
 health, happiness, and longevity of mankind. 
 
 MEANS FOR REPELLING INSECTS. 
 
 There is nothing that protects young crops of Turnips, 
 Cabbage, and other small plants, from the depredations of the 
 fly so well as roUing ; for when the surface is rendered com- 
 pletely smooth, these insects are deprived of the harbor they 
 would otherwise have under the clods and small lumps of 
 earth. This method will be found more effectual than soaking 
 the seed in any preparation, or dusting the plants with any 
 composition whatever ; but the roller must only be used 
 previous to, or at the time of sowing the seed, and not when 
 the soil is so moist that it will pack and bake, thus forming a 
 crust on the surface of the ground, through which the young 
 plants can never force their way. 
 
 Turnip-seed will sometimes sprout in forty-eight hours. 
 Cabbage-seed ought to come up within a week after it is sowa; 
 but it sometimes happens that the whole is destroyed before a 
 plant is seen above ground. The seedsman, in this case, is 
 often blamed, but without cause. 
 
 A correspondent has communicated the result of an experi- 
 ment he has tried for preventing the attacks of flies or fleas on 
 Turnips. He says : " Steep your seed in a pint of warm 
 water for two hours, in which is infased one ounce of salt- 
 petre ; then dry the seed, and add currier's oil suflScient to wet 
 
30 KITCHEN-GAKDENING. 
 
 the whole ; after which mix it with plaster of Paris, 'so as to 
 separate and render it fit for sowing." 
 
 As the truth of the old adage, that one ounce of prevention 
 IS of more value than a pound of cure, is very generally admit- 
 ted,-! would recommend the following method of preparing a 
 bed for the purpose of raising Cabbage, CanMower, Broccoli, 
 and such other plants as are subject to the attacks of insects : 
 After digging or ploughing the ground in the usual way, col- 
 lect any combustibles that are attainable, as dried weeds, 
 sedge, turf, brushwood, leaves, stubble, corn-stalks, sawdust, or 
 even litter from the dung-heap, which should be placed in 
 heaps on the seed-beds and burned to ashes ; then rake the 
 ground over and sow the seed, which wiU not be attacked by 
 insects while the efiects of the fire remain. In the event of 
 extremely dry weather, water the beds every evening until the 
 plants are in full leaf. This is an infallible remedy. 
 
 Fish oU is known to be destructive to ants and various other 
 small insects, but it is difficult to apply to plants. -•: 
 
 In the summer season, Broccoli, Cabbage, Cauliflower, etc., 
 are particularly subject to, the ravages of grubs and caterpil- 
 lars. To prevent this wholly, is perhaps impossible ; still it is 
 not difficult to check these troublesome visitors. It may be 
 done by searching for them on their first appearance, and 
 destroying them. Early in the morning, grubs may be col- 
 lected from the earth, within two or three inches of such 
 plants as they may have attacked the night previous. 
 
 The approach of caterpillars is_ discoverable on the leaves 
 of Cabbages, many of which are reduced to a thin white skin 
 by the minute insects which emerge from the eggs placed on 
 them. These leaves being gathered and thrown into the fire, 
 a whole host of enemies may be destroyed at once ; whereas, 
 if they are sufiiered to remain, they will increase so rapidly, 
 that in a few days the plantation, however extensive, may 
 become infested ; and, when once these arrive at the butterfly, 
 or moth stage of existence, they become capable of perpetu- 
 ating their destructive race to an almost unlimited extent. 
 
piTCHEN-GARDENING. Qi 
 
 The same remarks apply to all other insects in a torpid 
 
 Worms, maggots, snails, or slugs, may be driven away by 
 sowing salt or lime in the spring, in the proportion of two to 
 three bushels per acre, or by watering the soil occasionally 
 with salt and water, using about two pounds of salt to four 
 gallons of water ; or the slug kind may be easily entrapped 
 on small beds of plants, by strewing dices of turnip on them 
 late in the evening, on which the slug or snail will readily 
 crowd, and may be gathered up early in the morning (before 
 sunrise) and destroyed. 
 
 Moles may be annoyed and driven away, by obstructing the 
 passage in their burrows with sticks smeared with tar. First 
 insert a clean stick from the surface through the burrows ; then 
 dip others in tar, and pass them through into the floor of the 
 burrows, being careful not to rub off the tar in the operation. 
 Tar is also an effectual remedy against smut in wheat. After 
 being heated in a kettle until it becomes thin, it may be 
 stirred in among the grain until it becomes saturated. The 
 wheat should afterwards be mixed with a sufficient quantity of 
 wood ashes to dry and render it fit for sowing. Before using 
 tar, however, the seed should be steeped in warm water until 
 the germ is about to appear. Otherwise, tar will exclude the 
 necessary moisture to insure germination ; and a long time 
 wfll elapse before the plants come up. And if too much tar 
 be employed, they will never come up. A very thin coating 
 of tar is sufficient. Coal-tar is better than pine tar. 
 
 To prevent depredations from crows, steep corn in strong 
 saltpetre brine, sow it over the land, or steep your seed-corn ; 
 and if the crows once get a taste, they will forsake the field. 
 
32 ElTCHKN-aABDEKING. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 AETICHOKE, 
 Abtichaut. ^Cynara. 
 
 - VAKIETIBS. 
 
 Oynara Scolymua, or French. | Cynara Hortensis, or GIol)e. 
 
 The garden Artichoke is a native of the South of Europe, 
 and much cultivated for the London and Paris markets. It 
 is a perennial plant, producing from the root annually its 
 large, squamose heads, in full growth, from June or July, 
 until October or November. The Globe Artichoke, which 
 produces large globular heads, is best for general culture, the 
 heads being considerably larger, and the eatable parts more 
 thick and plump. 
 
 Both sorts may be raised from seed, or young suckers taken 
 from old plants in the spring. A plantation of Artichokes 
 will produce good heads six or seven years, and sometimes 
 longer ; but if a supply of this delicious vegetable be required 
 throughout the season, a small plantation should be made from 
 suckers every spring, for a successive crop, as the young plants 
 will continue to produce their heads in perfection after the 
 crops of the old standing ones are over. 
 
 The best way to obtain a supply of Artichokes from seed is 
 to sow it in the latter part of March, or at any time in April, 
 in a bed of good, rich earth ; or it may be planted in drills one 
 inch deep and about twelve inches apart. The ground should 
 be light and moist, not such as is apt to become bound up by 
 heat, or that, in consequence of containing too large a propor- 
 tion of sand, is liable to become extremely hot in summer, for 
 this is injurious to these plants. After the plants are up, they 
 
KITCHEN-GARDENING. 33 
 
 should be kept free from weeds, and the earth often loosened 
 around them. 
 
 The business of transplanting may be done in cloudy or wet 
 weather, at any time after the plants are from nine to twelve 
 inches high. Having fixed upon a proper soil and situation, 
 lay on it a good quantity of rotten dung, and trench the 
 ground one good spade or eighteen inches deep, incorporating 
 the manure therewith. When this is done, take up the plants ; 
 and after shortening their tap-roots a little, and dressing their 
 leaves, plant them with a dibble, in rows five feet asunder, and 
 two feet from plant to plant, leaving part of their green tops 
 above ground, and the hearts of the plants free from any earth 
 over them, and give eaclf plant a little water to settle the 
 roots. 
 
 "WINTER MANAGEMENT. 
 
 The winter dressing of Artichokes is an important opera- 
 tion ; on it depends much of their future success. This should 
 not be given them as long as the season continues mild, that 
 they may have all possible advantage of growth, and be gradu- 
 ally inured to the increasing cold weather ; but it should not 
 be deferred too late, lest by the sudden setting in of hard 
 frost, to which we are subject in the Northern States, the 
 work be neglected, and the plants consequently exposed to 
 devastation and loss. 
 
 In the first place, cut all the large leaves close to the ground, 
 leaving the small ones which rise from the hearts of the plants. 
 After this, line and mark out a trench in the middle, between 
 each row, from fourteen to sixteen inches wide, presuming 
 that the rows are five feet apart, as directed. Then dig the 
 surface of the beds lightly from trench to trench, burying the 
 weeds ; and as you proceed, gather the earth around the crowns 
 of the- plants to the height of about six inches, placing it in 
 gently between the young rising leaves, without burying them 
 entirely under it. . This done, dig the trenches one spade deep, 
 and distribute the earth equally between and on each side of 
 
34 KITOHKN-GARDENING. 
 
 the plants, So as to level the ridges, giving them at the same 
 time a neat, rounding form. 
 
 The beds may remain in this condition until there is an ap- 
 pearance of hard frost, when they should be covered with light 
 dung, litter, or leaves of trees, to preserve the crowns and roots 
 from intense cold. In this manner the roots will remain in 
 perfect safety all the winter. As soon as the severe frosts are 
 over, the beds must be uncovered, and when the young shoots 
 begin to appear above ground, then, and not till then, level 
 down the beds, throwing the earthinto the alleys or trenches, 
 and round them in a neat manner. Then dig in the short 
 manure, and loosen all the earth around the plants. At the 
 same time, examine the number ftf shoots ■ arising on each 
 stool, and select three of the strongest and healthiest on every 
 stool, which are to remain ; all above that number are to be 
 broken off close to the roots with the hand, unless you want 
 some for mating new plantations, in which case an extra num- 
 ber for that purpose is to remain on the parent plants, until 
 they are about eight or ten inches high, when they are to be 
 slipped off, and planted in a bed prepared in the same manner 
 as directed for the young plants, taking care at the same time 
 to close the earth about the crowns of the roots, and draw it 
 up a little to the remaining suckers. 
 
 The spring dressing should be given when the plants are in 
 the above-described state, whether that occurs in February, 
 March, or April, occasioned by the difference of climate in 
 the respective States, or by the earliness or lateness of the 
 spring. 
 
 The gardeners near London generally take off the side suck- 
 ers, or smaD Artichokes, when they are about the size of a 
 hen's egg. These meet with a ready sale in the markets, and 
 the principal heads that are left are always larger and more 
 handsome. The maturity of a full-grown Artichoke is appa- 
 rent by the opening of the scales; and it should always be 
 cut off before the flower appears in the centre; the stem 
 should be cut close to the ground at the same time. 
 
KITCHEN-GARDENING. 35 
 
 Artichokes are esteemed a luxury by epicures. To have 
 them in perfection, they should be thrown into cold water as 
 soon as gathered, and after having been soaked and well 
 washed, put into the boiler, when the water is hot, with a 
 little salt, and kept boiling until tender, which generally re- 
 quires, for full-grown Artichokes, from an hour and a half to 
 two hours. When taken up drain and trim them ; then serve 
 them up with melted butter, pepper, salt, and such other con- 
 diment as may best suit the palate. 
 
 ASPARAGUS. 
 AsPEKGE. Asparoffus officinalis. 
 
 VAKIETIES. 
 
 Gravesend. I Large Battersea. 
 
 Large White Beading. | Large Green, or Giant. 
 
 This plant is a native of cold climates, and is found grow- 
 ing wild in Russia and Poland, where it is eaten by the cattle 
 the same as grass. It will endure the severity of our winters, 
 and produce buds when the weather becomes mild ; but as gar- 
 den products are generally scarce after a hard winter, the gar- 
 dener who studies his interest will make the most of the spring 
 season, and raise all he can before the market becomes glutted. 
 To this end he is recommended to prepare for forcing this 
 vegetable as soon as the coldest of the winter is past. (See 
 article on Forcing Vegetables.) 
 
 Asparagus may be raised by sowing the seed in the fall as 
 soon as ripe, or in March and the early part of April. One 
 ounce of seed wiU produce about a thousand plants. It re- 
 quires some of the best ground in the garden. The seed may 
 be sown in drills, ten or twelve inches asunder, and covered 
 about an inch with light earth. When the plants are up they 
 will need a careful hoeing, and if well cultivated and kept free 
 
36 KITCHEN-GARDENING. 
 
 from weeds, they wUl be large enough to transplant when a 
 year old. Some keep them in the nursery-led until they are 
 two years old. 
 
 If the beds are properly dressed every year, they will pro- 
 duce well for twenty years or more. New beds may be made 
 in autumn, or before the buds get far advanced in spring — say 
 in February, March, or April, according to situation and cir- 
 cumstances. The ground for the bed must not be wet, nor 
 too strong or stubborn, but such as is moderately light and 
 pliable, so that it will readily fall to pieces in digging or 
 raking, and in a situation that enjoys the fuU rays of the sun. 
 It should have a large supply of well-rotted dung, three or four 
 inches thick, and then be regularly trenched two spades deep, 
 and the dung buried equally in each trench twelve or fifteen 
 inches below the surface. When this trenching is done, lay 
 two or three inches of thoroughly-rotted manure over the 
 whole surface, and dig the ground over again, eight or ten 
 inches deep, mixing this top dressing, and incorporating it 
 well with the earth. 
 
 ARRANGING THE TOUJSTG PLANTS. 
 
 In family gardens, it is customary to divide the ground thus 
 prepared into beds, allowing four feet for every four rows of 
 plants, with alleys two feet and a half wide between each bed. 
 Strain your line along the bed six inches from the edge ; then 
 with a spade cut out a small trench or drill close to the line, 
 about six inches deep, making that side next the line nearly 
 upright; when one trench is opened, plant that before you 
 open another, placing the plants upright ten or twelve inches 
 distant in the row, and let every row be twelve inches apart. 
 
 The plants must not be placed flat in the bottom of the 
 trench, but nearly upright ^against the back of it, and so that 
 the crown of the plants may also stand upright, and two or 
 three inches below the surface of the ground, spreadinw their 
 roots somewhat regularly against the back of the trench, and 
 at the same time drawing a little earth up against them with 
 
KITCHEN-GAEDENING. 37 
 
 the hand as you place them, just to fix the plants in their due 
 position until the row is planted. When one row is thus 
 placed, draw the earth into the trench over the plants with a 
 rake or hoe, and then proceed to open another drill or trench, 
 as before directed ; and fill and cover it in the same manner, 
 and so on till the whole is planted. Then let the surface of 
 the beds be rated smooth, and the stones removed. 
 
 Some gardeners, with a view to have extra large heads, 
 place their plants sixteen inches apart in the rows, instead 
 of twelve ; and by planting them in the quincunx manner — 
 that is, by commencing the second row eight inches from the 
 end of the first, and the fourth even with the second — the 
 plants will form rhomboidal squares, instead of rectangular 
 ones, and every plant will thus have room to expand its roots 
 and leaves, growing very luxuriantly. 
 
 The above directions are intended for family gardens. 
 Those who may wish to raise Asparagus in large quantities 
 for market, should prepare the ground with a plough, and 
 plant two rows in each bed, which may be carried to any 
 length required. If several beds are wanted, they may be 
 planted in single rows, four or five feet apart, in order that 
 the plough may be worked freely between them. Frequent 
 ploughing will cause the roots to spread, so as to widen the 
 beds ; and the winter dressing may be performed in a great 
 measure with the plough. After the Asparagus is cut, the 
 ground between the beds may be ploughed, and planted with 
 Cabbage, Potatoes, or any other vegetable usually cultivated 
 in rows. 
 
 WINTER DilESSIIfG OF ASPARAGUS-BEDS. 
 
 About the beginning of November, if the stalks of Aspa- 
 ragus turn yellow, which is a sign of their having finished their 
 growth for the season, cut them down close to the earth, carry 
 them off the ground, and clear the beds carefully from weeds. 
 ■ Asparagus-beds must have an annual dressing of good 
 manure; let it be laid equally over the beds, two or three 
 
38 KITCHEN-GARDENING. 
 
 inches thici, after which, with a fork made for the purpose 
 (which should have three flat tines), dig in the dung quite 
 down to the crowns of the plants, by which means the roots 
 will be greatly benefited; as the winter rains will wash the 
 manure dowfi among them. It is the practice with some gar- 
 deners to dig the alleys at every autumn dressing, and cover 
 the beds with the soil taken out ; this may be done for the 
 first two years after the beds are made, but not afterwards. 
 When the plants are in full growth, their roots and crowns 
 extend into the alleys, and digging them up frequently;wiQ - 
 destroy -plants, or render them too weak to produce buds in 
 perfection. The beds will be greatly benefited if covered to 
 the depth of several inches with leaves, sea-weed, or long 
 litter from the livery-stables. 
 
 The seedling Asparagus should also have a slight dressing. 
 Eemove the weeds, and then spread light dung over it, to the 
 d§pth of one or two inches, to defend the crown of the plants 
 from intense cold. 
 
 SPRING DRESSING OF THE BEDS. 
 
 This work should be done from about the latter end of 
 March to the middle of April, or just before the buds begin to 
 rise. After clearing away all long litter, spread the short dung ■ 
 over the whole surface, and dig it in. If the alleys be dug at 
 the same time, it will be beneficial to the plants. Care must 
 be taken at this season not to wound the crowns with the tines 
 of the fork ; but forking the beds should not be neglected, as 
 admitting the sun and rain into the ground induces the plants 
 to throw up buds of superior size. To promote such a desirable 
 object, the ground should be kept clear of weeds at all seasons, 
 as these greatly impoverish the soil, and frequently smother 
 the plants. 
 
 Every bed of Asparagus should be allowed to grow undis- 
 turbed, after the buds or stalks have been removed for a few 
 weeks ; otherwise the beds will not produce abundantly next 
 season. There is great danger of injuring the productiveness 
 
KITCHEN-GARDENING. 39 
 
 of Asparagus by cutting off every shoot as soon as it is a few 
 inches high. One stalk at least should be allowed to grow 
 unmolested in every crown after the third or fourth cutting. 
 If the young shoots be cut off for several successive weeks, 
 the top formed in the latter part of the season will be small 
 and the growth feeble. 
 
 No fertilizing material should be applied to Asparagus in 
 the spring but lime or salt. During the winter it is an excel- 
 lent practice to throw all the soapsuds from the kitchen on 
 the asparagus-beds ; but as soon as the growing season com- 
 mences, let Bait be spread over the entire surface, until the 
 ground appears as if covered with snow. Such a liberal dress- 
 ing of salt will destroy all weeds and grass, and proniote the 
 growth of Asparagus. 
 
 Asparagus-plants will not produce buds large enough to cut 
 for general use in less than three years from the time of plant- 
 ing ; but in the fourth year, when the shoots are three or four 
 inches high, they will bear extensive cutting, which should, 
 however, be discontinued when no large buds are thrown up. 
 The best way of cutting is to slip the knife down perpendicu- 
 larly close to each shoot, and cut it off skntingly about three or 
 four inches beneath the ground, taking care not to wound any 
 young buds proceeding from the same root, for there are 
 always several shoots advancing in different stages of growth. 
 
 Asparagus is considered a wholesome vegetable, and should 
 not be kept long after it is gathered. After being well washed, 
 it may be tied in bundles of about a dozen buds each, and 
 boiled in water, slightly seasoned with salt, until tender, which 
 will be in about twenty minutes. Take it up before it loses 
 its true color and flavor, and serve it up on toasted bread with 
 melted butter. Asparagus will never grow luxuriantly when 
 there, is an excess of moisture in the soil. Bone-dust is 
 excellent as a dressing for asparagus-beds, if applied in late 
 autumn. Guano and hen manure are also the best kinds of 
 manure for asparagus. If the soil is heavy, apply a thin 
 dressing of sand every season with the manure. 
 
40 KITCHEN-QAKDENING 
 
 BEANS. (English Dwarfe.) 
 Feve de mabais. Vicia faba. 
 
 The principal cause of these garden Beans not succeeding 
 well in this country, is the summer heat overtaking them beforo 
 they are podded, which causes the blossom to drop off prema- 
 turely. To obviate this difficulty, they should be planted as 
 early in the spring as possible. , They are generally planted in 
 England from October to April, for early crops, and from that 
 time to July, for late crops. It sometimes happens that 
 autumn plantings are injured by the coldness of their winters ; 
 but an average crop is generally obtained. 
 
 In the Eastern, Western, and Middle States, if a few of the 
 best varieties of these Beans be planted in the open ground, as 
 soon in the season as it can be brought into good condition, 
 they will come into bearing in regular succession, according to 
 their different degrees of earliness ; and plantings may he 
 repeated every ten days of the first spring month ; but it is 
 only from those which are planted early that any tolerable 
 produce can be expected, as they become deficient in quality 
 as well as in quantity on the approach of extreme .warm 
 weather. In the Southern States they may be replanted in 
 succession throughout the autumn and winter months, which 
 will cause them to bear early in the ensuing season. 
 
 The best mode of planting is in drills, drawn two inches 
 deep, ia which the seed Beans may be dropped two or three 
 inches apart, according to their size, and the drills may be 
 from two to three feet asunder. A .strong clayey soil, if well 
 drained, is the most suitable ; bnt they often do well in mode- 
 rately light ground, provided it be well trodden, or rolled, after 
 the Beans are planted. 
 
 As soon as the Beans are three or four inches high, they 
 wDl need a careful hoeing ; and if some earth be drawn up to 
 their stems three or four times in the course of their growth, 
 it will greatly refresh and strengthen them. When they arrive 
 
. KITCHEN-GARDENING. 41 
 
 at full bloom, and the lower pods begin to set, the tops may be 
 broken off. If this be done at the proper time, it ■will pro- 
 mote the swelling of the pods, as well as their early maturity ; 
 for having no advancing tops to nourish, the whole effort of 
 the root will go to the support of the fruit. 
 
 DESTROYING GREEN BUGS. 
 
 Broad Beans are particularly subject to green bugs. To- 
 bacco-water, or salt-wateT, will sometimes destroy them, but 
 the most certain way is to watch their first appearance, and 
 pick off that part on which they first settle, and burn it ; or if 
 such plants be cut down close to the ground, they will produce 
 fresh shoots, which may bear a good crop. One quart of seed 
 Beans will be required for every sixty feet of row, allowing the 
 smallest sorts to be planted about two inches apart, and the 
 largest four inches. The beans should be gathered young, and 
 shelled while fresh. After having been washed, let them be 
 boiled in plenty of water with a little salt and a bunch of green 
 parsley. They take from thirty to forty minutes to boil, 
 according to age, and may be served up with melted butter 
 gravy. But they are very good when cooked and eaten with 
 fat pork, or good old-fashioned Hampshire^ bacon. 
 
 BEANS. (Kidney Dwarfs.) 
 
 Haricot. Phaseolus vulgaris, etc. 
 
 These varieties of Beans, being natives of India, South 
 America, and other warm climates, will not endure the least 
 cold, and it is therefore always hazardous to plant them in the 
 open ground until settled warm weather. The earliest varie- 
 ties, if planted towards the end of April or the first week in 
 May, wiU come to perfection in from six to eight weeks after 
 planting. Some of the later varieties will keep longer in bear- 
 ing, and are esteemed by some on that account. These, with 
 
42 KITCHEN-GARDENING.. 
 
 some of the early varieties, may be planted in tlie months^ of 
 May and June ; and if a regular succession of young beans be 
 
 Kidney Beflns. Bampling Beans. 
 
 required throughout the summer, some of the varieties should 
 be planted every two weeks, from the last -week in April until 
 the beginning of August. 
 
 These Beans require a light, rich soil, in which they should 
 be planted in hills, three or four in a hill, or driUs about two 
 inches deep, and the Beans tw^o or three inches from each 
 other ; the drills may be from two to three feet apart. The 
 Refugees do best when planted in hills. 
 
 Some gardeners, anxious to have Beans early, are apt to 
 begin planting too soon in the season, and very frequently lose 
 their first crops. It should be recollected that these Beans are 
 next to Cucumbers and Melons as regards tenderness, and will 
 always grow quicker and yield better, if the planting he 
 delayed until settled warm weather. The early Mohawk is 
 the hardest, and may sometimes succeed well if planted about 
 the middle of April ; but it is much safer to delay the planting ; 
 of any quantity until towards the end of the month. 
 
 One quart of Kidney Beans will plant from three hundred 
 and fifty to four hundred hills, according to the size of the 
 Beans, allowing four Beans to each hill, or from two hundred 
 and thirty to two hundred and sixty feet of row, allowing 
 six Beans to every foot. 
 
 These Beans should not be sufiered to get old and tough 
 before they are gathered. Be careful, in trimming them, to 
 strip off the strings. To effect this desirable object* break 
 them across ; and in order to preserve their greenness, soai 
 
KITCHEN-GARDENING. 43 
 
 them in salted water for a short time, then put them into 
 the water while boiling, which should be previously seasoned 
 witl\ salt. When they are tender, which will be in from fif 
 teen to twenty minutes, tate them up and drain them through 
 a colander, in order to render them capable of absorbing a 
 due share of gravy, melted butter, etc. 
 
 BEANS. (Pole or Eunning.) 
 
 Haricots a rames. 
 
 These species and varieties of Beans may be planted early 
 in the month of May and in June, either in hills three feet 
 apart or in drills about two inches deep, and the Beans two 
 or three inches apart in the drills. The poles should be eight 
 or ten feet long, and should be fixed in the ground before the 
 Beans are planted, so as not to injure the roots in making the 
 holes. 
 
 The varieties of Lima Beans should not be planted in' the 
 open ground until the second week in May, unless the season 
 be very favorable and the ground warm. As these Beans 
 are apt to get rotten by cold and damp weather, let six or 
 eight be planted half an inch deep round each pole, and after- 
 ward thinned, leaving three or four good plants. in a hill, 
 which should be full four feet distant from each other every 
 way. 
 
 Lima Beans require richer ground than any of the other 
 sorts. A shovelful of rich, light compost, mixed with the 
 earth in each hill, would be beneficial. If any varieties are 
 wanted before the ordinary seasons, they may be planted in 
 flower-pots in AprU, and placed in a greenhouse or garden- 
 frame ; and being transplanted with the balls of earth entire, 
 will come into bearing ten or fourteen days earlier than those 
 planted in the open ground. It will require about a quart of 
 Lima Beans to plant one hundred hiUs. A quart of the 
 smallest-sized Pole Beans will plant -three hundred hills and 
 
44 KITCHEN-GARDENING. 
 
 upwards, or about two hundred and fifty feet of row. Lima 
 Beans should be shelled while fresh, and boiled in plenty of 
 water until tender, which generally takes from fifteen to twen- 
 ty minutes. The mode of cooking and preparing the other 
 sorts is the same as for Badney Dwarfs. 
 
 BEET. 
 
 Bktterave. Beta vulgaris. 
 
 Beets, in their several varieties, are biennial ; and the best 
 blood-colored are much cultivated for the sake of their roots, 
 which are excellent when cooked, and very suitable for pick- 
 ling after being boiled tender. When sliced, they make an 
 beautiful garnish for the dish, and the young plants are an 
 excellent substitute for Spinach. 
 
 The Mangel-Wurzel and Sugar Beets are cultivated for 
 cattle. Domestic animals eat the leaves and roots with great 
 avidity. They are excellent food for swine and mOch cows, 
 and possess the quality of making them give a large quantity 
 of the best-flavored milk. The roots are equally fit for oxen 
 and horses, after being cut up into small pieces and mixed, 
 with cut straw, hay, or other dry feed. A small bed of the 
 earliest Turnip-rooted and other esteemed kinds of Beets may 
 be planted in rich, early ground the first week in April, which, 
 being well attended to, will produce good roots in June. 
 
 Make drills a foot apart and from one to two inches deep ; drop 
 the seed in the drills one or two inches from each other, and 
 cover them with mellow earth. When the plants are up strong, ' 
 thin then) to the^ distance of six or eight inches from each 
 other in the rows. The ground should be afterwards hoed 
 deep around the plants, and kept free from weeds. 
 
 If the planting of Beet-seed for general crops be delayed 
 until May or June, the roots will be much larger and better 
 than those from earlier planting, which, 'from being frequently 
 stunted in growth by the various changes of weather, become 
 
KITCHKN-GAEDENIIfO. 45 
 
 tough, stringy, and of unhandsome shape. In case of the 
 failure of crops, or of unfavorable weather in June, Beet-seed 
 planted the first week in July will sometimes produce large, 
 handsome roots, which may be preserved for winter use. 
 
 The most suitable ground for Beets is that which has been 
 well manured for previous crops, and requires no fresh manure 
 provided it be well pulverized. It is always best to thin Beets 
 while young. If the tops are used as a vegetable, they should 
 not be left too long for this purpose, or they will greatly injure 
 the roots of those that are to stand. Beds that are to stand 
 through the summer, should be kept clean by repeated hoe- 
 ings ; and the roots intended for winter use should be taken 
 up in October, or early in November. Allowing Beet-seed to 
 be planted on the gardening plan, it will require at the rate of 
 ten pounds for an acre of land. If cultivated on the field sys- 
 tem — ^that is, by planting them a sufficient distance apart to 
 admit of ploughing between each row — one half the quantity 
 of seed will be sufficient. Thinning out the surplus plants is 
 indispensable to the production of good roots. 
 
 An acre of rich, loamy soil has been known to yield two 
 thousand bushels of roots, some of which weighed from fifteen 
 to twenty pounds each. To produce such large roots, they 
 should be cultivated in drills from two to three feet apart, and 
 the plants thinned to ten or twelve inches in the rows. It is 
 generally conceded, however, that moderate-sized roots contain 
 more saccharine matter, in proportion to their bulk, than extra 
 large roots ; and that twenty tons, or about seven hundred 
 bushels, are a very profitable crop for an acre of land, aiid 
 would be amply sufficient to feed ten cows for three or four 
 months of the year. A gentleman in Connecticut computes 
 the products of one-fourth of an acre of good land at eight 
 tons, which, he says, wiU support a cow the whole year. 
 
 Beets will usually produce more milk than turnips; and 
 milk-dealers will always pay more for a bushel of good beets 
 than for an equal quantity of turnips. 
 
46 KITCHEN-GABDENINO. 
 
 BORECOLE, OR KALE. 
 
 Chop Fbise Vekt. Brassica oleracea, etc. 
 
 There are several sub-varieties of this genus of plants besides 
 those above specified, most of which have large open heads, 
 ■with curled wrinkled leaves. The Dwarf Curled, or Finely 
 Fringed sorts, are much cultivated in Europe for the table ; 
 and the coarse and tall-growing are considered profitable for 
 cattle. The Thousand-headed Cabbage, and Cesarean Kale," 
 grow from three to five feet high, and branch out from the 
 stem, yielding an abundant supply of leaves and sprouts in 
 winter and spring. 
 
 For the garden, these several varieties may be treated in 
 every respect as Winter Cabbage. The seed may be sown 
 from about the middle of May to the first week in June, and 
 the plants set out in the month of July, in rich ground. They 
 are never so delicious as when rendered tender by smart frosts. 
 They are valuable plants to cultivate, particularly in moi'e 
 Southern States, as they will be there in the greatest perfection 
 during the winter months. If planted in a gravelly soil, and 
 in a sheltered warm situation, they will bear the winter of the 
 Western States; and may be kept in great perfection in the 
 Eastern States, if taken up before the frost sets in with much 
 severity, and placed in trenches, up to their lower leaves, and 
 then covered with straw or other light covering. The heads 
 may be cat oflf as they are required for use ; and in the spring, 
 the stems being raised up, will produce an abundance of deli- 
 cious greens. 
 
 One ounce of good Borecole seed will produce about four 
 thousand plants, and may be sown in a border four feet by ten. 
 
 BRUSSELS SPROTTTS. 
 
 Chott de Beuxelles agets. Brassica oleracea. 
 This plant frequently grows from three to five feet high, and 
 
KITCHEN-GARDENINO. 47 
 
 produces from the stem small heads resembling cabbages in 
 miniature, each being from one to two inches in diameter. 
 The top of the plant resembles the Savoy, when planted late. 
 The sprouts are used as winter greens, becoming very tender 
 when touched by the frost. The ^eed may be sown about the 
 middle of May, in the same manner as Borecole, and the plants 
 set out with a dibble early in July. The subsequent treatment 
 must be in every respect as for Borecole. 
 
 Some gardeners, with a view to furnish the New York mar- 
 kets with greens early in the spring season, when vegetables 
 in general are scarce, cultivate the common Rape (Brassica 
 Eapus), it being a good substitute for Brussels Sprouts, which 
 are not always attainable after a hard winter. If Eape-seed 
 be sown early in September, the plants will survive an ordinary 
 winter, and produce top-shoots or sprouts early ; but it is best 
 sown as soon as the ground is susceptible of cultivation in 
 the spring. The sprouts should be cut while young, as such 
 greens command the best prices, and are more palatable than 
 when far advanced in growth. 
 
 In cooking these sprouts and Kale, Colewort, and greens in 
 general, they should be put into hot water, seasoned with salt, 
 and kept boiling briskly until tender. If it be an object to 
 preserve their natural color, put a small lump of pearlash into 
 the water. 
 
 BROCCOLI. 
 
 Choc broccoli. Brassica oleracea Italiana. 
 The several varieties of Broccoli and -Cauliflower may be 
 justly ranked among the greatest luxuries of the garden. 
 They need only be known in order to be esteemed. The Broc- 
 coli produces heads, consisting of a lump of rich seedy pulp 
 like the Cauliflower, only that some are of a green color, others 
 purple, some brown, and the white kinds so exactly resemble 
 
48 KITCHEN-GAEDENING. 
 
 the trae Cauliflower, as to be scarcely distinguishable, either 
 in color or taste. 
 
 Broccoli is abundant throughout England the greater part 
 of the year ; and is raised with as little trouble as Cabbages 
 are here. The mode of raising the purple Cape Broccoli is 
 now generally understood in this part of America; but the 
 cultivation of the other kinds has been nearly, abandoned, on 
 account of the ill-success attending former attempts to bring 
 them to perfection. 
 
 In some of the Southern States, where the winters are not 
 more severe than in England, they wiU stand in the open 
 ground, and continue to produce their fine heads from Novem- 
 ber to April. In the Eastern, Western, and Middle States, if 
 the seed of the late kinds be sown in April, and the earlier 
 kinds in May, in open ground, and treated in the same man- 
 ner as Cauliflower, it would be the most certain method of 
 obtaining large and early flowers ; but as only a part of these 
 crops can be expected to come to perfection before the ap- 
 proach of winter, the remainder will have to be taken up, laid 
 in by the roots, and covered up with earth to the lower leaves 
 in some sheltered situation, where they will come to more per- 
 fect maturity. 
 
 Those who are desirous of obtaining Broccoli and . Cauli- 
 flower in a large quantity, so as to have all the different vari- 
 eties in succession throughout the winter months, should have 
 places erected similar to some of our greenhouses. The back 
 and roof of such a house may be made of refuse lumber, which 
 being afterwards covered with fresh stable-dung, will keep out 
 the frost. The place allotted for Cape Broccoli and Cauli- 
 flower should have a glazed roof to face the south ; the sashes 
 must be made to take off in mild weather, but they should be' 
 always kept shut in cold weather, covered with mats, boards, 
 or litter, to keep out the frost. 
 
 The hardy kinds of Broccoli may be preserved without 
 glass, by having shutters provided to slide over the front in 
 extremely cold weather, which may be covered over with fresh 
 
KITCHEN-GARDENING. 49 
 
 stable-dtmg or other litter. If these plants get frozen, it will 
 be necessary to shade them from the full rays of the sun until 
 they are thawed, which may he done by spreading straw over 
 them while they are in the bed. The sudden transition from 
 cold to heat is more destructive to vegetables than the cold 
 itself. ' 
 
 The proper time for sowing the seed of Purple Cape Broc- 
 coli is from the tenth to the twenty-fourth of May. Those 
 who intend to provide a place for the winter-keeping of the 
 other Mnds, may sow seed of the most esteemed varieties at 
 the same time, or in two or three separate sowings, a week 
 apart. 
 
 In order to insure plants of a luxuriant growth, let the seed 
 be sown in a moderately shaded border. It is best to sow it 
 in shallow drUls, drawn three or four inches apart, ip which 
 case, one ounce of seed will occupy a border of about four feet 
 in width by twelve in length, and produce about four thousand 
 strong plants. i^See article Cabbage, page 53.) 
 
 When the plants are of sufficient size they should be trans- 
 planted into rich ground, which should be previously brought 
 into good condition. This being done, plant them in rows 
 two feet and a half apart, and two feet distant in the rows. 
 As soon as they have taken root give the ground a deep hoe- 
 ing, and repeat this two or three times ip the course of their 
 growth, drawing some earth around the stems. 
 
 Some of the Cape Broccoli, if attended to as directed, will 
 come to perfection early in September and ia Octoher. The 
 other Mnds wiU produce heads in regular succession through- 
 out the winter and spring months, according to their different 
 degrees of earliness, if an artificial climate be provided for 
 them. These, of course, with whatever may remain of the 
 Cape Broccoli, will have to be taken up early in October, and 
 laid in carefully, with the roots and stems covered with earth 
 as far as their lower leaves. Those who have not a place pro- 
 vided may keep a few in frames, or in a light cellar; but 
 every gardener and country gentleman should have suitable 
 
50 KITCHKN-GARDENING. 
 
 places erected for a vegetable that yields such a delicious 
 repast, at a time when other luxuries of the garden cannot be 
 obtained. 
 
 It has been proved by repeated experiments, that the Pur- 
 ple Cape Broccoli succeeds better in our climate than any 
 other variety ; and also, that if Broccoli or Cauliflower plants 
 be retarded in growth by extreme heat, they seldom arrive at 
 full perfection. It is therefore important that the time of sow- 
 ing the seed of Cape Broccoli be so regulated as to allow six 
 weeks of the summer for the plants to grow in, previous to 
 their being transplanted, and about seven or eight wests 
 between that and the commencement of cool autumn weathejj '. 
 which is essential to mature them. 
 
 K seed be sown much before the middle of May, or so early 
 that the plants arrive at full growth in the heat of summer, 
 and thereby become stunted, they generally button, instead of 
 forming perfect heads of flowers, and are consequently of no 
 use but for cattle. 
 
 In some of the Southern States late planting of Broccoli and 
 Cauliflower succeeds better than early, because the winters are 
 calculated to mature these vegetables, from their not being sub- 
 ject to injury from slight frost in a late stage of their growth.. 
 
 CAULIFLOWER. 
 
 CHOurLEUB. Brassica oleracea hotryUs. 
 
 This is an excellent vegetable, and great pains must be 
 taten in every stage of its growth to avoid the extremes of 
 heat and cold, which accounts for good Cauliflowers being 
 scarcely attainable in unpropitious seasons, and which the 
 novice falsely attribut&s to defectiveness of the seed. 
 
 To produce early Cauliflower, the seed should be sown 
 between the sixteenth and twenty-fourth of September, in a 
 bed of clean, rich earth. In about four or five weeks afle^ 
 
KITCHSN-GAEDENING. 61 
 
 wards, tte plants should be pricked out into another bed, at 
 the distance of four inches from each other every way ; and 
 this bed shoald be encompassed with garden frames, covered 
 with glazed sashes, and boards or shutters. The plants should 
 be watered and shaded a few days tiU they have taken root ; 
 and afterwards they will require light and air every mUd day 
 throughout the winter. But the outsides of the frames must 
 be so lined and secured, and the tops of the beds so covered, 
 as to keep out all frost. _ 
 
 The plants should be well attended to until the time of 
 transplanting in the spring ; and those who have not hand or 
 bell glasses, so as to enable them to set some out by the lat- 
 ter end of March, should have a "frame ready about the last 
 week in February, in order that they may be transplanted to 
 the distance of eight or nine inches apart. This would prevent 
 them from buttoning. K this be not done, some of the 
 strongest plants should be taken out of the beds and planted 
 in flower-pots, which may afterwards be placed in a frame or 
 greenhouse, until the weather be warm and settled, which may 
 be expected soon after the middle of April. They should 
 then be turned out with the balls of earth entire, and trans- 
 planted into a bed of the richest earth in the garden, at the 
 distance of two feet and a half from each other every way ; 
 the residue may be taken up from the frame the last week in 
 April, or earlier, if the season proves mUd, by means of a gar- 
 den trowel, and transplanted as above. 
 
 The plants should afterwards be well cultivated, by hoeing 
 the ground deep around them, and bringing some earth grar 
 dually up to the stems, so as to push them forward before the 
 approach of warm weather. When the soil has been drawn 
 up to the plants some little time, fork the ground between the 
 rows lightly over, which will promote their growth. Those 
 out of flower should be liberally supplied with water in dry 
 weather, twice a week, and those in, every other day, which 
 will contribute to their producing very large heads. As the 
 flower-heads appear, the larger leaves should be broken down 
 
62 KITCHBN-GAEDENING. 
 
 over them, to defend tliem from tlie sun and rain, in order that 
 the heads or pulps may be close, and of their natural color. 
 
 Plants from the autumn sowing will generally succeed best ; 
 but good Cauliflowers are sometimes produced from see^ sown 
 ia a hotbed towards the end of January, or early in Febru- 
 ary. Great pains must be taken to have the bed in good con- 
 dition to receive the seed. "When the plants are up, they must 
 have air every mild day, and as they progress in growth, they 
 should have as much air as possible, consistent with their pre- 
 servation ; but the beds must be kept covered up every night, 
 as long as there is any danger of frost. When the plants are 
 three or four inches high, they must be pricked out three or 
 four inches apart into another bed ; and by the latter end of 
 April they may be transplanted into the ground, and treated 
 in every respect the same as the other. 
 
 In the early part of May, Cauliflower-seed may be sown in 
 the open border, in drills, as recommended for Broccoli. One 
 ounce of seed will produce about four thousand plants. These 
 plants should be pricked out in June, and transplanted into 
 good ground early in July, to flower in autumn. Those that 
 are not likely to flower by the last of October, should be 
 taken up and provided for in the manner recommended for 
 Broccoli. 
 
 Cauliflower as well as Broccoli, should be gathered while 
 the pulp is close and perfect. After haviag trimmed off some 
 of the outside leaves, let them be boiled in plenty of water 
 seasoned with salt, taking care to skim it, and also to ease the 
 cover of the pot, so as not to confine the steam. Take them 
 up as soon as the fork will enter the stems easily, which will 
 be in from ten to twenty minutes, according to their size and 
 age. Drain them^ so as to make them susceptible of absorbing 
 a due proportion of gravy or melted butter. This renders 
 them a palatable and dainty dish. 
 
 ^ Many persons are apt to forget, that the successful cultiva- 
 tion of Cauliflower depends on the particular seasons in which 
 the plants are raised and set out. Consequently, instead of 
 
KITCHEN-GARDENING. jB8 
 
 raising their own plants in the right seasons, apply for them at 
 the seed-stores and gardens, in May and June. If early Cau- 
 liflower do not arrive at or near perfection, by the end of 
 June, the plants get stunted hy the heat, aud seldom yield any- 
 thing but leaves, unless the summer should prove mild, in 
 which case some of the early plants may flower in autumn. 
 But it is needless to risk the setting out of early Cauliflower 
 plants later than April for the sake of such chance, because 
 plants raised from seed sown about the middle of May, and 
 transplanted in July, are by far the most likely to produce 
 good fall Cauliflower. 
 
 CABBAGE. 
 
 Cnorr. Brassica oleracea. 
 
 The early sorts of spring Cabbage may be raised in various 
 ways. Some sow the seed between the tenth and twenty- 
 fourth of September, pricked out and managed the same as 
 Cauliflower plants, only that they are more hardy, and may 
 sometimes be kept through the winter without sashes. 
 
 Some prefer sowing the seed in a cold-bed, covered by a 
 garden-frame with sashes. If this frame be placed on a warm 
 border, and kept free from frost, and the seed of the early kinds 
 sown the latter end of January, or early in February, these 
 plants win be better than those raised in the fall ; as they will 
 not be so liable to run to seed, will be more hardy, and as early 
 as those raised in hotbeds in the spring. 
 
 Or, if a heap of fresh horse-manure be deposited on the 
 ground intended for the raising of early plants before the frost 
 sets in, the same may be removed some mild day in January or 
 February, and temporary frames made by driving stakes in the 
 ground, and nailing planks or slabs thereto. The ground being 
 then dug, the seed sown, and covered up with sashes, plants 
 wiU soon be produced in perfection. The frames should be 
 
64 KITOHBN-GARDENINa. 
 
 well protected, by placing the manure around them, and cover- 
 ing the tops with mats and boards, as directed for hotbeds in 
 the Calendar for February and'March. 
 
 It is customary with gardeners about New York to raise 
 their plants in hotbeds. In order to do this, the beds should 
 be prepared in time to receive the seed by the latter end 
 of February, or early in March. Plants thus produced, as well 
 as those raised as before directed, wiU be fit to transplant about 
 the middle of April, and should be carefully planted, with a 
 suitable dibble, in good ground, from sixteen inches to two feet 
 apart, according to size and kind. By being hoed often, good 
 Cabbages will be produced in our latitude in June. If seed of 
 the large and early kinds be sown in a warm border early in 
 April, they will produce plants fit to transplant in May, wMcli 
 will make good Cabbages for summer use. 
 
 The seed of Eed Cabbage may be sown towards the last of 
 April, or early in May ; and that of Savoys and late Cabbage in 
 general, may be sown at two or three different times, between 
 the middle and the end of May, in fresh rich ground. 
 
 The most certain way of raising good strong plants in the 
 summer season, is to sow the seed in a moderately shaded bor- 
 der, in shallow drills drawn three or four inches apart. One 
 ounce of seed sown in this manner, will occupy a border of 
 about four feet in width by twelve in length, and produce about 
 four thousand strong plants ; whereas, if seed be sown broad- 
 cast, as is thjC usual custom, two ounces of seed may not pro- 
 duce so many good plants as the one ounce on the plan recom- 
 mended. 
 
 The Bergen, and other large kinds, should be transplanted 
 the second and third week in July, in rows thirty inches asun- 
 der, and the plants about two feet apart in the rows. The Sar 
 voys and smaller sorts may be planted about the same time, but 
 from four to six inches nearer every way. Cabbage succeeds 
 best in a fresh, rich soil; and the ground should be deeply 
 hoed or ploughed at least three times during their growth. 
 
 As I have been more familiar with the cultivation of vege- 
 
KITCHEN-GARDENING. 65 
 
 tables than fruits, I would state further my views relative to the 
 Cabbage tribe. On New York Island, in the vicinity of the 
 city, it is customary with gardeners to cut their Cabbages 
 gradually as they are required for market, and often to leave 
 their roots standing. These by some are ploughed under, where 
 they not only feed, but generate their peculiar species of in- 
 sects. Some gardeners take their roots and leaves to the 
 cattle yard or dung-heap, and return them back to the garden 
 the ensuing season in the shape of manure. As a consequence 
 of such practice, good Cabbages are very seldom obtained, even 
 after a routine of other crops, for two or three years. 
 
 EVIL 01" DEEP PLANTING. 
 
 With a view to illustrate the evil of deep planting, I would 
 observe further, that when Cabbage plants are transplanted in 
 proper season and on fresh soil, they generally prove uniformly 
 good ; whereas, if it should happen, as it sometimes does for 
 want of suitable weather, that the plants cannot be transplanted 
 until they get crooked and overgrown, so as to require deep 
 planting to support them in the soil, such plants-, like diseased 
 Peach-trees, decay first in the bark, between earth and air, and 
 then, from being deprived of a natural circulation of the vege- 
 table juices, die and discharge their putrid matter in the earth, 
 to the destruction of such other plants as may be inserted in 
 their stead. I have frequently known a land of Cabbage 
 plants filled up half-a-dozen times, and the crop at last scarcely 
 worth gathering ; whereas could the plants have been set out 
 while dwarfish, and inserted their proper depth in the ground, 
 the cultivator -would have been rewarded a hundredfold. 
 
 The Brasska Bapa, or Turnip-Cabbage, produces its bulb 
 or protuberance on the stems above ground, immediately under 
 the leaves. It is eatable when young, or about the size of a 
 garden Turnip. The seed may be sown in April or May, and 
 the plants afterwards treated the same as Cabbage, only that in 
 earthing up the plants you must be careful not to cover the 
 
56 KITCHEN-GARDENING. 
 
 globular part. They are much more hardy than Turnips. In 
 England the bulbs often grow to upwards of twenty inches in 
 circumference, and weigh from ten to twelve pounds. Ttey 
 are cultivated for the feeding of cows and sheep, as well as 
 for table use. In either case, they are treated like Cabbage, or 
 sowed like Turnips, and afterwards thinned to proper dis- 
 tances. 
 
 The Brassica N'apus, or Turnip-rooted Cabbage, has an 
 oblong thick root in the form of a winter Eadish. It is ex- 
 tremely hardy, and wiU survive very hard frosts. The seed 
 should be sown in rich ground, and treated in every respect as 
 Turnips, observing to thin the plants with a hoe to the distance 
 of sixteen inches apart. Their roots will be much larger and 
 better when treated in this way than if transplanted. 
 
 The Brassica Napus, variety esculenta, is sometimes cultivated 
 as a salad herb. It is held in great esteem by the French as a 
 culinary vegetable, and is called the Navet, or French Turnip. 
 In France, as well as in Germany, few great dinners are served 
 up without it in some shape or other. 
 
 HOW TO KEEP CABBAGES. 
 
 As numerous species of insects attack plants of the Brassica 
 or Cabbage tribe in every stage of their growth, great caution 
 is necessary in their cultivation. For a prevention to the at- 
 tacks of fleas or flies, see page 29 of the General Eemarks. 
 . Perhaps the most efiectual way of saving plants from grub- 
 worms, is not to transplant any during the month of June. 
 Seed-beds are very seldom attacked ; but if they should be. 
 they may be protected by digging trenches around them, and 
 throwing in lime, salt, or ashes, sufficient to prevent the ingress 
 of the worms. If seed of the various kinds be sown at the 
 times recommended, the early varieties will be so far advanced 
 in growth before the grub-worms prevail, as to be out of their 
 reach ; and by the time the late-sown plants are ready to trans- 
 plant, the worms will be harmless, because they turn grey 
 
KITOHEN-GABDENING. 5? 
 
 towards the end of June, and by the middle of July, the time 
 recommended for general transplanting, the danger from grub- 
 worms is over. ) 
 
 Section of Cabbage Pit 
 
 In the colder portions of the country, those cabbages that 
 have not attained their full growth, if set in rich ground as they 
 grew, in a pit, before cold weather commences, late, in autumn, 
 and covered with a roof of boards and earth, as shown by 
 the illustration, wiU be nicely headed by the opening of spring. 
 The engraving needs no explanation to enable any person to 
 construct a cabb£^e-pit. 
 
 In some parts of New Jersey and Long Island, where we 
 sometimes see forty or fifty acres of cabbage in one field, a 
 deep furrow is ploughed, the heads are cut from the stumps 
 and placed upside down, close together in the furrow, and 
 two fiirrow-slices turned over the row of heads. The ridge 
 is then smoothed off with a shovel. Some gardeners allow the 
 stumps of the cabbages to extend above ground. But the 
 better way is to remove the stumps. 
 
 COLEWORT, OR COLLARDS. 
 
 Chou veet. JBrassica oleracea. 
 
 This is a species of Cabbage which is eaten when young ; it so 
 nearly resembles the early kinds of Cabbage, that it is seldom 
 cultivated. The English frequently sow the seed of early-head- 
 
68 KITCHEN-GARDENINa. 
 
 ing kinds of Cabbage as a substitute, wHcb being done at dif- 
 ferent seasons, enables tbem to procure a supply of fresh greens 
 from their gardens every day in the year. This is not attaio- 
 able here, on account of the extremes of heat and cold; but 
 CoUards would prove very valuable and acceptable in the event 
 of an unfavorable season for fall cabbage. 
 
 If the seed of Early York, Early Dutch, or other early kinds 
 of Cabbage be sown in June, July, and August, and transplanted, 
 as they become fit, into good ground from fifteen to eighteen 
 inches apart, the first planting would make good heads for fall 
 use ; and the plants of late sowings, if transplanted in Septem- 
 ber and October, in a warm border, would produce tender, 
 sweet-eating greens for use in the early part of winter ; the lat- 
 ter plantings may be placed ten or twelve inches from plant to 
 plant. These could be easily sheltered on the approach of 
 severe weather, without being taken up. The cultivation of 
 Collards is well adapted to our Southern States, as there they 
 need no protection in winter. 
 
 CAEDOONS. 
 Cardon. Cynara cardunculus. 
 
 The Cardoon Artichoke, a native of Candia, is much culti- 
 vated in Europe for culinary purposes, such as for salads, soups, 
 stews. The stems of the leaves being thick and crisp, are the 
 eatable parts, after being blanched. They are in perfection in 
 autumn and winter. 
 
 The seed may be sown in a bed of rich earth in the month 
 of April ; and one ounce will produce about six hundred 
 plants. When the plants are up strong, they should be thin- 
 ned so as to leave them four or five inches apart. They may 
 be transplanted in June, at the distance of four feet from each 
 other every way, Observe, before planting, to dress their 
 tops and roots the same as Celery, As they advance in 
 
KITCHEN-GARDENING. 69 
 
 growth, they are to be earthed up for blanching, keeping the 
 leaves close together. This may be done with bass or matting, 
 as practised with Endive. They are afterwards to be eaithed 
 up gradually from time to time, until whitened to a sufficient 
 height. As winter approaches, 'Cardoons must be taken up 
 and laid away like Celery, or they may be preserved with sand 
 in a cellar. 
 
 CAEEOT. 
 
 Cabottb. Daucus carota. 
 
 The Carrot is a native of Britain, and grows by the roadside 
 in many parts. As a culinary vegetable, it is much used in 
 soups and stews, and forms a dish with boiled beef, etc. The 
 coarse sorts are cultivated as fodder for cows, sheep, oxen, and 
 horses, and are considered profitablie, as they frequently yield 
 upwards of four hundred bushels to an acre, when cultivated 
 on the field system. 
 
 For the garden, the Early Orange should be cultivated for 
 spring and summer use ; but the Long Orange is more suitable 
 for main crops, on account of its bright orange color, as well 
 as for its great size and length. Carrots grow to great perfec- 
 tion in a rich loamy soil ; and may be raised in drills drawn 
 about one inch deep, and twelve inches asunder. A small bed 
 may be planted at the latter end of March for an early crop, 
 and from that time to the end of May for successive crops ; 
 but the principal crop should not be sown too soon, as the 
 early plantings are apt to produce seed-stalks, and, conse- 
 quently, stringy and useless roots. 
 
 The most suitable ground for late Carrots is that which has 
 been well maniired for previous crops, and requires no fresh 
 manure. If the seed be sown in June, and the plants thinned 
 out to the distance of five or six inches from each other when 
 young, and kept hoed, they will yield an abundance of fine 
 
60 KITCHEN-GARDENING. 
 
 roots for winter and spring use, by being taken up in autmnn, 
 and preserved either In sand in a cellar, or covered up in pits 
 in a garden, as directed for burying potatoes. 
 
 Altbougb Carrot-seed is naturally small and ligbt, it seldom 
 fails to vegetate in favorable seasons. It, therefore, need not 
 be sown too thick in ground not apt to produce weeds. If a 
 root could be insured to grow unmolested in every instance 
 where a seed may be deposited, two pounds would be more 
 than suflBcient for an acre of land. But gardeners generally 
 use four or five pounds to the acre, in order that the rows may 
 be more easily traced in the event of a luxuriant growth of 
 weeds. To avoid risking an unequal crop in. small gardens, 
 half an ounce of seed should be allotted for every pole, perch, 
 or rod, or twenty ounces for a rood of land. On light ground, 
 the use of a roller would be beneficial in dry weather, excess 
 of which is detrimental to the germination of Carrot, as well 
 as of all other light seed. 
 
 "We herewith give an illustration of a fiiU-grown carrot, 
 before the leaves are removed, for the purpose of stimulating 
 those who have commenced raising a crop of this kind of roots, 
 to persevere in the thorough cultivation of the young plants. 
 Carrots require timely cultivation, while the plants are quite 
 small, before their growth has been checked by weeds. 
 
 As soon as the rows can be discovered, if they are sufficient- 
 ly far apart to admit a horse-hoe, let that implement be ran 
 between the rows as shallowly as practicable, to cut up the weeds. 
 This should be done when the sun shines, in order to kill every 
 weed that is disturbed. After cultivating with a horse-hoe, go 
 over all the rows with a hand-hoe, drawing the hoe across the 
 drills every eight inches, cutting up every green thing. After 
 this operation is completed, there wiU be one or more carrots 
 standing among every little cluster of weeds. Immediately 
 after a good shower of rain, summon all hands, ^nd finish 
 weeding the young carrots, which are tender plants, and will 
 not endure bruising like turnips. When the weeds are pulled 
 up, knock off the earth and spread them carefally around tho 
 
KITCHEN-GAKDENING. 
 
 61 
 
 An Orange Carrot. 
 
 young plants. Such weeds will soon decay, and promote the 
 growth of carrots by operating as a mulch, as well as a fer- 
 tilizer. If no horse-hoe is at hand, aU the dressing may be 
 done with a scuffle-hoe, which is far better than an ordinary 
 hand-hoe. With a scuffle-hoe, the operator moves backwards, 
 leaving all the weeds and grass lying up lightly ; while, if the 
 hoeing be performed with a hand-hoe, many of the weeds will 
 be pressed by the feet into the mellow soil, where they take 
 root and continue to grow about as well as if they had not 
 been dug up. 
 
 The weeds growing in close proximity to carrots should be 
 pulled up when the ground is wet, or at least very moist. For 
 
62 KITCHEN-GABDENING. 
 
 when the sun pours down the scorching heat, a slight disturb- 
 ance of the ground near the growing carrots wiU disturb the 
 roots, and the burning sun will wilt them as soon as the weeds 
 that have been pulled up. 
 
 CELERY, 
 Celeri. Apium graveolens. 
 
 This vegetahle, so much esteemed as a salad, is tnown in 
 its wild state by the name of Smallage ; and is found in great 
 abundance by the sides of ditches, and near the searcoast of 
 Britain. The effects of cultivation are here strikingly ex- 
 hibited, in producing from a rank, coarse weed, the mild and 
 sweet stalks of the Celery. This circumstance should stimu- 
 late the young gardener to aim at improvement in the cultiva- 
 tion of plants in general. 
 
 It is customary with some gardeners to raise their early 
 plants in hotbeds ; but as plants thus raised are apt to pro- 
 duce seed-stalks, it is much safer to cultivate them in cold 
 beds, prepared as directed fo^ the raising of early Cabbage- > 
 plants. The seed for a general crop may be sown the last 
 week in March, or early in April, in rich, mellow ground, and 
 in a situation where the plants ^can be protected from the 
 parching heat of a summer sun (a border against a north 
 aspect is the most suitable). Some sow the seed broadcast ; 
 but the plants will be much stronger if raised in drills. The 
 drills may be half an inch deep, and six inches apart, so that 
 a small hoe can be worked between the rows ; and if properly 
 attended to, every ounce of seed sown wiU produce ten thou- 
 sand strong plants or more. The early sown plants should be 
 pricked out in a nursery-bed of cool rich earth, as soon as they 
 are two or three inches high, there to remain about a month 
 after which they will be fit to transplant into the trenches. 
 
KITCHEN-GARDENING. 63 
 
 Choose for this purpose a piece of rich ground, in an open 
 exposure. Mark out the trenches by line, ten or twelve 
 inches wide, and allow the space of three feet between them, 
 which will be sufScient for the early plantations. Dig each 
 trench a spade deep, laying the earth equally on each side 
 between the trenches. Put three inches deep of rotten dung 
 in the bottom of each trench, then pare the sides, and mingle 
 the manure and parings with an inch or two of the loose 
 mould at the bottom, incorporating all well together, and put 
 in the plants. ^ 
 
 Previous to planting, trim the plants, by cutting off the long 
 straggling leaves, and also the ends of the roots. Let them 
 be planted with a dibble, in single rows, along the middle of 
 each trench, five or six inches between plant and plant. As 
 soon as they are planted, give them a plentiful watering, and 
 let them be shaded until they strike root and begin to grow. 
 The main crops may be planted in the same way, but in 
 trenches four feet distant from each other, and an inch or two 
 further fi;om plant to plant ; or in beds made in the following 
 manner, which, for the ease of preserving the plants in winter, 
 will be found extremely convenient, besides a greater quantity 
 can be raised on a given piece of ground : 
 
 Lay out the ground into beds four feet wide, vrith alleys 
 between, three feet in width. Dig the beds a spade deep, 
 throwing earth on the alleys. When done, lay four or five 
 inches of well rotted dung over the bottom of the beds. In- 
 corporate it with the loose soil, and cover the whole with an 
 inch or two of earth from the alleys ; plant four rows in each 
 bed at equal distances, and fi-om six to eight inches apart in 
 the rows ; after which, give them a plentiful watering, and 
 shade them. 
 
 BLANCHING CELERY, 
 
 The earthing should never be done when the plants are 
 wet, as this is apt to make the Celery rusty ; but should be 
 
64 KITCHEN-GARDENINa. 
 
 performed gradually in fine weather as the plants progress in 
 growth, repeating the earthing ereiy two weeks; at which 
 time, care should he taken to gather up all the leaves neatly, 
 and not to hury the hearts of the plants. When they are 
 grown two feet high, and well hlanohed, they are fit for the 
 table. 
 
 As Celery will grow three or four feet high in one season, 
 it will be necessary to delay the planting of that which is in- 
 tended for winter use until the latter end of July; but the 
 trenches should always be prepared in time, to avoid a serious 
 drought, which often delays the planting tiU too late in the 
 season. The blanching of Celery for winter use may be de- 
 layed until October. 
 
 When Celery is raised on a large scale, the trenches may he 
 worked out with a plough, and finished with a spade or hoe. 
 The ground may also be ploughed between the rows previous 
 to earthing it up, which will save much labor. 
 
 The Cekriac, or Turnip-rooted, may be planted either on level 
 ground or in shallow drills. The root of it swells like a Turnip, 
 and may be preserved in sand through the winter. The French 
 and Germans cut it in slices, and soak it a few hours in vinegar. 
 By such simple preparation it becomes mellow as a pineapple, 
 and affords a delicious and very nourishing repast. 
 
 Some gardeners are accustomed to cultivate Celery on the 
 level ground. Others, after making their trenches in the usual 
 way, go to the expense of carting peculiar soU from a distance, 
 with which they replenish their trenches until nearly full. 
 Those who have pursued the latter plan, say that they are re- 
 warded for their trouble by gathering roots of superior size 
 and quality. Those gardeners whose subsoil, or under stratum, 
 is inferior, or ill-adapted for the growth of Celery, should 
 "cultivate it in shallow drills or furrows worked out with a 
 plough, by which means they may secure good soil to plant 
 in, and also to earth up with. In such eases the rows must be 
 from four to five feet apart ; and frequent ploughing between 
 them would promote the growth of the plants. 
 
KITCHEN-GARDENING. 65 
 
 Some gardeners prefer to raise celery on level ground, and 
 continue to form a ridge, as the plants grow, by drawing clean 
 earth up against the plants. Others set a four or five-inch 
 drain tile over each plant ; and as it grows, fine, rich, clean 
 sou — mostly sand — ^is worked down in the tiles, keeping the 
 plants in the middle of the orifice in the tile. Others set two 
 planks on the edge, each side of the rows of celery, and fill 
 up between the planks with a clean loamy soil. 
 
 THE BEST WAT OF STORING CELERY. 
 
 Many people complain of their Celery — one of the most 
 difficult garden crops to raise in perfection — that it does not 
 keep well through the winter ; sometimes withers, but oftener 
 rots. It is recommended by some that it should be preserved 
 in the rows where it grows, and that removal more or less injures 
 it. "Where the plant is grown in a soil of a dry nature — and 
 Celery never should be grown there — ^it may be well kept in 
 the row ; but we deny most emphatically that removal injures 
 it in the slightest particular. 
 
 We pursue two modes, and find both to answer completely. 
 The first is to remove the Celery to high and dry ground, dig 
 a trench spade-deep, stand up a row of plants, then three inches 
 of soil, then another row, and so on until about a half-dozen 
 rows are finished, and then commence another bed, and so on. 
 The soil should be packed firmly, and banked up so that the 
 tops of the Celery are just covered ; then spank off roof-feshion, 
 to turn the rain. Over this two wide boards, nailed together, 
 should be placed as a security against moisture. For remember 
 it is water, not fi*ost, as some say, that rots Celery. Frost 
 adds to its tenderness. 
 
 Another plan is to sink barrels into the earth, so that the 
 tops are two or three inches below the surface, stand them 
 compactly fall of Celery, put close or tight covers upon them, 
 and then a couple of inches of soil. By this mode, somewhat 
 more troublesome than the other, ours kept well for the last 
 
6S KITCHSN-GARDENINO. 
 
 two or tliree years until all was consumed, wMch was late in 
 spring. 
 
 CORN SALAD, OR FETTICUS. 
 Machk ou doucettb. Valeriana locusta, 
 
 VARIETY. — Olitoria. 
 
 This plant grows spontaneously in the cornfields of England ; 
 hence it is called Com Salad ; and from its being sufficiently 
 hardy to stand the winter, and affording an early pasturage, it 
 has acquired the appellation of Lamb's Lettuce. It is cultiyatr 
 ed as a salad for winter and early spring use. The seed may 
 be sown in rich, clean ground the latter end of August or 
 early in September. 
 
 Some gardeners sow the seed in beds four or fivefeet wide, 
 with paths between each bed, just sufficient to admit of room 
 for hand-weeding ; but it will vegetate more fi:eely if sown in 
 drills half an inch deep, provided it be carefully covered. The 
 drills may be about six inches apart, or just sufficient to admit 
 a small hoe to work between the rows ; for if the plants are 
 not cleared of all weeds while young, they will be more plague 
 than profit. 
 
 Fetticus must be covered up with straw at the approach of 
 severe weather, to preserve it in good condition for use in the 
 early part of the ensuing spring, as that is the season which 
 most amply remunerates the cultivator. The seed of Fetticus 
 is small and light ; but it will admit of being sown thick, say 
 at the rate of from four to six pounds to an acre of land. 
 
 CRESS. 
 
 Ceessost. Lepidium sativum. 
 Cress is a small salad-herb, and is generally used with Lettuce, 
 
KITCHEN-GARDENING. 67 
 
 White Mustard, Kape, Chervil, etc. It may be sown very 
 thick iu little drills, like salad-rseed, and cut before it comes 
 into rough leaf. A small quantity in the salad season, which 
 is spring and autumn, may be sown every week in rich ground, 
 free from weeds. 
 
 CEESS (Water). 
 Cbessgit de FONTAINE. Sisymhrium nasturtium. 
 
 The Water-Cress is a creeping, amphibious perennial, and is 
 grown very extensively for the London markets. Loudon 
 says, in his Encyclopaedia of Gardening, that " The most suit- 
 able description of water is a clear stream, not more than an 
 inch and a half deep, running over sand or gravel ; the least 
 favorable, deep, still water, or a muddy bottom. It is highly 
 advantageous to make the plantations in newly-risen spring- 
 water, as the plants do not only thrive better in it, but, in 
 consequence of its being rarely frozen, they generally continue 
 in vegetation, and in a good state of gathering, through the 
 whole winter season. The plants are disposed in rows parallel 
 with the course of the stream, about eighteen inches apart. 
 When these plants begin to grow in water one inch and a half 
 deep, they soon check the current so as to raise the water to 
 the height of three inches above the plants, which is consi- 
 dered the most favorable circumstance in which they can be 
 placed. It is absolutely necessary to have a constant current ; 
 as where there is any obstruction to the stream, the plants 
 cease to thrive. After they have been cut about three times 
 they begin to stock ; and then the oftener they are cut the 
 better," 
 
 CUCrMBEE. 
 
 CoNCOMBRE. Cucumis sativus, etc. 
 The Cucumis sativus, or comtoon Cucumber, is a native of 
 
68 KITCHEN-GARDENING. 
 
 the East Indies, and of nearly as great antiquity as tlie vine. 
 As Cucumbers are much used in New York, it should be an 
 object with gardeners to hare them in the market early ; direc- 
 tions for raising them out of the ordinary season are there- 
 fore given in a future page, under the head Forcing Vegeta- 
 bles, to which the reader is referred. Cucumbers may be 
 raised iu the open ground by planting seed the first week of 
 May, in lulls four feet apart ; or, if the ground be light, basins 
 formed an inch below the level of the surface would be bene- 
 fi.cial. Previous to planting, the ground should be prepared 
 by incorporating a shovelful of rotten dung with the earth in 
 each hm, after which four or five seeds may be planted half an 
 inch deep. One ounce of good seed is sufficient for two hun- 
 dred hills and upwards. 
 
 Cucumbers are liable to be attacked by a yellow fly, whicl 
 sometimes devours young plants. These and other insects 
 may be kUled by sowing tobacco-dust, soot, or powdered 
 charcoal round about the vines, when they first come up, or by 
 applying the liquid recommended in page 29 of the General 
 Bemarks. After this is done, the plants may be thinned to 
 two or three in a hill, and the ground- carefully hoed, drawing 
 a little earth round them at the same time. The vines should 
 be kept free from weeds, and if the weather proves dry, a 
 gentle watering now and then, given in the evening, will be of 
 considerable service. 
 
 Picklers may be raised by planting the seed at any time in 
 July. When the vines begin to bear, they should be looked 
 over, and the fruit gathered as soon as it becomes fit, as the 
 plant will cease to bear much if the fruit be permitted to get 
 yellow. 
 
 RAISING IN HOTBEDS. 
 
 The seed is generally sown in pots or boxes of light, rich 
 mould, and placed in a hotbed ; and some sow the seed in the 
 earth of a small bed prepared for the purpose. In either case, 
 
EITOHStT-GABDENINa 69 
 
 as soon as the plants have fully expanded their two seed-leaves, 
 they may be transplanted into pots, putting three plants in 
 each pot ; when this is done, apply water warmed to the tem- 
 perature of the bed, and shut down the glasses, keeping them 
 a Uttle shaded by throwing a mat over the glass, till the plants 
 have taken root. When they are about a month old, ihey 
 will be fit to transplant into the finiiting-bed. 
 
 After the situation of the bed has been ascertained, the 
 heat regulated, and the earth formed into hills, raise one hill 
 i*.the centre under each sash, so that the earth is brought to 
 within nine inches of the glass ; in these hills plant three seed- 
 lings, or turn out such as may be in pots, with the balls of 
 earth about their roots, and thus insert one patch of three 
 plants in the middle of each hUl. The plants should be im- 
 mediately watered with water heated to the temperature of 
 the bed, and kept shaded until they have taken root. 
 
 The temperature should be kept up to 60°, and may rise 
 to 80° without injury, provided the rank steam be allowed to 
 pass off; therefore, as the heat begins to decline, timely lixdngs 
 of well-prepared dung must be apphed all round the frame. 
 Begin by lining the back part first ; cut away the old dung 
 perpendicularly by the frame, and form a bank two feet broad, 
 to the height of a foot, against the back of the frames ; as it 
 sinks, add more ; renew the linings round the remainder of 
 the bed as it becomes necessary, and be careftd to let oflF the 
 steam and give air to the plants at all opportunities. 
 
 Give young Cucumber plants necessary waterings, mostly in 
 the evening, in early forcing; and in the afternoon, in the 
 advanced season of hot, sunny weather. Some use water 
 impregnated with sheep or pigeon-dung. As the roots begin 
 to spread, and the vines to run, the hills should be enlarged 
 by gathering up the earth around them, for which purpose a 
 supply of good mould should be kept ready at hand, to bo 
 used as required. 
 
 When the plants have made one or two joints, stop them 
 by pinching off the tops, after which ihey generally put forth 
 
70 KITCHEN- GARDENING. 
 
 two shoots, each of which let run till they have made one or 
 two clear joints, and then stop them also; and afterwards 
 continue throughout the season to stop them at every joint; 
 this will strengthen the plants, and promote their perfecting 
 the fruit early. 
 
 The following artificial operation is recommended by Aher- 
 crombie. Phial, and other writers, as essential to the production 
 of a full crop of Cucumbers under glass. In plants more free- 
 ly exposed to the open air, the impregnation is effected by 
 nature. Those which some call false blossoms are the mf^e 
 flowers, and are indispensable in this operation. 
 
 " The Cucumber," Abercrombie observes, " bears male and 
 female blossoms distinctly on the same plant. The latter only 
 produce the fruit, which appears first in miniature, close under 
 the base, even before the flower expands. There is never any 
 in the males ; but these are placed in the vicinity of the fe- 
 males, and are absolutely necessary, by the dispersion of their 
 farina, to impregnate the female blossom, the fruit of whicli 
 will not otherwise swell to its fuU size, and the seed will be 
 abortive. The early plants under glass, not having the full 
 current of natural air, nor the assistance of bees and other 
 winged insects to convey the farina, the artificial aid of the 
 cultivator is necessary to effect the impregnation. At the time 
 of fructification watch the plants daily ; and as sooh as the 
 female flowers and some male blossoms are fully expanded, 
 proceed to set the fruit the same day, or next morning at 
 furthest. -Tate off a male blossom, detaching it with part of 
 the footstalk. Hold this between the finger and thumb ; poll 
 away the flower-leaves or petals close to the stamens or cen- 
 tral part, which apply close to the pistil in the bosom of the 
 female flower, twirling it a little about, to discharge thereon 
 some particles of the fertilizing powder. Proceed thus to set 
 every fruit, as the flowers of both sorts open, while of a lively^ 
 fiill expansion ; and generally perform it in the early part of 
 the day, using a fresh male, if possible, for every impregnation, 
 as the males are usually more abundant than the female bios- 
 
KITCHEN-GARDENING. 71 
 
 soms. By this management, the young fruit will soon be 
 observed to swell freely." 
 
 Cucumbers attain the proper size for gathering in from 
 fifteen to twenty days after the time of setting ; and often in 
 succession for two or three months or more, in the same beds^ 
 by good Cloture. 
 
 If it be desired to have Cucumbers in the open garden at 
 an early season, the plants may be raised and planted in a 
 warm border either in the earth or in hotbed ridges. A hand- 
 glass should be provided for each hill, whicl^ must be kept 
 close down every night and in cool days, taking care to admit 
 air when practicable. The plants may be hardened by de- 
 grees, by taking off the glass in the heat of the day ; and as 
 the weather gets warm, they may be left to nature. 
 
 CHIVES, OE CIVES. 
 
 CivETTE. Allium schcBnoprasvm. 
 
 This is a small species of Onion, and grows in large tnrfe. 
 It is propagated by offsets from the roots, and may be 
 planted either in spring or autumn in rows ten or twelve 
 inches apart, and the bulbs three or four inches apart in 
 the rows. They will soon take root, and increase very fast, 
 forming large bimches of bulbs. They make handsome edging 
 for beds or borders. 
 
 EGG-PLANT. 
 
 Melongene ait aubergine. Solanum melongma. 
 The seed of the Purple Egg-plant may be sown in a hot- 
 bed about the first of March ; and the sashes must be kept 
 down close until the plants come up, after which a little air 
 
'12 KITCHEN-GAKDKNING. 
 
 may be given in tjie heat of the day. Towards the middle of 
 May, if the weather be warm and settled, the plants should 
 be set out from twenty-four to thirty inches apart, in a rich, 
 warm piece of ground ; and if kept clean, and a little earth 
 be drawn up to their stems when about a foot high, they 
 wUl produce plenty of fruit. 
 
 Plants of the white variety may be raised in the same man- 
 ner and transplanted into pots in May ; or if some of the seed be 
 sown in a warm situation the first week in May, these may 
 come to perfection in the course of the summer. This variety, 
 though generally cultivated for ornament, is good when cooked. 
 
 As Egg-plants will not grow in the open ground until settled 
 warm weather, and are apt to perish from being transplanted 
 too early, the gardener should be provided with small pots, 
 in order that the plants may be transplanted therein early 
 in May, and placed in a frame, there to remaia until the 
 first week in June, at which time, if they are turned out 
 and planted with the balls of earth entire, they will soon take 
 root and grow freely. 
 
 MANNER or COOKING. 
 
 Select the fruit when at maturity ; cut it into slices, and 
 parboil it in a stewpan ; when softened drain oflF the water; 
 it may then be fried in batter made with wheaten flour and 
 an egg, or ra fresh butter with bread grated fine and seasoned 
 before it is put in the pan, with pepper, salt, thyme, and such 
 other herbs as may best suit the palate. Some use Maijoram, 
 Summer Savory, Parsley, Onions. 
 
 Egg-plant seed will not vegetate freely without substantial 
 heat. If the plants get the least chilled in the earlier stage 
 of growth, they seldom recover. It is therefore important that 
 the frame allotted for them be placed over a well-regulated hot- 
 bed, and partitioned ofi", so that the sash can be kept down over 
 the plants in cool weather. 
 
 Some gardeners raise Egg-plants in the same frame with Cab- 
 bage, and such other half-hardy plants as require air every mild 
 
KITCHEN-GABDENING. ITS 
 
 day. By sucli management, one or the other must suffer for 
 want of suitable aliment, heat being the principal food of 
 tender plants, and air that of the more hardy species. 
 
 ENDIVE, OR SUCCORY. 
 Chicoebe des jaedins. Cichorium endiva, etc. 
 
 *) 
 
 The Chicorium endiva is a native of China and Japan, and 
 is much used in salads and stews, and as a garnish for the table. 
 The proper kind of seed for early sowing is the Gtreen 
 Curled. A small quantity of this may be sown at different 
 times in April and May, by those who would have it early. 
 This plant is apt to run to seed. For this reason, it will be 
 best to delay the sowing of seed for general crops until 
 June or July. If a small quantity of each esteemed variety 
 be sown two or three times in these months, they will produce 
 a plentiful supply for use in autumn and the early part of 
 winter. One ounce of good Endive-seed will produce about 
 five thousand plants. 
 
 When the plants are three or four inches high, they 
 should be transplanted into good ground, at the distance 
 of a foot from each other, and immediately watered. If they 
 are set out in cloudy or wet weather, it will save this 
 trouble. The plants will require to be hoed and attended 
 to in the same manner as lettuce, until grown to a mode- 
 rate size, when they must be blanched. Select the large 
 and full-hearted plants, and with bass or other strings tie 
 them a little above the middle, not too tight, previously 
 gathering up the leaves regularly in the hand. This must 
 be done when the leaves are very dry, otherwise the plants 
 will rot. Cichorium intyhus grows spontaneously in many 
 parts of Europe and America. In France it is much cul- 
 tivated ; the tops of the plants are considered profitable for 
 cattle, and the roots are taken up in autumn and dried. 
 
 i. 
 
74 KITCHEN-GARDENING. 
 
 The aromatic and rolatile qualities of coffee are, by the 
 combination of this root, rendered more mellow and fall 
 upon the palate, and its fragrance greatly increased, producing 
 an agreeable tonic and most exhilarating beverage. 
 
 Sow the seed in April in drills half an inch deep and 
 about eighteen inches apart ; thin out the plants to six or eight 
 inches in the row. The plant produces beautiful blue flowers, 
 and is worthy of a place in the flower-garden. The roots when 
 dried, roasted as coffee, and ground, may be mixed in the 
 proportion of two ounces of the powder to a pound of coffee. 
 
 HOESERADISH. 
 
 Raifobt. Cochearia armoracia. 
 
 This plant is propagated by cuttings from the root, either 
 cut from the top about two inches long, or by offsets, or 
 otherwise useless parts, from the sides of the main root, retain- 
 ing the crowns or top-shoots in as many parts as possible. These 
 should be planted as early in the spring as practicable, in rowa 
 two feet apart and six or eight inches from each other ia the 
 rows. 
 
 Select for the bed a good depth of soil, and such as will retdn 
 moisture ; manure it with well-rotted dung, plough or dig it 
 deep, and the draw-drills afoot apart ; then plant with a dibble, 
 cuttings as above described, in every alternate drill, from two 
 to three inches deep. The intermediate drills may be planted 
 with Beet or Carrot-seed, or that of any other root; but I'urnip- 
 Beets are the most suitable to cultivate between the rows, as 
 they will grow quick and can be pulled out without disturbing 
 the Horseradish. 
 
 The beets must of course be thinned out while young, and 
 kept cultivated by hoeing between the rows, which will also 
 benefit the Horseradish. After the Beets are pulled, hoe the 
 ground again, and keep it clear of weeds, by which method the 
 
KITCHEN-GARDENING. ^5 
 
 bed may be cleared every year. Some cultivate Horseradish in 
 a permanent bed ; in whicb case, if, in taking up the roots, some 
 oflfsets be left in the ground, they wiU produce a successive 
 supply for future years. 
 
 JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE. 
 
 FoMME DE TEBRE. ITelianthus tuberosum. 
 This plant is a native of America. The tubers of the 
 root, which are generally abundant, were, before Potatoes 
 became improved by cultivation, in great esteem, and are 
 yet considered a fine-flavored and nutritious food, when 
 boiled and mashed with butter. They may be easily propa- 
 gated by cutting the roots into sets, with two eyes in each, and 
 planting them in the same manner as Potatoes, in March 
 and April. To have them in perfection, they should be hoed 
 frequently, and the ground kept loose around them. In dig- 
 ging them for use, care should be taken to gather them out 
 clean, as the least particle left wUl grow the year following, and 
 encumber the ground, without producing a crop worth raising. 
 
 Indian Corn. Mais. Zea mayz. 
 The different varieties of early Com intended for boiling 
 when young, or others as curiosities, may be planted in the 
 garden the last week in April, or early in May, in hills four 
 feet apart, or in drills. If some of each esteemed variety be 
 planted in separate beds at the same time, they will come in 
 for the table one after the other in regular succession. After 
 this, if any particular variety be preferred, it may be planted 
 at different times in the month of May and June. If the 
 ground be poor, mix a shovelful of old manure with the earth 
 in each hill before the kernels are planted, and after the plants 
 are up strong, scatter a teacupfiil of wood-ashes around each 
 
^6 KITCHBN-aARDENING. 
 
 hill. This, with attentive hoeing, will cause it to produce ears 
 early. Deep digging or- ploughing between the hills is very 
 beneficial when the corn is about eighteen inches high. 
 
 There is danger of planting Indian Com too early, as the 
 kernels wiU rot before they germinate, when the ground is wet 
 and cold. Then, if the weather be so cold after the com has 
 come up, that it cannot grow, the young plants receive a stunt 
 from which they never recover. The locality must always be 
 the guide respecting the time to plant Indian Corn. 
 
 My advice has always been to young gardeners, not to plant 
 Indian Com too early. Wait tiU the soil is warm, and the 
 growing season well advanced, before planting any kind of 
 com. Work at the ground where Indian Com is to be 
 planted ; and get it in an excellent condition, thoroughly pul- 
 verized, drained, if necessary, and manured bountifully; then 
 when all the trees are in full-leaf, and apple-trees begin to cast 
 their blossoms, put in the seed, and the young com will often 
 appear in five days. I have known com planted dry, in my 
 own garden, to come up in four days, when the soil was warm ; 
 and I have often waited over two weeks for good seed to vege- 
 tate ; and even after so long a time, the blades did not appear. 
 Indian Corn must have dry and rich ground, and warm 
 weather, or it will not produce large ears. 
 
 In order to have a succession of " roasting ears," or green 
 com, my practice is to prepare the ground for several rows, 
 side by side. Then two weeks after the first row was planted, 
 put in the seed for another row, and so to the middle of sum- 
 mer. In this way, one may have green com for a long time. 
 
 Indian Corn will mix when difierent varieties are planted ia 
 such close proximity that the pollen from the tassels will be 
 carried to the silken cords, one of which proceeds from the 
 root of every kernel to the end of the growing ear. If varie- 
 ties are permitted to mix, they soon lose their identity. The 
 product may be quite as good, and perhaps better, than the 
 variety planted ; and it may not be so excellent. 
 
 To prevent any and all varieties from hybridizing, cut (M 
 
KITCHEN-GARDENINa. 11 
 
 every tassel as soon as it appears. This will not injure the 
 growing corn in the least ; and it wiU always be found a com- 
 plete security against mixing of the seed, even when varieties 
 widely diflFerent are grown in rows side by side. But the 
 tassels must be clipped off before they have pushed entirely 
 out of the sheath, or a portion of the pollen may be blown to 
 the ears, and thus impregnate the young grain. A piece of 
 paper tied over each ear, will shield it from the pollen. I 
 allude to this subject, as it is desirable to know how to keep a 
 good vai'iety pure for several years. 
 
 MAIZE FOE SOILING, OB FOR DRY FODDER. 
 
 One acre well prepared by thorough pulverization and 
 manuring and seeded with maize, will almost always yield 
 three times as much feed for soiling stock of any kind, as can 
 be produced from any other kind of grain or grass. Growing 
 Maize or Indian-corn feeds largely on coarse manure, which 
 other plants do not appropriate to their growth and develop- 
 ment. For this reason, the ground can be, and always should 
 be, highly manured. If a farmer apprehends a scarcity of pas- 
 ture, he should make preparations at once for putting in one 
 or more acres, for feeding-green, next August, or in September, 
 when pasture fields are often as dry and parched as a barren 
 desert Should such feed not be required while green, the 
 stalks and leaves, if properly cured, will make excellent dry 
 fodder. Moreover if a crop of Maize is not wanted for green 
 or dry feed, it may be ploughed under, to ameliorate the stub- 
 bom condition of a heavy and lumpy soU. Four bushels of 
 Indian-corn per acre wiU furnish more than three times the 
 amount of vegetable matter for fertilizing a poor soil, than a 
 crop of red clover, peas, or any other material that farmers are 
 accustomed to raise for such purposes. "When heavy soils are 
 destitute, in a great degree, of fine mould, which is always 
 eminently essential to the production of bountiful crops of 
 grain and roots, the ground will be extremely lumpy and 
 
18 
 
 KITCHEN-GABDBNING. 
 
 diflScult to till ; and Bhould there be an excess of moisture in 
 the soil, in warm weather, the ground will bake, and thus pre- 
 vent crops of any kind attaining that great development which 
 is obtained when the soil is dry, and well supplied with vegeta- 
 ble mould. When red clover or peas are plowed under for 
 the purpose of renovating the soil, if Indian-corn be put in as 
 soon as practicable after the ground is ploughed, a heavy burden 
 of stalks will grow before frosts occur to injure their growth, 
 which also may be ploughed in, and thus furnish the barren land 
 with two dressings of green manure in a single season. 
 
 Planted in hills. Sowed tUck broadcast Sowed thin broadcast. 
 
 PREPAKATION or SOIL AND SEEDING. 
 
 The accompanying illustration will furnish the beginner in 
 this branch of agriculture with some correct notions concern- 
 ing the growth of Maize. The plants at the left hand repre- 
 sent a hill of Indian-corn, where the stalks grow taU, large, and 
 heavy, having large butts and joints, which cattle will not eat, 
 unless they are well cured and cut into short pieces. The 
 middle figure represents Maize as it appears when the grain 
 is sowed thick. The stalks are small and much more tender 
 than when the seed is sowed thin. The figure at the right hand 
 represents the appearance of Maize that was sowed moderately 
 thict. 
 
 In order to produce a bountiful crop of Maize, plow under a 
 liberal dressing of barn-yard manure, always remembering to 
 break up the ground when it is just moist enough to crumble 
 easily. Heavy ground should not be broken up when 'the 
 
KITCHEN-GARDENING. 79 
 
 furrow slices will turn over in clods. Let the ground be har- 
 rowed ; and if a grain drUl is at hand, drill in the seed, about 
 three inches deep, at the rate of four bushels per acre. A drill 
 is better for putting in such grain than to sow it broadcast, and 
 harrow it in, as a drill will bury all the kernels at a uniform 
 depth, whereas much of the seed will not be covered at all if 
 harrowed in; and a large portion will often be covered so 
 shghtly that the young plants cannot flourish luxuriantly. 
 
 Some farmers prefer to put in the seed with a corn plantei, 
 in drills about thirty inches apart, which will allow a horse-hoe 
 to work between the drills. Others mark out the ground with 
 a small plough, making channels three inches deep, about thirty 
 inches apart, into which the grain is dropped, or scattered by 
 hand. The seed is then covered by hitching a horse to a small 
 log, five or six feet long, and drawing it sideways over two 
 rows at once. This is a rapid and efBcient way to cover the 
 seed when a person has no drill. 
 
 The taU white flint, or eight-rowed yellow com, in our lati- 
 tude, is the best variety for producing green fodder, whether the 
 crop is to be fed green, or cured, or ploughed under. On many 
 farms there are several acres covered with nothing but noxious 
 weeds, which may every season be made to yield an abundant 
 crop of excellent feed, if properly managed. 
 
 HOW TO CUBE THE STALKS. 
 
 As soon as the Maize is in full bloom, let it be cut, bound in 
 small sheaves, and set up in long shocks in dry weather. Dur- 
 ing protracted storms, the sheaves should be put in round 
 shocks, and the tops bound tightly to turn as much of the rain 
 as possible. If a person have hay-caps, one may be put on 
 every shock, and thus keep the stalks dry. In pleasant weather, 
 the caps should be removed. When a person has an abundance 
 of barn-room, the sheaves may be set up on open floors, or 
 poles placed on the beams of the building, so that the air may 
 circulate through the stalks. A ton of Maize, well cured, will 
 produce more rich milk than a ton of good hay. 
 
80 
 
 KITCHBN-GAEDENISra. 
 
 n^srragaiiBett Com. 
 
 New Jersey WMte, , 
 X Dent 
 
 DESCRIPTION or ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 Figure 1 represents an ear of Narragansett Com, •whicli was 
 originated near the Narragansett Bay, Bhode Island, and is 
 highly esteemed by many gardeners. 
 
 Figure 2 is the New Jersey White, ^ dent, which is an ex- 
 cellent variety, yielding bountifully in most localities. All the 
 varieties illustrated in this book, and many other kinds, can be ■ 
 obtained at most seed stores in our large cities. 
 
KITCHEN-GAEDENING. 
 
 81 
 
 Figure 3 represents tlie Rhode Island Asylum Corn. 
 
 Figure 4 is the Tuscarora Com, which was originated by the 
 tribe of Tuscarora Indians, in Niagara county, N. Y. It needs 
 improving by selecting the earliest ripened ears for a few years. 
 
 Ehode Island Asylum Corn. Tuscarora Com. 
 
 Figure 5 is the Ohio Dent Com, which will yield more 
 bushels per acre, in certain States, than can be produced by 
 planting any other variety. 
 
 Figure 6 represents the King Philip Com, which is an 8-rowed 
 
83 
 
 KITCHEN-OAROENINO. 
 
 variety, having large kernels, long ears, and small cobs. It is 
 an excellent kind of corn for most localities, although in some 
 States it does not succeed satisfactorily. The Improved King 
 Philip is considered a superior variety, not only for market but 
 for meal for home consumption 
 
 Figure 7 represents a variety highly esteemed, known as the 
 Khode Island Premium Com. The varieties of Indian-corn 
 are almost without number. Some are not worthy of cultiva- 
 
 Ohlo Dent Com. Kli.g Philip Corn. Ehode Island Premium Oonu 
 
KITCHEN-GARDENING. 83 
 
 tion, -while others succeed most satisfactorily wherever the soil 
 vrill produce a large crop of any kind of corn. 
 
 METHOD OF CULTIVATING THE HOP. 
 HouBLON. Humulus lupulus. 
 
 Although the Hop is not a culinary vegetable, yet, as it is 
 more or less used in every part of our country, it may not be 
 amiss to treat of its culture. As a great deal depends on the 
 manner in which Hops are cured, I propose giving directions 
 for their management throughout, so as to enable those who 
 choose, to prepare their own. My information is collected 
 chiefly from Loudon's Encyclopaedia of Plants. 
 
 " The Hop has been cultivated in Europe an unkaown length 
 of time for its flowers, which are used for preserving beer. Its 
 culture was introduced from Flanders in the reign of Henry 
 the Eighth ; though indigenous both in Scotland and Ireland, 
 it is little cultivated in those countries, owing to the humidity 
 of their autumnal season. Lite other plants of this sort, the 
 Hop bears its flowers on different individuals ; therefore, the 
 female plants alone are cultivated." 
 
 NAMES OP DIITERENT VARIETIES. 
 
 "There are several varieties grown in Kent and Surrey, under 
 the name of Flemish, Canterbury, Goldings, etc. ; the first is 
 the most hardy, differing little from the Wild or Hedge Hop ; 
 the Golding is an improved and highly productive variety, but 
 more subject to blight than the other. Besides these are the 
 Famham, or Golden Grape, which is cultivated for an early 
 crop ; and for late picking, the Mayfield Grape, or Ruffler, is 
 esteemed, which is a dwarfish variety. Great caution is neces- 
 sary lest the varieties get mixed, as they will not ripen nor dry 
 equally, and consequently cannot be of one uniform color and 
 quality. In the Hop-growing districts of the State of New 
 
84 KITOHEN-aARDENINO. 
 
 York, where Hops constitute the principal crop of the farm, 
 the Pompey Hop, Grape Hop, and English Cluster are most 
 productive. Still, the Pompey Hop, it is said, is more liable 
 to be injured by rust and insects than the other varieties. 
 
 PREPARATION OF SOIL AND PLANTING. 
 
 " The Hop prefers a deep loamy soil on a dry bottom ; a 
 sheltered situation, but at the same time not so confined as to 
 prevent a free circulation of air. The soil requires to be well 
 pulverized and manured previous to planting. In Hop dis- 
 tricts, the ground is generally trenched either with a^pade or 
 subsoil plough ; and if the ground is at all wet it must be 
 thoroughly under-drained, as Hops will not grow luxuriantly 
 and produce abundantly when there is an excess of water in 
 the soU. The ground requires as thorough preparation for 
 Hops as for a crop of wheat or roots. 
 
 "The ground is marked out with a plough, making drills 
 three or four inches deep, and six to nine feet apart. Some 
 experienced Hop-growers say the rows should never be nearer 
 than nine feet in rows both ways. By some, five, six, or seven 
 plants, are placed ia a circular form, which circles are distant 
 five or six feet from each other. 
 
 " The sets or cuttings are procured from the most healthy 
 of the old stools ; each should have two joints or buds. From 
 the one which is placed in the ground the root springs ; and 
 from the other, the stalk. Some plant the cuttings at once, 
 covering them with mellow soil about two inches deep, where 
 they are to remain ; and by others they are nursed a year in 
 a garden. An interval crop of Beans or Cabbage is generally 
 taken the first year. Sometimes no poles are placed at the 
 plants till the second year, and then only short ones of six or 
 seven feet. The third year the Hop generally comes into full 
 bearing, and then from four to six poles, from fourteen to six- 
 teen feet in length, are placed to each circle : or one pole to 
 each plant, if cultivated in straight rows. The plan adopted 
 for the most part at the present time, is to set stakes about 
 
KITCHEN-GARDENIN0. 85 
 
 eight feet Mgli at every hill, and attach tarred twine to the 
 tops all over the field. This is called horizontal cultivation. 
 The stakes should he about one and a half inches square, of 
 durable timber, and the whole stake dipped in a trough of coal- 
 tar, to prevent decay and repel insects. 
 
 CULTIVATION AND TRAINING. 
 
 " The after-culture of the Hop consists in stirring the soU, 
 and keeping it free from weeds ; in guiding the shoots to the 
 poles, and sometimes tying them for that purpose with bass 
 or withered rushes ; in eradicating superfluous shoots which 
 may rise from the root, and in raising a small heap of earth 
 over the root to nourish the plant ; although, if the ground be 
 not excessively wet, it is better to hill but little. Rows of 
 Beans may be planted between the rows of Hops, without 
 injury to the crop of Hops. Grass and weeds must be kept 
 subdued by the repeated use of the horse-hoe and hand-hoes, 
 through the entire growing season. 
 
 " Some persons cultivate only a few hiUs of Hops for the 
 use of their own families ; and the hiUs are planted near the 
 dwelling, and the vines trained on cords over the window. 
 Sometimes the vines are all6wed to run thirty feet high. This 
 is objectionable, as such a great length of vine is produced at 
 the expense of the crop of Hops. After the vines have 
 attained a certain height, if there is no support they will soon 
 cease to run ; and the energies of the plants will be employed 
 in producing Hops. 
 
 " As the Hop is a staminate or male, and pistillate or female 
 plant, if the vines be unproductive, some of the barren hills 
 should be dug up, and others that will bear well set in their 
 places. In -field cultivation, the most successfdl growers of 
 Hops plant about every ninth hill with sets from a staminate 
 or male stalk. By this means all the vines will be fertilized 
 and rendered productive. 
 
 " A person should pass through the field every few days, 
 and aid the vines in twining to their supports. It is a striking 
 
83 KITCHEN-GAKDESISG. 
 
 characteristic of the Hop, as well as of beans, that the climb- 
 ers always ascend in one direction. Hops ran from right to 
 left, and beans in the opposite direction. And if the ranliers 
 be put around the pole in an opposite direction, and secured 
 there, the ends will turn about as soon as they are free, and go 
 up the pole, or twine the other way. Hop-vines turn around 
 a pole in the same direction that the sun appears to revolve 
 around the earth. 
 
 WHEN AND HOW TO PICK. 
 
 " Hops are known to be ready for gathering when the chafify 
 capsules acquire a brown color, and a firm consistence. Each 
 chaffy capsule, or leaf calyx, contains one seed. Before these 
 are picked, the stalks are detached, and the poles pulled up, 
 and placed horizontally on frames of wood, two or three poles 
 at a time. The hops are then picked off by women and 
 children. After being carefully separated from the leaves and 
 stalks, they are dropped into a large cloth hung all around 
 within the frame on tenter-hooks. When the cloth is full, the 
 Hops are emptied into a large sack, which is carried home, 
 and the Hops laid on a kiln to be dried. This is always to be 
 done as soon as possible after they 'are picked, or they are apt 
 to sustain considerable damage, both in color and flavor, if al- 
 lowed to remain long in the green state in which they are 
 picked. In very warm weather, and when they are picked in 
 a moist state, they will often heat in five or six hours. For 
 this reason, the kilns are kept constantly at work, both night 
 and day, from the commencement to the conclusion of the 
 Hop-picking season. 
 
 " Some Hop-growers, however, prefer large boxes made of 
 thin boards for receiving the Hops as they are picked. These 
 boxes have handles screwed to their sides, so that two persons 
 may handle a boxful conveniently." 
 
 MANNER or DKTING HOPS. 
 
 "The operation of drying Hops is not materially different 
 
KITCHEN-GARDENING. 87 
 
 from that of drying malt ; and the kilns are of the same con- 
 struction. The hops are spread on a hair cloth, from eight to 
 twelve inches deep, according as the season is dry or wet, or 
 the Hops ripe or immature. When the ends of the Hop-stalks 
 become quite shrivelled aud dry, they are taken off the kiln, 
 and laid on a board floor till they become quite cool, when 
 they are put into bags. When only a small quantity is raised, 
 they can be spread on a clean floor a few inches deep, and 
 stirred every day till they are quite dry, after which they should 
 be stored in sacks made of coarse cloth." 
 
 MANNER OF BAGGING. 
 
 " The bagging of Hops is thus performed. In the floor of 
 the room where Hops are laid to cool, there is a round hole or 
 trap, equal in size to the mouth of a Hop-bag. After tying a 
 handful of Hops in each of the lower comers of a large bag, 
 which serve for handles, the mouth of the bag is fixed se- 
 curely to a strong hoop, which is made to rest on the edge of. 
 the hole or trap ; and the bag itself being then dropped 
 through the hole, a packer goes into it, when a person who at- 
 tends for the purpose, puts in the Hops ia small quantities, in 
 order to give the packer an opportunity of packing and tram- 
 pling them as hard as possible. When the bag is filled, and the 
 Hops trampled in so hard that it will hold no more, it is drawn 
 up, loosened from the hoop, and the end sewed up, two other 
 handles having been previously formed in the corners in the 
 manner mentioned above. The brightest and finest-colored 
 Hops are put into fine bagging, and the brown into coarse or 
 heavy bagging. The former are chiefly used for brewing fine 
 ale, and the Jatter by the porter brewers. But when Hops are 
 intended to be kept two or three years, they are put into 
 bags of strong cloth, and firmly pressed with a screw so as to 
 exclude the air." Hops are also pressed into small packages, 
 in paper bags, weighing half a pound and upwards, to suit the 
 wants of small families. 
 
88 KITCHEN-GABDENING. 
 
 YIELD PER ACEE. 
 
 " The produce of no crop is so liable to variation as that of 
 the Hop. In good seasons an acre will produce 20 cwt,, but 
 from 10 to 12 cwt. is considered a tolerable average crop. The 
 quality of Hops is estimated by the abundance or scarcity of 
 an unctuous clammy powder which adheres to them, and by 
 their bright-yellow color. The expenses of forming a Hop 
 plantation are considerable ; but once in bearing, it will con- 
 tinue so for ten or fifteen years before it requires to be renewed. 
 The Hop is peculiarly liable to diseases ; when young it is 
 devoured by fleas of difierent kinds ; at a more advanced st^e, 
 it is attacked by the green fly, red spider, and ottermoth, the 
 larvae of which prey even upon their roots. The honey-dew 
 often materially injures the Hop crop ; and the mould, the foe- 
 blast, and other blights, injure jt-»t different times towards the 
 latter period of the growth of the plant." 
 
 The Hop is considered somewhat precarious ; but when tie 
 season is good, the profit is very great. The average product 
 may be stated at 700 lbs., though it has reached 1600 lbs. to 
 the acre ; and in the latter case the expenses amounted to 
 sixty dollars. The ordinary, or average price, may be stated 
 at eighteen cents per pound. The profits on an ordinary crop, 
 according to these assumed data, would be about seventy dol- 
 lars to the acre. It often falls materially short of this, how- 
 ever, from the waat of knowledge and care in gathering and 
 drying the crop. 
 
 MEDICINAL PROPERTIES. 
 
 The young shoots of both wild and cultivated Hops are con- 
 sidered by some as very wholesome, and are frequently gather- 
 'ed iu the spring, boiled, and eaten as Asparagus. The stalks 
 and leaves will dye wool yellow. From the stalk a strong 
 cloth is made in Sweden ; and the mode of preparing it is 
 described by Linnseus in his Flora Suecica. A decoction of 
 the roots is said to be as gopd a sudorific as SarsaparLUa ; and 
 
KITCHBN-GARDKNIlfG. 89 
 
 the smell of the flowers is soporific, A pillow filled with Hop 
 flowers will induce sleep, unattended with the bad effects of 
 soporifics which require to be taken internally, 
 
 STACKING THE POLES. 
 
 " The stripping and stackmg of the poles succeed, to the 
 operation of picking. The shoot or bind being stripped oflj 
 such poles as are not decayed, are set up together La a conical 
 pile of three or four hundred, the centre of which is formed 
 by three stout poles bound together a few feet from their tops, 
 and their lower ends spread out. A flat stone, or piece of 
 board, should be placed under every pole to keep the moisture 
 from rising in the wood, which, if not prevented, will hasten 
 the decay of the poles about as fast as if they were in the 
 ground. Those who propose to raise Hops on a large scale, 
 should visit some of the Hop-growing districts in the northern 
 counties of New York, or other States, and examine the modes 
 of culture and kilns for drying. 
 
 Leek. Poibreau. Allium porrum. 
 
 VARtETIES. 
 
 Scotch, or Flag. | Large London. 
 
 This is a wholesome and useful herb, and is so hardy as to 
 endure the extremes of heat and cold without injury. The 
 seed may be sown in March, or early in April, in a bed of rich 
 earth, in drills about an inch deep, and a sufficient distance 
 apart to admit of a small hoe being worked between the rows, 
 allowing one ounce of seed for every three thousand plants that 
 may be required. 
 
 If the ground be kept loose and clean around the plants," 
 they will be fit to transplant in June, or early in July, and 
 should be set out in good ground, in rows twelve inches asun- 
 der, and the plants five or six inches apart in the rows. They 
 
90 KITCHEN-GAEDBNING. 
 
 will grow well in a warm border, wMch at this season is use- 
 less for many kinds of vegetables. After tlie plants have taken 
 root, they should be frequently hoed, and kept free from 
 
 Those who wish to have Leeks blanched, may plant them 
 in trenches three or four inches deep, and as the plants in- 
 crease in growth, the earth should be drawn by a hoe into the 
 trenches. 
 
 LETTUCE. 
 
 Laitttb. Lactuca sativa crispa. * 
 
 It would be easy to furnish a more extensive catalogue of 
 Lettuce, as the varieties are numerous ; but as this is one of 
 those kinds of vegetables that can only be raised in perfection 
 during mild and temperate weather, it is needless for the gar- 
 dener to plant any in the open ground but such as have been 
 tested, and found to stand a tolerable degree of warm weather, 
 which generally prevails in May and June, and consequently 
 cuts short the salad season. Those who have been accustomed 
 to raise head Lettuce in any quantity, know the trouble of pre- 
 paring the ground and planting, and the loss they would sus- 
 tain if several thousand plants should run to seed just as they 
 appeared to be perfecting for market. As this is often the 
 case, even with the very best attention, I would caution gar- 
 deners to test such plants as they are not acquainted with, before 
 they set out any quantity with a view to their heading. 
 
 Lettuce seed of most varieties may be sown from the 
 first to the middle of September, in rich ground free from 
 weeds ; they answer very well when sown with Spinach, and 
 should be covered with straw at the approach of severe weather. 
 These plants, if transplanted into warm borders, or in the 
 open ground, as early in March as the weather will permit, 
 will produce fine heads early in the month of May. 
 
EITCHEN-GABDEmNG. 91 
 
 The best of the tender Mnds of Lettuce should be sown in 
 moderate hotbeds early in March, and if transplanted into 
 good ground by the middle of April, will produce their heads 
 before the approach of warm weather. Such kinds as are 
 known to produce heads in hot weather, also such as are in- 
 tended to be cut as a small salad while young, may be sown 
 in warm borders in March and April ; but those designed for 
 heading should be transplanted as soon as they are an inch or 
 two in height, and kept in a growing state by frequent hoeing, 
 or they may run up to seed as the season advances. 
 
 If it be an object with the gardener to have good strong 
 Lettuce plants for transplanting, the seed should be sown very 
 thin. On6 ounce of good seed is sufficient for a border of six 
 feet in width by eighteen feet in length, and will produce from 
 ten to twelve thousand plants. All kinds of Lettuce intended 
 for heading should be planted in good ground, twelve inches 
 distant from each other every way ; the plants should be care- 
 fully hoed every other week during their growth. The first 
 hoeing should be done in about two weeks after they are trans- 
 planted. 
 
 The Coss Lettuce requires to be blanched. This is done by 
 gathering up the leaves of the plants and tying bass around 
 them, when grown to perfection. If Head Lettuce be required 
 at other seasons than the spring, it may be obtained in autumn 
 by sowing seed in August, or in the winter by means of garden 
 frames and glazed sashes. (See article on Forcing Vegetables.) 
 
 Moisture is the most essential nutriment of Lettuce ; and 
 the best varieties may run to seed without forming beads, in 
 the event of extreme dry weather. Those who put oflf the 
 sowing of seed until May and June, instead of sowing it in 
 March and April, as directed, may procure head Lettuce from 
 some of their strongest plants by transplanting them into rich 
 ground as soon as they are an inch or two in height, and the 
 remainder, if left thin in the beds, may produce smaU heads 
 by stirring the earth around them with a small hoe or weed- 
 ing-hook. These are as good for family use as larger heads, 
 
92 KITCHBN-GAEDENING. 
 
 and those persons who are fond of Lettuce may raise such 
 throughout the summer. But market gardeners seldom 
 attempt it, unless they have a tract of moist, loamy soil, 
 peculiarly adapted to the growth of head Lettuce, ia anything 
 lite a propitious season. 
 
 Where the soil in. a garden is heavy, hy mingling a load of 
 sand with a small plot of ground for a bed of Lettuce, heads 
 may be obtained much sooner than they will grow iu a heavy 
 solL 
 
 MELON. 
 
 Melon. Cucumis melo. 
 
 The Melon is an exotic plant, growing wild in Asa. It is 
 cultivated in all the warm countries of Europe, and also in 
 Africa and America, where its salubrious and cooling fruit is 
 generally esteemed. *" 
 
 For the varieties of the Musk or Canteleupe Melons, prepare 
 a piece of rich ground early in May ; manure, and give it a 
 good digging ; then mark it out into squares of six feet every 
 way. At the angle of each square, dig a hole twelve inches deep 
 and eighteen broad, into which put about six inches of old, 
 rotten dung. Throw thereon about four inches of earth, and 
 mix the dung and earth well with the spade ; after which 
 draw more earth over the mixture, so as to form a circular hill 
 about a foot broad at top. "When your hills are all prepared, 
 plant in each, towards the centre, six or eight grains of seed, 
 distant two inches from each other, and cover them haK an 
 inch deep. One ounce of good Melon-seed will plant about 
 one hundred and twenty hOls. 
 
 ^ When the plants are in a state of forwardness, producing 
 their rough leaves, they must be thinned to two or three 
 in each hill. Draw earth from time to time around the hills 
 and about the roots of the plants. As soon as the 
 
KITCHEN-GARDENIITO. 93 
 
 Have spread into branches, stop them by pinching off the top 
 of the first runner-bud. This will strengthen the plants and 
 promote their perfecting the fruit early. After this keep the 
 ground free from weeds by frequent hoeing. 
 
 There are many varieties of the melon, highly esteemed in 
 Europe, vrhich do not succeed in this country ; the gardener 
 should, therefore, plant only such as have been tested and 
 found to produce good finiit here, or our superior old sorts may 
 become degenerated. After a judicious selection is made, if 
 caution be not used to plant the different sorts remote from 
 each other, and from Cucumbers, Squashes, and Gourds, de- 
 generacy mil infallibly be the consequence. To prevent the 
 ravages of flies, etc., see General Eemarks, Chap. I. 
 
 WATEE MELON. 
 
 Melon d'eau. Cucurbita citrullus. 
 
 The Water Melon, though by some considered a species of 
 the former, is a distinct genus of exotic plants. They afford 
 a very refreshing article of luxury in our warm summers. In 
 order to have Water Melons in perfection, you must fix upon 
 a piece of very rich, light soil ; prepare, plant, and manage it 
 in every respect as is directed for Musk Melon, only let the hills 
 be seven or eight feet distant every way. One ounce of seed 
 win plant from forty to fifty hills. 
 
 Some persons, who have a soil as rich as manure can make 
 it, can never succeed in raising Water Melons, because there is 
 too large a proportion of clay in the soil. In order to raise 
 large Melons, a rich, sandy soil, or a sandy loam, is essential. 
 I have known Water-Melon seed planted where the ground 
 was so productive as to yield forty bushels of Wheat, or eighty 
 of Indian Cora per acre, when a Melon of fair size and quality 
 could not be obtained with the best of cultivation. 
 
04 KITCHEN-GARDENING. 
 
 FORWAEDING MELONS UNDER HAND-GLASSES. 
 
 The directions already given for maturing Cucumbers under 
 glass will apply to Melons, with very few exceptions. Care, 
 however, must be taken that they be kept away from each 
 other at the time of fruiting, as instances often occur of whole 
 crops being entirely ruined by plants of the same genus being 
 raised too near each other. Those who wish to forward Melons 
 may prepare a hotbed, early in the season, for plants. If the 
 ridging system be adopted, and a hand-glass applied to each 
 hill. Melons may be obtained one month earlier than the usual 
 time. 
 
 Gardeners raising Melons for the supply of city markets, 
 may gratify the public taste early in the season by pursuing 
 the forwarding, if not the forcing system. Ridges may be pre- 
 pared in the following manner : In April or May a trench may 
 be dug in a warm border, about two feet deep and three wide, 
 and of sufficient length for as many hand-glasses as are in- 
 tended to be employed, allowing three feet for every hilL 
 Some good heating-manure should be laid in the pits, managed 
 the same as a common hotbed. To this must be added rich 
 mould to the depth of eight or ten inches. As soon as the 
 mould is warm, the seedlings may be planted, three in each 
 hill, after which the hand-glasses should be set on, and shaded. 
 After the plants have taken root and begin to grow, one side 
 of the glasses should be raised in fine days to admit fresh air; 
 and as the warm weather progresses, the glasses may be taken 
 off in the middle of fine days, so as to harden the plants gra- 
 dually to the weather; and by the latter part of May they 
 may be removed entirely. 
 
 Those persons who live at a great distance from a glass-works 
 may make a protection for Melon-hills by making wooden 
 boxes, without bottom or top, about ten inches wide and fou^ 
 teen inches long. Then, one pane of glass, ten by fourteen', 
 simply laid on a box, will subserve the purpose of an excel 
 lent bell-glass. Such boxes should be at least eight inches 
 
KITCHEN-GARDENING. 06 
 
 high, eke the young plants will not have sufficient room to 
 push upwards^ 
 
 MUSTAED. 
 MouTAEDE. Sinapis. 
 
 The Alba, or White Mustard, grows spontaneously in the 
 fields of England ; it is also cultivated as a small salad, as 
 well as for seed. The seed yields from every hundred pounds, 
 from thirty-three to thirty-six pounds of sweet, mUd oil. 
 
 "White Mustard Seed is much used as a medicine, and per- 
 sons subject to disordered stomachs often derive great benefit 
 by talcing a spoonful of the dry seed two or three times a day. 
 Some use it in picHes, to which it imparts an agreeable flavor, 
 and renders Cucumbers, in particular, more salutary. 
 
 - The Nigra, or Common Mustard, is also a native of Eng- 
 land. The condiment called Mustard, and in daily use at our 
 table, is prepared from the seed of this species. The seed of 
 each variety may be sown in clean, rich ground in April and 
 May ; and for a fall salad in September, in shallow drills. 
 
 MUSHROOMS. 
 
 HOW TO DISTINGUISH THE GOOD FROM THE POISONOUS. 
 
 The Agarkus is said to be the most extensive genus in the 
 vegetable kingdom. The species are determined upon various 
 principles. As some of the kinds are poisonous, it is necessary 
 to describe the eatable Mushroom. Loudon says, it is most 
 readily distinguished when of a middle size, by its fine pink 
 or flesh-colored gills, and pleasant smell. In a more advanced 
 age, the gills become of a chocolate color, and it is then more 
 apt to be confounded with other kinds of doubtful quality; 
 
96 KITOHEN-GAEDENING. 
 
 but that species whicli most nearly resembles it is slimy to the 
 touch, destitute of fine odor, and has a disagreeable smell. 
 
 Again ; the noxious kinds grow in woods, while the true 
 Mushroom springs up chiefly in open pastures, and sbould be 
 gathered only ia such places. Unwholesome fungi will some- 
 times spring up on artificial beds in gardens. Sometimes, 
 when the spawn begins to run, a spurious breed is often found 
 to precede a crop of genuine Mushrooms. The poisonous 
 toad-stool, Agariciis cirocus, may generally be detected by the 
 presence of a sickly, nauseous smell, though some hurtful kinds 
 are so free from anything disagreeable in the smell as to make 
 any criterion, drawn from that alone, very unsafe. The whole- 
 some kinds, however, invariably emit a grateful, rich odor. 
 
 In order to ascertain whether what appear to be Mushrooms 
 are of the true edible kinds, sprinkle a little salt over the inner 
 or spongy part ; if, iu a short time after, they turn yellow, 
 they are unwholesome ; but if black, they may be considered 
 as genuine Mushrooms. 
 
 FOECINO MUSHROOMS AT ALL SEASONS. 
 
 Mushrooms may be obtained at any season of the year, by 
 a proper regulation of the time and manner of forming the 
 beds. A good crop is sometimes collected without making a 
 bed on purpose, by introducing lumps of spawn into the top 
 mould of old hotbeds. The Agaricus campestris is most gene- 
 rally cultivated. Dr. Withering mentions other eatable vari- 
 eties, which grow considerably larger, but are inferior in flavor ; 
 he says " that a plant of the variety Georgia was gathered in 
 an old hotbed at Birmingham, which weighed fourteen pounds ;' 
 and Mr. Stackhouse found one fifty-four inches in circumference, 
 having a stem as thick as a man's wrist." 
 
 The methods of procuring^ and propagating spawn, and of 
 forming Mushroom beds, are numerous. Indigenous spawn 
 may be collected in pasture lands in September and October, 
 or it may be found in its strength and purity in the paths of 
 mills worked by horses, or in any other horse-walks under 
 
KITOHEN-GARDENINa. 97 
 
 shelter ; it is frequently found in old hotbeds and dunghills in 
 the summer season, and Mushrooms of good quality may often 
 be seen beginning to form on the surface, like large peas. When 
 these are absorbed it is time to tate out the spawn, -which is 
 generally in hard, dry lumps of dung, the spawn having the 
 appearance of whitish coarse pieces of thread. The true sort 
 has exactly the smell of a Mushroom. If spawn thus collected 
 be required for immediate use, it may be planted in the beds 
 at once, or it will keep three or four years, if laid to dry with 
 the earth adhering to it, and afterwards placed in a warm, dry 
 shed, where there is a current of air; but if it be not com- 
 pletely dried the spawn will exhaust itself or perish, as it will 
 not bear the extremes of heat, cold, or moisture. 
 
 HOW TO MAKE MTTSHROOM-BEDS. 
 
 Mushroom-beds are simply heaps of animal dung and earth, 
 so tempered as to be capable of producing and preserving 
 spawn ; but in order to have fruitful spawn at all times, it 
 should be so formed as to be always at command. To this 
 end, a quantity of fresh horse-droppings mixed with short 
 litter should be collected. Add to this one-third of cow-dung 
 and a small portion of good earth, to cement it together ; mash 
 the whole into a thin compost, like grafting-clay ; then form it 
 in the shape of bricks ; which being done, set them on edge, 
 and frequently turn them until half dry ; then with a dibble 
 make one or two holes in each brick, and insert in each 
 hole a piece of spawn the size of an egg ; the bricks should 
 then be laid where they can dry gradually. When dry, lay 
 dry horse-dung on a level floor, six or eight inches thick ; on 
 this pile the bricks, the spawn side uppermost. When the 
 pile is snugly formed, cover it with a small portion of fresh 
 warm horse-dung, suflicient in quantity to produce a gentle 
 glow through the whole. When the spawn has spread itself 
 through every part of the bricks, the process is ended, and 
 they may be laid up in any dry place for use. Mushroom 
 spawn.. made according to this receipt, will preserve its vege- 
 
98 KITCHEN-GAEDENING. 
 
 tating powers for many years, if well dried before it is laid up ; 
 if moist, it wDl grow, and soon exhaust itself. 
 
 Mushroom-beds are often formed in ridges in the open air, co- 
 vered with litter and mats, so as to prevent heavy rains exciting a 
 fermentation : and sometimes in ridges of the same sort, under 
 cover, as in the open sheds of hot-houses. They are also made 
 in close' sheds, behind hot-houses, or in houses buUt on pur- 
 pose, called Mushroom-houses. A moderately warm, l^ht 
 cellar is peculiarly suited for the purpose, in the winter season, 
 as no fire is necessary, and but little water — the application of 
 which frequently proves injurious when not judiciously ma- 
 naged. Mushrooms may also be raised in pots, boxes, ham- 
 pers, etc., placed in warm situations ; also in old beds, in pits 
 with glazed frames, and in dark frames or pits. 
 
 The general way of making Mushroom-beds is to prepare a 
 body of stable-dung, moderately fermented, about a yard in 
 thickness, more or less, according to the size and situation in 
 which the bed is to be formed. When the strong heat has 
 subsided, an inch of good mould may be laid over it, and the 
 spawn planted therein in rows five or six inches apart. After 
 this is done, another layer of mould, an inch thick, may be 
 added, and then a coat of straw. Beds well constructed will 
 produce Mushrooms in five or six weeksj and will continue to 
 produce for several months, if care be taken in gathering not 
 to destroy the young ones. As Mushrooms are gathered 
 from time to time, the straw should be spread carefully over 
 the bed. 
 
 Beds made in a convenient place, where there is space all 
 around, may be formed so as to make four sloping surfaces, 
 similar to the roof of a house, which, by being spawned on the 
 four sides, will yield abundantly. The celebrated Mr. Nichol 
 makes his beds without spawn. The following are his direc- 
 tions, taken from Loudon's Encyelopsedia of G-ardening : 
 
 " After having laid a floor of ashes, stones; chips, gravel, or 
 brick-bats, so as to keep the bed quite dry and free from under- 
 damp, lay a course of horse-droppings six inches thick. .These 
 
KITOHEN-GARDENINO. 99 
 
 should be new from the stables, and must not be broken, and 
 the dryer the better. They may be collected every day until 
 the whole floor or sole be covered to the above thickness ; 
 but they must not be allowed to ferment nor to heat. In the 
 whole process of making up, the bed should be as much' 
 exposed to the air as possible ; and it should be carefully de- 
 fended from wet, if out of doors. When this course is quite dry, 
 and judged to be past a state of fermentation, cover it to the 
 thickness of two inches with light, dry earth ; if sandy, so 
 much the better. It is immaterial whether it be rich or not ; 
 the only use of earth here being for spawn to run and mass in. 
 Now lay another course of droppings, and earth them over as 
 above, when past a state of fermentation : then a third course, 
 which, in like manner, earth all over. This finishes the bed, 
 which will be a very strong and productive one, if properly 
 'managed afterwards. 
 
 "Observe, that in forming the bed, it should be a little 
 rounded, in order that the centre may not be more wet or 
 moist than the sides. This may be done in forming the sole 
 or floor at first, and the bed would then be of equal strength 
 in aU parts. If it- be made up against a wall in a cellar, stable, 
 or shed, it may have a slope of a few inches from the back to 
 the front, less or more, according to its breadth. I have some- 
 times been contented with two courses as above, instead of 
 three ; and often, when materials were scarce, have made them 
 up slighter, thus : three four-inch courses of droppings, with 
 one inch of earth between each, and a two-inch covering at 
 top. Such a bed as this I have had produce for ten or twelve 
 successive months ; yet very much depends on the state of 
 the materials, on the care taken in making up the beds, and 
 on the after-management. 
 
 " The droppings of hard-fed horses only are useful. Those 
 of horses kept on green food will, of themselves, produce few 
 or no Mushrooms. I have made up beds from farm-horses, 
 fed partly on hard and partly on green food, and from carriage 
 or aarlHle-hoTses. fed entirely on corn or hay, treated theim in 
 
100 KITCHEN-GABDENING. 
 
 the same way in every respect, and have found, not once, but 
 always, those made from -the latter most productive. Drop- 
 pings from hard-fed horses may be procured at the public 
 stables iu towns, or at inns in the country, any time of the 
 year; and if the supply be plentiful, a bed of considerable 
 dimensions may be made and finished within five or six weeks. 
 In as many more weeks, if in a stable or dry cellar, or shed, 
 it will begin to produce, and often sooner ; but if the situation 
 of the bed be cold, it will sometimes be two or three months 
 in producing Mushrooms." 
 
 EXTREMES OF TEMPEEATTJRE SHOULD BE AVOIDED. 
 
 It may be necessary to state further, that extremes of heat, 
 cold, drought, and moisture should be avoided in the cultiva- 
 tion of Mushrooms. If the temperature keeps up to 50" in 
 the winter, the beds will be safe, and the heat in the beds may 
 rise to 60° or even 70° without injury. Air also must be 
 admitted in proportion to the heat, and 60° should be aimed 
 at as a medium temperature. Water, when given a little at a 
 time, is better than too much at once, after the spawn has 
 begun to spread ; and the water for this purpose should always 
 be made blood-warm. A light covering of straw may be used 
 to preserve moisture on the surface ; and if the beds are made 
 in open frames, or otherwise subject to exposure, the straw 
 may be laid thicker than on beds made in a cellar. 
 
 Should beds fail in producing Mushrooms after having been 
 kept too hot or too wet, it may be inferred that the spawn is 
 injured or destroyed ; but if, on the contrary, a bed that has 
 been kept moderately warm and dry should happen to be 
 unproductive, such bed may be well replenished with warm 
 water, and a coat of warm dung may be laid over the whole. 
 If this does not enliven the bed, after having lain a month, 
 take the earth off; and if, on examination, there is no appear- 
 ance of spawn, the whole maybe destroyed. On the contrary, 
 should the bod contain spawn, it may be renovated by cover- 
 ing it again, especially if any small tubercles be discernible. 
 
KITCHEN-GARDENING. 101 
 
 If the heat should have declined, the spawn may be taken 
 out and used in a fresh bed. If be'ds be formed in hotbed 
 frames under glass, some mats or straw must be laid over the 
 glass to break off the intense heat of the sun. 
 
 Although only one species of edible fungi has yet been in- 
 troduced into the garden, there are several eatable kinds. In 
 Poland and Eussia there are above thirty kinds in common 
 use among the peasantry. They are gathered at different 
 stages of their growth, and used in various ways— raw, boiled, 
 stewed, roasted ; and being hung up, and dried in their stoves 
 and chimneys, form a part of their winter stock of provisions. 
 Great caution is necessary in collecting Mushrooms for food ; 
 and none but the botanist should gather any but the kinds we 
 have described. Physicians say, " that all the edible species 
 should be thoroughly masticated before they are taken into the 
 stomach, as -this greatly lessens the effect of poisons. When 
 accidents of the sort happen, vomiting should be immediately 
 excited, and then the vegetable acids should be given, either 
 vinegar, lemon-juice, or that of apples ; after which give ether 
 and antispasmodic remedies, to stop the excessive vomiting. 
 Infusions of gall-nut, oak bark, and Peruvian bark are recom- 
 mended as capable of neutralizing the poisonous principle of 
 Mushrooms." It is, however, the safest way not to eat any 
 but the well known kinds. 
 
 NASTURTItIM, OE STUETION. 
 
 Capucinb. Tropoeolum. 
 This is an annual plant, a native of Peru, and is highly 
 deserving of cultivation for the sake of its brilliant orange and 
 crimson-colored flower, as well as for the berries, which, if 
 gathered while green and pickled in vinegar, make a good sub- 
 stitute for capers, and are used in melted butter, with boiled 
 mutton, etc. 
 
102 KITCHEN-GARDENING. 
 
 The seed stould be sown in April, or early in May, in drills 
 about an inch deep, near fences or pales ; or trellises should be 
 constructed, on which they can climb and have support; for 
 they will always be more productive in this way than when 
 suffered to trail on the ground. 
 
 Okjia. Gombo. Hibiscus, esculentus, ■ 
 The green capsules of this plant are used in soups, stews, etc., 
 to which they impart a rich flavor, and are considered nutri- 
 tious. Its ripe seed, if burned and ground like coffee, can 
 scarcely be distinguished therefrom. 
 
 The seed should be planted in good rich ground, the first or 
 second week in May, if settled warm weather, but not other- 
 wise, as it is a very tender vegetable. Draw drills about an 
 inch deep, and three or four feet asunder, into which drop 
 the seed at the distance of six or eight inches from each other, 
 or rather drop two or three in each place, lest the one should 
 not grow, and cover them nearly an inch deep. As the plants 
 advance in growth, thin them out, earth them up two or three 
 times, and they will produce abundantly. 
 
 Onion. Oignon. Allium cepa. 
 
 Of the several varieties of Onions, the Yellow or Silver 
 Skinned, and Large Re'd, are the best for a general crop. The 
 bulbs are handsome, of firm growth, and keep well through the 
 winter. The New England White are handsome for the table, 
 and very suitable for pickling, as well as to puU while young, 
 and generally prove a very profitable crop. 
 
 Previous to sowing Onion-seed for a general crop, the ground 
 should be well prepared by digging-in some of the oldest and 
 strongest manure that can be got. The earlier this is-done in the 
 spring, the better ; and the planting should not be delayed longer 
 than the middle of April. The seed may be sown moderately 
 thick, in drills one inch deep and twelve inches apart. Those 
 who cultivate Onions for the sake of their bulbs, may use at the 
 rate of four or five pounds of seed per acre. 
 
KITCHKN-GAKDENING. 103 
 
 As market gardeners, in tte vicinity of large cities, find 
 it most profitable to pull a great proportion of their Onions 
 while young, they generally require at the rate of from eight 
 to ten pounds of seed to an acre of land. 
 
 When the plants are up strong, they should be hoed. Those 
 beds that are to stand for ripening, should be thinned out 
 while young, to the distance of two or three inches from each 
 other. K a few should be required for use after this, those 
 can be taken which incline more to tops than roots ; and if the 
 beds be frequently looked over, and the small and stalky plants 
 taken away where they stand thickest, the remaining bulbs wUl 
 grow to a larger size. The plants should be hoed at least three 
 times in the early part of their growth ; but if the season prove 
 damp, and weeds vegetate luxuriantly, they must be removed 
 by the hand, because after the Onions have begun to bulb, it 
 would injure them to stir them with a hoe. 
 
 WHEN TO HARVEST ONIONS. 
 
 When the greenness is gone out of the tops of Onions, it is 
 time to take them up; for from this time the fibrous roots 
 decay. After they are pulled, they should be laid out to dry, 
 and when dry, removed to a place of shelter. 
 
 The small Onions may be plante4 in the following spring. 
 Even an Onion which is partly rotten will produce good bulbs, 
 if the seed-stems be taken off as soon as they appear. 
 
 The Allium fistulosum, or Welsh Onion, is cultivated for 
 spring salad ; it forms no bulbs, but is very hardy. If the seed 
 be sown early in September in rich ground, although the tops 
 may die down in the winter, yet the roots in mild climates will 
 continue sound, and put up new leaves early in the spring. 
 
 The Allium cepa, or common White and Bed Onions, are 
 most generally cultivated by market gardeners as a substitute 
 tor the Allium fistulosum. They sow the seed in the spring 
 and autumn months, the product of which is pulled and sent 
 to the market while young. 
 
 The Allium proliferum, or Tree Onion, is propagated' by 
 
104 KITCHEN-GARDENING. 
 
 planting tLe bulbs in spring or autumn, either the root bulbs, 
 or those produced on the top of the stalks ; the latter, if plant- 
 ed in the spring, will produce fine Onions. These may be 
 planted in rows with a dibble, the same as Shallots. 
 
 The Potato Onion, Allium tuberosum, does not produce seed 
 as other Onions, but it increases by the root. One single 
 Onion, slightly covered, will produce six or seven in a clump, 
 partly under ground. The bulbs are generally planted in the 
 spring from twelve to eighteen inches apart ; but they will yield 
 better when planted in autumn, as they will survive the winter 
 if slightly covered with dung, litter, or leaves of trees, etc. 
 
 WHEN TO sow THE SEED. 
 
 Onion-seed may be sown at any time from March to Septem- 
 ber ; but those only can be depended upon for ripening which 
 are sown in the first and second spring months. It is a singular 
 fact that Onions will not ripen later than August, or the early 
 p,art of September, however warm the weather may be. They 
 can, however, be preserved in the place where they grow, by 
 spreading some short dung over them in autumn, just suflScient 
 to prevent their being lifted out of the ground in winter. 
 Onions thus preserved, often prove more profitable to market 
 gardeners in the spring than crops which ripen ; because ripe 
 Onions are then scarce, an^ green ones prove a good substitute 
 for Shallots, Welsh Onions, Leeks, etc. 
 
 Parsley. Persil. ^Apium petroselitmm. 
 Parsley is a hardy biennial plant, and grows wild in moist 
 climates, but has been greatly improved by cultivation. The 
 leaves of the Common Parsley are used as a potherb, and those 
 of the Extra Curled kinds make a fine garnish. vThe Large- 
 Eooted are generally cooked for the table in autumn and 
 winter, like Parsnips. 
 
 As Parsley-seed, sown late in the season, is apt to lie in the 
 ground some time before it vegetates, and often fails in dry 
 weather, the general crop should be sown in a cool situation by 
 
KITCHEN-GARDENING. 105 
 
 the early part of April, in drills an inch deep, and one foot 
 asunder, allowing at the rate of about six or seven pounds of 
 seed to the acre, or two ounces for every three perches of land. 
 After the plants are up, let them be kept clean by frequent hoe- 
 ing. The Large-Eooted Parsley should be thinned out while 
 young, and managed the same as Carrots and Parsnips. 
 
 In order to have Parsley green through the winter, the old 
 leaves should be picked off in September. If some of the 
 roots be taken up early in November, and laid in a frame, or 
 light cellar, the leaves will keep green a long time. The re- 
 mainder may be covered up with straw in the place where it 
 grows. If Parsley-seed be sown in frames in spring or sum- 
 mer, it may be preserved for winter use without the trouble of 
 removing it. It frequently happens that Parsley seed will 
 remain in the ground three or four weeks without showing 
 any signs of vegetation, and in the- event of extreme dry 
 weather, is apt to decay for want of its most essential alim^t 
 — MoisrtTRK. A few grains of Long Eadish-seed, sown about 
 an inch apart in each drill, are well adapted to promote the 
 growth of Parsley ; because Radish-seed being quick in germi- 
 nating, will open the pores of the earth ; and the plants, as they 
 progress in growth, will create a shade suflScient to protect the 
 Parsley 'from the fuU rays of the surf. 
 
 Parsnip. Panais. Pastinaca aativa. 
 
 This is a hardy biennial plant, common in calcareous soils. 
 It has long been an inmate of the garden, and forms a vege- 
 table dish in the winter, with salt meat, salted fish, etc. 
 Parsnip-seed may be planted from the middle of March till the 
 middle of May, in drills one inch deep and fourteen inches 
 apart ; and as this vegetable requires a long season to grow in, 
 the sooner the seed is planted the better. Parsnips grow best 
 in a deep soil, which has been well manured the preceding 
 fell Sow the seed thick along the drills, at the rate of five or 
 six pounds per acre, and rake them in evenly. 
 
 TIi« Paranin. althoufifh when in ftill growth it will endure the 
 
106 KITCHEN-GARDENING. 
 
 extremes of heat and cold, requires peculiar management to 
 promote and preserve germination in an early stage of cultuie. 
 In order to give the seed a fair chance, it should be planted in 
 ground susceptible of moisture, and not apt to encrust when 
 dry. If cultivated in light ground, it should be rolled or 
 pressed immediately after depositing the seed therein. But 
 this should not be done while the earth is wet. A few grains of 
 Long Eadish-seed, sown in each drill as directed for Parsley, 
 will also prove beneficial to Parsnips. 
 
 When the plants are two or three inches high, thin them to 
 the distance of six or eight inches in the rows. They should 
 be kept free from weeds, by regular hoeing through the sum- 
 mer ; and in autumn they will be fit for use. They improve in 
 flavor after having been frozen, and will endure the severity 
 of a hard winter. 
 
 Parsnips require from thirty to forty minutes' boiling, accord- 
 ing to their size and age. Some boil them in water seasoned 
 with salt, until tender; but they are better when boiled with 
 salt pork, and afterwards mashed and fried in butter. 
 
 PEPPER. 
 
 PoivBE ou piMBNT. Oapskum. 
 
 This family of plants is a native of the East afld West 
 Indies ; some of their capsules, or pods, are yellow, and others 
 red, when at maturity. They are much used for pickling, and 
 should be gathered for that purpose before they are fully ripe. 
 
 The seed of the difierent kinds of Capsicum may be sown in 
 a hotbed in March, or on a warm border, early in May. : One 
 ounce of seed will produce about three thousand plants. When 
 the plants arrive at the height of from one to two inches, they 
 should be transplanted into good rich ground, from eighte&l 
 inches to two feet distant from each other. -Ki 
 
 Those who do not want Peppers early in the season, may 
 
KITCHEN-GARDENIN&. 107 
 
 SOW seed in the open ground in May, in drills two feet asunder, 
 and half an inch deep. When the plants are grown an inch or 
 two high, thin them to the distance of fifteen or eighteen 
 inches in the rows. The ground should be afterwards hoed 
 deep around the plants, and kept free from weeds by repeated 
 hoeings. 
 
 The Capsicum Grossum, or Bell Pepper, is perennial, and 
 will keep in perpetual bearing in warm climates. In England 
 this species is considered superior to all others, on account of 
 its skin being thick, and also pulpy and tender. The plants are 
 therefore frequently preserved in hot-houses during the winter 
 and spring, and kept in the open air in settled warm weather. 
 
 PEAS. 
 
 Pois. Pisum sativum. 
 
 Peas will grow to different heights, according to soil and 
 season. The Dwarf Pea require less distance between the 
 rows and shorter sticks than the tall kinds ; and sometimes no 
 supports at all. 
 
 Planting the early kinds of Pea should commence as soon in 
 the spring as the ground can be brought into good condition. 
 All the other sorts, as well as the early, will answer for succes- 
 sive crops. A few of the most esteemed varieties should be 
 planted at the same time every two weeks, from March until 
 th^ end of May. Persons desirous of having Peas throughout 
 the summer and autumn, may plant a few in June, July, and 
 August. In dry weather the Peas should be soaked in soft 
 water five or six hours before planting, and if the ground be 
 very dry, it should be watered in the drills. 
 
 Gardeners practise different modes of planting Peas. Some 
 plant them in ridges, others in drills ; some in single rows, 
 others in double ; some use sticks for the dwarf kinds, and 
 others not. 
 
103 KITCHEN-GARDENING. 
 
 All the different sorts of Peas may be plaated in double or 
 single rows, from four to six feet apart, according to tlie 
 different heights they may be expected to grow. If two drills 
 be made three inches deep, and about nine inches apart, and 
 the seed dropped along each drill moderately thick, they will 
 yield better than single rows, and will save sticks. When the 
 plants are two or three inches high, let them be hoed, drawing, 
 at the same time, a little earth up to their stems. When they 
 get to double that height, let them be hoed again. At the same 
 time place a row of sticks or brush in the middle of your 
 double rows, and a few shorter and smaller ones on the outside 
 of each row, to assist the Peas in climbing to their main sup- 
 port. You must be governed as to the length of your sticks 
 by the description of your Peas. There is great advantage in 
 having sticks of a suitable height to the various kinds of Peas. 
 The sticks should not only be sufficiently tall, but also branchy, 
 that the plants may readily take hold ; and they should be 
 prepared fan-fashion, so that the side branches may extend only 
 along the rows. As the plants progress in growth, let them be 
 repeatedly hoed and earthed up ; this will promote a plentiful 
 bearing. 
 
 One quart of Peas will plant from one hundred and fifty to 
 two hundred feet of row, allowing the largest kinds to average 
 one inch apart, and the smallest two Peas to the inch. 
 
 To have green Peas in perfection, they should be gathered 
 while young, and cooked immediately after they are shelled, or 
 they will soon lose their color and sweetness. Let the water 
 be slightly seasoned with salt, and boiled ; then put in the 
 Peas with a small bunch of Spearmint, and ease the cover so as 
 to let off the steam. They require about fifteen minutes boil- 
 ing, or five minutes more or less, according to the age and care 
 bestowed. 
 
 FORCING PEAS IN HOTBEDS. 
 
 The best kinds of Peas to force, are those that are the most 
 dwarfish, as they will bear earlier, and make less straw. Peas 
 
KITCHEN-GARDENING. 109 
 
 run less to vine by being transplanted, than when they are sown 
 where they are to remain ; and the plants may be raised in a 
 hotbed, or in pots or boxes. They do not require excessive 
 heat, the temperature must be progressive, beginning at about 
 50° for the nursery-bed, and from that to 60° or 65° for fruit- 
 ing. When the leaves of the plants are fairly expanded, they 
 may be transplanted into rows from twelve to eighteen inches 
 apart ; and the earth ia the fruiting-bed' should be from twelve 
 to eighteen inches in depth. 
 
 As the Peas progress in growth, the earth should be stirred ; 
 and when six inches high small sticks may be applied, so that 
 the tendrils of the Peas may easily take hold ; and they should 
 be moulded at the bottom to enable them to support them- 
 selves. When they are in blossom pinch off the top. This 
 will greatly promote the forming and filling of the pods. In 
 dry weather Peas will require to be regularly watered ; and as 
 the spring advances, they may be exposed to the weather. 
 Should cold storms occur, the tender vines must be protected 
 with wide boards placed edgewise on both sides of the rows, 
 and a board over the top until the weather has become warm. 
 Such shields should be placed around other tender plants, when 
 the weather is cloudy and cold, as they will grow more rapidly 
 in a place where there is but little light, than when exposed to 
 the light of day, chilling winds, and cold storms, with no sun- 
 shine. Cold winds and storms frequently chill plants so that 
 they never recover. 
 
 POTATO. 
 
 PoMME DE TEBRE. Solarmm Tuberosum. 
 
 The Potato is known to be a native of the southern parts of 
 
 America, but has been greatly improved by cultivation. The 
 
 varieties being very numerous, it is unnecessary to point out 
 
 any particular kinds ; some of the earliest should, however, be 
 
110 
 
 KITCHEN-GAnDENING. 
 
 planted first in the spring, to produce young Potatoes in due 
 season ; but they are not so suitable for a full crop as the late 
 varieties. 
 
 d 
 
 i 
 
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 OS'S 
 
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 Potatoes being of such extensive utility, various expedients 
 
KITCHEN GARDENING. Ill 
 
 hare been contrived with a view to find ont the best method 
 of preparing the seed. In many parts of England (where Potar 
 toes equal to any in the world are raised), the farmers seldom 
 plant them whole ; they take the Potatoes as they come to 
 hand, and in cutting them, take care to have two good eyes in 
 each set ; the small Potatoes are deprived of the sprout or nose- 
 end, as it is generally considered that a redundancy of eyes 
 exhausts the set, and produces weak plants, which are not cal- 
 culated to yield a full crop. I have frequently known from five 
 to six hundred bushels raised from an acre with small Potatoes 
 alone cut in this way; Some prefer planting the sets immedi- 
 ately after they are cut. The better way is to get them cut a 
 week before the time of planting, and to lay them out on a 
 bam or garret-floor to dry. 
 
 It will require from twelve to sixteen bushels of Potatoes to 
 plant an acre of ground, according to the size and nature of the 
 seed-roots, the manner of preparing, and mode of planting the 
 same. 
 
 Potatoes may be planted from the first week in April until 
 July, either in hills or drills ; the best way for a gardener is to 
 plant them in drills four or five inches deep, and about thirty 
 inches asunder. The sets may be dropped six or eight inches 
 apart ; and if a small quantity of comb-maker's horn shavings, 
 bone-dust, or searweed, be used as a manure for the early 
 kinds, it will expedite their growth. The ground should be 
 hoed as soon as' the plants come up, and a few times, after this. 
 Level jCultivation is better than hilling. 
 
 " HOW TO RAISE LARGE CROPS OP POTATOES. 
 
 " It is desirable, not only to get the best varieties for seed, 
 but to know how to plant them and to raise the largest and 
 best crop. 
 
 "The method I pursue, and which pays better, far letter, 
 than any of the old systems generally practised, is as follows : 
 
112 
 
 KITCHEN-GARDENING. 
 
 " 1. In the fall plouglt deeply and subsoil plough, in all eight- 
 een to twenty inches in depth. 
 
 " 3. In early spring, plough 
 furrows ; harrow and roll. 
 
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 fe Pifi" w o 
 
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 "S^ top," 
 
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 fH "S fCl © .c3 
 
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 P 5 „- S «'3 
 
 
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 t^ . a h n r^ -^ 
 
 pH S CO aa c3 
 
 fg^l 
 
 and 
 
 ^•9^11 = 
 
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 subsoil across the winter 
 
KITCHEN-GARDENING. 113 
 
 " 3. Mark out, as for com, three feet apart each way, opening 
 the furrows eight inches deep. 
 
 " 4. At the intersection drop a whole potato, the largest you 
 have, and spread upon it a handful (about forty bushels per acre) 
 of a compost made of eight parts of wood-ashes, four of bone 
 phosphate of lime, four of fine-ground plaster, two of finely 
 slaked lime, and one of salt ; or, if preferred, three ounces of 
 artificial fertilizer per hill. Then cover, roll, and spread 1,000 
 lbs. per acre of good artificial fertilizer. 
 
 " 5. As soon as the young plants appear, run the cultivator 
 close to and between, but not over them, in each direction. 
 Afterwards, and before the weeds come up, cultivate, both ways, 
 with EJiox's horse-hoe — so arranged as to cut as shallow as 
 possible, and keep the surface entirely flat. Bepeat this, at 
 short intervals, three times. Then hand-hoe three times, still 
 keeping a flat surface. AUow no hilling at any time, nor any 
 weeds to grow. 
 
 " 6. As soon as the tops are dead, dig in clear dry weather 
 with heavy five-tined digging forks; spread, under cover, to 
 dry, and store in a cool, dark, dry, airy cellar, spreading half a 
 pint of freshly-slaked lime in powder on each bushel of pota- 
 toes. 
 
 " 7. Gather and compost the dry tops, for application next 
 autumn ; then plough and subsoil-plough as before, for next 
 year's crop. 
 
 " The following are the advantages of this system of culti- 
 vation : 
 
 " 1. No possible entire failure of the crop. 
 
 " 2. Ho rot in healthy varieties. 
 
 " 3. The largest yield the soil and variety are capable of. 
 
 "4. The largest proportion of large potatoes. 
 
 " 5. No degeneracy of varieties, but continued improvement. 
 
 " 6, No necessity for rotation of crops : the potato can be 
 thus grovra almost indefinitely on the same land, with, perhaps, 
 at long intervals, a seeding to-clover to maintain the supply of 
 vegetable fibre in the soil. 
 
114 KITCHEK-GABDENING, 
 
 " 7. No loss by late spring frosts. If the early growth is 
 cut off, the dormant eyes will grow and the crop be saved. 
 
 " 8. The greatest economy of culture and harvesting. 
 
 " 9. The highest table quality of potato. 
 
 " If the materials for the compost cannot be obtained, top- 
 dress heavily in the fall, after ploughing, with bam-naanure, but 
 never use it in the season of planting. It may increase the 
 crop, but tends to engender disease, especially in wet seasons. 
 
 " Any further information on the subject will be cheerfiilly 
 furnished on application. 
 
 *^ If you wish liberal crops you must give liberal culture" 
 
 FORCING POTATOES IN HOTBEDS. 
 
 Potatoes may be forced in a great variety of ways. Those 
 who attempt to mature Potatoes in frames, will of course pro- 
 vide such of the earliest kinds as are not inclined to produce 
 large tops. Potatoes may be forwarded in growth previous to 
 being planted in the beds, by placing them in a warm, damp 
 cellar. Some forward them in pots and boxes, and afterwards 
 mature them in a hotbed ; others plant them in the bed at 
 once, in which ease the bed should be moulded from fifteen to 
 twenty inches deep, and the heating materials should be 
 sufficient to keep up 'a moderate heat for several weeks. 
 
 Perhaps the most convenient way to force Potatoes in this 
 climate, is to provide pots for the purpose, and plant one set 
 in each pot, and place them in a warm cellar till a bed can be 
 prepared. While the tuberous roots are forming, and before 
 they fill the pots, prepare the beds for maturing them, and then 
 bury them in the mould with the balls of earth attached to 
 them. 
 
 The beds should be kept free from frost, and air should be 
 given at every opportunity. The common round Potatoes 
 may be forwarded, by laying them thick together in a slight 
 hotbed in March, and when they are planted in the borders, a 
 quantity of comb-maker's shavings may be deposited in each 
 hill ; this will greatly promote their growth. 
 
KITCHKN-GAKDENIN&. 115 
 
 POTATO-GROUND MARKBE. 
 
 The accompanying illustration represents a gauge-marker, for 
 marking out either potato ground or corn ground. It is drawn 
 by two horses, and makes three marks at one through. The 
 
 three runners are each about four feet long,. eight inches wide, 
 and two inches thick. The two outside runners can be moved 
 towards or away from the middle runner, and secured to the 
 slats that extend through all the rurinersj The slats are four 
 inches wide, of hard wood, and one inch thick. A wooden 
 pin secures them rigidly in the middle runner, and iron pins 
 in the outside runners. A tongue belonging to some light 
 carriage can be used with such a marker. The braces of the 
 tongue are secured to raves bolted to the slats, as shown bj 
 the figure. It Can be constructed with a seat, or not. On sod 
 ground a seat will be necessary, as the weight should be in- 
 creased in order to make a plain mark. The illustration will 
 show how the handles are to be attached. The gauge-marker 
 has a small chain attached to the outer end, which should run 
 
116 
 
 KitCHEN-GABDENING. 
 
 in the last mark made by the runner. When the marker is 
 turned around, the gauge is laid over on the other side of the 
 marker. 
 
 true's potato planteb. 
 
 The illustration herewith given represents a machine for 
 making the furrow, cutting the potatoes, dropping the pieces, 
 
 covering the seed, and rolling the ground, all at one operation, 
 in a workmanjike manner. It was invented only a few years 
 since, by J. L. True, Garland, Maine. We have seen it ope- 
 rated with one horse, where it planted potatoes with great dis- 
 patch and accuracy. Where a farmer plants several acres of 
 potatoes, such a planter will relieve workmen of much hard 
 labor. 
 
 A steel cultivator tooth. 
 
 The following illustration represents one of the best kinds 
 of cultivator teeth that we have ever met with for cultivating 
 potatoes. They are bolted to the wood-work of cultivators, 
 with strong bolts passing- through the iron flanges or palms 
 on the upper end of the standard. The steel plates are 
 bolted to the cast-iron standards. When the earth is to be 
 turned towards the growing plants, the teeth are attached with 
 
KITCHEN-GARDENING. 11 V 
 
 the steel plates or mould-boards outwards. If it is desirable to 
 turn the earth inwards, or away from the plants, the teeth are 
 taken off the cultivator and bolted to the opposite side. Such 
 
 teeth can be obtained of the inventor, M. Alden & Son, Au- 
 burn, N. Y., or of Paschall Morris's Agricultural Works, 1120 
 Market street, Philadelphia, Pa. 
 
 HILL'S POTATO-DIGGER. 
 
 The illustration on the next page represents a two-horse 
 potato-digger, recently invented by Eev. J. J. Hill, Xenia, Ohio. 
 We saw the first one that was ever made, jp operation on Long 
 Island, in the fall of 1865. It works well, and has been 
 thoroughly perfected by the proprietor, E. H. Allen, 189 
 Water street, New York City. Those farmers who raise 
 large quantities of potatoes will find this a great labor-saving 
 implement. ' * 
 
KITCHEN-GARDENING. 
 
 SWEET POTATOES. 
 
 119 
 
 PoMME DTj TERRB BoucE. Couvotvulus batatas. 
 
 Sweet Potatoes are grown to great perfection in the Southern 
 States, and may be raised in the vicinity of. New York, by 
 means of a moderate hotbed, in which they should be planted 
 whole early in April, three or four inches deep, and about the 
 
 same distance apart. In about a month they will throw up 
 sprouts. When these are three inches above ground, part 
 them off from the Potato, which, if suffered to remain, will 
 produce more sprouts for a successive planting. Transplant the 
 sprouts into rich light soil, in rows four feet apart, and the 
 plants about a foot apart in the rows, or in hills four feet apart. 
 Keep them clear of weeds until the vines begiti to cover the 
 ground,^ after which they will grow freely. In sandy ground 
 it is well to put a shovelful of rotten manure to each plant. A 
 moderate hotbed five feet square, put down early in the iBtoHth 
 
120 KITCHEN-GARDENING. 
 
 of April, with ialf a pect of good sound Sweet Potatoes placed 
 therein, will produce a succession of sprouts in May and June, 
 which, if planted and managed as directed, wUI yield about 
 fifteen bushels of good roots. 
 
 PUMPKIN. 
 
 CiTEOUILLE OU POTIRON. CuCwMta pcpo. 
 
 This plant is highly deserving of cultivation, particularly in 
 new settlements. The large sorts are profitable for cattle, as 
 some of the mammoth tribe have been known to weigh 
 upwards of two hundred pounds each. The other Mnds are 
 very productive, and may be raised on any waste land. They 
 are generally raised on cultivated farms, between hills of Indian- 
 corn, and may be planted in the garden or open field in May 
 and June, in hills eight or ten feet apart, with three or four 
 seeds in each hill. 
 
 One quart of Field Pumpkin-seed will plant from five to sis 
 hundred hills. An ounce of the finer kinds will plant from fifty 
 to eighty hUls. The finest quality of Pumpkins are known to 
 make good pies, and may also, after being boiled, be worked 
 up with wheaten flour into bread, for "which purpose they are 
 fully equal to Indian-meal. The knowledge of this fact may 
 prove advantageous to farmers living-at a distance from cities, 
 as they may find a market for their grain or meal readier than 
 for their Pumpkins. 
 
 There is a vast difference in the quality of Pumpkins. Some 
 are very coarse-grained, spongy, very watery when cooked, and 
 make exceedingly poor pies ; while others are rich, fine-grained, 
 cook dry and mealy, and require but little or no sweetening. 
 Pumpkins of a mammoth size are seldom as good as small 
 ones. 
 
 The way to raise good Pumpkins is, to procure and plant none 
 
KITCHKN-&ABDENINQ. 121 
 
 but the best seed. Never plant seed that has been taken from 
 Pumpkins of poor kind. Pumpkins will hybridize, even when 
 they grow several rods apart. Hybrids are always poor. The 
 seed is unfit to plant, as they will not produce excellent Pump- 
 kins. Those seeds sold in markets are seldom reliable. When 
 an excellent Pumpkin is found, dry the seeds with care, and 
 plant a few hills in one corner of a large field, far away from' 
 other vines, and continue to save the seeds of the best specimens ' 
 which the vines produce for several years. After a few seasons, 
 an excellent variety will be obtained ; and if the seeds be plant- 
 ed on rich ground, not among growing crops, very large crops 
 may be grown with little labor. When Pumpkins are raised 
 among Indian-corn, it is impossible for them to grow as large 
 and fair as if the vines were not shaded. Moreover, the crop 
 of corn will not be as large, when the soil produces a heavy 
 crop of Pumpkins. 
 
 One of the best ways of raising a crop of Pumpkins is, to 
 stick the seed one in a place, eight feet apart in every fourth 
 row of Potatoes, soon after the rows appear. The crop of 
 Potatoes will come to maturity before the Pumpkin-vines have 
 become so large as to shade a large proportion of the ground. 
 
 Radish. Radis ou Rave. RapJianus sativus. 
 
 The diflfereht varieties of Radish are extensively cultivated 
 near large cities, chiefly for their roots, which are considered a 
 luxury after a hard winter, and prove acceptable as warm 
 weather approaches, provided they can be obtained in perfec- 
 tion. The plant is also cultivated for the sake of the seed- 
 leaves, which are used as a small salad ; and even the seed-pods, 
 if pickled while young and green, are considered by some a 
 good substitute for Capers. 
 
 Those who may be desirous of having good Radishes early 
 in the spring, should have a warm border prepared in the very 
 best manner, so as to be ready to sow some of the seed as 
 early in the spring as the seed will vegetate. If the ground 
 
122 KITCHBN-GABDENINO. 
 
 should not be in good condition to receive the seed at this time, 
 let it be delayed a few days ; and by the first of April have 
 another bed prepared in the open ground, by working in some 
 strong well rotted manure. The seed may be sown broadcast, 
 and rated in evenly, or in drills drawn about one inch deep, 
 and a foot apart. 
 
 If you wish to have Eadishes in regular succession, sow seed 
 of the most esteemed varieties every two weeks, untU the 
 middle of June. If any be sown after this, it should be the 
 seed of those that will endure the heat better than the others, 
 and may be sown in drills, in small quantities, throughout the 
 summer until the latter part of August, when all the varieties 
 may be sown in regular succession till the first of October. 
 
 Eadishes must have a sandy or loamy soU. It is foUy to 
 attempt to raise them on heavy soils, even when such ground 
 is extremely rich. For family use, a load or two of sand may 
 be mingled with a small area of ground in a warm comer of the 
 garden, and made fertile with rich liquid manure a few weeks 
 or more before the seed is planted. A shield on the north 
 side of the bed, made of boards nailed to stakes four or more 
 feet high driven in the ground temporarily, will break oflF the 
 cold wmd, reflect the warm sunshine on the bed, and make the 
 Eadishes grow long before other plants appear. In order to 
 have excellent Eadishes, save and plant only the largest, earliest, 
 and fairest seed. 
 
 It may be necessary here to remind the gardener of the neces- 
 sity of sowing tobacco-dust, soot, ashes, etc., over his seed-beds, 
 in hot, dry weather, or he will find it diflBcult to raise Eadishes 
 m unpropitious seasons. 
 
 FORWARDING RADISHES. 
 
 Radishes may be obtained early in the spring by means of 
 a moderate hotbed. The earth in the frames should be a foot 
 in depth, and air should be admitted every day after they are 
 up, or they will incline more to tops than roots. If they coma 
 
KITCHEN-GAEDENING. 123 
 
 up too thick, ttey should be thinned to one or two inches 
 apart. Give gentle waterings as occasion requires, with tepid 
 water, and keep them well covered in cold nights. For raising 
 early Eadishes without frames, hotbeds may be made in ridges, ' 
 and arched over with hoop-bends, or pliant rods, which should 
 be covered with mats or canvas cloth at night, and during the 
 day in cold weather. In moderate days turn up the covering ; 
 and on fine mild days, take it wholly oflF, and harden the plants 
 gradually to the weather. 
 
 In order to have tender Radishes, it is essential that they be 
 made to grow rapidly. When they grow slowly, and the 
 weather is cold. Radishes are tough and stringy. 
 
 ROCAMBOLE. 
 
 An, d'Espagne. Allium scorodoprassum. 
 This and the Allium sativum, or common Garlic, are raised 
 in some gardens. Many people consider the Rocambole to be 
 of a milder and better flavor than Garlic, but the bulbs are not 
 so large. The plants are hardy, and will grow in almost any 
 rich sou or situation. They may be propagated either by the 
 roots or geed. The former ought to be separated and planted 
 at the same time, and in the same manner as Shallots. If 
 raised from seed, they may be sown in drills, either shortly 
 after the seed is ripe, or ia the succeeding spring. The plants 
 require to be kept clear of weeds ; and in the following autumn 
 may be taken up, the bulbs parted, and planted as before. 
 
 RHUBARB. 
 
 Rhubabbe. Rheum, 
 Rhubarb is a genus of exotio plants, comprisbg seven species, 
 of which the following are the principal: 
 
124 KITCHEN-GARDENING. 
 
 1. Bhaponticum, or Common Khubarb, a native of Thrace 
 and Syria, baa long been cultivated in British gardens for the 
 footstalks of the leaves, which are frequently used in pies and 
 tarts. 
 
 2. Rheum undulatum is also cultivated for tbe same use. 
 
 3. The Palmatum, or true Officinal Rhubarb, is a native 
 of China and the East Indies, whence its culture has been in- 
 troduced into Europe. It produces a thick, fleshy root, exter- 
 nally yellowish brown, but internally of a bright color, streaked 
 with red veins. The several kinds of Rbubarb may be propa- 
 gated by oSsets taken from the roots early in tbe spring, or 
 from seed sown early in autumn, or in March and April, in 
 drills one inch deep and a foot apart. The indispensable points 
 to the production of good roots of the Palmatum, are depth 
 and richness of soil, which should be well pulverized before 
 the plants are set out. Prepare beds of fine mould eighteen 
 inches deep, in which set the plants from the seed-bed, ten or 
 twelve inches apart. This must be done when tbey have at- 
 tained the height of four or five inches, and have thrown out as 
 many leaves. 
 
 The first season is the most critical, and more care is neces- 
 sary. If the weather be hot, the nursery must be shaded, and 
 at all events frequently watered ; for water, though hurtfiil to 
 old plants, is now of the first importance. Wet weather is 
 the most proper time in which to plant. The beds must be 
 kept free from weeds during the summer, and on the approach 
 of severe weather, covered up with light litter. In the early 
 part of spring, this must be taken oflF; and in the beginning of 
 April the plants must be transplanted into rich ground. 
 
 Those who cultivate the Palmatum for the sake of the roots, 
 should dig the ground two or three spades deep, and place the 
 plants three feet apart every way. As to the other varieties, 
 it is not so particular, only the plants must have room in which 
 to grow. In the early pai-t of November, the leaves being 
 then decayed, the beds should be covered with dry litter. Be- 
 fore this is done, a little earth ^should be drawn round the 
 
KITCHEN-GAEDENINO. 125 
 
 crowns of the plants. If there be any danger of water lodging, 
 make trenches to carry it off. The beds should be stripped of 
 their covering, and the ground well hoed and cleared of weeds. 
 The roots of the Palmatum must not be taken up until sis 
 or seven years gld. The stalks of the other kind may be cut 
 every spring, as soon as the leaves are expanded. 
 
 If Ehubarb stalks be required for use early in spring, they 
 may be obtained by placing flour barrels or deep tubs over 
 some of the plants, and covering them up with fresh stable ■ 
 dung, or by any of the methods pointed out in the article un- 
 der the head of Forcing Vegetables. The stalks of this plant 
 are used for pies and tarts. After being stripped of the skin, 
 or outer covering, and divested of the small fibres, or stringi- 
 ness to which the plant is liable in aQ advanced stage of 
 growth, the stalk should be cut transversely into very small 
 pieces, and then parboUed with sugar, and such spices as best 
 suit the palate. Ehubarb may be kept in this way as well as 
 other preserves, and may be used not only in pies and tarts, 
 but will make an excellent pudding, which is done by flatten- 
 ing a suety crUst with a roUing-pin, then spreading on the 
 fruit, rolling it up in an oval shape, and boiling it in a cloth. 
 Prepared in this way, the fruit retains its virtues, and the pud- 
 ding may be served ap hot, in slices from half an inch to an 
 iDch thick, with butter and sugar spread between the layers. 
 Some boil the stalks to a juice, which being strained through 
 a colander, will keep for years if well spiced and seasoned with 
 sugar. 
 
 After the roots have been well washed, and the small fibres 
 cut off, they are to be cut transversely into pieces about two 
 inches thick, and dried on boards, turning them several times 
 a day, in order to prevent the escape of the yellow juice, on 
 which its medicinal qualities depend. In four or five days the 
 pieces may be strung upon strings, and suspended in a shady 
 but airy and dry situation, and in two months afterwards will 
 be fit to dry. 
 
128 KITCHEN-GARDENING. 
 
 FOEWAKDING KHTJBAKB. 
 
 Those who may desire to have this excellent substitute for 
 fruit at an early season, may procure it without much trouble. 
 It is customary with some persons in the smthern parts of 
 England to keep this plant growing in their Mtchens, so that 
 tbey may have it for use at any time. They have strong neat 
 boxes, made for tbe purpose, about three feet deep and two 
 wide, and in length, according to the demand, from four to - 
 eight feet; these being kept clean, have the appearance of 
 flour-bins, and they sometimes are so contrived as to have 
 shelves over them in imitation of a kitchen dresser. The plants 
 being taken up out of the garden towards winter, are placed as 
 close to the bottom of the box as they can be, with their 
 crowns level ; and some sand being thrown over, sufficient to fill 
 up the interstices, and to cover the crowns about half an inch, 
 finishes the operation. No further trouble is necessary, except 
 to give a little water, just to keep the roots moist, as they need 
 no light at all ; and if the roots be planted in the garden when 
 the spring opens, they will, after having taken root, vegetate 
 as strongly as before they were removed. 
 
 Boots of Khubarb, taken up in autumn and packed in sand, 
 and deposited in a warm cellar, will produce stalks earlier than 
 if kept in the garden ; and if placed in hotbeds they will yield 
 abundantly early in the season. 
 
 This plant contains an acid as fine as the Gooseberry, for 
 pies and tarts. A square rod of ground will supply a family; 
 and it may be used till midsummer or later. 
 
 SALSIFY. 
 Salsitis ou Cbecifis. Tragopogon porrifolius. 
 This plant grows spontaneously in the open fields of Eng- 
 land, and is by some highly valued for its white edible root, 
 and for the young shoots rising in the spring from plants a 
 
KITCHEN-GARDKNING. 127 
 
 year old. These, when gathered while green and tendei, are 
 good to boil and eat in the same manner as Asparagus. Some 
 have carried their fondness for this plant so far as to call it 
 Vegetable Oyster. It requires the same kind of soil and 
 management as Carrots and Parsnips. 
 
 The seed should be sown early in the spring, an inch deep, 
 in drills twelve inches apart. When the plants are two or three 
 inches high, they should be thinned to the distance of six inches 
 from each other, and afterwards hoed. The ground should be 
 kept clean and loose around the plants by repeated hoeing. In 
 the autumn they will be fit for use. The roots may be taken 
 up late in autumn, and secured in moist sand from the air ; or 
 suffered to remain out, and dug up when wanted. As the seeds 
 of Salsify do not all ripen uniformly, it should be sown mode- 
 rately thick, and none but the earliest sowed. 
 
 The mode of cooking recommended by an American authoi 
 is, " To cut the roots transversely into thin pieces ; boil them 
 in water, or milk and water ; when boiled soft, mash them, and 
 thiftken the whole with flour to some degree of stiffness ; then 
 fry them in the fat of salt pork or butter." To some they are 
 a luxury. In England the tops are considered excellent food 
 when boiled tender, and served up with poached eggs and 
 melted butter. They are by some considered salutary for per- 
 sons inclined to' consumption. 
 
 SCOEZONERA. 
 
 ScoBSONEEE. Scorzonera Hispanica. 
 
 This plant has long been raised in British gardens, for 
 culinary purposes, and especially as an ingredient in soups, on 
 account of its palatable and nourishing roots. Some boil and 
 eat them like Carrots, in which case they should be deprived 
 of their rind, and immersed in cold water for half an hour, or 
 thev -will be bitter. They are raised precisely in the same 
 
128 KITCHEN-GAEDENING. 
 
 manner as Salsify. If the seed be sown early in the spring in 
 a good deep soil, the roots will attain perfection in autumn, and 
 continue good all the winter. They last from three to four 
 years, according to the quality of the earth and the care be- 
 stowed upon them ; but it is better to raise a few from seed 
 every year. 
 
 SEA-KALE. 
 
 Chou MARIN. Cramhe maritima. 
 
 This plant is found on the sea-shore, in the southern parts 
 of England, where it grows spontaneously. As soon as it ap- 
 pears above ground, the inhabitants remove the pebbles or sand 
 with which it is usually covered, to the depth of several inches, 
 and cut off the young and tender leaves and stalks, as yet un- 
 expanded and in a blanched state, close to the crown of the 
 root. It is then in its greatest perfection. When the leaves 
 are full-grown, they become hard and bitter, and the plant is 
 not eatable. Cultivators have differed widely respecting the 
 mode of treating this plant ; many, conceiving that stones, 
 gravel, and sea-sand are essential to its growth, have gone 
 to the expense of providing them ; but it has been discovered 
 that it will grow much more luxuriantly in a rich sandy loam, 
 where the roots can penetrate to a great depth. 
 
 The seed of Sea-Kale may be sown in October, or as early in 
 the spring as the ground can be brought into good condition, 
 in drills an inch and a half deep, and fourteen or sixteen inches 
 asunder. The plants should afterwards be thinned out to the 
 distance of six or eight inches from each other in the rows, and 
 kept clear of weeds by frequent hoeing through the summer. 
 When the plants are a year old, every third row may be taken 
 up, and also every other plant in each row, leaving them four- 
 teen or sixteen inches apart ; these may be transplanted into 
 good ground prepared as directed ;for Asparagus. Plant two 
 
KITCHEN-GARDENIJfG. 129 
 
 rows in each bed, about eighteen inches apart. The best way- 
 is to make two drills three inches deep, and with a dibble set 
 m the plants fifteen or sixteen inches from each other ; when 
 these drills are filled, the crowns of the plants will be covered 
 nearly two inches, but they will soon push through the earth. 
 The plants left in the Seed-bed may form a permanent bed, 
 which should be forked or dug between the rows. Previous to 
 this being <ione, lay on an inch or two of good rotten manure, 
 and incorporate it with the earth around the plants. Some 
 make new plantations of the old roots, which should be cut up 
 into pieces of about two inches in length, and planted three or 
 four inches deep, at the distance before directed for the plants. 
 At the approach of winter, the leaves will die away and disap- 
 pear. The beds should then be thickly covered with dung, 
 leaves, or searweed. This will not only protect the plants fi-om 
 froat, but win cause them to shoot up early in the spring. As 
 soon as the frost is out of the ground, this may be taken oflf ; 
 or, if well rooted, it may be mixed up with the earth. The 
 crowns of the plants should then be covered to the depth of ten 
 or twelve inches for blanching. 
 
 Some blanch it by heaping on it sea-sand ; some common 
 sand and gravel ; and others with large garden-pots, inverted 
 and placed immediately over the plants. If these pots be 
 covered up with fresh horse-dung, it will forward the shoots in 
 growth, and make them sweeter and more tender. "When the 
 plants have been covered in either method three or four weeks, 
 examine them, and if you find that the stalks have shot up 
 three or four inches you may begin cutting. Should you wait 
 till all the shoots are of considerable length, your crop will 
 come in too much at once, for in this plant there is not that 
 successive growth which there is in Asparagus. You may con- 
 tinue cutting until you see the heads of flowers begin to form ; 
 and if at this time you uncover it entirely, and let it grow to 
 that state in which Broccoli "is usually cut, and use it as such, 
 you will find it an excellent substitute ; and this greatly en- 
 hances the value of the plant. SearKale is sufiSciently hardy 
 
 6* 
 
1 30 KITCHEN-OAKDBNING. 
 
 to bear our winter frosts without much injury. Care should 
 be exercised not to weaken the roots too much by over-cutting, 
 for in that case it would injure their next year's bearing. Some 
 of the shoots should be allowed to grow, to carry on a proper 
 veg-etation, and strengthen and enlarge the roots. Great care 
 should be taken in cutting, not to injure the crowns of the 
 roots by cutting the shoots too close to them. Sea-Kale 
 should be dressed soon after it is cut, as the goodness of the 
 article greatly depends on its not being long exposed to 
 the air. 
 
 If you choose to force Sea-Kale, dig a trench all around a 
 small bed, about three feet wide, and thirty inches deep ; fill 
 it with hot dung, and as it sinks, fill the depression with good 
 soil. This will make the plants grow luxuriantly. To have 
 this rare vegetable in perfection, it should be cooked as soon 
 as gathered. Let it be first soaked in water, seasoned with 
 salt, for half an hour ; then wash it in fresh water, and put it 
 into the cooking utensils ; keep it boiling briskly, skim clean, 
 and let off steam. When the stalks are tender, which may be 
 expected in from fifteen to twenty-five minutes, according to 
 size and age, take it up, dish it, and serve it up with melted 
 bjitter, gravy, and such condiments as are most agreeable to 
 the Dalate. 
 
 SKIRRET. 
 
 Chervis, ou Gteole. Sium sisarum. 
 
 This plant is first propagated by seed, and afterwards by off- 
 sets taken from the old roots, planted early in the spring, be- 
 fore they begin to shoot. But it is best to raise a small bed 
 from seed every year, as the roots grow longer than those raised 
 from slips, and are less liable to be sticky. The seeds may be 
 sown in drills the latter part of March, or early in April, and 
 managed the same as Salsify or Parsnip. In autumn, when the 
 
KITCHEN-GARDENING. 131 
 
 leaves begin to decay, the roots are fit to use. SMrrets should 
 be planted in a light, moist soil ; for in dry land the roots are 
 generally small, unless the season proves wet. 
 
 The root of the Skirret is composed of several fleshy tubers 
 as large as a man's finger, and joined together at the top. 
 They are eaten boiled, and stewed with butter, pepper, and 
 salt, or rolled in flour and fried, or else cold, with oil and vine- 
 gar, being first boiled. They have much of the taste and 
 flavor of a Parsnip, and are by some considered more palatable. 
 
 SHALLOT. 
 EcHALOT. Allium ascalonicum. 
 
 The true Shallot is a native of Palestine, and possesses an 
 agreeable flavor ; it is propagated by planting bulbs, or oflFsets, 
 in the fall of the year, which may be set out with a dibble, in 
 rows twelve inches apart, and from four to six inches distant 
 in the rows ; or they may be placed in drills, two or three 
 inches deep, and covered up. 
 
 Those intended for seed may remain in the ground until 
 June or July ; after the tops .have decayed the bulbs must be 
 taken up, and the offsets divided; these should be kept in a 
 dry place to plant the ensuing autumn. 
 
 SPINACH, OE SPINAGE. 
 Epinabd. Spinacia. 
 
 The Spinacia oleracea, or common Spinach, is very hardy, 
 and consequently a very important vegetable for cold climates. 
 It merits attention from its^ being extremely wholesome and 
 palatable, and from its keeping green even after having been 
 cooked. It makes a delicJious dish when served up with the 
 gravy of roast meat, melted butter, etc. 
 
132 KITCHEN-GABDENING. 
 
 As Spinach is the only vegetable wHch can be raised to 
 advantage near the close of the growing season, the gardener 
 should prepare such grounds as may have been occupied by 
 summer crops ; and by having it well manured for this crop, the 
 soil will be in good condition for Beets, Carrots, Parsnips, Tur- 
 nips, etc., the spring following. If the ground be prepared so 
 as to have several beds sown in succession, from the first to the 
 end of Septeirfber, the most forward of these, if covered up with 
 straw at the approach of cold weather, will fiirnish greens for 
 the table when other vegetables are scarce, and the later crops 
 will recover from the effects of a hard winter, and produce a 
 wholesome vegetable early in the spring. 
 
 If Spinach-seed be sown in rich ground in March and April, 
 it will grow freely ; but it must be cut before the approach of 
 hot weather, or it will run to seed. To raise it in perfection 
 at this season, it should be sown in driUs about a foot apart, 
 and be frequently hoed. This will keep it in a growing state, 
 and consequently prevent its running up to seed as quiet as 
 it otherwise would. 
 
 It is altogether useless to sow Spitach-seed in poor ground. 
 Let the ground be well manured, and the crop will be abundant. 
 Be careful to pick Spinach exceeding clean, and wash it in five 
 or six waters previous to cooking. Some cook Spinach in a 
 steamer over boiling water. Others boil it in water. But the 
 best way is to put it into a saucepan that will just hold it, 
 without water, then strew a little salt upon it, and cover it 
 close. Put the saucepan on a clear quick fire ; and when you 
 find the Spinach shrunk and fallen to the bottom, and the 
 juice which comes from it boil up, it is done. In order that it 
 may be rendered capable of absorbing a moderate quantity of 
 gravy, melted butter, etc., which are indispensable with green 
 vegetables, let it be well drained in a sieve, or colander, before 
 it is dished. 
 
KITCHEN-GARDKNING. 133 
 
 SQUASH. 
 Gourde Giratjmon ott Potiron. Cucurhita melopepa. 
 
 The several varieties of Squash are very useful in this and 
 other warm climates, as they can be grown in perfection in the 
 summer, and therefore prove a good substitute for Turnips. 
 The seed should be planted in May and June, in hills, prepared 
 in the same manner as for Cucumbers and Melons ; and their 
 subsequent management is the same in every respect. The 
 bush kinds should be planted three or four feet apart, and the 
 running kinds from six to nine, according to their nature, as 
 some wiU run more than others. It is always best to plant 
 five or six seeds in a hill, to guard against accidents ; as when 
 the plants are beyond danger they can be thinned to two or 
 three in a hUl. 
 
 The fruit of the Early Summer Squash is generally gathered 
 for use before the skin becomes hard, and while it is so tender 
 as to yield to the pressure of the thumb-nail. The winter 
 Squashes should be allowed to ripen, and collected together in 
 October, before they are injured by hard frosts. 
 
 All kinds of Squashes should, after having been boUed ten- 
 der, be pressed as close as possible between twa wooden 
 trenchers, or by means of a slice or skimmer, made of the 
 same material, until dry, and then prepared for the table in 
 the same manner as Turnips. 
 
 In order to raise excellent Squashes, good seed is essential, 
 and rich ground and clean cultivation are indispensably neces- 
 sary. The seeds should be selected from a ripe and good 
 Squash, and not from a hybrid. Manure may be applied in 
 the hiU. If the soil be heavy, let a few shovelfuls of sand be 
 mingled with the soil, where each hill is to grow. When the 
 vines grow rampantly, pinck, off the ends of each as soon as 
 they have grown as far from the hill as it is desirable for them 
 to spread. There is nothing gained, but much lost, by allow- 
 ing the main vines and branches also to attain a great length. 
 
134 KITCHEN-GARDENING. 
 
 Pull off all the Squashes but two or three on each vine. One 
 good squash is hetter than three or four of an inferior quality 
 and size. 
 
 HOW TO EXTERMINATE THE GEUB. 
 
 Many times, when the vines are a few feet long, and young 
 Squashes have appeared, grubs may be found in the middle of 
 the vines, near the root. Sometimes I have found six white 
 grubs, more than an inch long, in a single vine. They bore 
 into the vines an inch or two above the surface of the ground ; 
 and the holes may be discovered readily, as foam and fecal 
 matter are constantly being worked out by the worms. 
 
 In order to dislodge the grubs, thrust a thin blade of a sharp 
 knife through the vine, and split it open so that the grubs can 
 be discovered and killed. This is the only effectual way to 
 raise Squashes when the grub attacks the vines. Laying the 
 vine open will not injure it. 
 
 TOMATO. 
 
 ToMATE, OTJ PoMME d' AMOUR. SoUtnum lycopersicum. 
 The Tomato, or Love-Apple, is much cultivated for its 
 finiit, which is used in soups and sauces, to which it imparts 
 an agreeable acid flavor. It is also stewed and dressed in 
 various ways, and is considered very wholesome. The seed 
 should be sown early in the spring, in a hotbed, and the 
 plants set out in the open ground, as soon as the ground 
 has become warm. In private gardens, it will be necessary to 
 plant them near a fence, or to provide trellises. They may 
 be planted four feet distant from each other every way 
 Tomatoes may be brought to perfection late in the summer, 
 by sowing the seed in the open ground the first week in 
 May. >These plants will be fit to transplant early in June, 
 and the fruit may ripen in time for preserves or catsup. 
 
KITCHEN-GARDENING. 135 
 
 MANNER OF PRESERVING TOMATOES. 
 
 Tomatoes may be preserved in a stone or glazed earthen 
 pot, for use . in the winter, by covering them with water 
 in which a suflScient quantity of salt has been dissolved 
 to make it strong enough to bear an egg. Select perfectly 
 ripe berries, and cover the pot with a plate in such a 
 manner that it will press upon the fruit without bruising 
 it. Previous to cooMng these Tomatoes, they should be 
 soaked in fresh water for several hours. Besides the various 
 modes of preparing this delicious vegetable for the table, 
 it may be preserved in sugar, and used either as a dessert 
 or on the tea-table, as a substitute for peaches or other 
 sweetmeats. It also makes good pies and tarts, and excellent 
 catsup. 
 
 A celebrated writer observes, that " the common Tomato 
 made into a ^avy, by stewing over the fire, and used as a 
 sauce for meat, has been known to quicken the action of 
 the liver and of the bowels better than any medicine he 
 ever made use of ; and when afflicted with inaction of the 
 bowels, headache, a bad taste of the mouth, straitness of the 
 chest, and a dull painful heaviness of the region of the liver,^ 
 the whole of these symptoms are removed by Tomato sauce, 
 and the mind, in the course of some few hours, 'is put 
 in perfect tune." 
 
 HOW TO MAKE CATSUP, 
 
 To make catsup, use one pint of salt to one peck of Toma- 
 toes. Bruise, and let them stand two days ; then strain them 
 dry, and boil th€ juice, until the scum ceases to rise, with two 
 ounces of black pepper, the same quantity of pimento or all- 
 spice, one ounce of ginger, one of cloves, and half an ounce of 
 mace. Tomatoes are excellen|<raw, cooked with toasted bread, 
 or eaten in any other way. "^"When I see a dish of luscious 
 peaches and delicious tomatbes side by side, I am in doubt as 
 to which I really like the best, when eaten raw. 
 
136 KITCHEN-GARDENING. 
 
 Tprnips. Navet. Brasdca rapa. 
 
 The turnip is a wliolesoine and useful plant^for both man 
 and beast, and eminently worthy of cultivation. 
 
 " Until the beginning of the eighteenth century, this valua- 
 ble root was cultivated only in gardens, or other small spots, 
 for culinary purposes; but Lord Townsend, who attended 
 King George the First in one of his excursions to Germany, in 
 the quality of Secretary of State, observing this root cultivated 
 in opeu and extensive fields, as fodder for cattle, and spreading 
 fertility over lands naturally barren, on his return to England 
 brought over some of the seed, and strongly recommended the 
 practice which he had witnessed to the adoption of his own 
 tenants, who occupied a soil similar to that of Hanover. The 
 experiment succeeded ; the cultivation of Field Turnips gradu- 
 ally spread over the whole county of Norfolk, and has made its 
 way into every other district of England. Some of the finest 
 grain crops in the world are now growing upon land which, be- 
 fore the introduction of the Turnip husbandry, produced a very 
 scanty supply of grass for a few lean and half-starved rabbits." 
 
 Mr. Colquhoun, in his " Statistical Researches," estimated 
 the value of the Turnip crop annually growing in the United 
 Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, at fourteen million 
 pounds sterling (equal to upwards of sixty millions op 
 dollars). But when we further recollect, that it enables the 
 agriculturists to reclaim and cultivate land which, without its 
 aid, would remain in a hopeless state of natural barrenness ; 
 that it leaves the land clean and in fine condition, and 
 also insures a good crop of Barley, or of Clover ; and that 
 this Clover is found a most excellent preparative for 
 "Wheat, it will appear that the subsequent advantages derived 
 Jfrom a crop of Turnips must infinitely exceed its estimated 
 value as fodder for cattle. 
 
 The preceding remarks show the Hnd of land that may 
 be made capable of producing not only Turnips, but other 
 things of equal value. It must, however, Jbe^srantedJiat 
 
KITCHEN-GARDENING. 13 Y 
 
 some soils naturally suit particular kinds of vegetables better 
 than others ; yet, as we have not always a choice, if the soil is 
 light and altogether not suitable for vegetables in general, two 
 crops of Turnips may be grown in one year by sowing seed for 
 the first crop early in the spring, and for the second about the 
 first of August. For general crops, it will be better to have 
 ground manured with short, rotten dung, or compost containing 
 a considerable portion of coal, wood, peat, or soapers' ashes. 
 Most ground that has been well manured for preceding crops, 
 and recently broken up, will do well for Turnips, when there is 
 not an excess of clay and water. If the seed for the first crop 
 be not sown soon enough to mature early in July, the roots are 
 seldom fit for the table, being stringy and wormy ; and if the 
 seed intended for a crop for autumn and winter use is sown before 
 August, unless it be a very favorable season, even if they escape 
 the attack of insects and reptiles, the turnips often are defective 
 and unpalatable. 
 
 To have turnips in perfection, thfey must be hoed and thin- 
 ned out as soon as the leaves are as large as a cent, leaving 
 the best plants from six to nine inches apart. The roots wiU 
 be better, and the crops greater, if thinned out properly, than 
 if the plants are allowed to grow so closely together that the 
 leaves override and the roots crowd each other. 
 
 It is generally admitted that one pound of Turnip-seed is 
 amply sufficient for an acre of ground, yet itpis better to use 
 considerably more, because of the difficulty of distributing so 
 small a quantity of seed regularly broadcast. This difficulty is, 
 however, obviated by sowing the see4 in drills ; and although 
 drUluig-in the seed may seem a tedious process to those who 
 have no other means of doing it than by hand, the facilities 
 thus afforded of hoeing between the rows, more than compen- 
 sate for the extra labor. 
 
 I once induced a friend of mine to sow four ounces of 
 Turnip-seed in August, in drills a foot apart, by which means 
 he made it extend over more than half an acre of land ; and by 
 hoeing the plants twice, he had the gratification of pulling four 
 
138 KITCHEN-GAEDENING. 
 
 Lundred bushels of handsome Turnips, -which is more than is 
 generally taken from an acre of land cultivated in the ordi- 
 nary way. 
 
 If seed of the Eussia or Swedish Turnip be sown in drills, 
 any time in the month of July, or even early in August, they 
 will -produce fine roots towards the end of October, provided 
 the land be rich and sandy, or a light loam and the cultivation 
 be thorojigh. This kind of turnip must be hoed and thinned 
 to the distance of twelve or fifteen inches from each other. If 
 cultivated in the field, frequent cultivation between the rows 
 will be beneficial, and cause the plants to grow luxuriantly. 
 
 With many persons the Turnip is a favorite vegetable. 
 In England, a leg of mutton and caper sauce is considered, by 
 epicures, as but half a dish without mashed Turnips. To cook 
 them uniformly, they should be cut in pieces of equaV size, 
 after they are pulled, and after being boOed tender, let them be 
 taken up and pressed as dry as possible ; at the same time, let 
 a lump of butter and a due' proportion of Cayenne-pepper and 
 salt be added, and beaten up with the Turnips until properly 
 mixed. Use the natural gravy from the meat unadulterated, 
 and such condiment as may be most esteemed. 
 
 REPELLING THE TURNIP-FLY. 
 
 Previous to sowing Turnip-seed, the gardener should procure 
 a suitable quantity of lime, soot, or tobacco-dust, so as to be 
 prepared for the attacks of insects. Turnip-seed will some- 
 times sprout within forty-eight hours after it is sown; and 
 frequently whole crops are devoured before a plant is seen 
 above ground. A peck of ejther of these ingredients, mixed 
 with about an equal quantity of ashes, or even dry road-dust, 
 scattered over the ground, morning and evening, for the first 
 week after sowing the seed, wfll be sufficient for an acre of 
 ground, provided the composition; be used in such a way that 
 the wind wiU carry it over the whole plot. But as the wind 
 often changes, this end may be eflfected by crossing the land in 
 
KITCHEN-GAKDENIN&. 139 
 
 a diflferent direction each time, according as the wind may 
 serve. If gardeners who raise Eadishes, Cabbage, -and such 
 other vegetables as are subject to the attacks of insects, were to 
 pursue this course, they would save themselves from considera- 
 ble loss. 
 
 When ashes and other dust is being scattered over Turnips, 
 the work should be done by a careful laborer, who will not 
 walk on the rows of young Turnips, and thus destroy hundreds 
 of plants where they are already standing too far apart. "When 
 the seed is put in with a suitable seed-drill, the roller usually 
 marks the place where the young plants may be found. 
 
 We have always found that unleached wood-ashes, sifted 
 thinly over the driUs soon after the seed was put in, would 
 repel the Turnip-fly most effectually. As the fly is ready for 
 the young plants as soon as the first tender leaves appear, ashes 
 must be sowed before the Turnips have come up, or the crop 
 may be lost. A thin sprinkling is sufficient. If unleached 
 ashes he applied too abundantly, the alkali wiU destroy the 
 young plants as soon as sufficient moisture comes in contact 
 with the ashes to dissolve it. 
 
 AKOMATIC, POT, AND SWEET HERBS. 
 GRAiNES d'herbes aromatiqttes, odoriferantes, et a L'uSAai: 
 
 DE LA CUISINE. 
 
 Angelica, Gaxden, Angelica g,tropurpurea.- 
 
 Anise, Pimpindla anmrm. 
 
 Basil, Sweet, Ocymum lasiUcum. 
 
 Borage, Borago officmaUs. 
 
 Burnet, Grarden, Poterivm scmguisorba. 
 
 Caraway, Carum cwrui. 
 
 Chervil, or Cicely the Sweet, Scwndix odoraia cerefoliwn. 
 
 Clary Salvia sclarea. 
 
 Coriander Coriand/rwm saiiw/m. 
 
 pi]i Anethwm grcmeolms. 
 *PeimeL Common, ';' 
 
140 KITCHEN-GARDENING. 
 
 ♦Fennel, Sweet, Anethmn dulce. 
 
 Marigold, Pot, Calendula officinaUs. 
 
 •Marjoram, Sweet, Origcmvm, mwrjoroma. 
 
 *Mint, Spear, Mentha viridis. 
 
 *Mint, Pepper, Mentha pvperUa. , 
 
 ♦Mint, Pennyroyal, Mentha pulegmn. 
 
 *Sage, Conunon, Salvia offimualis. 
 
 *Sage, Eed, Salvia ctandesiinoides. 
 
 Savory, Summer, Sativr^a horiensis. 
 
 •Savory, Winter, Saiweja montama. 
 
 ♦Tarragon, Artemisia dracuncvias, 
 
 *Thyme, Common, Thymus vulgaris. 
 
 ♦Thyme, Lemon, Thymus serpyUwm. 
 
 Aromatic Herbs are such as impart a strong spicy odor and 
 savory taste ; many of them are used as small potherbs, and 
 for sauces, stuflBngs, and other uses in cooMng. As only a 
 small quantity of these are necessary in private gardens, a by- 
 comer may be allotted for them, and such mediciaal herbs as 
 may be wanted in a family. 
 
 It may be necessary to explain, as we go along, that there 
 are three principal descriptive names given to plants — namely, 
 Annuals, Biennials, and Perennials. The Annuals being but 
 of one season's duration, are raised every year from seed. The 
 Biennials are raised from seed one year, continue till the 
 second, then perfect their seed, and soon after die ; some of 
 these should also be raised every year from seed. The Peren- 
 nials may be raised from seed ; but when once raised, they will 
 continue on the same roots many years. Those marked * are 
 Perennials, and may be propagated by suckers, offsets, cuttings, 
 or parting the roots. The seed of any of the different kinds 
 may be sown early in spring, in drills about half an inch deep, 
 and twelve inches apart, each kind by itself. The plants 
 may afterwards be transplanteianto separate beds ; or, if a drill 
 for each kind be drawn two feet apart, the seed may be sown 
 in them, and the plants afterwards thinned out to proper dis- 
 tances, according to the natural growth of the different kinds. 
 
 Some of the kinds alluded to in the List will spread verv 
 
KITCHEN-QARDENING. 
 
 141 
 
 rapidly, and occupy the entire ground, if not kept witiin 
 proper bounds. To prevent Caraway, Spearmint, Peppermint, 
 or any other plant from spreading, sink boards edgewise eight 
 inches in the ground, entirely around the plot where such 
 plants stand. Then destroy every plant that appears outside 
 of its proper limits. Save a small quantity of the earliest, 
 largest, and fairest of the panicles for seed, and keep the seeds 
 in small papers in open boxes in some out-building where they 
 will be dry and away from mice. "When kept in a store-room 
 the vitality of the seed is frequently destroyed by being dried 
 to death. 
 
 PLANTS CULTIVATED FOE MEDICINAL AND OTHER 
 PURPOSES. 
 
 GRAINES DE PLANTES MEDICINALES. 
 
 Bene, 
 
 Boneset or Thoroughwort, 
 
 *Balm, 
 
 Bean, Castor OU, 
 
 Burdock, 
 
 Catnip, 
 
 Celandine, 
 
 ♦Chamomile, 
 
 *Comfrey, 
 
 ♦Elecampane, 
 
 Feverfew, 
 
 ♦Horehound, 
 
 ♦Horsemint, 
 
 ♦Hyssop, 
 
 ♦Lavender, 
 
 Lovage, 
 
 ♦Mallow, Marsh, 
 
 ♦Motherwort, 
 
 ♦Patience Dock, 
 
 ♦Pinkroot, Carolina, 
 
 Poppy Opium (annual), 
 
 Sesamwm orientak. 
 Mtpatorivm, perfoUatmn. 
 MeUssa officinalis. 
 Bicinus commwds. 
 Arciiv/m lappa. 
 Ifepeta cata/ria. » ' 
 
 Chdidoniwm majus^p'' 
 AnChemis nobUis. 
 Symphytum officinale. 
 Invla hdenivm. 
 Chrysamlliemwm parffienivm. 
 MarrvMv/m mdga/re.' 
 Monarda ptmdata. 
 Byssopus offi/yi/iudis. 
 Lavandvia spica. 
 lAgvsticwm levisticwn. 
 AUJiea offi/yinalis. 
 Leonwrus cardiaca. 
 Bumex patientia. 
 Spigelia Md/rylcmdica. 
 Papaver somniferwn. 
 
142 KITCHKN-GAEDENING. 
 
 Boamarirms officmaMs. 
 
 *Eue, Garden, Euta grcmeolens. 
 
 Saffron, Bastard, CwrtJiamtis Umciorius. 
 
 Skullcap, or Mad-Dog Plant, ScuieUa/ria lateriflora. 
 
 Snakeroot, Virginian, Aristolochia serpeniaria. 
 
 ♦Sorrel, Bumex aceioseUa. 
 
 ♦Southernwood, Artemisia ahrotanv/m. 
 
 ♦Speedwell, Virginian, Teronica Virginica. 
 
 ♦Spikenard, Sralia racemosa. 
 
 ♦Tansy, Tomaoetv/m imlga/re. 
 
 ♦Wormwood, Artemisia absinthium. 
 
 Many of the foregoing plants are useful, and may te raised 
 in a small plot of ground appropriated especially to their pro- 
 duction. Some of the plants in this list are considered noxious 
 ■weeds ; and all the seed should be gathered and destroyed, ex- 
 cept so much as it is desirable to save. It is by no means 
 diflScult to keep each kind of these plants on a small plot by 
 itself, as stated on a previous page. 
 
 The best time to save plants for medicinal purposes is when 
 they are in full bloom. Spread the stems and leaves on a sheK, 
 or floor, until they are quite dry ; then they may be wrapped 
 in papers, or pulverized by rubbing between the hands until 
 thoroughly pulverized, when the powder may be kept in tin or 
 other boxes properly labelled. 
 
 rOECING VEGETABLES. 
 
 Before I proceed to show the method of forcing vegetables, 
 it may be necessary for me to remind my readers, that in pro- 
 viding an artificial climate, they should consider the nature of 
 the plants they intend to cultivate, and endeavor to supply 
 them with that which is best calculated to nourish and support 
 them. I have, in another part of this work, endeavored to 
 show that heat, light, air, and moisture, are each essential to 
 vegetation, and that these should be supplied in a judicious 
 manner, according to circumstances. 
 
 In the midst of our Northern winters, -which is the usual time 
 
KITCHEN-GABDENHIG. 143 
 
 for forcing in England, we are subject to north-west winds, 
 which produce extreme freezing. Now, as we have not yet 
 discovered how to make an artificial air, it will not be safe for 
 the gardener to raise a bottom heat under any kind of vegetar 
 ble until such time as he can impart a tolerable share of salu- 
 brious air, as the heat without air will soon destroy the fruits 
 of his labor. 
 
 I shall not attempt to treat of the cultivation of Pineapples, 
 Grapes, Cherries, or other fruits grown in forcing-houses ; nor 
 would it be advisable with us to undertake to raise Cucumbers, 
 Melons, etc., in frames throughout the severe winters of our 
 Northern States; but it must be acknowledged that the ex- 
 treme heat of our summers is as detrimental to the cultivation 
 of some of the most valuable kinds of fruits and vegetables, as 
 the coldness of our winters ; and for these reasons, artificial aid 
 is more necessary here in the winter and spring of the year 
 than in England, where a supply of the different varieties of 
 Artichokes, Broad Beans, Borecole, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Kale, 
 Lettuce, Eadishes, Ehubarb, Spinach, Turnips, and salads in 
 general, is easily obtained, a great part of the year, from their 
 kitchen- gardens ; whereas, if we were to attempt to supply our 
 markets with culinary vegetables at all times, in anything like 
 the abundance that they have them there, we must, out'of the 
 ordinary seasons for gardening operations, turn our attention 
 to the protecting and forwarding as well as the forcing system. 
 
 The frame being set over the pit, and properly fastened, the 
 fresh dung should be spread regularly in the pit to the depth 
 of twenty or twenty-four inches ; if the dung be in a good heat- 
 ing condition, cover it six or eight inches deep with mould, then 
 lay on the ashes, and protect the beds from the inclemency of 
 the weather. In two or three days the rank steam will pass 
 off; it will then be necessary to stir the mould before the seed 
 be sown, to prevent the growth of young weeds that may be ger- 
 minating ; then sow the seed either in shallow drills or broad- 
 cast, as equally as possible, reserving a small quantity of the 
 waiTOLmrmM^iQjbe sown lightly over the seed. The beds 
 
144 KITCHEN-GARDENINO. 
 
 should afterwards be attended to, as directed for Broccoli and 
 CanMower. 
 
 The depth of heating- materials mnst he regulated by the 
 season of the year at which the work is commenced, and also 
 to the purposes for which the hotbeds are intended. Beds used 
 for the purpose of raising half-hardy plants, or for procuring 
 seedling-plants late in the spring, may be made in the manner 
 recommended for the common hotbed ; but if substantial heat 
 is required to be kept up, the beds must be so contrived as to 
 admit of linings as the heat decreases ; and the dung should 
 undergo a regular process of preparation, according to the use 
 it is intended for. Compost heaps should also be provided, in 
 order to fiimish suitable mould to the different species of 
 plants ; for this purpose, all the old hotbed dung and mould, 
 leaves, taUj^iurf, sand, and other light manures and decayed 
 animal dung, should be collected together. 
 
 In some cases, when a slight hotbed is recommended for 
 forwarding hardy plants, if it should happen that a seedling 
 Cucumber-bed be at liberty, it may answer every purpose for 
 Eadishes, Lettuce, or other hardy plants ; or such a bed may 
 be spawned for Mushrooms, if required. 
 •^r If the forcing be commenced before the coldest of the winter 
 is past, .great precaution must be used, lest the plants be in- 
 jured by cold cutting winds, or destroyed by heat for want of 
 air. To prevent the former accident, warm dung should be 
 placed around the frames, and the sashes covered with mats 
 and boards every night. If full air cannot be admitted in the 
 daytime, the sashes must be slidden down to let off the steam ; 
 at the same time mats may be laid over the aperture, to pre- 
 vent cold air entering to the plants. 
 
 If the bottom heat in a bed be too violent, which is some- 
 times the case, means must be used to decrease it. This is 
 generally effected by making hqks in the bed with a stake 
 sharpened at the end, or with a crowbar ; and filling the holes 
 with water until the heat is sufficiently reduced. In lining 
 hotbeds, if the heat is reduced in the body of the beds, holes 
 
KITCHEN-GARDENING. 145 
 
 may be carefully made to admit heat from the fresh linings, so 
 as to enliven the heat of the bed. 
 
 A. thermometer should always be at hand at the time of 
 forcing, to be used, when necessary, to regulate the heat in the 
 beds ; and the water that is used to plants cultivated in frames, 
 should be warmed to the temperature of the air, or according 
 to the heat required for the various kind of plants. 
 
 FORCING ASPARAGUS IN HOTBEDS. 
 
 As Asparagus is apt to grow weak and slender by extreme 
 bottom heat, it is forced with greater success, and with less 
 trouble, in flued pits in a hot-house, than in dung hotbeds, be- 
 cause the heat from tan is more regular; yet a suitable bed 
 may be formed in a deep hotbed frame, made in the usual way. 
 If dung alone, or a mixture of dung and leaves be used, it 
 should be in a state past heating immoderately before it is made 
 into a bed. 
 
 For the purpose of keeping up a regular heat, a lining of hot 
 dung should be applied around the frame, and changed as 
 occasion requires. 
 
 If there be a strong heat in a bed, slide down the sash^tiU 
 it begins to decline. The temperature at night should never 
 be under 50°, and it may rise to 65° without injury ; when the 
 buds begin to appear, as much air must be dailj^ admitted as 
 the weather wUl permit. In two or three days after the beds 
 are planted, the heat wUl begin to rise, when the beds should 
 have a moderate supply of water, applied from a watering-pot 
 with the rose attached, and repeated every three or four days. 
 
 A frame of ordinary size, calcul.ate,j^for three sashes, will hold 
 from three to five hundred plants,j according to their age and 
 size ; and will, if properly managed, yield a dish every day for 
 about three weeks. On the above estimate, if a constant suc- 
 cession of Asparagus beyequired, it will be necessary to plant 
 a bed every eighteen or twenty days. 
 
 Rhubarb and Sea-Kale^may be, and sometimes are, forced in 
 
146 KITOHEN-GARDENINQ. 
 
 the same manner as Asparagus ; but the most general mode is 
 to excite them where they stand in the open garden, by the 
 application of warm dung, and a shield made of boards four 
 feet high to protect the young plants from the cold winds. 
 
INDEX 
 
 A. 
 
 PAOB 
 
 Ashes — ^peat 14 
 
 Artichoke — 32 
 
 ■Winter management of 33 
 
 Jerusalem 75 
 
 Aromatic — ^pot and sweet herbs 139 
 
 Asparagus — 35 
 
 Winter dressing of beds St 
 
 Spring dressing of beds 38 
 
 of in hotbeds 145 
 
 B. 
 
 Beans — 40 
 
 pole or running 43 
 
 Beets 44 
 
 Borecole or kale 4 *6 
 
 Brussels sprouts 46 
 
 Broccoli 41 
 
 Blanching celery 63 
 
 Bugs — destroying of green 41 
 
 • 0. 
 
 Crops — rotation of. 16 
 
 Caulifloiyer , 6" 
 
 Cabbage B3 
 
148 INDEX. 
 
 PiOB 
 
 Cabbage — evil of deep planting 55 
 
 how to keep 56 
 
 Oolewort or collards St 
 
 Cardoons 58 
 
 Carrots 59 
 
 Celery 62 
 
 blanching, of 63 
 
 best way of storing 65 
 
 Corn salad or fettious 66 
 
 Cress — water 66 
 
 Cucumber — 67 
 
 raising in hotbeds 67 
 
 Chives or cives .' 71 
 
 Cultivator — a steel tooth of , 116 
 
 Catsup — ^how to make 135 
 
 D. 
 
 Drills — planting in 18 
 
 Deep planting 27 
 
 Dry fodder 77 
 
 E. 
 
 English dwarf beans 40 
 
 Egg plant—. 11 
 
 manner of cooking — 72 
 
 Endive or succory 173 
 
 P. 
 
 Forcing various kinds of vegetables 25 
 
 Eetticus or corn salad 66 
 
 Ground — laying out of 10 
 
 Garden — arrangement of i 12 
 
INDEX. 149 
 
 fask; 
 
 G-ardeniug — ^time to commence 24 
 
 Greeen-bugs — destroying of 41 
 
 H. 
 
 Hotbeds 26 
 
 Horseradish 74 
 
 Hop — ^method of cultivating 83 
 
 names of different varieties '. 83 
 
 preparation of soil 84 
 
 cultivation and training 85 
 
 when and how to pick 86 
 
 manner of drj-ing 86 
 
 manner of bs^ging 87 
 
 yield per acre 88 
 
 medicinal properties of 88 
 
 stacking the poles 89 
 
 Herbs — aromatic, pot and sweet 139 
 
 Insects — repelling of JJ^ 
 
 Indian corn — ^^- • ''5 
 
 preparation of soil and seeding js '?8 
 
 for dry fodder : .,r^' ■ • • 1"? 
 
 how to cure the stalks >#•' '^^ 
 
 description of illustrations i 80 
 
 J. 
 
 Jerusalem artichoke..!.. ;»!!^^ '^^ 
 
 Ktchen-gardening— remarks on 9 
 
 Kidney dwarf beans »■:••' *1 
 
 Ka le or borecole • 
 
150 INDEX. 
 
 , L. 
 
 FASB 
 
 Leek 89 
 
 Lettuce 90 
 
 M. 
 
 Manure — how applied 12 
 
 distribution of 20 
 
 Means for repeUing insects 29 
 
 Maize for soiling or dry fodder 11 
 
 Medicinal properties of hops .• 88 
 
 Melon — water 92 
 
 Melons — forwarding under hand glasses 94 
 
 Mustard 95 
 
 Mushrooms — 95 
 
 how to distinguish the good from the poisonous 96 
 
 forcing of, at all seasons 96 
 
 how to make the beds 9'7 
 
 extremes of temperature should he avoided 100 
 
 N. 
 Nasturfaum 101 
 
 O. 
 
 Okra.. 102 
 
 Onion — 102 
 
 when to harvest 103 
 
 when to sow the seed 104 
 
 P. 
 
 Peat ashes — value of 14 
 
 Planting in drills 18 
 
 Planting— deep 2T 
 
 Parsley 104 
 
INDEZ. 151 
 
 ^*^™P- 105 
 
 ^^PPe^^ 107 
 
 ^®^^ ~ 101 
 
 forcing of in hotbeds X08 
 
 Potato — -jQg 
 
 how to raise large crops of HI 
 
 forcing of in hotbeds .H4 
 
 ground-marker 115 
 
 planter, True's Hg 
 
 digger, Hill's 118 
 
 sweet 119 
 
 Pumpkin 120 
 
 Pot, aromatic and sweet herbs 139 
 
 Plants — cultivated for medicinal and other purposes 141 
 
 Radish — 12i 
 
 forwarding of 122 
 
 Kocambole ...123 
 
 Bhubarb — 123 
 
 forwarding of 126 
 
 S. 
 
 Saltpetre as a fertilizer ■ .j . ;. 13 
 
 Soils — ^improving of 13 
 
 preparation of. i 15 
 
 Seed and seeding .' IT 
 
 Seeds — vitality of 21 
 
 Stone fruit — seeds of ". 22 
 
 Seeds — causes of failure in their germinatidn. 22 
 
 quantity of .^j^Sp:^'. 23 
 
 Soils — adapting plants to ^^Si:.. . . . . : 27 
 
 Salad — com , . jW 63 
 
 Succory or endive 73 
 
 Soiling — ^maize for ,. 77 
 
 Sturtion 101 
 
 Sweet potatoes i 119 
 
 Salsify ...., 126 
 
152 INDEX. 
 
 PASH 
 
 ScoTzonera 127 
 
 Sea kale 128 
 
 Skiiret 130 
 
 Shallot 13l 
 
 Spinach or spinage 131 
 
 Squaah— 133 
 
 how to ertermmate the grub 134 
 
 T. 
 
 Table showing the number of plants on an acre 20 
 
 Time to commence gardening 24 
 
 Tomato— 134 
 
 manner of preserving 135 
 
 Turnips; 136 
 
 Turnip-fly — repelling of 138 
 
 V. 
 
 Vegetables — ^forcing of various kinds 2b 
 
 Varieties of artichoke — 32 
 
 asparagus ' 35 
 
 -forcing of. 142 
 
 T. 
 Toung plants — arrangement of 36