Horticulture has a full share in the progressive character of the age.
Changes have been effected in the Kitchen Garden which are quite as
remarkable as the altered methods of locomotion, lighting and
sanitation. Vegetables are grown in greater variety, of higher quality,
and are sent to table both earlier and later in the season than was
considered possible by gardeners of former generations.
When Parkinson directed his readers to prepare Melons for eating by
mixing with the pulp ‘salt and pepper and good store of wine,’ he must
have been familiar with fruit differing widely from the superb varieties
which are now in favour. A kindred plant, the Cucumber, is more prolific
than ever, and the fruits win admiration for their symmetrical form.
The Tomato has ceased to be a summer luxury for the few, and is now
prized as a delicacy throughout the year by all classes of the
community.
As a result of the hybridiser’s skill modern Potatoes produce heavier
crops, less liable to succumb to the attacks of disease, than the old
varieties, and the finest table quality has been maintained.
Peas are not what they were because they are so immensely better. While
the powers of the plant have been concentrated, with the result that it
occupies less room and occasions less trouble, its productiveness has
been augmented and the quality improved. All the pulse tribe have shared
in the advance, and a comparison of any dozen or score of the favourite
sorts of Peas or Beans grown to-day with the same number of favourites
of half or even a quarter of a century since will at once prove that
progress in horticulture is no dream of the enthusiast.
Among the Brassicas, such as Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage and
Cauliflower, a series of remarkable examples might be mentioned; and
roots such as Beet, Carrot, Onion, Radish and Turnip afford other
striking instances of improvement. Salads also, including Celery,
Chicory, Endive and Lettuce, have participated in the beneficial change
and offer a large choice of dainties, adapted to various periods of the
year. Indeed it may be truly said that none of the occupants of the
vegetable garden have refused to be improved by scientific crossing and
selection.
The vegetables which are available for daily use offer a wide and most
interesting field to the expert in selecting and hybridising. For past
achievements we are indebted to the untiring labours of specialists, and
to their continued efforts we look for further results. Whether the
future may have in store greater changes than have already been
witnessed none can tell. One thing only is certain, that finality is
unattainable, and the knowledge of this fact adds to the charm of a
fascinating pursuit. Happily, innovations are no longer received with
the suspicion or hostility they formerly encountered. In gardens
conducted with a spirit of enterprise novelties are welcome and have an
impartial trial. The prudent gardener will regard these sowings as
purely experimental, made for the express purpose of ascertaining
whether better crops can be secured in future years. For his principal
supplies he will rely on those varieties which experience has proved to
be suitable for the soil and adapted to the requirements of the
household he has to serve. By growing the best of everything, and
growing everything well, not only is the finest produce insured in
abundance, but every year the garden presents new features of interest.
In considering the general order of work in the Kitchen Garden, the
first principle is that its productive powers shall be taxed to the
utmost. There need be no fallowing—no resting of the ground; and if it
should so happen that by hard cropping perplexity arises about the
disposal of produce, the proverbial three courses are open—to sell, to
give, or to dig the stuff in as manure. The last-named course will pay
well, especially in the disposal of the remains of Cabbage, Kale,
Turnips, and other vegetables that have stood through the winter and
occupy ground required for spring seeds. Bury them in trenches, and sow
Peas, Beans, &c., over them, and in due time full value will be obtained
for the buried crops and the labour bestowed upon them. But hard
cropping implies abundant manuring and incessant stirring of the soil.
To take much off and put little on is like burning the candle at both
ends, or expecting the whip to be an efficient substitute for corn when
the horse has extra work to do. Dig deep always: if the soil be shallow
it is advisable to turn the top spit in the usual manner, and break up
the subsoil thoroughly for another twelve or fifteen inches. Where the
soil is deep and the staple good, trench a piece every year two spits
deep, the autumn being the best time for this work, because of the
immense benefit which results from the exposure of newly turned soil to
rain, snow, frost, and the rest of Nature’s great army of fertilising
agencies.
In practical work there is nothing like method. Crop the ground
systematically, as if an account of the procedure had to be laid before
a committee of severe critics. Constantly forecast future work and the
disposition of the ground for various crops, keeping in mind the
proportions they should bear to each other. Be particular to have a
sufficiency of the flavouring and garnishing herbs always ready and near
at hand. These are sometimes wanted suddenly, and in a well-ordered
garden it should not be difficult to gather a tuft of Parsley in the
dark. Change crops from place to place, so as to avoid growing the same
things on the same plots in two successive seasons. This rule, though of
great importance, cannot be strictly followed, and may be disregarded to
a certain extent where the land is constantly and heavily manured. It
is, however, of more consequence in connection with the Potato than with
aught else, and this valuable root should, if possible, be grown on a
different plot every year, so that it shall be three or four years in
travelling round the garden. Lastly, sow everything in drills at the
proper distances apart. Broadcasting is a slovenly mode of sowing, and
necessitates slovenly cultivation afterwards. When crops are in drills
they can be efficiently thinned, weeded and hoed—in other words, they
can be cultivated. But broadcasting pretty well excludes the cultivator
from the land, and can only be commended to the idle man, who will be
content with half a crop of poor quality, while the land may be capable
of producing a crop at once the heaviest and the best.
GLOBE ARTICHOKE
Cynara Scolymus
The Globe Artichoke is grown mainly for the sake of its flower-heads
which make a delightful dish when cooked while immature. The plant is
easily raised from seed, although not quite hardy in some districts. It
will grow on almost any soil, but for the production of large fleshy
heads, deep rich ground is requisite. The preparation of the soil should
be liberal, and apart from the use of animal manure the plant may be
greatly aided by wood-ashes and seaweed, for it is partial to saline
manures, its home being the sandy seashores of Northern Africa.
The simplest routine of cultivation consists in sowing annually, and
allowing each plantation to stand to the close of the second season.
Seed may be sown in February in boxes of light soil, or in the open
ground in March or April. In the former case, put in the seeds one inch
deep and four inches apart, and start them in gentle heat. Grow on the
seedlings steadily, and thoroughly harden off preparatory to planting
out at the end of April, giving each a space of three to four feet apart
each way. Under favourable conditions the plants from the February
sowing will produce heads in the following August, September, and
October. In the second year, the heads will be formed during June and
July. This arrangement not only insures a supply of heads from June to
October, but admits of a more effective rotation of crops in the garden.
Sowings in the open ground should be made in March or April, in drills
one foot apart. Thin out the plants to six inches apart in the rows and
allow them to stand until the following spring, when they may be
transplanted to permanent beds.
Globe Artichokes may also be grown from suckers planted out in April
when about nine inches high. Put them in rather deep, tread in firmly,
and lay on any rough mulch that may be handy. Should the weather be dry
they will require watering, and during a hot dry spell water and liquid
manure should be given freely to insure a good supply of large heads.
Seedlings that are started well in a suitable bed take better care of
themselves than do plants from suckers, especially in a dry season.
Vigorous seedlings send down their roots to a great depth.
To advise on weeding and hoeing for the promotion of a clean and strong
growth should be needless, because all crops require such attention.
But as to the production of large heads, a few words of advice may be
useful. It is the practice with some growers to twist a piece of wire
round the stem about three inches below the head. This certainly does
tend to increase the size, but the same end may be accomplished by other
means. In the first place, a rich deep bed and abundant supplies of
water will encourage the growth of fine heads. Further aid in the same
direction will be derived from the removal of all the lateral heads that
appear when they are about as large as an egg. Up to this stage they do
not tax the energies of the plants in any great degree; but as the
flowers are forming within them their demands increase rapidly. Their
removal, therefore, has an immediate effect on the main heads, and these
attain to large dimensions without the aid of wire. The small heads will
be valued at many tables for eating raw, as they are eaten in Italy, or
cooked as ‘artichauts frits.’ The larger main heads are the best for
serving boiled in the usual way. After the heads are used the plants
should be cut down.
Chards are the blanched summer growth of Globe Artichokes, and are by
many preferred to blanched Cardoons. In the early part of July the
plants selected for Chards must be cut over about six inches above the
ground. In a few days after this operation they will need a copious
watering, which should be repeated weekly, except when heavy rains
occur. By the end of September the plants will have made much growth and
be ready for blanching. Draw them together, put a band of hay or straw
around them, and earth them up, finishing the work neatly. The blanching
will take fully six weeks, during which time there will be but little
growth made—hence the necessity for promoting free growth before
earthing up. Any Chards not used before winter sets in may be lifted and
preserved by packing in sand in a dry shed.
The Artichoke is hardy on dry soils when the winter is of only average
severity. But on retentive soils, which are most favourable to the
production of fine heads, a severe winter will destroy the plantations
unless they have some kind of protection. The usual course of procedure
is to cut down the stems and large leaves without touching the smaller
central leaves, and, when severe frost appears probable, partially earth
up the rows with soil taken from between; this protection is
strengthened by the addition of light dry litter loosely thrown over.
With the return of spring the litter is removed, the earth is dug back,
and all the suckers but about three removed: then a liberal dressing of
manure is dug in, care being taken to do as little injury to the plants
above and below ground as possible. At the end of five years a
plantation will be quite worn out; in somewhat poor soil it will be
exhausted in three years. But on any kind of soil the cultivation of
this elegant vegetable is greatly simplified by sowing annually, and
allowing the plants to stand for two years only, as already advised.
JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE
Helianthus tuberosus
The Jerusalem Artichoke is a member of the Sunflower tribe, quite hardy,
and productive of wholesome roots that are in favour with many as a
delicacy, and by others are regarded as worthless. It is said that wise
men learn to eat every good thing the earth produces, and this root is a
good thing when properly served; but when cooked in the same way as a
Potato it certainly is a very poor vegetable indeed. It is a matter of
some interest, however, that in respect of nutritive value it is about
equal to the Potato; therefore, in growing it for domestic use nothing
is lost in the way of food, though it needs to be cooked in a different
way.
The Jerusalem Artichoke will grow anywhere; indeed, it will often yield
a profitable return on land which is unsuitable for any other crop, but
to insure a fine sample it requires a deep friable loam and an open
situation. We have grown immense crops on a strong deep clay, but it is
not a clay plant, because it soon suffers from any excess of moisture.
To prepare the ground well for this crop is a matter of importance, for
it roots freely and makes an immense top-growth, reaching, when very
vigorous, a height of ten or twelve feet. Trench and manure in autumn,
and leave the land rough for the winter. Plant in February or March,
using whole or cut sets with about three eyes to each, and put them in
trenches six inches deep and three feet apart, the sets being one foot
apart in the trenches. When the plants appear, hoe the ground between,
draw a little fine earth to the stems, and leave the rest to Nature.
Take up a portion of the crop in November and store in sand and dig the
remainder when wanted, as recommended in the case of Parsnips. The
tubers must be dug with a fork by opening trenches and cleaning out
every scrap of the roots, for whatever remains will grow and become
troublesome in the following season.
ASPARAGUS
Asparagus officinalis
Asparagus is a liliaceous plant of perennial duration, and it demands
more generous treatment than the majority of Kitchen Garden crops. Under
favourable conditions it improves with age to such an extent as to
justify the best possible cultivation. Plantations that have stood and
prospered for twenty or even thirty years are not uncommon, but a fair
average term is ten years, after which it is generally advisable to
break up a bed, the precaution being first taken to secure a succession
bed on fresh soil well prepared for the purpose. Plantations are made
either by sowing seeds or from transplanted roots; and although roots
are extremely sensitive when moved, success can, as a rule, be insured
by special care and prompt action, assuming that the proper time of year
is chosen for the operation. The advantage of using roots is the saving
of time, and in most gardens this is an important consideration.
Fortunately roots may be planted almost as safely when two or three
years old as at one year.
Soil.—Asparagus will grow in any soil that is well cultivated; a deep
rich sandy loam being especially suitable. Calcareous soil is by no
means unfavourable to Asparagus; still, a sand rich in humus is not the
less to be desired, as the finest samples of European growth are the
produce of the districts around Paris and Brussels. The London
Asparagus, which is prized by many for its full flavour and tenderness,
is for the most part grown near at hand, in deep alluvial soils enriched
with abundance of manure. Nature gives us the key to every secret that
concerns our happiness, and on the cultivation of Asparagus she is
liberal in her teaching. The plant is found growing wild on the sandy
coasts of the British Islands—a proof that it loves sand and salt.
Preparation of Ground.—The routine cultivation must begin with a
thorough preparation of the ground. Efficient drainage is imperative,
for stagnant water in the subsoil is fatal to the plant. But a rich loam
does not need the extravagant manuring that has been recommended and
practised. Deep digging and, where the subsoil is good, trenching may be
recommended, but an average manuring will suffice, because Asparagus can
be effectually aided by annual top-dressings, and proper surface culture
is of great importance in the subsequent stages. It is necessary to
choose an open spot for the plantation. Preparation of the ground
should commence in the autumn and be continued through the winter, a
heavy dressing of half-rotten stable manure being put on in the first
instance, and trenched in two feet deep. In the course of a month the
whole piece should be trenched back. If labour is at command a third
trenching may be done with advantage, and the surface may be left ridged
up until the time arrives to level it for seeding. It will be obvious
that this routine is of a somewhat costly character, but we are
supposing the plantation is to remain for many years, making an abundant
return for the first investment. Still we are bound to say that a
capital supply for a moderate table may be obtained by preparing a piece
of good ground in an open situation in a quite ordinary manner with one
deep digging in winter, adding at the time some six inches or so of fat
stable manure, and leaving it thus until the time arrives for sowing the
seed. Then it will be well to level down and point in, half a spade
deep, a thin coat of decayed manure to make a nice kindly seed-bed.
Where soil known to be unsuitable, such as a damp clay or pasty loam,
has to be prepared for Asparagus, it will be found an economical
practice to remove the top spit, which we will suppose to be turf or old
cultivated soil, and on the space so cleared make up a bed of the best
possible materials at command. Towards this mixture there is the top
spit just referred to. Add any available lime rubbish from destroyed
buildings, sand, peat, leaf-mould, surface soil raked from the rear of
the shrubberies, &c., and the result should be a good compost obtained
at an almost nominal cost.
Size of Bed, and Sowing Seed.—At this juncture several questions of
considerable importance arise. And first, whether the crop shall be
grown on the flat or in raised beds. Where the soil is sufficiently
deep, and the drainage perfect, the flat system answers well. The
advantages of raised beds are that they deepen the soil, assist the
drainage, promote warmth, and thus aid the growth of an early crop. In
fact, raised beds render it possible to grow Asparagus on soils from
which this vegetable could not otherwise be obtained. The preparation is
the same in either case, and therefore we shall make no further allusion
to flat beds, but leave those to adopt them who find their soil and
requirements suitable. Now comes the question of distance, on which
depends the width of the beds. The first point may be settled by the
measure of the plant, and the second by the measure of the man. Monster
sticks are valued at some tables, and we shall refer to these later on,
but an abundant crop of handsome, though not abnormal, Asparagus meets
the requirements of most households. After many experiments, we have
come to the conclusion that the best mode of insuring a full return of
really good sticks, with the least amount of labour, is to lay out the
land in three-feet beds, with two-feet alleys between. In some
instances, no doubt, five-feet beds, containing three rows of roots, one
down the middle and one on each side at a distance of eighteen inches,
are preferable. For the majority of gardens, however, the three-feet bed
is a distinct advantage, were it only for the fact that all excuse for
putting a foot on the bed is avoided. On this narrow bed only two rows
of plants will be necessary. Put down the line at nine inches from the
edge on both sides, and at intervals of fifteen inches in the rows
dibble holes two inches deep, dropping two or three seeds in each. This
will give a distance between the rows of eighteen inches. In very strong
land, heavily manured, the holes may be eighteen inches apart instead of
fifteen. April is the right month for sowing.
Thinning.—When the ‘grass’ from seeds has grown about six inches
high, only the strongest plant must be left at each station, and they
should finally stand at a distance of fifteen or eighteen inches in the
row. Much of the injury reported to follow from close planting has been
the result of carelessness in thinning. The young plant is such a
slender, delicate thing, that, to the thoughtless operator, it seems
folly to thin down to one only. The consequence is that two or three, or
perhaps half a dozen, plants are left at each station to ‘fight it out,’
and these become so intermixed as to appear to be one, though really
many, and of course amongst them they produce more shoots than can be
fed properly by the limited range of their roots. Severe, or may we say
mathematical, thinning is a sine quâ non, and it requires sharp eyes
and careful fingers; but it must be done if the Asparagus beds are to
become, as they should be, the pride of the Kitchen Garden.
Blanching.—The grave question of white versus green Asparagus we
cannot entertain, except so far as concerns the cultivator only. On the
point of taste, therefore, we say nothing; and it is a mere matter of
management whether the sticks are blanched to the very tip, or allowed
to become green for some few inches. Blanching is effected in various
ways. The heaping up of soft soil, such as leaf-mould, will accomplish
it. On the Continent many contrivances are resorted to, such as covering
the heads with wooden or earthen pipes. In a few districts in France
champagne-bottles with the bottoms cut away are employed. But a strong
growth being secured, the cultivator will find it an easy matter to
regulate the degree of colour according to the requirements of the table
he has to serve. As a rule, a moderately stout growth, with a fair show
of purple colour, is everywhere appreciated, and is the easiest to
produce, because the most natural.
There is, however, an interesting point in connection with the
production of green Asparagus, and it is that if wintry weather prevails
when the heads are rising (as unfortunately is often the case) the
tender green tops may be melted by frost and become worthless, or may be
rendered so tough as to place the quality below that of blanched
Asparagus; for the blanching is also a protective process, and quickly
grown white Asparagus is often more tender and tasty than that which is
green, but has been grown slowly. As the season advances and the heads
rise rapidly the green Asparagus acquires its proper flavour and
tenderness, and thus practical considerations should more or less
influence final decisions on matters of taste. The business of the
cultivator is to produce the kind of growth that is required, whether
white or green, or of a quality intermediate between the two. This is
easily done, making allowance for conditions. When green Asparagus is
alone in demand, the cultivator may be advised to have in readiness, as
the heads are making their first show, a sufficient supply of some rough
and cheap protecting material, such as grass and coarse weeds, cut with
a sickle from odd corners of the shrubbery and meadow land, or clean hay
and straw perfectly free from mildew; but for obvious reasons stable
litter should not be used. A very light sprinkling of material over an
Asparagus bed that is making a first show of produce will ward off the
morning frosts, and amply compensate for the little trouble in saving
many tender green sticks that the frosts would melt to a jelly and
render worthless. After the second or third week in May the litter may
be removed if needful; but if appearances are of secondary importance,
it may be left to shrink away on the spot.
Cutting.—Asparagus as supplied by market growers is needlessly long
in the stem. The bundles have an imposing appearance, no doubt, but the
useless length adds nothing to the comfort of those at table, and is a
wasteful tax on the energy of the plant. For home consumption it will
generally suffice if the white portion is about four inches long, and
this determines the depth at which the sticks should be cut. Here it may
be useful to remark that deeply buried roots do not thrive so well as
those which are nearer the surface, nor do they produce such early
crops. The sticks are usually cut by thrusting down a stiff
narrow-pointed knife, or specially made saw, close to each shoot; and it
is necessary to do this with judgment, or adjacent shoots, which are not
sufficiently advanced to reveal their presence by lifting the soil, may
be damaged. To avoid this risk of injury by the knife it is possible
from some beds to obtain the sticks without the aid of any implement by
a twist and pull combined, but the process needs a dexterous hand and is
impracticable in tenacious soils. The sticks of a handsome sample will
be white four or five inches of their length; the tops close, plump, of
a purplish-green colour, and the colour extending two or at most three
inches down the stems. Both size and degree of colouring are, however,
so entirely questions of taste that no definite rule can be stated. It
is more to the purpose to say that, if liberally grown, the plant may be
cut from in the third year; and that cutting should cease about the
middle of June, or early in July, according to the district. For the
good of the plant the sooner cutting ceases the better, as the next
year’s buds have to be formed in the roots by the aid of the top-growth
of the current season.
Weeding and Staking.—Two other points relating to the general
management are worthy of attention. Some crops get on fairly well when
neglected and crowded with weeds. Not so with Asparagus. The plant
appears to have been designed to enjoy life in solitude, being unfit for
competition; and if weeds make way in an Asparagus bed, the cultivator
will pay a heavy penalty for his neglect of duty. The limitation of the
beds to a width of three feet, therefore, is of consequence, because it
facilitates weeding without putting a foot on them. The other point
arises out of the necessity of affording support to the frail plant in
places where it may happen to be exposed to wind. When Asparagus in high
summer is rudely shaken, the stems snap off at the base, and the roots
lose the service of the top-growth in maturing buds for the next season.
To prevent this injury is easy enough, but the precautions must be
adopted in good time. A free use of light, feathery stakes, such as are
employed for the support of Peas, thrust in firmly all over the bed,
will insure all needful support when gales are blowing. In the absence
of pea-sticks, stout stakes, placed at suitable distances and connected
with lengths of thick tarred twine, will answer equally well. In
sheltered gardens the protection of the young growth with litter, and of
the mature growth with stakes, need not be resorted to, but in exposed
situations these precautions should not be neglected.
Manuring Permanent Beds.—The management of Asparagus includes a
careful clean-up of the beds in autumn. The plants should not be cut
down until they change colour; then all the top-growth may be cleared
away and the surface raked clean. Give the beds a liberal dressing of
half-decayed manure, and carefully touch up the sides to make them neat
and tidy. It is usual at the same time to dig and manure the alleys, but
this practice we object to in toto, because it tends directly to the
production of lean sticks where fat ones are possible; for the roots run
freely in the alleys, and to dig is to destroy them. In the spring clear
the beds of the autumn dressing by raking any remnant of manure into the
alleys, and the beds and the alleys should then be carefully pricked
over with a fork two or three inches deep only, and with great care not
to wound any roots.
The application of salt requires judgment. For a time it renders the bed
cold, and when followed by snow the two combine to make a freezing
mixture which arrests the growth of established plants. On a newly made
bed salt is unnecessary, and may prove destructive to the roots. The
proper time for applying salt must be determined by the district and the
character of the season; but in no case should the mineral be used until
active growth has commenced, although it is not needful to wait until
the growth is visible above the surface. In the southern counties a
suitable opportunity may generally be found from the beginning to the
middle of April. Second and third dressings may follow at intervals of
three weeks, which not only stimulate the roots but keep down weeds.
Planting Roots.—In many gardens where there is space for two or three
beds only there will be the very natural desire to secure Asparagus in a
shorter time than is possible from seed, and we therefore proceed to
indicate the best method of planting roots. Asparagus roots do not take
kindly to removal, especially old and established plants. The mere
drying of the roots by exposure to the atmosphere is distinctly
injurious to them. They will travel safely a long distance when well
packed, but the critical time is between the unpacking and getting them
safely into their final home. Everything should be made ready for the
transfer before the package is opened, and the actual task of planting
should be accomplished in the shortest time possible.
A three-feet bed should be prepared by taking out the soil in such a
manner as to leave two ridges for the roots. The space between ridges to
be eighteen inches, and the tops of the ridges to be so far below the
level of the bed that when the soil is returned, and the bed made to
its normal level, the crowns will be about five inches beneath the
surface. This may be understood from the following illustration of a
section cut across the bed.
![[Illustration: bedlayout]](https://openoldbooks.sgp1.digitaloceanspaces.com/books/the-culture-of-vegetables-and-flowers-from-seeds-and-roots/images/001.jpg)
A, A represent the alleys between the beds, and B the top of one bed.
The dotted lines show the ridges on which the roots are to rest at C, C.
When the bed is ready, open the package and place the Asparagus on the
ridges at fifteen or eighteen inches apart, allowing about half the
roots of each plant to fall down on either side of the ridge. As a rule
it will be wise to have two pairs of hands engaged in the task. The soil
should be filled in expeditiously, and a finishing touch be given to the
bed. Very rarely will it be safe to transplant Asparagus until the end
of March or beginning of April, for although established roots will pass
unharmed through a very severe winter, those which have recently been
removed are often killed outright by a lengthened period of cold wet
weather, and especially by thawed snow followed by frost.
Giant Asparagus.—Some of the most critical judges of Asparagus in the
country are extremely partial to giant sticks. Their preference is not
based on mere superiority in size, but on the special flavour which is
the peculiar merit of these extra-large Asparagus when they are properly
grown. Although there is no difficulty whatever in producing them, it
must be admitted that to insure specimens weighing nearly or quite half
a pound, plenty of space must be allowed for the full development of
each plant and a prodigal use of manure is imperative. Where drainage is
effectual, the soil of any well-tilled garden can be made suitable. The
roots may be grown in clumps or in rows. Clumps are planted in
triangular form, two feet being allowed between the three plants of each
group, with a distance of five feet between the groups. The more usual
method, however, is to plant in rows. In both cases the cultural details
are almost identical, and to obtain the finest results it is wise to get
the preparatory work done at convenient times in advance of the planting
season. Assuming that rows are decided on, commence operations by
digging a broad deep trench, throwing out the soil to the right and left
to form sloping sides until there is a perpendicular depth of
twenty-seven inches from the top of the ridge. About one foot of
prepared soil should be placed in the bottom of the trench. This may be
composed of such material as the trimmings of hedges, sweepings of
shrubberies, twigs from a faggot pile, wood ashes and leaf-mould. The
constituents must to some extent depend on the materials at command.
What is wanted is a light compost, consisting almost wholly of vegetable
matter in a more or less advanced state of decomposition. Add three or
four inches of rich loam, and on this, at the beginning of April, plant
strong one-year roots of a robust-growing variety. Between the plants it
is customary to allow a space of at least two feet, and some growers put
them a full yard apart. Cover the crowns with three inches of rich soil,
previously mixed with manure and laid up for the purpose. The second and
following rows are to be treated in the same way, and the work must be
so managed that an equal distance of four and a half or five feet is
left between the rows. When the foliage dies down in autumn, a layer of
fertile loam mixed with rotten manure should be spread over the surface.
In the succeeding spring remove just the top crust of soil and give a
thick dressing of decayed manure alone, upon which the soil can be
restored. During the autumn of the second year the furrow must be filled
with horse manure for the winter. Remove this manure in March, and
substitute good loam containing a liberal admixture of decayed manure
previously incorporated with the soil. The slight ridges that remain can
then be levelled down. By this treatment large handsome sticks of
Asparagus may be cut in the third year. To maintain the plants in a high
state of efficiency, it must be clearly understood that forcing with
horse manure will be necessary every subsequent year. Blanching may be
carried out by any of the usual methods, and Sea Kale pots are both
convenient and effectual. Not a weed should be visible on the beds at
any time.
Forcing is variously practised, and the best possible system,
doubtless, is to force in the beds, and thereby train the plants to
their work so that they become used to it. The growers who supply Paris
with forced Asparagus produce the white sample in the beds, and the
green by removal of the roots to frames. Forcing in beds may be
accomplished by means of trenches filled with fermenting material or by
hot-water pipes, the beds in either case being covered with frames.
Where the demand for forced Asparagus is constant, there can be no doubt
the hot-water system is the cheapest as well as the cleanest and most
reliable; for a casual supply forcing in frames answers very well, but
it is attended with the disadvantage that when the crop has been secured
the roots are worthless. The practice of forcing may be said to commence
with the formation of the seed-bed, for if it is to be carried on in a
systematic and profitable manner, every detail must be provided for in
the original arrangements. The width of the beds and of the alleys, and
the disposition of the plants, will have to be carefully considered, so
as to insure the best results of a costly procedure, and it will be
waste of time to begin forcing until the plants have attained their
fourth year. The rough method of market growers consists in the
employment of hot manure in trenches, and also on the beds, after the
frames are put on. The beds are usually four feet wide, the alleys two
feet wide and twenty inches deep, and the plants not more than nine
inches apart in the row, there being three or four rows of plants in the
bed. The frames are put on when forcing commences, but the lights are
withheld until the shoots begin to appear. Then the fermenting material
is removed from the beds, the lights are put on, and no air is given,
mats being added in cold weather, both to retain warmth and promote
blanching. This method produces a fair market sample, but a much better
growth may be obtained by a good hot-water system, as will be understood
from a momentary consideration of details. By the employment of
fermenting material the temperature runs up rapidly, sometimes
extravagantly, so that it is no uncommon event for the growth to
commence at 70° to 80° Fahr., which may produce a handsome sample, but
it will be flavourless. The hot-water system allows of perfect control,
and the prudent grower will begin at 50°, rise slowly to 60°, and take
care not to exceed 65°; the result will be a sample full of flavour,
with a finer appearance than the best obtainable by the rougher method.
Forcing in frames is systematically practised in many gardens, and as it
exhausts the roots there must be a corresponding production of roots for
the purpose. The first requisite is a good lasting hotbed, covered with
about four inches of light soil of any kind, but preferably leaf-mould.
The roots are carefully lifted and planted as closely as possible on
this bed, and covered with fine soil to a depth of six inches. The
sashes are then put on and kept close; but a little air may be given as
the heads rise, to promote colour and flavour. The heat will generally
run to 70°, and that figure should be the maximum allowed. Experienced
growers prefer to force at 60° or 65°, and to take a little more time
for the advantage of a finer sample.
BROAD BEAN
Faba vulgaris
The Broad Bean is a thrifty plant, as hardy as any in the garden, and
very accommodating as to soil. It is quite at home on heavy land, but in
common with nearly all other vegetables it thrives on a deep sandy loam.
Considering the productive nature of the plant and its comparatively
brief occupation of the ground, the common Bean must be regarded as one
of our most profitable garden crops. Both the Longpod and Windsor
classes should be grown. For general work the Longpods are invaluable;
they are early, thoroughly hardy, produce heavy crops, and in appearance
and flavour satisfy the world at large, as may be proved by appeal to
the markets. The Windsor Beans are especially prized for their superior
quality, being tender, full of flavour, and, if well managed, most
tempting in colour when put upon the table.
For early crops the Longpods claim attention, and sowings may be made
towards the end of October or during November on a dry soil in a warm
situation, sheltered from the north. Choose a dry day for the operation.
On no account should the attempt be made while the soil conditions are
unfavourable, even if the sowing is thereby deferred for some time. The
distance must depend upon the sorts, but two feet will answer generally
as the distance between the double rows; the two lines forming the
double rows may be nine inches apart, and the seed two inches deep. On
strong ground a distance of three feet can be allowed between the double
rows, but it is not well to give overmuch space, because the plants
protect each other somewhat, and earliness of production is the matter
of chief moment. Thoroughly consolidate the soil to encourage sturdy
hard growth which will successfully withstand the excessive moisture and
cold of winter. It is an excellent practice to prepare a piece of good
ground sloping to the south, and on this to make a plantation in
February of plants carefully lifted from the seed rows, wherever they
can be spared as proper thinnings. These should be put in double rows,
three feet apart. If transplanted with care they will receive but a
slight check, and will give a successional supply.
Main Crops.—Another sowing may be made towards the end of January,
but for the main crop wait until February or March. For succession crops
sowings may be made until mid-April, after which time there is risk of
failure, especially on hot soils. A strong soil is suitable, and
generally speaking a heavy crop of Beans may be taken from a
well-managed clay. But any deep cool soil will answer, and where there
is a regular demand for Beans the cultivator may be advised to grow both
Longpods and Windsors—the first for earliness and bulk, the second for
quality. The double rows of maincrop Beans should be fully three feet
apart, and the plants quite nine inches apart in the rows. The
preparation of the seed-bed must be of a generous nature. Where grass
land or land of questionable quality is broken up and trenched, it will
be tolerably safe to crop it with Beans as a first start; and to prepare
it for the crop a good body of fat stable manure should be laid in
between the first and second spits, as this will carry the crop through,
while insuring to the subsoil that has been brought up a time of
seasoning with the least risk of any consequent loss.
There is not much more to be said about growing Beans; the ground must
be kept clean, and the hoe will have its work here as elsewhere. The
pinching out of the tops as soon as there is a fair show of blossom is a
good plan, whether fly is visible or not, and it is also advisable to
root out all plants as fast as they finish their work, for if left they
throw up suckers and exhaust the soil. The gathering of the crop is
often so carelessly performed that the supply is suddenly arrested.
Sowings under Glass.—In an emergency, Beans may be started in pots in
the greenhouse, or on turf sods in frames for planting out, in precisely
the same way as Peas for early crops. This practice is convenient in
cases where heavy water-logged ground precludes outdoor sowing in autumn
and early spring. In all such cases care must be taken that the forcing
is of the most moderate character, or the crop will be poor and late,
instead of being plentiful and early. When pushed on under glass for
planting out, the young stock must have as much light and air as
possible consistent with safety, and a slow healthy growth will better
answer the purpose than a rapid growth producing long legs and pale
leaves, because the physique of infancy determines in a great degree
that of maturity, not less in plants than in animals.
DWARF FRENCH BEAN
Phaseolus vulgaris
Among summer vegetables Dwarf French Beans are deservedly in high
favour, and are everywhere sown at the earliest moment consistent with
reasonable expectations of their safety. This early sowing is altogether
laudable, for although it occasionally entails the loss of a plantation,
the aggregate result is advantageous, and a very little protection
suffices to carry the early plant through the late spring frosts. But
those who supply our tables with green delicacies do not all recognise
the importance of late sowings of Dwarf Beans. Here, again, a risk must
be incurred, but the cost is trifling, and when the summer is prolonged
to October the late-sown Beans are highly prized. Even if they produce
plentifully through September there is a great point gained, but that
cannot be secured from the earliest sowings; it is impossible. After
July it is useless to sow Beans, but where the demand is constant, two
or three sowings may be made in this month, choosing the most sheltered
nooks that can be found for them. For late sowings the earliest sorts
should have preference.
Dwarf Beans for main crops require a good though somewhat light soil;
but any fairly productive loam will answer the purpose, and the crop
will yield an ample return for such reasonable digging and dressing as a
careful cultivator will not fail to bestow. At the same time, it is a
matter of some practical importance that the poorest land ever put under
tillage will, in an average season, yield serviceable crops of these
legumes, and on a rich soil of some depth the Dwarf Bean will endure
summer drought better than any other crop in the Kitchen Garden.
Earliness of production is of the highest importance up to a certain
point; but an early crop being provided for, abundance of production
next claims consideration, the heaviest bearers being of course best
adapted for main-crop sowing. As regards the sowing and general culture,
it is too often true that Dwarf Beans are crowded injuriously, even in
gardens that are usually well managed. Nothing is gained by crowding. On
the contrary, loss always ensues when the individual plant, through
deficiency of space, is hindered in its full development.
For early crops which are eventually to come to maturity in the open
ground, the first sowings may be made in the month of April, either in
boxes in a gentle heat, or better still in a frame on a sunny border
without artificial heat. In districts where frost frequently prevails in
May, and on heavy soils where early sowings outdoors are impracticable
in a wet spring, the forwarding of plants under glass is very desirable,
but the actual date for sowing must depend on local conditions. The
tender growth that is produced by a forcing process is not well adapted
for planting out in May; but a plant produced slowly, with plenty of
light and air, will be stout and strong, and if put out with care as
soon as mild weather occurs in May, will make good progress and yield an
early crop. The seed for this purpose should be sown in rather light
turfy soil, as the plants may then be lifted without injury to their
fleshy roots. Careful treatment will be desirable for some time after
they are planted, such as protection from sun and frost, and watering,
if necessary, although the less watering the better, provided the plants
can hold their ground. The plot to which these early sowings are to be
transplanted should be light and rich, and lying towards the sun; open
the lines with the spade or hoe in preference to using the dibber, and
as fast as the roots are dropped into their places with their balls of
earth unbroken, carefully restore the fine soil from the surface. Rough
handling will seriously interfere with the ultimate result, but ordinary
care will insure abundant gatherings of first-class produce at a time
when there are but few in the market. On dry soils a small sowing may be
made about the second week of April on a sheltered south border. Sow in
double rows six inches apart, and allow a distance of two feet between
the double rows. When the seedlings appear give protection if necessary,
and in due course thin the plants to six inches apart in the rows.
Main crops are sown from the last week in April to the middle of June.
The distance for the rows may be from one and a half to two feet apart,
according to the vigour of the variety, the strongest growers requiring
fully two feet, and the distance between the plants may be eight to
twelve inches; therefore it is well to sow the seed two to three inches
apart, and thin out as soon as the rough leaves appear. The ground being
in fairly good condition, it will only be necessary to chop over the
surface, if at all lumpy, and with the hoe draw drills about two inches
deep, which is far better than dibbling, except on very light soil, when
dibbling about three inches deep is quite allowable. Generally speaking,
if the plot be kept clean, the Beans will take care of themselves; but
in droughty weather a heavy watering now and then will be visibly
beneficial, for although the plant bears drought well, it is like other
good things in requiring something to live upon. In exposed situations
and where storms are prevalent, it is an excellent practice to support
the plants with bushy twigs.
Late Crops.—To extend the outdoor supply sowings may be made early in
July. When the ground has become dry and hard, it is advisable to soak
the seed in water for five or six hours; the drills should also be
watered, and, if possible, the ground should be covered with rotten
dung, spent hops, or some other mulchy stuff to promote and sustain
vegetation.
The gathering of the crop should be a matter of discipline. Where it
is done carelessly, there will very soon be none to gather, for the
swelling of a few seeds in neglected pods will cause the plants to cease
bearing. Therefore all the Beans should be gathered when of a proper
size, whether they are wanted or not; this is the only way to insure a
long-continued supply of good quality both as to colour and tenderness.
Autumn, Winter and Spring Supplies.—By successional sowings under
glass a continuous supply of Beans may be obtained through autumn,
winter, and spring. The earliest sowings should be made at fortnightly
intervals, from mid-July to mid-September, in cold frames filled with
well-manured soil. Put in the seeds two inches deep and six inches
apart, in rows one foot apart. Water copiously during the hot months and
give protection when the nights become cold. After mid-September crops
of dwarf-growing varieties should be raised in heated pits, or in pots
placed in a warm temperature. In pits the beds should be one foot deep,
the drills one foot apart, and the plants six inches asunder in the
rows. When pots are used the ten-inch size will be found most
convenient. Only three-parts fill the pots with a good compost, and
insure perfect drainage. Place eight or nine beans one and a half inches
deep in each pot, eventually reducing the number of plants to five. As
the plants progress soil may be added to within an inch and a half of
the rims. Air-giving and watering will need careful management, for the
most robust growth possible is required, but there must be no chill, and
any excess of either moisture or dryness will be immediately injurious.
When a few pods are formed feed the plants with alternate applications
of soot water and liquid manure, commencing with highly diluted doses.
Thoroughly syringe the plants twice daily to combat Red Spider. At night
a temperature of from 55° to 60° must be maintained. In mid-February
sowings may be made in frames in which six inches of fertile soil has
been placed over a good layer of litter or leaves. From these sowings
heavy crops may be secured in spring and early summer before the outdoor
supplies are ready.
Flageolets is the name given to the seeds of certain types of Dwarf
and Climbing Beans when used in a state intermediate between the green
pods (Haricots verts) and the fully ripe seeds (Haricots secs), and
they are strongly to be recommended for culinary purposes. The use of
Bean seeds as Flageolets, although so little known in this country, is
very largely practised abroad, and in the vegetable markets of many
French towns the shelling of the beans from the semi-ripe pods by women,
in readiness for cooking in the manner of green peas, is a very familiar
sight. The seeds of almost all varieties are suitable for use in this
way, irrespective of colour, as this is not developed as would be the
case if the seeds were quite ripe.
CLIMBING FRENCH BEAN
The Climbing French Bean has all the merits of the Dwarf French Bean,
and the climbing habit not only extends the period of bearing but
results in a yield such as cannot be obtained from the most prolific
strains in the Dwarf section. Although the modern Climbing Bean is less
vigorous in growth than the ordinary Runner, the former may generally be
had in bearing before the most forward crop of Runners is ready. For an
early supply out of doors seed should be sown under glass in April, in
the manner advised for early crops of the Dwarf class. Gradually harden
off the plants and transfer to permanent quarters on the first
favourable opportunity. In the open ground successive sowings may be
made from the end of April to June. The outdoor culture of Climbing
French Beans is practically the same as for the Dwarf varieties, except
that the former are usually grown in double rows about four to five feet
apart. Allow the plants to stand finally at nine to twelve inches each
way, and support them with bushy sticks such as are used for Peas, for
Climbing Beans will run far more readily on these than on single sticks.
The Climbing French Bean is especially useful for producing crops under
glass in spring and autumn, and the plants do well when grown in narrow
borders with the vines trained close to the roof-glass by means of wire
or string to which the growth readily clings. The general treatment may
be much the same as that recommended for the Dwarf varieties, special
care being taken with regard to watering and the giving of air. During
the autumn months atmospheric moisture must be cautiously regulated or
much of the foliage will damp off, while in spring a humid atmosphere
should be maintained and systematic watering practised. Cucumber, Melon,
and Tomato beds from which the crops have been cleared may often be
used to advantage for raising a crop of Climbing Beans, and generally
these beds are in excellent condition for the plants without the
addition of manure.
HARICOT BEAN
Although in France the term Haricot is given to all types of Beans,
except those of the English Broad Bean, in this country the word
Haricot is generally applied only to the dried seeds of certain Dwarf
and Climbing Beans, notably those which are white. Almost any variety,
however, may be used as Haricots, but the most popular are those which
produce self-coloured seeds, such as white, green, and the various
shades of brown. Seed should be sown early in May and the plants treated
as advised for French Beans. The pods should not be removed from the
plants until the seeds are thoroughly ripe. If ripening cannot be
completed in the open, pull up the plants and hang them in a shed until
the seeds are quite dry.
RUNNER BEAN
Phaseolus multiflorus
Runner beans need generous cultivation and will amply repay for the most
liberal treatment. The main point to be borne in mind is that the plant
possesses the most extensive root-system of any garden vegetable. Deep
digging and liberal manuring are therefore essential where the
production of the finest crops is aimed at. If possible the whole of the
ground to be allotted to Runners should be deeply tilled and well
manured in autumn or winter. But where this is inconvenient, trenching
must be carried out in March or early April. Remove the soil to a depth
of two feet, and the trench may be two feet wide for a double row of
Beans. Thoroughly break up the subsoil, half-fill the trench with
well-rotted manure, and restore the surface soil to within a few inches
of the level.
Time of Sowing.—It is seldom advisable to sow Runners in the open
before the month of May is fairly in, for they are less hardy than Dwarf
Beans, but as late supplies are everywhere valued it is important to sow
again in June. Of course these late crops are subject to the caprices of
autumnal weather, although they often continue in bearing until quite
late in the season. In districts where spring frosts are destructive,
and on cold soils or in very exposed situations, plants may be raised in
boxes for transferring to the open ground, as advised for Dwarf Beans,
but in the case of Runners allow a space of three inches between the
seeds.
Distances for Rows, &c.—Frequently the rows of Runner Beans are
injuriously close, and the total crop is thereby diminished. On deep,
well-prepared soils, single rows generally prove most productive, and
they should be not less than five feet apart. But where the soil is
shallow and generous preparation is not possible, and in wind-swept
positions, double rows, set nine inches apart, are more satisfactory.
Between the double rows allow a space of from six to eight feet, on
which Cauliflower, Lettuce, or other small-growing subjects may be
planted out. Two inches is the proper depth for putting in the seed, and
it is a wise policy to sow liberally and eventually to thin the plants
to a distance of from nine to twelve inches apart in the rows.
Staking.—It will always pay to give support by stakes, but where
these are not available wire netting or strands of stout string make
efficient substitutes. Immediately the plants are a few inches high,
insert the sticks on either side of the rows and tie them firmly to the
horizontal stakes placed in the fork near to the top. The means of
support should be decided upon and erected in advance of planting out
Runners which have been raised in boxes, thus avoiding any risk of
injury to the roots.
But Runners make a good return when kept low by topping, and without any
support whatever, a system adopted by many market gardeners. For this
method of culture space the plants one foot apart in single rows set
three feet apart. Pinch out the tips when the plants are eighteen inches
high and repeat the operation when a further eighteen inches of growth
has formed.
General Cultivation.—As slugs and snails are particularly partial to
the young plants, an occasional dusting of old soot, slaked lime, or any
gritty substance should be given to render the leaves unpalatable to
these pests. During drought copious watering of the rows is essential,
especially on shallow soils; spraying the plants in the evening with
soft water is also freely practised and this assists the setting of
flowers in dry weather. A mulch of decayed manure will prove of great
benefit to the plants and will prolong the period of bearing.
In some gardens Runners are grown in groups running up rods tied
together at the top, and when these groups are arranged at regular
intervals on each side of a path, the result is extremely pleasing. This
mode of culture interferes to a very trifling extent with other crops,
and the ornamental effect may be enhanced by growing varieties which
have white, red, and bicolor flowers.
Preserving the roots of Runners is sometimes recommended. We can only
say that it is a ridiculous proceeding. The utmost care is required to
keep the roots through the winter, and they are comparatively worthless
in the end. A pint of seed will give a better crop than a number of
roots that have cost great pains for their preservation.
Runner Beans for Exhibition.—Although fine specimens fit for
exhibition may frequently be gathered from the general garden crop, a
little extra attention to the cultivation of Runner Beans for show work
will be well repaid. When staged the pods must possess not only the
merit of mere size, but they should be perfect in shape and quite young.
Rapid as well as robust growth is therefore essential to success. Select
the strongest-growing plants in the rows, and for a few weeks before the
pods are wanted give alternate applications of liquid manure and clear
water. Pinch out all side growths, and limit the number of pods to two
in each cluster.
WAXPOD BEAN
Many visitors to the Continent have learned to appreciate the fine
qualities of the Waxpod Beans, sometimes known as Butter Beans, the pods
of which are usually cooked whole. There are two types, the dwarf and
the runner, for which respectively the culture usual for Dwarf French
Beans and Runner Beans will be quite suitable.
GARDEN BEET
Beta vulgaris
As a food plant the Beet scarcely obtains the attention it deserves.
There is no lack of appreciation of its beauty for purposes of
garnishing, or of its flavour as the component of a salad; but other
uses to which it is amenable for the comfort and sustenance of man are
sometimes neglected. As a simple dish to accompany cold meats the Beet
is most acceptable. Dressed with vinegar and white pepper, it is at once
appetising, nutritive, and digestible. Served as fritters, it is by some
people preferred to Mushrooms, as it then resembles them in flavour, and
is more easily digested. It makes a first-rate pickle, and as an agent
in colouring it has a recognised value, because of the perfect
wholesomeness of the rich crimson hue it imparts to any article of food
requiring it.
Frame Culture.—Where the demand for Beet exists the whole year
through, early sowings in heat are indispensable. For this method of
cultivation the Globe variety should be employed, and two sowings, the
first in February and another in March, will generally provide a good
supply of roots in advance of the outdoor crops. Sow in drills on a
gentle hot-bed and thin the plants from six to nine inches apart in the
rows. As soon as the plants are large enough, give air at every suitable
opportunity. Fresh young Beets grown in this way find far more favour at
table than those which have been stored for several months. They are
also of great service for exhibition, especially in collections of early
vegetables.
Preparation of Ground.—The cultivation of Beet is of the most simple
nature, but a certain amount of care is requisite for the production of
a handsome and profitable crop. Beet will make a fair return on any soil
that is properly prepared for it; but to grow this root to perfection a
rich light loam is necessary, free from any trace of recent or strong
manure. A rank soil, or one to which manure has been added shortly
before sowing the seed, will produce ugly roots, some coarse with
overgrowth, others forked and therefore of little value, and others,
perhaps, cankered and worthless. The soil should be well prepared by
deep digging some time before making up the seed-bed, and it is sound
practice to grow Beet on plots that have been heavily manured in the
previous year for Cauliflower, Celery, or any other crop requiring good
cultivation. If the soil from an old Melon or Cucumber bed can be
spared, it may be spread over the land and dug in, and the piece should
be broken up in good time to become mellow before the seed is sown.
Seaweed is a capital manure for Beet, especially if laid at the bottom
of the trench when preparing the ground. A moderate dressing of salt may
be added with advantage, as the Beet is a seaside plant.
Early Crops.—Where frames are not available for providing early
supplies of Beetroot, forward crops may often be obtained from the open
ground by making sowings of the Globe variety from the end of March to
mid-April, in a sheltered position. Of course, the earlier the sowing
the greater the risk of destruction by frost, and birds may take the
seedlings. A double thickness of fish netting, however, stretched over
stakes about one foot above the soil, will afford protection from the
former and prevent the depredations of the latter. Set the drills about
twelve inches apart and sow the seed one and a half to two inches deep.
Thin the plants early and allow them to stand finally at nine inches in
the rows.
Main Crop.—The most important crop is that required for salading, for
which a deep-coloured Beet of rich flavour is to be preferred, and the
aim of the cultivator should be to obtain roots of moderate size and of
perfect shape and finish. The ground having been trenched two spades
deep early in the year, may be made up into four-and-a-half-feet beds
some time in March, preparatory to sowing the seed. The main sowing
should never be made until quite the end of April or beginning of May.
For a neat crop, sow in drills one and a half to two inches deep, and
spaced from twelve to fifteen inches apart. When finally thinned the
plants should stand about nine inches apart in the rows. Hand weeding
will have to follow soon after sowing, and perhaps the hoe may be
required to supplement the hand. The thinning should be commenced as
early as possible, but it is waste of time to plant the thinnings, and
it is equally waste of time to water the crop. In fact, if the ground is
well prepared, weeding and thinning comprise the whole remainder of the
cultivation.
Some of the smaller and more delicate Beets, of a very dark colour, may
be sown in drills a foot or fifteen inches apart and thinned to six
inches distance in the drills. We have, indeed, lifted pretty crops of
the smaller Beets at four inches, but it is not prudent to crowd the
plants, as the result will be thin roots with long necks.
On stony shallow soils, where it is difficult to grow handsome long
Beets, the Globe and Intermediate varieties may be tried with the
prospect of a satisfactory result. We have in hot seasons found these
most useful on a damp clay where fine specimens of long Beet were rarely
obtainable. From this same unkind clay it is possible to secure good
crops of long Beets, by making deep holes with a dibber a foot apart and
filling these with sandy stuff from the compost yard and sowing the seed
over them. It is a tedious process, but it benefits the land for the
next crop, and the Beets pay for it in the first instance.
Late Crops.—By sowing the Globe or Turnip-rooted varieties in July,
useful roots may be obtained during the autumn and winter. Space the
drills as advised for early crops. Seed may also with advantage be
thinly sown broadcast; the young plants will thus protect one another,
and the roots may be pulled as they mature.
Lifting and Storing.—A Beet crop may be left in the ground during the
winter if aided by a covering of litter during severe frost. But it is
safer out of the ground than in it, and the proper time to lift is when
a touch of autumn frost has been experienced. Dry earth or sand, in
sufficient quantity, should be ready for the storing, and a clamp in a
sheltered corner will answer if shed room is scarce. In any case, a dry
and cool spot is required, for damp will beget mildew, and warmth will
cause growth. In cutting off the tops before storing, take care not to
cut too near the crown, or injurious bleeding will follow. On the other
hand, the long fang-like roots may be shortened without harm, for the
slight bleeding that will occur at that end will not affect more than
the half-inch or so next to the cut part. A little experience will teach
anyone that Beets must be handled with care, or the goodness will run
out of them. Many cooks bake Beets because boiling so often spoils them;
but if they are in no way cut or bruised, and are plunged into boiling
water and kept boiling for a sufficient length of time—half an hour to
two hours, according to size—there will be but a trifling difference
between boiling and baking.
The Silver, or Sea Kale, Beet is grown principally for the stalk and
the midrib of the leaf, considered by some to be equal to Asparagus. In
a rank soil, with plenty of liquid manure, the growth is quick, robust,
and the plant of good quality, without the necessity of earthing up. Sow
in April and May, thinly in drills, and allow the plants eventually to
stand at about fifteen inches apart each way. The leaves should be
pulled, not cut. As the stalks often turn black in cooking, it is
advisable to add a few drops of lemon-juice to the water in which they
are boiled, and, of course, soda should never be used. They should be
served up in the same manner as Asparagus. The remainder of the leaf is
dressed as Spinach.
BORECOLE, or KALE
Brassica oleracea acephala
The Borecoles or Kales are indispensable for the supply of winter
vegetables, and their importance becomes especially manifest when severe
frost has made general havoc in the Kitchen Garden. Then it is seen that
the hardier Borecoles are proof against the lowest temperature
experienced in these islands; and, while frost leaves the plants
unharmed, it improves the tops and side sprouts that are required for
table purposes.
As regards soil, the Borecoles are the least particular of the whole
race of Brassicas. They appear to be capable of supplying the table
with winter greens even when grown on hard rocky soil, but good loam
suits them admirably, and a strong clay, well tilled, will produce a
grand sample. Granting, then, that a good soil is better than a bad one,
we urge the sowing of seed as early as possible for insuring to the
plant a long season of growth. But early sowing should be followed by
early planting, for it is bad practice to leave the plants crowded in
the seed-bed until the summer is far advanced. This, however, is often
unavoidable, and it is well to consider in time where the plants are to
go, and when, according to averages, the ground will be vacant to
receive them. The first sowing may be made early in March, and another
in the middle of April. These two sowings will suffice for almost all
the purposes that can be imagined. A good seed-bed in an open spot is
absolutely necessary. It is usual to draw direct from the seed-bed for
planting out as opportunities occur, and this method answers fairly
well. But when large enough it is better practice to prick out as a
preparation for the final planting, because a stouter and handsomer
plant is thereby secured. If it is intended to follow the rough and
ready plan, the seed drills should be nine inches apart; but for
pricking out six inches will answer, and thus a very small bed will
provide a lot of plants. When pricked out, the plants should be six
inches apart each way, and they should go to final quarters as soon as
the leaves touch one another. On the flat, a fair distance between
Borecoles is two feet apart each way, but some vigorous kinds in good
ground will pay for another foot of space, and will yield enormous crops
when their time arrives. Transplanting is usually done in June and July,
and in many gardens Kales are planted between the rows of second-early
or maincrop Potatoes. The work should be done during showery weather if
possible, but these Brassicas have an astonishing degree of vitality. If
put out during drought very little water is required to start them, and
as the cool weather returns they will grow with vigour. But good
cultivation saves a plant from extreme conditions; and it is an
excellent practice to dig in green manure when preparing ground for
Kales, because a free summer growth is needful to the formation of a
stout productive plant.
We have suggested that two sowings may be regarded as generally
sufficient, but we are bound to take notice of the fact that the late
supplies of these vegetables are sometimes disappointing. In a mild
winter the Kales reserved for use in spring will be likely to grow when
they should stand still, and at the first break of pleasant spring
weather they will bolt, very much to the vexation of those who expected
many a basket of sprouts from them. A May sowing planted out in a cold
place may stand without bolting until spring is somewhat advanced. Kale
of the ‘Asparagus’ type, such as Sutton’s Favourite, will often prove
successful when sown as late as July.
As regards the varieties, they agree pretty nearly in constitution,
although they differ much in appearance and in the power of resisting
the excitement of spring weather. But in this section of vegetables
there are a few very interesting subjects. The Variegated and Crested
Kales are extremely ornamental and eminently useful in large places for
decorative purposes. These do not require so rich a soil as Sutton’s A1
or Curled Scotch, and they must have the fullest exposure to bring out
their peculiarities. It is found that in somewhat dry calcareous soils
these plants acquire their highest colour and most elegant proportions.
When planted by the sides of carriage drives and in other places where
their colours may be suitably displayed, it is a good plan to cut off
the heads soon after the turn of the year, as this promotes the
production of side shoots of the most beautiful fresh colours. A crop of
Kale may be advantageously followed by Celery.
BROCCOLI
Brassica oleracea botrytis asparagoides
The great importance of this crop is indicated by the long list of
varieties and the still longer list of synonyms. As a vegetable it needs
no praise, and our sole business will be to treat of the cultivation.
Of necessity we begin with generalities. Any good soil will grow
Broccoli, but it is a strong-land plant, and a well-tilled clay should
yield first-class crops. But there are so many kinds coming into use at
various seasons, that the cultivation may be regarded as a somewhat
complex subject. We will therefore premise that the best must be made of
the soil at command, whatever it may be. The Cornish growers owe their
success in great part to their climate, which carries their crops
through the winter unhurt; but they grow Broccoli only on rich soil, and
keep it in good heart by means of seaweed and other fertilisers. All the
details of Broccoli culture require a liberal spirit and careful
attention, and the value of a well-grown crop justifies first-class
treatment. On the other hand, a badly-grown crop will not pay rent for
the space it covers, to say nothing of the labour that has been devoted
to it.
The Seed-bed.—Broccoli should always be sown on good seed-beds and be
planted out; the seed-beds should be narrow, say three or three and a
half feet wide, and the seed must be sown in drills half an inch deep at
the utmost—less if possible; and where sparrows haunt the garden it
will be well to cover the beds with netting, or protect the rows with
wire pea guards. A quick way of protecting all round seeds against small
birds is to put a little red lead in a saucer, then lightly sprinkle the
seed with water and shake it about in the red lead. Not a bird or mouse
will touch seed so treated.
The seed-beds must be tended with scrupulous care to keep down weeds and
avert other dangers. It is of great importance to secure a robust plant,
short, full of colour, and free from club at the root. Now, cleanliness
is in itself a safeguard. It promotes a short sturdy growth, because
where there are no weeds or other rubbish the young plant has ample
light and air. Early thinning and planting is another important matter.
If the land is not ready for planting, thin the seed-bed and prick out
the seedlings. A good crop of Broccoli is worth any amount of trouble,
although trouble ought to be an unknown word in the dictionary of a
gardener.
Manuring Ground.—As a rule, Broccoli should be planted in fresh
ground, and, in mild districts, if the soil is in some degree rank with
green manure the crop will be none the worse for it. But rank manure is
not needful; a deep, well-dug, sweet loam will produce a healthy growth
and neat handsome heads. However, it is proper to remark, that if any
rank manure is in the way, or if the ground is poor and wants it, the
Broccoli will take to it kindly, and all the rankness will be gone long
before they produce their creamy heads. Still, it must be clearly
understood that the more generous the treatment, the more succulent will
be the growth, and in cold climates a succulent condition may endanger
the crop when hard weather sets in.
Method of Planting.—Broccoli follows well upon Peas, early Potatoes,
early French Beans, and Strawberries that are dug in when gathered from
for the last time. But it does not follow well upon Cabbage, Turnip, or
Cauliflower; if Broccoli must follow any of these, dig deeply, manure
heavily, and in planting, dust a little freshly slaked lime in the
holes. The times of planting will depend on the state of the plants and
the proper season of their heading in. But everywhere and always the
plants should be got out of the seed-bed into their permanent quarters
as soon as possible, for the longer they stay in the seed-bed the more
likely are they to become drawn above and clubbed below. As regards
distances, too, the soil, the variety, and the season must be
considered. For all sorts the distances range from two to two and a half
feet; and for most of the medium-sized sorts that have to stand out
through the winter for use in spring, a distance of eighteen to
twenty-four inches is usually enough, because if they are rather close
they protect one another. But with strong sorts in strong soils and kind
climates, two feet and a half every way is none too much even for safe
wintering. Plant firmly, water if needful, and do not stint it; but, if
possible, plant in showery weather, and give no water at all. Watering
may save the crop, but the finest pieces of Broccoli are those that are
secured without any watering whatever.
Autumn Broccoli.—To grow Autumn Broccoli profitably, sow in February,
March, and April, the early sowings in a frame to insure vigorous
growth, and the later sowings in the open ground. Plant out as soon as
possible in fresh land that has been deeply tilled. If the soil is poor,
draw deep drills, fill them with fat manure, and plant by hand, taking
care to press round each root crumbs from the surface soil. This will
give them a good start, and they will take care of themselves
afterwards. When they show signs of heading in, run in shallow drills of
Prickly Spinach between them, and as this comes up the Broccoli will be
drawn, leaving the Spinach a fair chance of making a good stolen crop,
needing no special preparation whatever. Another sowing of Broccoli may
be made in May, but the early sowings, if a little nursed in the first
instance, will pay best, because early heads are scarce, whereas late
Broccoli are plentiful.
Winter Broccoli should not be sown before the end of March and thence
to the end of April. As a rule, the April sowing will make the best
crop, although much depends on season, soil, and climate. Begin to plant
out early, and continue planting until a sufficient breadth of ground is
covered. Within reasonable limits it will be found that the time of
planting does not much affect the date when the heads turn in, and only
in a moderate degree influences the size of them.
Spring Broccoli are capricious, no matter what the world may say. It
will occasionally happen that sorts planted for cutting late in spring
will turn in earlier than they are wanted, and the sun rather than the
seedsman must be blamed for their precocity. In average seasons the late
sorts turn in late; but the Broccoli is a sensitive plant, and
unseasonable warmth results in premature development. Sow the Spring
Broccoli in April and May, the April sowing being the more important. It
will not do, however, to follow a strict rule save to this effect, that
early and late sowings are the least likely to succeed, while mid-season
sowings—say from the middle of April to the middle of May—will, as a
rule, make the best crops. Where there is a constant demand for Broccoli
in the early months of the year, two or three small sowings will be
better than one large sowing.
Summer Broccoli are useful when Peas are late, and they are always
over in time to make way for the glut of the Pea crop. Late Queen may,
in average seasons, be cut at the end of May and sometimes in June, if
sown about the middle of May in the previous year, and carefully
managed. This excellent variety can, as a rule, be relied on, both to
withstand a severe winter in an exposed situation and to keep up the
supplies of first-class vegetables until the first crop of Cauliflower
is ready, and Peas are coming in freely. Generally speaking, smallish
heads, neat in shape and pure in colour, are preferred. They are the
most profitable as a crop and the most acceptable for the table. An
open, breezy place should be selected for a plantation of late Broccoli,
the land well drained, and it need not be made particularly rich with
manure. But good land is required, with plenty of light and air to
promote a dwarf sturdy growth and late turning in.
Protection in Winter.—Various plans are adopted for the protection of
Broccoli during winter. Much is to be said in favour of leaving them to
the risk of all events, for certain it is that finer heads are obtained
from undisturbed plants than by any interference with them, provided
they escape the assaults of winter frost. But in such a matter it is
wise to be guided by the light of experience. In cold districts, and on
wet soils where Broccoli do not winter well, heeling over may be
adopted. There are several ways of accomplishing the task, the most
successful method being managed thus. Open a trench at the northern end,
and gently push over each plant in the first row so that the heads
incline to the north. Put a little mould over each stem to settle it,
but do not earth it up any more than is needful to render it secure.
Push over the next row, and the next, and so on, finishing off between
them neatly and leaving the plants nearly as they were before, save that
they now all look northward, and their sloping stems are a little
deeper in the earth than they were in the first instance. This should
be done during fine weather in November, and if the plants flag a little
they should have one good watering at the roots. In the course of about
ten days it will be scarcely perceptible that they have been operated
on. They may be lifted and replanted with their heads to the north, but
this is apt to check them too much. In exceptionally cold seasons cover
the plot with straw or bracken, but this must be removed in wet weather.
When it is seen that the heads are forming and hard weather is
apprehended, some growers take them up with good balls of earth and
plant them in a frame, or even pack them neatly in a cellar, and the
heads finish fairly well, but not so well as undisturbed plants. It is
impossible, however, to cut good heads in a very severe winter without
some such protective measures. In many gardens glass is employed for
protecting Winter Broccoli, in which case the plantations are so shaped
that the frames will be easily adapted to them without any disturbance
of the plants whatever. There must be allowed a good space between the
beds to be covered, and the plants must be fifteen to eighteen inches
apart, with the object of protecting the largest number by means of a
given stock of frames.
Sprouting Broccoli, both white and purple, are invaluable to supply a
large bulk of a most acceptable vegetable in winter and early spring.
Sow in April and the plants may be treated in the same way as other
hardy winter greens. They should have the most liberal culture possible,
for which they will not fail to make an ample return. The Purple
Sprouting Broccoli is a favourite vegetable in the kitchen, because of
its freedom from the attacks of all kinds of vermin.
BRUSSELS SPROUTS
Brassica oleracea bullata gemmifera
Brussels Sprouts are everywhere regarded as the finest autumnal
vegetable of the strictly green class. They are, however, often very
poorly grown, because the first principle of success—a long growing
season—is not recognised. It is in the power of the cultivator to
secure this by sowing seed at the end of February, or early in March, on
a bed of light rich soil made in a frame, and from the frame the plants
should be pricked out into an open bed of similar light fresh soil as
soon as they have made half a dozen leaves. From this bed they should
be transferred to their permanent quarters before they crowd one
another, the object being at each stage to obtain free growth with a
sturdy habit, for mere length of stem is no advantage; it is a
disadvantage when the plant is deficient of corresponding substance. The
ground should be made quite firm, in order to encourage robust growth
which in turn will produce shapely solid buttons. This crop is often
grown on Potato land, the plants being put out between the rows in the
course of the summer. It is better practice, however, to plant Kales or
Broccoli in Potato ground, because of the comparative slowness of their
growth, and to put the Sprouts on an open plot freely dressed with
somewhat fresh manure. If a first-class strain, such as Sutton’s
Exhibition, is grown, it will not only pay for this little extra care,
but will pay also for plenty of room, say two and a half feet apart
every way at the least; and one lot, made up of the strongest plants
drawn separately, may be in rows three feet apart, and the plants two
and a half feet asunder. For the compact-growing varieties two feet
apart each way will generally suffice. Maintain a good tilth by the
frequent use of the hoe during summer, and as autumn approaches
regularly remove all decaying leaves. Those who have been accustomed to
treat Sprouts and Kales on one uniform rough plan will be surprised at
the result of the routine we now recommend. The plants will button from
the ground line to the top, and the buttons will set so closely that,
once taken off, it will be impossible to replace them. Moderate-sized,
spherical, close, grass-green Sprouts are everywhere esteemed, and there
is nothing in the season more attractive in the markets.
Crops treated as advised will give early supplies of the very finest
Sprouts. For successional crops it will be sufficient to sow in the open
ground in the latter part of March, or early in April, and plant out in
the usual manner; in other words, to treat in the commonplace way of the
ordinary run of Borecoles. With a good season and in suitable ground
there will be an average crop, which will probably hold out far into the
winter. It is important to gather the crop systematically. The Sprouts
are perfect when round and close, with not a leaf unfolded. They can be
snapped off rapidly, and where the quantity is considerable they should
be sorted into sizes. The season of use will be greatly prolonged, and
the tendency of the Sprouts to burst be lessened, if the head is cut
last of all.
CABBAGE
Brassica oleracea capitata
The Cabbage is a great subject, and competes with the Potato for
pre-eminence in the cottage garden, in the market garden, and on the
farm, sometimes with such success as to prove the better paying crop of
the two. It may be said in a general way that a Cabbage may be grown
almost anywhere and anyhow; that it will thrive on any soil, and that
the seed may be sown any day in the year. All this is nearly possible,
and proves that we have a wonderful plant to deal with; but it is too
good a friend of man to be treated, even in a book, in an off-hand
manner. The Cabbage may be called a lime plant, and a clay plant; but,
like almost every other plant that is worth growing, a deep well-tilled
loam will suit it better than any other soil under the sun. It has one
persistent plague only. Not the Cabbage butterfly; for although that is
occasionally a troublesome scourge, it is not persistent, and may be
almost invisible for years together. Nor is it the aphis, although in a
hot dry season that pest is a fell destroyer of the crop. The great
plague is club or anbury, for which there is no direct remedy or
preventive known. But indirectly the foe may be fought successfully. The
crop should be moved about, and wherever Cabbage has been grown, whether
in a mere seed-bed or planted out, it should be grown no more until the
ground has been well tilled and put to other uses for one year at least,
and better if for two or three years. There are happy lands whereon club
has never been seen, and the way to keep these clear of the pest is to
practise deep digging, liberal manuring, and changing the crops to
different ground as much as possible. A mild outbreak of club may
generally be met by first removing the warts from the young plants, and
then dipping them in a puddle made of soot, lime, and clay. But when it
appears badly amongst the forward plants, their growth is arrested, the
plot becomes offensive, and the only course left is to draw the bad
plants, burn them, and give up Cabbage growing on those quarters for
several years. The question as to why the roots of brassicaceous plants
are subject to this scourge on some soils, while plants from the same
seed-bed remain healthy when transferred to different land, is deeply
interesting, and the subject is discussed later on in the chapter on
‘The Fungus Pests of certain Garden Plants.’ Here it is sufficient to
say that the presence of the disease is generally an indication that the
soil is deficient in lime. A dressing at the rate of from 14 to 28 or
even 56 pounds per square pole may be necessary to restore healthy
conditions. The outlay will not be wasted, for lime is not merely a
preventive, it has often an almost magical influence on the fertility of
land.
For general purposes Cabbages may be classified as early and late. The
early kinds are extremely valuable for their earliness, but only a
sufficient quantity should be grown, because, as compared with
mid-season and late sorts, they are less profitable. In the scheme of
cropping it may be reckoned that a paying crop of Cabbage will occupy
the ground through a whole year; for although this may not be an exact
statement, the growing time will be pretty well gone before the ground
is clear. After Cabbage, none of the Brassica tribe should be put on the
land, and, if possible, the crop to follow should be one requiring less
of sulphur and alkalies, for of these the Cabbage is a great consumer,
hence the need for abundant manuring in preparation for it. The presence
of sulphur explains the offensiveness of the exhalations from Cabbage
when in a state of decay.
Spring-sown Cabbage for Summer and Autumn use.—To insure the best
succession of Cabbage it will be necessary to recognise four distinct
sowings, any of which, save the autumnal sowing, may be omitted. Begin
with a sowing of the earliest kinds in the month of February. For this,
pans or boxes must be used, and the seed should be started in a pit or
frame, or in a cool greenhouse. When forward enough, prick out in a bed
of light rich soil in a cold frame, and give plenty of air. Before the
seedlings become crowded harden them off and plant out, taking care to
lift them tenderly with earth attached to their roots to minimise the
check. These will heart quickly and be valued as summer Cabbages. The
second sowing is to be made in the last week of March, and to consist of
early kinds, including a few of the best type of Coleworts. As these
advance to a planting size, they may be put out a few at a time as plots
become vacant, and they will be useful in various ways from July to
November or later. A third sowing may be made in the first or second
week of May of small sorts and Coleworts; and these again may be planted
out as opportunities occur, both in vacant plots for hearting late in
the year, and as stolen crops in odd places to draw while young. The
second and third sowings need not be pricked out from the seed-bed, but
may be taken direct therefrom to the places where they are to finish
their course.
In planting out, the spacing must be regulated according to the size of
the variety grown. If put out in beds, the plants may be placed from
one to two feet apart, and the rows one and a half to two feet asunder.
All planting should be done in showery weather if possible, or with a
falling barometer. It may not always be convenient to wait for rain, and
happily it is a peculiarity of Brassicas, and of Cabbage in particular,
that the plants will endure, after removal, heat and drought for some
time with but little harm, and again grow freely after rain has fallen.
But good cultivation has in view the prevention of any such check. At
the best it is a serious loss of time in the brief growing season.
Therefore in droughty weather it will be advisable to draw shallow
furrows and water these a day in advance of the planting, and if labour
and stuff can be found it will be well to lay in the furrows a
sprinkling of short mulchy manure to follow instantly upon the watering;
then plant with the dibber, and the work is done. If the mulch cannot be
afforded, water must be given, and to water the furrows in advance is
better than watering after the planting, as a few observations will
effectually prove. If drought continues, water should be given again and
again. The trouble must be counted as nothing compared with the certain
loss of time while the plant stands still, to become, perhaps, infested
with blue aphis, and utterly ruined. As a matter of fact, a little water
may be made to go a long way, and every drop judiciously administered
will more than repay its cost. The use of the hoe will greatly help the
growth, and a little earth may be drawn towards the stems, not to the
extent of ‘moulding-up,’ for that is injurious, but to ‘firm’ the plants
in some degree against the gales that are to be expected as the days
decline.
Autumn-sown Cabbage for Spring and Summer use.—The fourth, or autumn,
sowing is by far the most important of the year, and the exact time when
seed should be put in deserves careful consideration. A strong plant is
wanted before winter, but the growth must not be so far advanced as to
stand in peril from severe and prolonged frost. There is also the risk
that plants which are too forward may bolt when spring arrives. In some
districts it is the practice to sow in July, and to those who find the
results entirely satisfactory we have nothing to say. Our own
experiments have convinced us that, for the southern counties, August is
preferable, and it is wise to make two sowings in that month, the first
quite early and the second about a fortnight later. Here it is necessary
to observe that the selection of suitable varieties is of even greater
consequence than the date of sowing. A considerable number of the
Cabbages which possess a recognised value for spring sowing are
comparatively useless when sown in August. Success depends on the
capability of the plant to form a heart when the winter is past instead
of starting a seed-stem, and this reduces the choice to very narrow
limits. Among the few Cabbages which are specially adapted for August
sowing, Sutton’s Harbinger, April, Flower of Spring, Favourite, and
Imperial may be favourably mentioned, and even in small gardens at least
two varieties should be sown. Where Spring Cabbages manifest an unusual
tendency to bolt, sowing late in August, followed by late planting, will
generally prove a remedy, always assuming that suitable varieties have
been sown.
The planting of autumn-sown Cabbages should be on well-made ground,
following Peas, Beans, or Potatoes, and as much manure should be dug in
as can be spared, for Cabbage will take all it can get in the way of
nourishment. If the entire crop is to be left for hearting, a minimum of
fifteen inches each way will be a safe distance for the smallest
varieties. Supposing every alternate plant is to be drawn young for
consumption as Coleworts, a foot apart will suffice, but in this case
the surplus plants must be cleared off by the time spring growth
commences. This procedure will leave a crop for hearting two feet apart,
and when the heads are cut the stumps will yield a supply of Sprouts. As
these Sprouts appear when vegetables are none too plentiful, they are
welcome in many households, and make a really delicate dish of greens.
By sowing quick-growing varieties of Cabbage in drills during July and
August, and thinning the plants early, thus avoiding the check of
transplanting, heads may often be had fit for cutting in October and
November.
The Red Cabbage is grown for pickling and also for stewing, being in
demand at many tables as an accompaniment to roasted partridges. The
plant requires the best ground that can be provided for it, with double
digging and plenty of manure. Two sowings may be made, the first in
April for a supply in autumn for cooking, and the second in August for a
crop to stand the winter and to supply large heads for pickling.
SAVOY CABBAGE
Brassica oleracea bullata
The Savoy Cabbage is directly related to Brussels Sprouts, though
differing immensely in appearance. It is of great value for the bulk of
food it produces, as well as for its quality as a table vegetable
during the autumn and winter. In all the essential points the Savoy may
be grown in the same way as any other Cabbage, but it is the general
practice to sow the seed in spring only, the time being determined by
requirements. For an early supply, sow in February in a frame, and in an
open bed in March, April, and May for succession. This vegetable needs a
rich deep soil to produce fine heads, but it will pay better on poor
soil than most other kinds of Cabbage, more especially if the smaller
sorts are selected. Savoys are not profitable in the form of Collards;
hence it is advisable to plant in the first instance at the proper
distances, say twelve inches for the small sorts, eighteen for those of
medium growth, and twenty to twenty-four where the ground is strong and
large heads are required. In private gardens the smaller kinds are much
the best, but the market grower must give preference to those that make
large, showy heads.
CAPSICUM and CHILI
Capsicum annuum, C. baccatum
Capsicums and Chilis are so interesting and ornamental that it is
surprising they are grown in comparatively few gardens. Sometimes there
is reason to lament that Cayenne pepper is coloured with drugs, but the
remedy is within reach of those who find the culture of Capsicums easy,
and to compound the pepper is not a difficult task. The large-fruited
varieties may also be prepared in various ways for the table, if
gathered while quite young and before the fruits change colour.
The cultivation of Capsicums is a fairly simple matter. The best course
of procedure is to sow seed thinly in February or March in pots or pans
of fine soil placed on a gentle hot-bed or in a house where the
temperature is maintained at about 55°. Pot on the young plants as they
develop and keep them growing without a check. Spray twice daily, for
Capsicums require atmospheric moisture and the Red Spider is partial to
the plant. Nice specimens may be grown in pots five to eight inches in
diameter, beyond which it is not desirable to go, and as the summer
advances these may be taken to the conservatory. Plants intended for
fruiting in warm positions out of doors should be hardened off in
readiness for transfer at the end of May. In gardens favourably
situated, as are many in the South of England, it is sufficient to sow a
pinch of seed on an open border in the middle of May, and put a hand
glass over the spot. The plants from this sowing may be transferred to
any sunny position, and will yield an abundant crop of peppers.
The Bird Pepper or Chili is grown in precisely the same way as advised
for Capsicum.
To prepare the pods for pepper, put the required number into a wire
basket, and consign them to a mild oven for about twelve hours. They are
not to be cooked, but desiccated, and in most cases an ordinary oven,
with the door kept open to prevent the heat rising too high, will answer
perfectly. Being thus prepared, the next proceeding is to pound them in
a mortar with one-fourth their weight of salt, which also should be
dried in the oven, and used while hot. When finely pounded, bottle
securely, and there will be a perfect sample of Cayenne pepper without
any poisonous colouring. One hundred Chilis will make about two ounces
of pepper, which will be sufficient in most houses for one year’s
supply. The large ornamental Capsicums may be put on strings, and hung
up in a dry store-room, for use as required, to flavour soups, make
Chili vinegar, Cayenne essence, &c. The last-named condiment is prepared
by steeping Capsicums in pure spirits of wine. A few drops of the
essence may be used in any soup, or indeed wherever the flavour of
Cayenne pepper is required.
CARDOON
Cynara Cardunculus
This plant is nearly related to the Globe Artichoke, and it makes a
stately appearance when allowed to flower. Although the Cardoon is not
widely cultivated in this country, it is found in some of our best
gardens, and is undoubtedly a wholesome esculent from which a skilful
cook will present an excellent dish. The stalks of the inner leaves are
stewed, and are also used in soups, as well as for salads, during autumn
and winter. The flowers, after being dried, possess the property of
coagulating milk, for which purpose they are used in France.
In a retentive soil Cardoons should be grown on the flat, but the plant
is a tolerably thirsty subject, and must have sufficient water. Hence on
very dry soils it may be necessary to put it in trenches after the
manner of Celery, and then it will obtain the full benefit of all the
water that may be administered. In any case the soil must be rich and
well pulverised if a satisfactory growth is to be obtained.
Towards the end of April rows are marked out three or four feet apart,
and groups of seed sown at intervals of eighteen inches in the rows. The
plants are thinned to one at each station, and in due time secured to
stakes. Full growth is attained in August, when blanching is commenced
by gathering the leaves together, wrapping them round with bands of hay,
and earthing up. It requires from eight to ten weeks to accomplish the
object fully. The French method is quicker. Seed is sown in pots under
glass, and in May the plants are put out three feet apart. When fully
grown the Cardoons are firmly secured to stakes by three small straw
bands. A covering of straw, three inches thick, is thatched round every
plant from bottom to top, and each top is tied and turned over like a
nightcap. A little soil is then drawn to the foot, but earthing up is
needless. In about a month blanching is completed.
CARROT
Daucus Carota
The Carrot is a somewhat fastidious root, for although it is grown in
every garden, it is not everywhere produced in the best style possible.
The handsome long roots that are seen in the leading markets are the
growth of deep sandy soils well tilled. On heavy lumpy land long clean
roots cannot be secured by any kind of tillage. But for these unsuitable
soils there are Sutton’s Early Gem, the Champion Horn, and Intermediate,
which require no great depth of earth; while for deep loams the New Red
Intermediate answers admirably.
Forcing.—Carrots are forced in frames on very gentle hot-beds. They
cannot be well grown in houses, and they must be grown slowly to be
palatable. It is usual to begin in November, and to sow down a bed every
three or four weeks until February. A lasting hot-bed is of the first
importance, and it is therefore necessary to have a good supply of
stable manure and leaves. The material should be thoroughly mixed and
allowed to ferment for a few days. Then turn the heap again, and a few
days later the bed may be made up. In order to conserve the heat the
material will need to be three to four feet deep, and if a box frame is
used the bed should be at least two feet wider than the frame. Build up
the material in even, well-consolidated layers, to prevent unequal and
undue sinking, and make the corners of the bed perfectly sound. Put on
the bed about one foot depth of fine, rich soil; if there is any
difficulty about this, eight inches must suffice, but twelve is to be
preferred. As the season advances less fermenting material will be
needed, and a simple but effective hot-bed may be made by digging out a
hole of the required size and filling it with the manure. The latter
will in due time sink, when the soil may be added and the frame placed
in position. The bed should always be near the glass, and a great point
is gained if the crop can be carried through without once giving water,
for watering tends to damage the shape of the roots. No seed should be
sown until the temperature has declined to 80°. Sow broadcast, cover
with siftings just deep enough to hide the seed, and close the frame. If
after an interval the heat rises above 70°, give air to keep it down to
that figure or to 65°. It will probably decline to 60° by the time the
plant appears, but if the bed is a good one it will stand at that figure
long enough to make the crop. Thin betimes to two or three inches, give
air at every opportunity, let the plant have all the light possible, and
cover up when hard weather is expected. Should the heat go down too
soon, linings must be used to finish the crop. Radishes and other small
things can be grown on the same bed. In cold frames seed may be sown in
February.
Warm Borders.—In March the first sowings on warm borders in the open
garden may be made. These may need the shelter of mats or old lights
until the plant has made a good start, but it is not often the plant
suffers in any serious degree from spring frosts, as the seed will not
germinate until the soil acquires a safe temperature. All the early
crops of Carrot can be grown on a prepared soil, or a light sandy loam,
free from recent manure. The drills may be spaced from six to nine
inches apart.
For the main crops double digging should be practised, and if the
staple is poor a dressing of half-rotten dung may be put in with the
bottom spit. But a general manuring as for a surface-rooting crop is not
to be thought of, the sure effect being to cause the roots to fork and
fang most injuriously. It is sound practice to select for Carrots a deep
soil that was heavily manured the year before, and to prepare this by
double digging without manure in the autumn or winter, so as to have the
ground well pulverised by the time the seed is sown. Then dig it over
one spit deep, break the lumps, and make seed-beds four feet wide. Sow
in April and onwards in drills, mixing the seed with dry earth, the
distance between rows to be eight to twelve inches according to the
sort; cover the seed with a sprinkling of fine earth and finish the bed
neatly. As soon as possible thin the crop, but not to the full distance
in the first instance. The final spacing for main crops may be from six
to nine inches, determined by the variety. By a little management it
will be an easy matter during showery weather to draw delicate young
Carrots for the final thinning, and these will admirably succeed the
latest of the sowings in frames and warm borders.
Late Crops.—Sowings of early varieties made in July will give
delicate little roots during the autumn and winter. The rows may be
placed nine inches apart, and it is essential to thin the plants early
to about three inches apart in the rows. In the event of very severe
weather protect with dry litter. For providing young Carrots throughout
the winter it is also an excellent plan to broadcast seed thinly. When
grown in this way the plants afford each other protection, and the roots
may be drawn immediately they are large enough.
In July the culture of the smaller sorts may also be undertaken in
frames, but hot-beds may be dispensed with, and lights will not be
wanted until there is a crop needing protection, when the lights may be
put on, or the frames may be covered with shutters or mats.
Storing.—Before autumn frosts set in the main crop should be lifted
and stored in dry earth or sand, the tops being removed and the earth
rubbed off, but without any attempt to clean them thoroughly until they
are wanted for use.
Carrots for Exhibition.—It will be found well worth while to give a
little extra attention to the preparation of the ground when growing
Carrots for exhibition. As in the case of Beet and Parsnip, holes should
be bored to the requisite depth and about one foot apart in the rows.
Where the soil is at all unfavourable to the growth of clean symmetrical
roots the adoption of this practice will be essential to success. Any
light soil of good quality will be suitable for filling the holes. Well
firm the material in and sow about half a dozen seeds at a station,
eventually thinning out to one plant at each. The tendency of Carrots to
become green at the tops in the later stages of growth, thus spoiling
them for show work, may be prevented by lightly covering the protruding
portion of the root with sifted fine earth.
Destructive Enemies.—The Carrot maggot and the wire-worm are
destructive enemies of this crop. In a later chapter on ‘The Pests of
Garden Plants,’ both these foes are referred to. Here it is only
necessary to say that sound judgment as to the choice of ground, deep
digging, and the preparation of the beds in good time, are the
preventives of these as of many other garden plagues. It is often
observed that main crops sown early in April suffer more than those sown
late, and the lesson is plain. It has also been noticed that where the
crops have suffered most severely the land was made ready in haste, and
the wild birds had no time to purge it of the insects which they daily
seek for food.
CAULIFLOWER
Brassica oleracea botrytis cauliflora
This fine vegetable is managed in much the same way as Broccoli, and it
requires similar conditions. But it is less hardy in constitution, more
elegant in appearance, more delicate on the table, and needs greater
care in cultivation to insure satisfactory results. As regards soil, the
Cauliflower thrives best on very rich ground of medium texture. It will
also do well on light land, if heavily manured, and quick growth is
promoted by abundant watering. In Holland, Cauliflowers are grown in
sand with water at the depth of a foot only below the surface, and the
ground is prepared by liberal dressings of cow-manure, which, with the
moisture rising from below, promotes a quick growth and a fine quality.
In any case, good cultivation is necessary or the crop will be
worthless; and whatever may be the nature of the soil, it must be well
broken up and liberally manured.
In gardens where Cauliflower are in great demand, an unbroken supply of
heads from May to November may be obtained by selecting suitable
varieties and with careful management of the crop. But in arranging for
a succession it should be borne in mind that some varieties are
specially adapted for producing heads in spring and summer, while others
are only suitable for use in late summer and autumn.
For Spring and Early Summer use.—To have Cauliflower in perfection in
spring and early summer, seed should be sown in autumn. The exact time
is a question of climate. In the northern counties the middle of August
is none too early, but for the south seed may be got in during August
and September, according to local conditions. The most satisfactory
course is to sow in boxes, placed in a cool greenhouse or a cold frame,
or even in a sheltered spot out of doors. For these sowings it is
desirable to use poor soil of a calcareous nature, as at this period of
the year the seedlings are liable to damp off in rich earth. From the
commencement every endeavour must be made to keep the growth sturdy and
to avoid a check of any kind. When the plants have made some progress,
prick them off three inches apart each way into frames for the winter.
No elaborate appliances are necessary. A suitable frame may be easily
constructed by erecting wooden sides around a prepared bed of soil, over
which lights, window frames, or even a canvas covering may be placed.
Brick pits, or frames made with turf walls, will also answer well. The
soil should not be rich, or undesirable fleshy growth will result,
especially in a mild winter. It is important to ventilate freely at all
times, except during severe weather when the structures should have the
protection of mats or straw, and excessive moisture must be guarded
against. As soon as conditions are favourable in February or March,
transfer the plants to open quarters on the best land at command, and
give them every possible care. For these early-maturing varieties a
space of eighteen inches apart each way will generally suffice. With
liberal treatment, vigorous healthy growth should be made and heads of
the finest quality be ready for table from May onwards.
As we have already said, the best results with early Cauliflower are
obtained from an autumn sowing, but there are many growers who prefer to
sow in January or February. At this season the seed should be started in
pans or boxes placed in a house just sufficiently heated to exclude
frost. Prick out the plants early, in a frame or on a protected border
made up with light rich soil, and when strong enough plant out on good
ground. Spring sowings put out on poor land, or in dry seasons, are
sometimes disappointing, because the heads are too small to please the
majority of growers. Where, however, the soil is rich and the district
suitable there is this advantage in quick cultivation, that while time
is shortened and the worry of wintering is avoided, the crop is safer
against buttoning and bolting, which will occasionally occur if the
plants become too forward under glass and receive a check when planted
out.
In well-prepared sheltered ground seed may also be sown in March and
April, from which the plants should be pricked out once before being
transferred to permanent positions. Occasional hoeing between the plants
and heavy watering in dry weather will materially tend to their
well-doing, the object being to maintain growth from the first without a
check. If the plants turn in during very hot weather, snap one of the
inner leaves without breaking it off, and bend it over to protect the
head.
For use in Late Summer and Autumn.—Seed may be sown in April or very
early in May, and where only one sowing is made the first week of April
should be selected. A fine seed-bed in a sheltered spot is desirable,
and as soon as the seedlings are large enough they should be pricked
out, three inches or so apart. Shift to final quarters while in a
smallish state. If the plants are allowed to become somewhat large in
the seed-bed they are liable to ‘button,’ which means that small,
worthless heads will be produced as the result of an untimely check. The
distances between the plants may vary from one and a half to two feet or
more, and between the rows from two to two and a half feet, according to
the size of the variety. If put out on good ground, the crop will almost
take care of itself, but should the plants need water it must be
copiously given.
Cutting and Preserving.—The management of the crop has been treated
so far as to growth, but we must now say a word about its appropriation.
The two points for practical consideration are, how to economise a glut,
and how to avoid destruction by frost. Cauliflowers should be cut at
daybreak, or as soon after as possible, and be taken from the ground
with the dew upon them. If cut after the dew has evaporated, the heads
will be inferior by several degrees as compared with those cut at the
dawn of the day. When the heads appear at too rapid a rate for immediate
consumption, draw the plants, allowing the earth to remain attached to
the roots, and suspend them head downwards in a cool, dark, dry place,
and every evening give them a light shower of water from a syringe. The
deterioration will be but trifling, and the gain may be considerable,
but if left to battle with a burning sun the Cauliflowers will certainly
be the worse for it. After being kept in this way for a week, they will
still be good, although, like other preserved vegetables, they will not
be so good as those freshly cut and in their prime. It often happens
that frost occurs before the crop is finished. A similar plan of
preserving those that are turning in may be adopted, but it is better to
bury them in sand in a shed or under a wall, and, if kept dry, they may
remain sound for a month or more.
Cauliflower for Exhibition.—On the exhibition stage few vegetables
win greater admiration than well-grown heads of Cauliflower. Indeed,
Cauliflower and Broccoli, in their respective seasons, are indispensable
items in the composition of any first-class collection. By closely
following the cultural directions contained in the foregoing pages no
difficulty should be experienced in obtaining heads of the finest
texture and spotless purity during many months of the year. The degree
of success achieved is generally in proportion to the amount of
attention devoted to minor details. Select the most robust plants and
treat them generously. As soon as the heads are formed, examine them
frequently to prevent disfiguration by vermin. The best period of the
day for cutting has already been discussed. Do not allow the heads to
stand a day longer than is necessary, and if not wanted immediately the
plants should be lifted and preserved in the manner described in the
preceding paragraph.
CELERY
Apium graveolens
Celery is everywhere esteemed, not only as a salad, but as a wholesome
and delicious vegetable. The crop requires the very best of cultivation,
and care should be taken not to push the growth too far, for the
gigantic Celery occasionally seen at Shows has, generally speaking, the
quality of size only, being tough and tasteless. Nevertheless, the sorts
that are held in high favour by growers of prize Celery are good in
themselves when grown to a moderate size; it is the forcing system alone
that deprives them of flavour. Yet another precaution may be needful to
prevent a mishap. In a hot summer, Celery will sometimes ‘bolt’ or run
up to flower, in which case it is worthless. This may be the fault of
the cultivator more than of the seed or the weather, for a check in many
cases hastens the flowering of plants, and it is not unusual for Celery
to receive a check through mismanagement. If sown too early, it may be
impossible to plant out when of suitable size, and the consequent arrest
of growth at a most important stage may result in a disposition to
flower the first year, instead of waiting for the second. It should be
understood, therefore, that early sowing necessitates early planting,
and the cultivator should see his way clearly from the commencement.
Sowing and Transplanting.—The 1st of March is early enough for a
first sowing anywhere of a small variety, and this will require a mild
hot-bed, or a place in the propagating house. Sow on rich fine soil in
boxes, cover lightly, and place in a temperature of 60°. When forward
enough prick out the plants on a rich bed close to the glass, in a
temperature of 60° to 65°, keep liberally moist, and give air, at first
with great caution, but increasing as the natural temperature rises
until the lights can be removed during the day. The plant may thus be
hardened for a first planting on a warm border in a bed consisting of
one-half rotten hot-bed manure and one-half of turfy loam. The bed need
not be deep, but it must be constantly moist, and old lights should be
at hand to give shelter when needful. If well grown in trenches, this
first crop will be of excellent quality, and will come in early.
For the general crop a second sowing may be made of the finest Red and
White varieties, also on a mild hot-bed, in the second week of March,
and have treatment similar to the first, but once pricking out into the
open bed will be sufficient, the largest plants being put out first at
six inches, and to have shelter if needful; other plantings in the same
way to follow until the seed-bed is cleared. By good management this
sowing may be made to serve the purpose of three sowings, the chief
point being to prick out the most forward plants on another mild bed as
soon as they are large enough to be lifted, and to make a succession
from the same seed-bed as the plants advance to a suitable size.
The third and last sowing may be made in the second week of April, in an
open border, on rich light soil, and should have the shelter of mats or
old lights during cold weather. From this, also, there should be two or
three prickings out, the first to be transferred to a bit of hard
ground, covered with about three inches of rich mulchy stuff, in the
warmest spot that can be found, and the last to a similar bed on the
coldest spot in the garden. In the final planting the same order should
be followed. The result will be a prolonged supply from one sowing, and
the first lot will come in early, though sown late, if the plants are
kept growing without a check, and receive thoroughly generous culture.
The planting out is an important matter, and each lot will require
separate treatment, subordinate to one general and very simple plan.
Celery must have rich soil, abundant moisture, and must be blanched to
make it fit for table. There are various ways of accomplishing these
ends, although they differ but slightly, and common sense will guide us
in the matter. For the earliest crops the ground must be laid out in
trenches, with as much rich stable manure dug in as can be afforded. To
overdo it in this respect seems impossible, for Celery, like
Cauliflower, will grow freely in rotten manure alone, without any
admixture of loam. The trenches should be eighteen inches wide at
bottom, ten inches deep, and four feet from centre to centre, and should
run north and south. The plants are to be carefully lifted with a
trowel, and placed six to nine inches apart in single or double rows,
and should have water as planted, that there may be no check. In a cold
soil and a cold season the trenches may be less in depth by two or three
inches with advantage. If dry weather ensues, water must be given
ungrudgingly, but earthing up should not commence until the plant has
made a full and profitable growth, for the earthing pretty well stops
the growth, and is but a finishing process, requiring from five to seven
weeks to bring the crop to perfection. The second lot can be put out in
the same way, and other plantings may follow at discretion; but as the
season advances the trenches must be less deep.
Earthing up is often performed in a rough way, as though the plant
were made of wood instead of the most delicate tissue. The first
earthing should be done with a hand-fork, and quite loosely, to allow
the heart of the plant room to expand. The result should be a little
ring of light earth scarcely pressing the outside leaves, and leaving
the whole plant as free as it was before. A fortnight or so later the
earthing must be carried a stage further by means of the spade. Chop the
earth over, and lay it in heaps on each side of the plant. Then gather a
plant together with both hands, liberate one hand, and with it bring the
earth to the plant half round the base, and, changing hands, pack up the
earth on the other side. Be careful not to press the soil very close;
also avoid putting any crumbs into the heart of the plant; and do not
earth higher than the base of the leaves. As soon as may be necessary
repeat this process, carrying the earth a stage higher; and about a week
from this finish the operation.
The top of the plant must now be closed, and the earth carefully packed
so high that only the very tops of the leaves are visible. Finish to a
proper slope with the spade, but do not press the plants unduly, the
object being simply to obtain a final growth of the innermost leaves in
darkness, but otherwise free from restraint.
The Bed System answers particularly well for producing a large supply
of Celery with the least amount of labour. This method of cultivation is
also especially suitable for raising Celery intended to be served when
boiled, or for soups. Celery beds are made four and a half feet wide and
ten inches deep, the soil which is taken out being laid up in a slope
round the outside of the bed, and the bank thus formed may be planted
with any quick crop, such as Dwarf Beans. The ground will need to be
heavily manured in the same manner as for the trench system. Space the
plants six inches apart in single or double lines, as may be preferred,
and allow not less than twelve inches between the rows. Water must be
given to each row as planted; afterwards the surface to be several times
chopped over with the hoe or a small fork, and watering repeated until
the plants have made a start. An easy means of blanching is by the use
of stiff paper collars as described below; another simple method is to
place mats over the tops of the plants when nearly full grown. The bed
system is not only economical, but convenient for sheltering in winter,
and should have the attention of gardeners who are expected to supply
abundance of Celery throughout the winter and spring, for in such cases
a large sample is not required, but quality and continuance are of
importance.
It is a great point to keep Celery unhurt by frost far on in the winter,
and the advantage of growing the late crops on dry light soil, and on
the bed system, will be seen in the ease with which the plants can be
preserved. On heavy soil Celery soon suffers from frost, but not so
readily on a soil naturally light and dry. Moreover, the bed system
allows of many methods of protection, with whatever materials are at
command. In heavy soil fine crops of Celery for autumn use may be grown,
but in consequence of the liability of the plant to suffer by winter
damp, it is advisable to plant late crops on the level, and earth up
from the adjoining plots in order to keep the roots dry in winter.
Another step towards securing a late supply consists in bending the tops
on one side at the final earthing, which prevents the trickling of water
into the heart of the plant during heavy rain or snow.
Celery for Exhibition.—From the opening paragraph it will be gathered
that to produce extra fine specimens of Celery for exhibition very
generous treatment of the plants is necessary. Apart from the choice of
varieties—and only the finest strains should be considered—four points
are of especial importance to the cultivator. The ground must be
liberally enriched; at no period should the plant receive a check or
suffer for want of water; there must be the closest inspection at
frequent intervals to prevent disfiguration of the stalks or leaves by
slugs, snails, or the Celery fly; and finally the operation of blanching
will need great care and discretion. These points have already been
dealt with at some length. But on the question of blanching it may be
well to add that in order to insure perfect specimens, free from
blemish, artificial means of some kind must be adopted in place of
earthing up in the ordinary way. The use of strips of good quality brown
paper will prove both simple and effectual. These strips need not exceed
a width of five or six inches, fresh bands being added as growth
develops. Tie them securely with raffia or twine, making due allowance
for expansion of the plant, and when in position carefully draw the soil
towards the base.
The numerous enemies of Celery, such as slugs, snails, the
mole-cricket, and the maggot, do not seriously interfere with the crop
where good cultivation prevails, but the Celery fly appears to be
indifferent to good cultivation, and therefore must be dealt with
directly. Dusting the leaves occasionally with soot has been found to
operate beneficially. It should be done during the month of June on the
mornings of days that promise to be sunny. If the soot is put on
carelessly it will do more harm than good; a very fine dusting will
suffice to render the plant distasteful to the fly. Syringing the leaves
with water impregnated with tar has also saved plants from attack. Where
the eggs are lodged the leaves will soon appear blistered, and the
maggot within must be crushed by pinching the blister between the thumb
and finger. Leaves that are much blistered should be removed and burned,
but to rob the plants of many leaves will seriously reduce the vigour of
growth.
Celeriac, or Turnip-rooted Celery, is much prized on the Continent
as a cooked vegetable, and as a salad. In ordinary Celery the stem forms
a mere basis to the leaves, but in Celeriac it is developed into a knob
weighing from one to five pounds, and the root is more easily preserved
than Celery. When cooked in the same manner as Sea Kale, Celery is well
known as a delicacy at English tables, and the cooked Celeriac ranks in
importance with it, though it affords quite a different dish. The stem
or axis of the plant is used, and not the stalks. To grow fine Celeriac
a long season is requisite; and therefore it is advisable to sow the
seed in a gentle heat early in March, and afterwards prick out and treat
as Celery; but after the first stage the treatment is altogether
different. For the plantation a light and rich soil is required, and
where the staple is heavy, a small bed can easily be prepared by
spreading six inches depth of any sandy soil over the surface. The
plants must be put out on the level a foot and a half apart each way,
and be planted as shallow as possible. Before planting, trim carefully
to remove lateral shoots that might divide the stems, and after planting
water freely. The cultivation will consist in keeping the crop clean,
and frequently drawing the soil away from the plants, for the more they
stand out of the ground the better, provided they are not distressed.
They must never stand still for want of water, or the roots will not
attain to a proper size. The lateral shoots and fibres must be removed
to keep the roots intact, but not to such an extent as to arrest
progress. When a good growth has been made, and the season is declining,
cover the bulbs or stems with a thin coat of fine soil, and in the
first week of October lift a portion of the crop and store it in sand,
all the leaves being first removed, except those in the centre, which
must remain, or the roots may waste their energies in producing another
set. The portion of the crop left in the ground will need protection
from frost, and this can be accomplished by earthing them over with soil
taken from between the rows.
Celeriac is cooked in the same manner as Beet, and requires about the
same length of time. The stems, bulbs, or roots (for the knobs, which
are true stems, are known by various names) are trimmed, washed, and put
into boiling water without salt or any flavouring, and kept boiling
until quite tender; they may then be pared, sliced, and served with
white sauce, or left uncut to be sliced up for salads when cold.
CHICORY
Cichorium Intybus
A valuable addition to the supply of winter and spring roots. When
stewed and served with melted butter, Chicory bears a slight resemblance
to Sea Kale. More frequently, however, it is eaten in the same manner as
Celery, with cheese, and it also makes an excellent and most wholesome
salad. All the garden varieties have been obtained from the wild plant,
and some of the stocks show a decided tendency to revert to the wild
condition. It is therefore important to sow a carefully selected strain,
or the roots may be worthless for producing heads.
Seed should be sown in May or June, in rows one foot apart, and the
plants thinned out to about nine inches in the rows. The soil must be
deep and rich, but free from recent manure, except at a depth of twelve
inches, when the roots will attain the size of a good Parsnip.
In autumn the roots must be lifted uninjured with the aid of a fork, and
only a few at a time, as required. After cutting off the tops just above
the crown, they can at once be started into growth, and it is essential
that this be made in absolute darkness. French growers plant in a warm
bed of the temperature suited to Mushrooms, but this treatment ruins the
flavour, and has the effect of making the fibre of the leaves woolly. It
is far simpler and better to put the roots into a cellar or shed in
which a temperature above the freezing point may be relied on, and from
which every ray of light can be excluded. They can be closely packed in
deep boxes, with light soil or leaf-mould between. If the soil be
fairly moist, watering will not be necessary for a month, and had better
not be resorted to until the plants show signs of flagging. Instead of
boxes, a couple of long and very wide boards, stood on edge and
supported from the outside, make a convenient and effective trough. The
packing of the roots with soil can be commenced at one end, and be
gradually extended through the entire length, until the part first used
is ready for a fresh start. Breaking the leaves is better than cutting,
and gathering may begin about three weeks after the roots are stored.
From well-grown specimens, heads may be obtained equal to a compact Cos
Lettuce, and by a little management it is easy to maintain a supply from
October until the end of May. The quantity of salading to be obtained
from a few roots is really astonishing.
CORN SALAD
Valerianella olitoria
Corn Salad, or Lamb’s Lettuce, so often seen on Continental tables, is
comparatively unknown in this country. The reason for this is, perhaps,
to be found in the fact that, as a raw vegetable, it is not particularly
palatable, although when dressed as a salad with oil and the usual
condiments it is altogether delicious, and forms a most refreshing
episode in the routine of a good dinner. Corn Salad is a plant of quick
growth, and is valued for its early appearance in spring, when elegant
salads are much in request. It may be mixed with other vegetables for
the purpose, or served alone with a little suitable preparation.
The most important sowings are made in August and September. Seed may,
however, be sown at any time from February to October, but only those
who are accustomed to the plant should trouble to secure summer crops;
when Lettuces are plentiful Corn Salad is seldom required. Any good soil
will grow it, but the situation should be dry and open. Sow in drills
six inches apart, and thin to six inches in the rows. The crop is taken
in the same way as Spinach, either by the removal of separate leaves or
cutting over in tufts.
COUVE TRONCHUDA
Brassica oleracea costata
Couve Tronchuda, or Portugal Cabbage, is a fine vegetable that should be
grown in every garden, including those in which Cabbages generally are
not regarded as of much importance. The plant is of noble growth, and in
rich ground requires abundant room for the spread of its great leaves,
the midribs of which are thick, white, tender, and when cooked in the
same manner as Sea Kale quite superb in quality. When a fair crop of
these midribs has been taken there remains the top Cabbage, which is
excellent.
Two or three sowings may be made in February, March, and April, and the
early ones must be in heat. Transfer to rich soil as early as possible,
giving the plants ample room, from two to three feet each way, and aid
with plentiful supplies of water in dry weather.
CRESS
Lepidium sativum
Cress is best grown in small lots from frequent sowings, and the sorts
should be kept separate, and, if possible, on the same border. Fresh
fine soil is requisite, and there is no occasion for manuring, in fact
it is objectionable, but a change of soil must be made occasionally to
insure a good growth. The seed is usually sown too thick, yet thin
sowing is not to be recommended. It is important to cut Cress when it is
just ready—tender, green, short, and plump. This it will never be if
sown too thick, or allowed to stand too long. Immediately the plant
grows beyond salad size it becomes worthless, and should be dug in. From
small sowings at frequent intervals under glass a constant supply of
Cress may be kept up through the cold months of the year, for which
purpose shallow boxes or pans will be found most convenient. Cress
generally requires rather more time than Mustard.
American or Land Cress (Barbarea præcox) is of excellent quality
when grown on a good border, and two or three sowings should be made in
the spring and autumn in shady spots. If the site is not naturally
moist, water must be copiously given.
Water Cress (Nasturtium officinale) is so highly prized that many
who are out of the reach of ordinary sources of supply would gladly
cultivate it were there a reasonable prospect of success. Assertions
have been made that it can be grown in any garden without water, but we
have never yet seen a sample fit to eat which has been grown without
assistance from the water can. A running stream is not necessary. Make a
trench in a shady spot, and well enrich the soil at the bottom of it. In
this sow the seed in March, and when the plants are established keep
the soil well moistened. The more freely this is done the better will be
the result. Other sowings may be made in April, August, and September.
We have seen Water Cress successfully cultivated in pots and pans
immersed in saucers of water placed in shady positions.
CUCUMBER
Cucumis sativus
The Cucumber is everywhere valued. Its exceeding usefulness explains its
popularity, and happily the plant is of an accommodating character. In
large establishments, Cucumbers are grown at all seasons of the year; in
medium-sized gardens, summer Cucumbers are generally deemed sufficient,
and there is no difficulty in growing an abundant and continuous supply
of the finest quality. The winter cultivation demands suitable
appliances and skilful management; but a very small house, with an
efficient heating apparatus, will suffice to produce a large and
constant supply, and therefore winter Cucumbers need not be regarded as
beyond the range of practice of any ordinary well-kept garden.
Frame Cucumbers are the most in demand, and the easiest to grow. The
very first point for the cultivator is to determine when to begin, for
the rule is to begin too early, and to waste time and opportunity in
consequence. We will suppose the Cucumbers are to be grown in a
two-light frame, for which will be required four good cartloads of
stable manure. This should be put in a heap three weeks before the bed
is made up, and the bed will have to last until the season is
sufficiently advanced to sustain the heat without any further
fermentation. Considering these points, it will be understood that it is
a far safer proceeding to begin the first week in April than the first
week in March, and unless the way is clearly seen, the later date is
certainly preferable, for it reduces to a minimum the conflict with time
in the matter of bottom heat. Make up the heap; then, early in March,
turn it twice, and at the end of the month prepare the bed, firming the
stuff with a fork as the work proceeds, but taking care not to tread on
the bed. Put on the lights and leave the affair for five or six days;
then lay down a bed of rich loamy soil of a somewhat light and turfy
texture, about nine inches deep. It is now optional to sow or plant as
may be most convenient. Strong plants in pots, put out at once, will
fruit earlier than plants from seeds sown on the bed. But sowing on the
bed is good practice for all that, and if this plan is adopted a few
more seeds must be sown than the number of plants required, to provide a
margin for enemies; any surplus plants will generally prove useful, for
Cucumber plants seldom go begging. If it is preferred to begin with
plants, the question of providing them must be considered in good time.
The seed should be sown at least a month in advance, and should be
brought forward on a hot-bed or in a cool part of a stove. Many a
successful Cucumber grower has no better means of raising plants than by
sowing the seeds in a box or pan of light rich earth, kept in a sunny
corner of a common greenhouse, with a slate or tile laid over until the
seeds start, and by a little careful management nice thrifty plants are
secured in the course of about four weeks. In some books on horticulture
a great deal is said as to the soil in which Cucumber seed should be
sown. We advise the reader not to make too much of that question. Any
turfy loam, or even peat, will answer; but a rank soil is certainly
unfit. The object should be to obtain short, stout plants of a healthy
green colour; not the long-drawn, pallid things that are often to be
seen on sale, and which by their evident weakness seem destined to
illustrate the problems of Cucumber disease.
Having made a beginning with strong plants on a good bed, the two
matters of importance are to regulate the temperature and the watering.
In the first instance, it will be necessary to shade the plants a
little, but as they acquire strength they should have more light and
more air than are usually allowed to Cucumbers. A temperature averaging
60° by night and 80° by day will be found safe and profitable, as
promoting a healthy growth and lasting fruitfulness. But the rule must
be elastic. You may shut up at 90° without harm, and during sunshine the
glass may rise to 95° without injury, provided the plants have air and
are not dry at the roots. But it is of great moment that the night
temperature should be kept near 60° and not go below it. If the
thermometer shows that the night temperature has been above the proper
point owing to the heat of the bed, wedge up the lights about half an
inch in the evening, and as the season advances increase this supply of
night air, for it keeps the plants in health, provided there is no chill
accompanying it. As regards watering, the important point is to employ
soft water of the same temperature as the frame, and therefore a spare
can, filled with water, must be always kept in the frame ready for use,
and when emptied should be filled again and left for the next watering.
Twice a day at least the plants and the sides of the frame should
receive a shower from the syringe. It is better to syringe three times
than twice, but this must be in some degree determined by the
temperature. The greater the heat, the more freely should air and water
be supplied; on the other hand, if the heat runs down, give water with
caution, or disaster may follow. In case of emergency the plants will go
through a bad time without serious damage if kept almost dry, and then
it will be prudent to give but little air. Sometimes the heat of the bed
runs out before there is sufficient sun heat to keep the plants growing,
but if they can be maintained in health for a week or so, hot weather
may set in, and all will come right. But to carry Cucumbers through at
such a time demands particular care as to watering and air-giving.
As regards stopping and training, we may as well say at once, that the
less of both the better. Free healthy natural growth will result in an
abundant production of fruit, and stopping and training will do very
little to promote the end in view. But there is something to be done to
secure an even growth and the exposure of every leaf to light. When the
young plant has made three rough leaves, nip out the point to encourage
the production of shoots from the base. When the shoots have made four
leaves, nip out the points to promote a further growth of side shoots,
and after this there must be no more stopping until there is a show of
fruit. The growth should be pegged out to cover the bed in the most
regular manner possible, and wherever superfluous shoots appear they
must be removed. Any crowding will have to be paid for, because crowded
shoots are not fruitful. If a great show of fruit appears suddenly,
remove a large portion of it, as over-cropping makes a troublesome glut
for a short time, and then there is an end of the business; but by
keeping the crop down to a reasonable limit, the plants will bear freely
to the end of the season. Every fruiting shoot should be stopped at two
leaves beyond the fruit, and as the crop progresses there must be
occasional pruning out of old shoots to make room for young ones. An
error of management likely to occur with a beginner is allowing the bed
to become dry below while it is kept quite moist above by means of the
syringe. Many cultivators drive sticks into the bed here and there, and
from time to time they draw these out and judge by their appearance
whether or not the bed needs a heavy watering. To be dry at the root is
deadly to the Cucumber plant, and to be in a swamp is not less deadly.
It must have abundance of moisture above and below, but stagnation of
either air or water will bring disease, ending in a waste of labour.
The greenhouse cultivation of the Cucumber for a summer crop only is
the most profitable and simple as well as the most interesting of all
the methods practised. In many gardens the houses that have been filled
during the winter with Geraniums and other plants are very poorly
furnished during the summer, and present a most unsightly appearance.
Now, it is a very easy matter to render them at once profitable and
beautiful, for when clothed with green vines bearing handsome Cucumbers,
such houses are attractive and pay their way amazingly well. To carry
out the routine properly, the house should be cleared at the end of
April, the plants being removed to pits and frames. If possible, make up
the beds on slates laid close over the hot-water pipes, and use a bushel
or more of soil under each light to begin with. First lay on the slate a
large seed-pan, bottom upwards, and on that a few flat tiles, and then
heap up a shallow cone of nice light turfy loam. Start the fire and shut
up, and raise the heat of the empty house to 80° or 90° for one whole
day. The next day plant on each hillock a short stout Cucumber plant, or
sow three seeds. Proceed as advised for frame culture, keeping a
temperature of 60° by night and 80° by day, with a rise of 5° to 10°
during sunshine. Ply the syringe freely, give air carefully, and use the
least amount of shading possible. It will very soon be found that by
judicious management in shutting up and air-giving, the firing may be
dispensed with, and then it remains only to syringe freely and train
with care. The plants should not be stopped at all, but be taken up
direct to the roof and be trained out on a few wires or tarred string,
in the first instance right and left, and afterwards along the rafters
to meet at the ridge, and form a rich leafy arcade. The fruits will
appear in quantity, and must be thinned to prevent over-cropping. As the
plants grow, earth must be added to the hillocks until there is a
continuous bed, on which a certain number of shoots may be trained where
there is sufficient light for them. It is best to begin as advised
above, with the aid of fire heat to start the crop for the sake of
gaining time; but if this is not convenient begin without fire heat in
the last week of May, and the plants will produce fruit until the chill
of autumn makes an end of them, and the house is again required for the
greenhouse plants.
Winter Cucumbers thrive best in lean-to houses with somewhat steep
roofs, as such houses are less liable to chill during cold windy
weather, and they catch a maximum of the winter sunshine. In a mild
winter, Cucumbers may be grown in any kind of house that can be
maintained at a suitable temperature, and the markets are supplied from
rough constructions that do duty for many purposes. But in hard weather,
the steep lean-to, with bed along the front, and tank to give equable
bottom heat, will prove the most serviceable, as it will neither allow
snow to lodge on the glass, nor suffer any serious decline of
temperature during the prevalence of sharp frost and keen winds. For
late autumn supply any kind of house will suffice, but best of all an
airy span. A brick pit will answer every purpose from October to March
with good management, and fermenting materials will afford the needful
heat. In such cases trenches should be provided for occasional renewal
of the bottom heat. But a roomy house and a service of hot water justly
stand in favour with experienced cultivators, as combining the necessary
conditions with convenience of management.
For winter culture, plants are raised from seeds and from cuttings.
Seedling plants are the most vigorous, but they require a little more
time than cuttings to arrive at a fruiting state. For pot culture
cuttings are preferable, as only a moderate crop is expected, and
quickness of production is of great importance. It is usual to sow the
first lot of seeds on the 1st of September, and to sow again on the 1st
of October and the 1st of November; after which it is not advisable to
sow again until the 1st of February for the spring crop. If the
management is good, the first sowing will be in fruit by the time the
third batch of seed is sown, say, by the first week of November, and
thenceforward throughout the winter there should be no break in the
supply.
The management of Winter Cucumbers turns upon details chiefly, and will
be found in the end to depend rather upon care than skill. The general
principles are the same as in growing Cucumbers in frames, the task for
the cultivator being to carry them out successfully. Begin by sowing the
seed singly in small pots in light turfy loam, or peat with which a fair
proportion of sharp sand has been mixed. These pots to be placed in a
heat of 70° to 75°, and for plants to last long the lower temperature is
preferable. As regards the next stage, the plants may be trained up
rafters, or spread out on beds, the first being always the better plan
where it happens to be convenient. But the prudent cultivator will not
be tied to rules; he will cut his coat according to his cloth, and while
he has a house of Cucumbers trained to the roof, he will, perhaps, also
have a pit filled with plants on beds. To stop severely is bad practice,
for vigorous growth is wanted; but a certain amount of stopping must be
done to promote an even growth, and to distribute the fruit fairly both
in space and time. We have already admitted that in some books on
gardening too much has been said about soil. In many places a suitable
turfy loam, or a good fibrous peat, may be obtained, and the accidents
that have befallen Cucumbers have usually been the result of bad
management in respect of heat, water, and air, rather than the use of
unsuitable soil. But it must not be supposed that we are careless about
this matter. Neither a pasty clay, a sour sticky loam, nor a poor sandy
or chalky soil will produce fine Cucumbers. On the other hand, rank
manure and poor leaf-mould are both unfavourable materials. There is
nothing like mellow loam, which can be enriched and modified at
discretion, without going to extremes.
Ridge Cucumbers are grown in much the same way as recommended for
Vegetable Marrows. They may be put on hillocks or beds, and in either
case a foundation of fermenting material is required to insure a crop in
the early part of the summer. For a late crop, the natural heat of the
soil will be sufficient should the summer prove to be fine, but in a
cold season Ridge Cucumbers are disappointing. Of the many methods of
growing them, one of the best is to lay out the ground in four-feet beds
by taking out the soil to a depth of fifteen inches, and spreading about
that depth or more of half-rotted manure, to which may be added any
leaves and other litter that may be handy. Cover with a foot depth of
good loam. About mid-April sow the seeds in three-inch pots or in boxes
and place in a cool greenhouse. After careful hardening, plant out about
the third week of May. If preferred, seeds may be sown on the bed early
in May. Give the plants the protection of a hand-light should the
weather prove unfavourable, and some care will be needed to keep them
moving fairly until the season is so far advanced as to allow for the
removal of the lights. Put the plants at thirty inches apart down the
middle of the bed, and when growing freely, nip out the points once
only. A crop of Lettuce may be taken from the beds while the plants are
advancing.
DANDELION
Taraxacum officinale
As a salad Dandelion has won general esteem for its wholesome medicinal
qualities. Nature teaches the way to grow this plant, for she sows the
seed in early summer, and we find the finest plants on dry ground,
while there are none to be found in bogs and swamps. Any gravelly or
chalky soil will grow good Dandelion, one fair digging without manure
being a sufficient preparation for it. Sow in May or June, and thin to
one foot apart every way, keeping the crop scrupulously clean by flat
hoeing. Any time in the winter the roots may be lifted and forced in the
same way as Sea Kale, or they may be covered with pots in spring to
blanch where grown. In any case the spring growth must be made in
darkness, for when green the flavour is bitter. Invalids who require
this salutary salad may obtain early supplies by planting the roots in
boxes in a cellar, and covering with empty boxes. Only as much water
should be given as will keep the roots reasonably moist.
EGG PLANT (AUBERGINE)
Solatium Melongena, S. esculentum
In this country the Egg Plant is generally grown merely as an ornament,
but it is a delicious vegetable when sliced and fried in oil, the
purple-and black-fruited kinds being especially serviceable for the
table. The common white, which is best known, is fairly good when cooked
young, though less rich in flavour than the purple. The cultivation
recommended for Capsicum will suit the Egg Plant, but little atmospheric
moisture is needed or the seedlings may damp off. They are not well
adapted for planting out, although in a warm season they will fruit
freely under a sunny wall, and will grow in a gravel walk if helped at
first with a little good soil round the roots. If required in quantity
for the table, the purple variety may be grown in a frame from plants
raised on a hot-bed. Generally speaking, a few plants in pots are all
that are required where the fruit is not valued as an esculent.
ENDIVE
Cichorium Endivia
As a result of the growing taste for wholesome salads Endive has
considerably advanced in public esteem. The flavour of well-blanched
Endive suits most palates that have had experience of salads, and of the
salutary properties of the plant we have a hint in its close relation to
the Chicory.
The selection of sorts is a question of importance, because the handsome
curled varieties that make the best appearance on the table, and might
be regarded as ornaments if they were not edible, are the very finest
for salads, being tender, with a fresh nutty flavour. The broad-leaved
sorts are not so well adapted for salads as for stews, and they take the
place of Lettuces when the latter are not available for soups and
ragoûts. However, when an emergency occurs, the curled varieties will be
found suitable for cooking, and the broad-leaved for salading, and
therefore there need be no waste where one sort predominates.
Soil.—A difficulty common to Endive culture may be got over in the
way advised for Celeriac. The plant requires a light, dry, sandy soil;
and a portion, at least, of the crop is expected to stand through the
winter. Thus on a heavy soil there is a prospect of failure in respect
of the late crop, but that is obviated by adopting a made bed—one of
smallish dimensions being sufficient to accommodate a large stock of
plants. Select an open spot, make a foundation of any hard rubbish that
is at hand, and on this put one to two feet of sandy soil. This will
form a raised bed of a kind exactly suited to the plant, and will cost
but little as compared with its ultimate value. If regularly dressed
with manure, and otherwise well managed, the bed will supply Endive in
winter and other salads in summer, or it may be cropped with Dwarf
Beans, which can be removed in August to make way for the usual planting
of Endive. Where the soil is naturally light and dry no such preparation
is needed, but Endive does not come to perfection without food, and
therefore the soil should be rich and deeply dug.
Sowing and Transplanting.—The seed may be sown as early as March, in
a moderate heat, but the latter part of April is early enough for most
purposes, and the main sowings are made in June. Later sowings may
follow in July and August. But the June sowing is the most important, as
by a little careful management it will supply a few early heads and many
late ones. Sow in shallow drills six inches apart, and when the plants
are an inch high draw the most forward, and prick them out on a bed of
rich light soil in the same way as Celery, and with a little nursing
these will make a first plantation. The plants in the seed-bed should be
thinned to three inches, and must have water in dry weather. All the
thinnings should be pricked out in the first instance to make them
strong for planting, but the last lot may go direct to the beds to
finish.
The final planting must be on rich, light, dry soil, and water given to
encourage growth. The distance for the curled varieties is a foot each
way, and for the broad-leaved fifteen inches. In taking the last lot
from the seed-bed, a crop should be left untouched to mature at twelve
to fifteen inches apart. These plants will give a first and most
excellent supply if carefully blanched.
If more convenient, seed may be sown where the crop is intended to
stand, the plants being thinned to the distances already given.
The blanching is an important business, and is variously performed.
The customary mode is to tie the leaves together in the manner usual
with Lettuce and mould them up. This method answers perfectly, except in
wet seasons, when, if the plants stand for some time, the outer leaves
begin to rot, and the decay proceeds inwards, to the deterioration or
destruction of the plant. A clean and effective process is to cover the
heart of the plant with a flower-pot. The hole is darkened with part of
a tile or slate, on which should be laid a piece of turf or a handful of
mould. A plate or clean tile placed over the centre of the plant will
also blanch Endives satisfactorily in autumn. For winter supplies, the
plants may be lifted as wanted and placed in boxes or pots of soil,
these being covered with other boxes or pots to exclude light. A
Mushroom-house, cellar, or under a greenhouse stage, will serve for
storing the lifted plants. The blanching must be carried on in such a
way as to insure a succession without a glut at any time, for when
sufficiently blanched Endive should be used, or decay will soon set in.
GARLIC
Allium sativura
The mode of culture advised for Shallots will suit Garlic also, except
that the latter should be planted in February about two inches beneath
the surface of the soil, and the bulbs may be grown closer together,
about eight or nine inches apart each way.
When large bulbs are required for exhibition or other purposes, the
cloves—as the divisions of each root are called—should be planted
separately; but for general use moderate-sized bulbs, planted whole,
will produce a heavier crop.
GOURD and PUMPKIN
(Cucurbita)
Gourds and Pumpkins may be grown to perfection by precisely the same
method recommended for Ridge Cucumbers; but as the plants occupy more
space, room must be left for them to extend south wards beyond the
limits of the ridge. It is well to put out strong plants from seeds sown
in pots in April or May, and protect them until established. If these
are not obtainable, the seed may be sown where the plants are intended
to stand, and there will in time be plenty of produce, but of course
somewhat later in the season than if strong plants had been put out in
the first instance. Keep a sharp look-out for slugs, which will flock in
from all quarters to feast upon them, but will scarcely touch them after
they have been planted a week or so. Any rough fermenting material, such
as grass mowings, may be used in making the hills, to give them the aid
of a warm bed for a brief space of time, and it is a great gain if they
grow freely from the first. Later on the natural heat will be enough for
them.
The edible Gourds are useful in all their stages and ages; and if the
cultivator has a fancy to grow large, handsome fruits, he can make the
business answer by hanging them up for use in winter, when they may be
employed in soups in place of Carrots, or in addition to the usual
vegetables, and may indeed be cooked in half a dozen different ways.
There remains yet one more purpose to which the plants may be applied:
supposing you have a great plantation of edible Gourds and Marrows, and
would like a peculiarly elegant and delicious dish of Spinach, pinch off
a sufficiency of the tops of the advancing shoots, and cook them Spinach
fashion. If properly done, it is one of the finest vegetables ever
eaten. As pinching off the tender tops of the shoots lessens the
fruitfulness of the vines, we only recommend this procedure where there
is a large plantation.
Gourds may be trained to trellises, fences, and walls. In all such
cases, a good bed should be prepared of any light, rich loam, and it
will be none the less effective if made on a mound of fermenting
material.
HERBS
With certain exceptions, the growing of Sweet Herbs from seeds is
altogether advantageous. The plants come perfectly true, and are so
vigorous that it is easier to raise them from seed than to secure a
succession from slips or cuttings. To meet a large and continuous demand
in the kitchen there must be a proportionate plantation in the border;
but in gardens of medium size we do not advocate the culture of Herbs on
an extensive scale, unless there be a special object in view. A
moderate number of Herbs will meet the necessities of most families.
Still it is a fact that the tendency is always in the direction of
increased variety, and gardeners are called on to provide frequent
changes of flavouring Herbs, some of which are quite as highly prized in
salads as they are for culinary purposes.
In the smallest gardens, Mint, Parsley, Sage, and both Common and Lemon
Thyme, must find a place. In gardens which have any pretension to supply
the needs of a luxurious table there should be added Basil, Chives, Pot
and Sweet Marjoram, Summer and Winter Savory, Sorrel, Tarragon, and
others that may be in especial favour. Large gardens generally contain a
plot, proportioned to demands, of all the varieties which follow.
Several of the most popular Herbs, such as Chives, Mint, Tarragon, and
Lemon Thyme, are not grown from seed—at all events, those who venture
on the pastime might employ their labour to greater advantage. But
others, such as Basil, Borage, Chervil, Fennel, Marjoram, Marigold,
Parsley, Savory, &c., are grown from seed, in some cases of necessity,
and in others because it is the quicker and easier way of securing a
crop.
Angelica and Mint flourish in moist soil, but the majority of aromatic
Herbs succeed on land that is dry, poor, and somewhat sandy, rather than
in the rich borders that usually prevail in the Kitchen Garden. Happily
they are not very particular, but sunshine they must have for the
secretion of their fragrant essences. A narrow border marked off in
drills, and, if possible, sloping to the south, will answer admirably.
Thin the plants in good time, and the thinnings of those wanted in
quantity may, if necessary, be transplanted. The soil must be kept free
from weeds, and every variety be allowed sufficient space for full
development.
Angelica (A. Archangelica).—A native biennial which is not easily
raised from seed treated in the ordinary way. Germination is always
capricious, slow and irregular. It may be several months before the
plants begin to appear. The best results are obtained by placing the
seed in sand, kept moist for several weeks before sowing. The leaves and
stalks are sometimes blanched and eaten as Celery, and are also boiled
with meat and fish. Occasionally the tender stems and midribs are coated
with candied sugar as a confection. Angelica was formerly supposed to
possess great medicinal virtues, but its reputation as a remedy for
poison and as a preventive of infectious diseases is not supported by
the disciples of modern chemistry. The seeds are still used for
flavouring liqueurs.
Balm (Melissa officinalis).—A perennial herb, which can be
propagated by cuttings or grown as an annual from seed. An essential oil
is distilled from the leaves, but they are chiefly used, when dried, for
making tea for invalids, especially those suffering from fever. The
plant has also been used for making Balm wine. Sow in May.
Basil, Bush (Ocymum minimum).—A dwarf-growing variety, used for the
same purposes as the Sweet Basil. Sow in April.
Basil, Sweet (Ocymum Basilicum).—A tender annual, originally
obtained from India, and one of the most popular of the flavouring
Herbs. Seeds should be sown in February or March in gentle heat. When
large enough the seedlings must be pricked off into boxes until they are
ready for transferring to a rich border in June, or seed may be sown in
the open ground during April and May. A space of eight inches between
the plants in the rows will suffice, but the rows should be at least a
foot apart. The flower-stems must be cut as they rise, and be tied in
bundles for winter use. This practice will prolong the life of the plant
until late in the season. Many gardeners lift plants in September, pot
them, and so maintain a supply of fresh green leaves until winter is far
advanced.
Borage (Borago officinalis).—A native hardy plant, which thrives in
poor, stony soil. The flowers are used for flavouring purposes,
especially for claret-cup. Borage is also a great favourite with
bee-masters. Sow in April or May in good loam, and thin to fifteen or
eighteen inches apart. The rows should be from eighteen to twenty-four
inches asunder, for the plant is tall, and strong in growth.
Chervil, Curled (Anthriscus Cerefolium).—Used for salads,
garnishing, and culinary purposes. To secure a regular supply of leaves
small successional sowings are necessary from spring to autumn, and
frequent watering in dry weather will prevent the plants from being
spoiled by throwing up seed-stems. For winter use, sow in boxes kept in
a warm temperature.
Chives (Allium Schænoprasum).—A mild substitute for the Onion in
salads and soups. The plant is a native of Britain, and will grow freely
in any ordinary garden soil. Propagation is effected by division of the
roots either in spring or autumn. The clumps should be cut regularly in
succession whether wanted or not, with the object of maintaining a
continuous growth of young and tender shoots. At intervals of four years
it will be necessary to lift, divide, and replant the roots on fresh
ground.
Fennel (Fæniculum officinale).—A hardy perennial which has been
naturalised in some parts of this country. It is grown in gardens to
furnish a supply of its elegant feathery foliage for garnishing and for
use in fish sauces. Occasionally the stems are blanched and eaten in the
same way as Celery, and in the natural state they are boiled as a
vegetable. The seeds are also employed for flavouring. Sow in drills in
April and May, and thin the plants to fifteen inches apart.
Finocchio, or Florence Fennel (Fæniculum dulce, DC).—A
sweet-tasting herb, very largely grown in the south of Italy, where it
is eaten both in the natural state and when boiled. Sow in the open
ground during spring or early summer, in rows about eighteen inches
apart, and thin or transplant to six or nine inches. When the base
begins to swell, earth up the plants in the same manner as Celery. If
transplanted, pinch off the tips of the roots.
Horehound (Marrubium vulgare).—A well-known medicinal herb, from
which an extract is obtained for subduing irritating coughs. Sow in
April or May, and thin the plants until they stand fifteen inches apart.
Hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis).—The leaves and young shoots are used
as a pot-herb, and the leafy tops and flowers, when dried, are employed
for medicinal purposes. Hyssop is also occasionally used as an edging
plant. A dry soil and warm situation suit it. Sow in April, and thin the
plants to a foot apart in the rows.
Lavender (Lavandula).—Universally known and valued for its perfume.
Although the plant is generally propagated from cuttings, it can easily
be grown from seed sown in April or May. The plants attain a height of
one or two feet, and the stems should not be cut until the flowers are
expanded.
Marigold, Pot (Calendula officinalis).—Employed both in flower and
vegetable gardens: in the former as a bedding annual, and in the latter
that the flowers may be dried and stored for colouring and flavouring
soups; also for distilling. In April or May sow the seed in drills one
foot apart, and thin the plants to the same distance in the rows.
Marjoram, Pot (Origanum Onites).—One of the most familiar Herbs in
British gardens. The aromatic leaves are used both green and when dried
for flavouring. Strictly the plant is a perennial, but it is readily
grown as an annual. Sow in February or March in gentle heat, and in the
open ground a month later. The plants should be allowed a space often
inches or a foot each way.
Marjoram, Sweet Knotted (Origanum Majorana).—This plant is used for
culinary purposes in the same way as the Pot Marjoram, and it is also
regarded as a tonic and stomachic. The most satisfactory mode of
cultivation is that of a half-hardy annual. Sow in March or April and
allow each plant a square foot of ground.
Mint (Mentha viridis).—Known also as Spearmint. It must be grown
from divisions. Between the delicacy of fresh young green leaves and
those which have been dried with the utmost care there is so wide a
difference that the practice of forcing from November to May is fully
justified. This is easily accomplished by packing roots in a box and
keeping them moist in a temperature of 60°. Where this is impossible,
stems must be cut, bunched, and hung in a cool store for use during
winter and spring. Mint grows vigorously in damp soil, and the bed
should have occasional attention, to prevent plants from extending
beyond their proper boundary. To secure young and luxuriant growth a
fresh plantation should be made annually in February or March. If
allowed to occupy the same plot of land year after year the leaves
become small and the stems wiry.
Parsley (Carum Petroselinum) will teach those who have eyes exactly
how it should be grown. There will appear here and there in a garden
stray or rogue Parsley plants. No matter how regularly the hoeing and
weeding may be done, a stray Parsley plant will occasionally appear
alone, perhaps in the midst of Lettuces, or Cauliflowers, or Onions.
When these rogues escape destruction they become superb plants, and the
gardener sometimes leaves them to enjoy the conditions they have
selected, and in which they evidently prosper. The lesson for the
cultivator is, that Parsley should have plenty of room from the very
first; and this lesson, we feel bound to say, cannot be too often
enforced upon young gardeners, for they are apt to sow Parsley far more
thickly than is wise, and to be injuriously slow and timid in thinning
the crop when the plants are crowding one another.
Parsley, like many other good things, will grow almost anywhere and
anyhow, but to make a handsome crop a deep, rich, moist soil is
required. It attains to fine quality on a well-tilled clay, but the
kindly loam that suits almost every vegetable is adapted to produce
perfect Parsley, and every good garden should show a handsome sample,
for beauty is the first required qualification. To keep the house fairly
well supplied sowings should be made in February, May, and July. The
first of these will be in gentle heat. When large enough prick out the
plants into boxes, or on to a mild hot-bed, and transfer to the open
ground at the end of April, allowing each plant a space of one foot each
way. In the open, it is best to sow in lines one foot apart, and thin
out first to three inches, and finally to six inches, the strongest of
the seedlings being put out one foot apart. By following this plan
sufficient supplies for a small household may be obtained from one
annual sowing made in April. It should not be overlooked that Parsley is
indispensable to exhibitors of vegetables, especially as a groundwork
for collections, and due allowance for such calls must be made in fixing
the number and extent of the sowings. When the plant pushes for seed it
becomes useless, and had best be got rid of; but by planting at various
times in different places a sufficiency may be expected to go through a
second season without bolting, after which it will be necessary to root
them out and consign them to the rubbish-heap. Parsley is often grown as
an edging, but it is only in large gardens that this can be done
advantageously, and then a very handsome edging is secured. In small
gardens it is best to sow on a bed in lines one foot apart, and thin out
first to three inches, and finally to six inches, the strongest of the
thinnings being planted a foot apart, to last over as proposed above.
When Parsley has stood some time it becomes coarse, but the young growth
may be renewed by cutting over; this operation being also useful to
defer the flowering, which is surely hastened by leaving the plants
alone. For the winter supply a late plantation made in a sheltered spot
will usually suffice, for the plant is very hardy; but it may be
expedient sometimes to put old frames over a piece worth keeping, or to
protect during hard weather with dry litter. A few plants lifted into
five-inch pots and placed in a cool house will often tide over a
difficult period. In gathering, care should be taken to pick separately
the young leaves that are nearly full grown, and to take only one or two
from each plant. It costs no more time to fill a basket by taking a leaf
or two here and there from a whole row than to strip two or three
plants, and the difference in the end will be considerable as regards
the total produce and quality of the crop.
Pennyroyal (Mentha Pulegium) is a native perennial which must be
propagated by divisions, and this can be done either in spring or
autumn. The rows may be twelve or fifteen inches apart, but in the rows
the plants do well at a distance of eight inches. The taste for
Pennyroyal is by no means universal, but some persons like the tender
tops in culinary preparations. The belief in its supposed medicinal
virtues is slowly dying.
Purslane (Portulaca oleracea).—This annual plant thrives best in a
sunny position. Seed should be sown from mid-April onwards to insure a
succession of young leaves and shoots which may be cooked as a vegetable
or eaten raw as a salad. Space the rows nine inches apart and thin the
plants to a distance of six inches.
Rampion (Campanula Rapunculus).—Both leaves and roots are used in
winter salads; the roots are also boiled. If the seed be sown earlier
than the end of May the plants are liable to bolt. Choose a shady
situation where the soil is rich and light, and do not stint water. The
rows need not exceed six inches apart, and four inches in the rows will
be a sufficient space between plants.
Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis).—A hardy evergreen shrub easily
grown from seed, the leaves of which are used for making Rosemary tea
for relieving headache. An essential oil is also obtained by
distillation. A dry, warm, sunny border suits the plant. Sow in April
and May.
Rue (Ruta graveolens).—A hardy evergreen shrub, chiefly cultivated
for its medicinal qualities. The leaves are acrid, and emit a pungent
odour when handled. The plant is shrubby, and as it attains a height of
two or three feet it occupies a considerable space. Sow in April.
Sage (Salvia officinalis).—Although Sage can be raised from seed
with a minimum of trouble, yet this is one of the few instances where it
is an advantage to propagate plants from a good stock. The difference
will be obvious to any gardener who will grow seedlings by the side of
propagated plants. Still, seedlings are often raised, and as annuals the
plants are quite satisfactory. Sow under glass in February and March,
and in open ground during April and May. Prick off the seedlings into a
nursery bed before transferring to final positions, in which each plant
should be allowed a space of fifteen inches.
Savory, Summer (Satureia hortensis).—An aromatic seasoning and
flavouring herb, which must be raised annually from seed. Sow early in
April in drills one foot apart, and thin the plants to six or eight
inches in the rows. Cut the stems when in full flower, and tie in
bunches for winter use.
Savory, Winter (Satureia montana).—A hardy dwarf evergreen which
can be propagated by cuttings; but it is more economically grown from
seed sown at the same time, and treated in the same manner, as Summer
Savory.
Sorrel (Rumex scutalus).—The large-leaved or French Sorrel is not
only served as a separate dish, but is mingled with Spinach, and is also
used as an ingredient in soups, sauces, and salads. Leaves of the
finest quality are obtainable from plants a year old, and when the crop
has been gathered the ground may with advantage be utilised for some
other purpose. Light soil in fairly good heart suits the plant. The seed
should be sown in March or early April, in shallow drills six or eight
inches apart, and the seedlings must be thinned early, leaving three or
four inches between them in the rows. To keep the bed free from weeds is
the only attention necessary, unless an occasional watering becomes
imperative. In September the entire crop may be transferred to fresh
ground, allowing eighteen inches between the plants, or part may be
drawn and the remainder left at that distance. In the following spring
the flower-stems will begin to rise, and if these are allowed to develop
they reduce the size of the leaves and seriously impair their quality;
hence the heads should be pinched out as fast as they are presented.
Tarragon (Artemisia Dracunculus).—This aromatic herb is used for a
variety of purposes, but is most commonly employed for imparting its
powerful flavour to vinegar. The plant is a perennial, and must be
propagated by divisions in March or April, or by cuttings placed in
gentle heat in spring. Later in the year they will succeed under a
hand-glass in the open. Green leaves are preferable to those which have
been dried, and by a little management a succession of plants is easily
arranged. For winter use roots may be lifted in autumn and placed in
heat. Those who have no facilities for maintaining a supply of green
leaves rely on foliage cut in autumn and dried.
Thyme, Common (Thymus vulgaris).—An aromatic herb, well known in
every garden, and in constant demand for the house. Seedlings are easily
raised from a sowing in April, or the plant can be grown from division
of the roots in spring. Thyme makes a very effective edging, and is
frequently employed for this purpose on dry, well-kept borders.
Thyme, Lemon (Thymus Serpyllum vulgaris).—This plant cannot be
grown from seed; only by division of the roots in March or April. It is
an aromatic herb, generally regarded as indispensable in a well-ordered
garden.
Wormwood (Artemisia Absinthium).—An intensely bitter herb, used for
medicinal purposes. The plant is a hardy perennial, and is usually
propagated in spring by taking cuttings or dividing the roots.
HORSE-RADISH
Cochlearia Armoracia
This vegetable is highly prized as a condiment to roast beef, but as a
rule it is badly grown. The common practice is to consign it to some
neglected corner of the garden, where it struggles for existence, and
produces sticks which are almost worthless for the table. In the same
space a plentiful supply of large handsome sticks may be grown with as
little trouble as Carrots or Parsnips. Choose for the crop a piece of
good open ground, and in preparing it place a heavy dressing of rotten
manure quite at the bottom of each trench. Early in the year select
young straight roots from eight to twelve inches long, each having a
single crown, and plant them one foot apart each way. By the following
autumn these will become large, succulent sticks, which will put to
shame the ugly striplings grown under starving conditions. The roots may
be dug as required; but we do not advocate that method. It is better
practice to clear the whole bed at once, and store the produce in sand
for use when wanted. This plan should be repeated each year, and a fresh
piece of land ought always to be found for the crop.
KALE—see BORECOLE, page 27
KOHL RABI (KNOL KOHL)
Brassica oleracea Caulo-rapa
Kohl Rabi, or Knol Kohl, is comparatively little grown in this country,
because we can almost always command tender and tasty Turnips. On the
Continent it is otherwise. There Kohl Rabi may be seen in every market,
and on many a good table, where it proves a most acceptable vegetable.
For all ordinary purposes the green variety is better than the purple. A
small crop of this root should be annually grown in every garden. In
case of failure with Turnips, Kohl Rabi will take their place to tide
over an emergency. When. served it has the flavour of a Turnip with a
somewhat nutty tendency, and may be prepared for table in the same
manner.
Kohl Rabi is cultivated in much the same way as Turnips. Seed may be
sown at any time from March to August in rows one and a half to two feet
apart. As soon as possible thin the seedlings to three inches apart in
the rows, and, as the leaves develop, to six inches apart. By drawing
every other plant some small roots may be obtained early, and the
remainder will be left to mature at twelve inches in the rows. The
seedlings may be transplanted, if desired. Keep the ground clean and the
surface open, but care should be taken not to damage the leaves, or in
the least degree to earth up the roots. Any animal that can eat a Turnip
will prefer a Kohl Rabi, and when substituted for the Turnip in feeding
cows, it does not affect the flavour of the milk. The plant is hardy,
and as a rule may stand, to be drawn as wanted, until the spring is far
advanced, when the remnant should be cleared off for the benefit of the
animals on the home farm, or be dug in as manure.
LEEK
Allium Porrum
The leek is not so fully appreciated in the southern parts of England as
it is in the North, and in Scotland and Wales. It is a fine vegetable
where it is well understood, and when stewed in gravy there is nothing
of its class that can surpass it in flavour and wholesomeness. One
reason of its fame in Scotland and the colder parts of Wales is its
exceeding hardiness. The severest winters do not harm the plant, and it
may remain in the open ground until wanted, occasioning no trouble for
storage.
Times of Sowing.—To obtain large handsome specimens of the finest
quality a start must be made in January or early February, and this
early sowing is imperative for the production of Leeks for exhibition,
as the roots must be given a longer season of growth than is generally
allowed for ordinary crops. It is usual to sow in pans or boxes of
moistened soil, placed in a temperature of about 55°. The seeds need
only a very light covering of fine soil. When the seedlings are about
two inches high transfer to shallow boxes of rich soil, spacing them
three inches apart each way, or the finest may be placed in pots of the
32-size, taking care not to break the one slender root on which the
plant depends at this stage. Grow on in the same temperature until
mid-March, when they may be transferred to a cold frame to undergo
progressive hardening in readiness for planting out at a favourable
opportunity in April.
There may be three sowings of Leek made in the open ground in February,
March, and April, to insure a succession, and also to make good any
failures. But for most gardens one sowing about the middle of March will
be sufficient. From this sowing it will be an easy matter to secure an
early supply, a main crop, and a late crop, for they may be transplanted
from the seed-bed at a very early stage, and successive thinnings will
make several plantations; and finally, as many can be left in the
seed-bed to mature as will form a proper plantation.
General Cultivation.—The Leek will grow in any soil, and when no
thicker than the finger is useful; indeed, in many places where the soil
is poor and the climate cold it rarely grows larger, but is,
nevertheless, greatly valued. A rich dry soil suits the plant well, and
when liberally grown it attains to a great size, and is very attractive,
with its silvery root and brilliant green top. The economical course of
management consists in thinning and planting as opportunities occur,
beginning as soon as the plants are six inches high, and putting them in
well-prepared ground, which should be thoroughly watered previously,
unless already softened by rain. The distance for planting must depend
upon the nature of the soil and the requirements of the cultivator. For
an average crop, eighteen inches between the rows and six to nine inches
between the plants is sufficient; but to grow large Leeks, they must be
allowed a space of twelve to eighteen inches in the rows. In planting,
first shorten the leaves a little (and very little), then drive down the
dibber, and put the plant in as deep as the base of the leaves, and
close in carefully without pressure. Water liberally, occasionally stir
the ground between plants, and again cut off the tops of the leaves,
when the roots will grow to a large size. If the ground is dangerously
damp or pasty, make a bed for the crop with light rich soil, plant on
the level and mould up as the growth advances. On light land, however,
it is advisable to grow them in trenches, prepared as for Celery. The
largest and whitest should not be left to battle with storms, but those
left in the seed-bed will take no harm from winter weather, and will be
useful when the grandees are eaten. The finest roots that remain when
winter sets in may be taken up in good time and stored in dry sand, and
will keep for at least a month. Any that remain over in spring can
readily be turned to account. As the flower-stems rise nip them out; not
one should be left. The result of this practice will be the formation on
the roots of small roundish white bulbs, which make an excellent dish
when stewed in gravy, and may be used for any purpose in cookery for
which Onions or Shallots are employed. They are called ‘Leek Bulbs,’
and are obtainable only in early summer.
Blanching.—The edible part of the root should be blanched, and this
may be effected in various ways. Drain-pipes not less than two and a
half inches in diameter, and from twelve to fifteen inches in length,
answer well for large stems. Tubes of stiff brown paper are also very
serviceable. Drawing up the earth to the stem as growth develops is a
simple method of blanching, and the edible portion may easily be
increased according to the amount of earthing-up given. Perfect
blanching is of first importance when specimens are wanted for the
exhibition table, and a commencement must be made as soon as the plants
may be said to have thoroughly recovered from the effects of
transplanting.
LETTUCE
Lactuca sativa
The lettuce is the king of salads, and as a cooked vegetable it has its
value; but as it does not compete with the Pea, the Asparagus, or the
Cauliflower, we need not make comparisons, but may proceed to the
consideration of its uses in the uncooked state. Scientific advisers on
diet and health esteem the Lettuce highly for its anti-scorbutic
properties, and especially for its wholesomeness as a corrective. It
supplies the blood with vegetable juices that are needful to accompany
flesh foods when cooked vegetables are unattainable. Our summers are
usually too brief and too cool to permit us to acquire a knowledge of
the real value of the Lettuce, but in Southern Europe and many parts of
the East it becomes a necessary of life, and those large red Lettuces
that are occasionally grown here as curiosities are prized above all
others because of their crisp coolness and refreshing flavour under a
burning sun.
The numerous varieties may, for practical purposes, be grouped in two
classes—Cabbage and Cos Lettuces. They vary greatly in habit and are
adapted for different purposes, the first group being invaluable for
mixed salads at all seasons, but more especially in winter and early
spring; the second group is most serviceable in the summer season, and
is adapted for a simple kind of salad, the leaves being more crisp and
juicy. A certain number of the two classes should be grown in every
garden, both for their great value to appetite and health, and their
elegance on the table, whether plain or dressed. In the selection of
sorts, leading types should be kept in view. Some of the varieties which
have been introduced have no claim to a place in a good list, because of
their coarseness. Although they afford a great bulk of blanched
material, it is too often destitute of flavour, or altogether
objectionable. The best types are tender and delicately flavoured,
representing centuries of cultivation, and the sub varieties of these
types should retain their leading characteristics, though perhaps they
are more hardy and stand longer, and are therefore much to be desired.
Preparation of the Soil.—The Lettuce requires a light, rich soil, but
almost any kind of soil may be so prepared as to insure a fair supply,
and in places where fine Cos Lettuces are not readily obtained, it may
be possible to grow excellent Cabbage varieties in place of them. A
tolerably good garden soil will answer for both classes, and fat stable
manure should be liberally used. The best way to prepare ground for the
summer crop is to select a piece that has been trenched, and go over it
again, laying in a good body of rough green manure, one spade deep, so
that the plant will be put on unmanured ground, but will reach the
manure at the very period when it is needed, by which time contact with
the earth will have rendered it sweet and mellow. By this mode of
procedure the finest growth is secured, and the plants stand well
without bolting, as they, are saved from the distress consequent on
continued dry weather. As regards drought, it must be said that the
red-leaved kinds stand remarkably well in a hot summer, and although
they do not rank high as table Lettuces in this country, were we to
experience a succession of roasting summers they would rise in repute
and be in great demand. Cabbage Lettuces bear drought fairly well, more
especially the diminutive section; but where water is available Lettuces
have as good a claim to a share of it in a dry, hot season, as any crop
in the garden.
Blanching.—A first-class strain of White Cos Lettuce will produce
tender white hearts without being tied, and, as a rule, therefore, the
labour of tying may be saved. The section of which Sutton’s Superb White
Cos is the type may be said to produce better samples without tying than
with this imaginary aid to blanching. The market grower is still
accustomed to tie Lettuces because they are more easily packed and
travel better when tied, but when tying is practised it need not be done
until one or two days before the Lettuces are cut. The coarser market
kinds certainly are improved by tying, and in this case the operation
must be performed when the plants are quite dry, and not more than ten
days in advance of the day on which it is intended to pull them. The
Bath Cos must be tied always, and when well managed the heart is white,
with a pretty touch of pink in the centre.
Spring-sown Lettuces may be forwarded under glass from January to
March, from which time sowings may be made successively in the open
ground. In any and every case the finest Lettuces are obtained by sowing
in the open ground, and leaving the plants to finish in the seed-bed
without being transplanted. It will, of course, occur to the practical
cultivator that the two systems may be combined, so as to vary the time
of turning in, and thus from a single sowing insuring a longer
succession than is possible by one system only. We will suppose small
sowings made of three or four sorts in January or early in February, and
put into a gentle heat to start them. A very little care will keep them
going nicely, and of course they must have light and air to any extent
commensurate with safety. When about three weeks old, it will be
advisable to prick these out into a bed of light rich earth in frames;
or if the season is backward, and they need a little more nursing, prick
them into large shallow boxes, containing two or three inches of soil,
which will be sufficient provided it consists in great part of decayed
manure, kept always moist enough for healthy growing. The next step will
be to plant them out about six inches apart, with a view to draw a
certain number as soon as they are large enough to be useful, leaving
the remainder at nine to twelve inches, taking care to thin out in time
to prevent any leaves overlapping. If Peas are being grown under glass,
a few plants of an early Cabbage variety may be put out between the
rows, or they may be pricked out on the borders of a Peach-house, in
either case spacing the plants nine inches apart. Successive sowings
made in February and March will be treated in the same way, and will
need less nursing. In planting out, it is important to have the
seedlings well hardened, for they are naturally susceptible to wind and
sunshine, and if suddenly exposed to either will be likely to perish.
Again, when first planted out their delicate leaves will attract all the
slugs and snails in the garden, and the discreet way of acting is to
regard a plantation of Lettuce as an extensive vermin trap, and thus,
knowing where the marauders are, to be ready to catch and kill, or to
destroy them by sprinklings of lime, salt, or soot, in all cases being
careful to keep these agents at a reasonable distance from the plants.
Sowings in the open ground from the end of March onwards should be
made, not on an ordinary seed-bed, but on a plot loaded with rich manure
at one spit deep, and the seed should be put in shallow drills one foot
apart. From the time the young plants are two inches high they must be
drawn freely for ‘Cutting Lettuce,’ or for planting out elsewhere; this
thinning to proceed until a sufficient crop remains to finish off on the
ground. The value of ‘Cutting Lettuce’ is better understood on the
Continent than in this country. The small tender plants are in daily
use, and appear in the salad bowl with Water Cress and Corn Salad,
delicately dressed with delicious flavourings. After this brief
digression it is necessary to add that a crowded Lettuce crop is an
encumbrance to the ground; and one of the evils of the best system, that
of sowing where the crop is to finish, is the tendency of the cultivator
to be timid in the thinning, which should be done with a bold hand, and
in good time.
July and August Sowing.—From sowings made during these months the
supply of Lettuce from the open ground may be extended throughout the
autumn, and even into December or January should the weather prove
favourable. The main conditions essential to success are, the use of
quick-growing varieties, sowing in good soil where the heads are to
mature, and early and severe thinning. The thinnings may be transplanted
if required.
Winter Lettuces are produced and provided for in various ways. In some
places Lettuces stand out the winter without covering, and turn in early
in the spring. But in other districts they seldom survive the winter
without protection, even when the sparrows spare them. The summer
sowings will afford supplies to a late season of the year, and the crop
that remains when frost sets in may be preserved with slight and rough
protection. But for the profitable production of Winter Lettuces frames
are a necessity, and care must be taken not to promote a strong growth,
for after a term of mild winter weather a sudden and severe frost will
probably annihilate those that are in a too thriving condition. In the
least likely places, however, it is well to have a small plantation of
Winter Lettuces in the open, and to give some rough protection in bad
times, as these often prove of great advantage, and even outlive frame
crops which have been allowed to get too forward by the aid of warmth
and a rich soil.
For winter and spring use sowings should commence in August and be
continued, according to requirements, until the middle of October, after
which it is waste of time and seed to sow any more. The August and
September sowings may be made partly on an open border and partly in
frames, but the October sowings must be in frames only, for winter may
overtake them in the seed-leaf. The seedlings must in all cases be
thinned and pricked out as soon as large enough, and should be planted
in fine soil, free from recent manure, being carefully handled to avoid
needless check. Some should be planted in frames on beds of light soil
near the glass, at three inches apart, and when these meet they must be
thinned for the house as may be necessary: the remainder of the
thinnings may be put out on warm borders at six inches, and, if quite
convenient, a crop should be left in the seed-bed at six inches. From
the frames, the supplies will be ready in time to follow those from late
summer sowings, and thus through the winter until the frames are cleared
out for the work of the spring. The frame crop must have plenty of air,
and be kept as hardy as possible, but with moisture enough to sustain a
steady healthy growth. If roughly handled in the planting, or a little
starved in respect of moisture, the plants will rise from the centre
just when they ought to begin to turn in, and the first few days of warm
sunshine will start them in the wrong way. As to those wintered out,
there are many ways of protecting them, and when success has crowned the
effort there will be a crowded plant. It will be necessary, therefore,
to transplant at least half the crop by lifting every other one. This
must be done with care, as though they were worth a guinea each. By
transplanting early in March to a piece of rich light ground in a warm
spot, and doing the work neatly and smartly, the result will be a
valuable crop of early Summer Lettuce, while those that remain will help
through the spring.
Forcing.—Lettuces do not force well; but as they are so constantly in
demand, it is a matter of importance to grow them in every possible way.
Nice promising plants from August and September sowings may be selected
from the frames, and planted on gentle hot-beds from November to
January, and will do well if tenderly lifted. The Commodore Nutt and
Golden Ball are the best of the Cabbage varieties for forcing. The Cos
varieties do not differ much as to forcing, none of them being well
adapted for the purpose; but the Superb White Cos may be brought to fine
condition by taking time enough, so as to make a very moderate warmth
suffice. On sunny days the heat should not exceed 75°; but 65° is
sufficient, with a night temperature of 45°to 50°.
One other method of providing small delicate salading may be adopted to
meet emergencies. On the barrows of itinerant greengrocers in Paris the
thinnings of Lettuce crops form part of the general stock, and in this
country we do not sufficiently utilise this young tender stuff. But we
have now in view the use of Lettuce in a still earlier stage of growth.
By sowing rather thinly in boxes, kept under glass, a dense growth is
produced in a short time which can be cut in the same manner as Mustard.
For this purpose Sutton’s Winter Gathering is especially valuable, or
one of the best White Cos varieties should be sown.
MAIZE and SUGAR CORN
Zea Mays
Maize is a tender plant of great beauty that may be grown as a table
vegetable, a forage plant, or a corn crop; but in the last-named
capacity it is rarely profitable in this country, owing to the brevity
of our summers. As an ornamental plant it is entitled to consideration,
and the more so because, while adorning the garden with its noble
outlines and splendid silken tufts, it will at the same time supply to
the table the green cobs that are so much valued when cooked and served
in the same manner as Asparagus.
There is a simple rough and ready way of growing Maize, the first step
towards which is to prepare a deep rich soil, in a sunny and sheltered
situation. Late in April or early in May dibble the seeds two inches
deep, in rows two feet asunder and one foot apart in the rows. When the
plants have made some progress, remove every other one, these thinnings
to be destroyed or planted at discretion. Plants may also be started
under glass by sowing seeds in gentle heat in April. Prick off into pots
and gradually harden for transfer to the open. The crop will almost take
care of itself when the weather is warm enough to suit it. But a deluge
of water may be given during the hottest weather. In its native country,
and indeed wherever Maize thoroughly thrives, it is dependent on
frequent storms.
MELON
Cucumis Melo
The popularity of this cool and delicious fruit has in recent years been
greatly enhanced by increased knowledge as to the best method of
treating the plant, and also by the introduction of several varieties
which are attractive in form and superb in flavour. It would shock a
modern Melon eater to be advised to cook a Melon, and flavour it with
vinegar and salt, as in the early days of English gardening. A good
Melon of the present day does not even need the addition of sugar; the
beauty, aroma, and flavour are such that it is not unusual for the
epicure to push the luscious Pine aside in order to enjoy this cool,
fresh, gratifying fruit that delights without cloying the palate. The
newer varieties are remarkable alike for fruitfulness and high quality,
and are somewhat hardier than the favourites of years gone by.
The Melon is grown in much the same way as the Cucumber, but it differs
in requiring a firmer soil, a higher temperature, a much stronger light,
less water, and more air. It may be said that no man should attempt to
grow Melons until he has had some experience in growing Cucumbers. As
regards this point, the hard and fast line is useless, but
Cucumber-growing is certainly a good practical preparative for the
higher walk wherein the Melon is found. But Cucumbers are grown
advantageously all the winter through; Melons are not. The former are
eaten green, and the latter are eaten ripe; this makes all the
difference. Melons that are ripened between October and May are seldom
worth the trouble bestowed upon them; therefore we shall say nothing
about growing Melons in winter.
The Frame Culture may with advantage begin about the middle of March
by the preparation of a good hot-bed. It is best to use a three-light
frame, as the heat will be more constant than with one of smaller size.
There should be six loads of stuff laid up for the bed, and the turning
should be sufficient to take out the fire, without materially reducing
the fermenting power. Begin a fortnight in advance of making up the bed,
and be careful at every stage to do things well, as advised for the
cultivation of frame Cucumbers. The best soil for Melons is a firm,
turfy loam, nine inches of which should be placed on top of the manure.
In a clay district, a certain amount of clay, disintegrated by frost,
may be chopped over with turfy loam from an old pasture. If the soil is
poor, decayed manure should be added, but the best possible Melons may
be grown in a fertile loam without the aid of manures or stimulants of
any kind. It is good practice to raise the plants in pots, and have them
strong enough to plant out as soon as the newly-made beds have settled
down to a steady temperature of about 80°, but below 70° will be unsafe.
If plants cannot be prepared in advance, seed must be sown on the bed,
and as a precaution against accidents and to permit of the removal of
those which show any sign of weakness, a sufficient number of seeds
should be sown to provide for contingencies.
As regards the bed, it may be made once and for all at the time of
planting, a few days being allowed for warming the soil through. But we
much prefer to begin with smallish hillocks, or with a thin sharp ridge
raised so as almost to touch the lights, and to plant or sow on this
ridge, which can be added to from time to time as the plants require
more root room. The soil, coming fresh and fresh, sustains a vigorous
and healthy root action. The high ridge favours the production of stout
leaves, and the absorption by the soil of sun-heat is to the Melon of
the first importance.
The practice of pruning Melons as if the plants were grown for fodder,
and might be chopped at for supplies of herbage, must be heartily
condemned. Melons should never be so crowded as to necessitate cutting
out, except in a quite trivial manner. A free and vigorous plant is
needed, and under skilful attention it will rarely happen that there is
a single leaf anywhere that can be spared. We will propose a practical
rule that we have followed in growing Melons for seed, of which a large
crop of the most perfect fruits is absolutely needful to insure a fair
return. The young plants are pinched when there are two rough leaves.
The result is two side shoots. These are allowed to produce six or seven
leaves, and are then pinched. After this, the plants are permitted to
run, and there is no more pinching or pruning until the crop is visible.
Then the fruits that are to remain must be selected, and the shoots be
pinched to one eye above each fruit, and only one fruit should remain on
a shoot; the others must be removed a few at a time. All overgrowth must
be guarded against, for crowded plants will be comparatively worthless.
It is not by rudely cutting out that crowding is to be prevented, but by
timely pinching out every shoot that is likely to prove superfluous.
From first to last there must be a regular plant, and not a shoot should
be allowed to grow that is not wanted. Cutting out may produce canker,
and crowding results in sterility.
As the Melon is required to ripen its fruits, and the Cucumber is not,
the treatment varies in view of this difference. It is not necessary to
fertilise the female flowers of the Cucumber, but it is certainly
desirable, if not absolutely necessary, to operate on those of the Melon
to insure a crop. The early morning, when the leaves are dry and the sun
is shining, is the proper time for this task, which is described in a
later paragraph. And the necessity for ripening the crop marks another
difference of management, for Cucumbers may carry many fruits, and
continue producing them until the plants are exhausted. But the
production of Melons must be limited to about half a dozen on each
plant, and good management requires that these should all ripen at the
same time, or nearly so, fully exposed to the sun, and with plenty of
ventilation.
The requisite supply of water is an important matter. The plant should
never be dry at the root, and must have a light shower twice a day over
the leafage, but the moisture which is necessary for Cucumbers would be
excessive for Melons. It is a golden rule to grow Melons liberally,
keeping them sturdy by judicious air-giving, and to give them a little
extra watering just as they are coming into flower. Then, as the flowers
open, the watering at the root should be discontinued, and the syringe
should be used in the evening only at shutting up. If discontinued
entirely, red spider will appear, and the crop will be in jeopardy, for
that pest can be kept at a distance only by careful regulation of
atmospheric moisture.
Melons in frames do better spread out on the beds than when trained on
trellises. When so grown, each fruit must be supported with a flat tile
or an inverted flower-pot, and means must be taken, by pegs or
otherwise, to prevent it from rolling off, for the twist of stem that
ensues may check the fruit or cause it to fall. When the fruits are as
large as the top joint of a man’s thumb, watering may be resumed, and
the syringe used twice a day until the fruit begins to change colour,
when there must be a return to the dry system, but with care to avoid
carrying it to a dangerous extreme.
The Melon-house, heated by hot water, is adapted to supply fruit
earlier than is obtainable by frame culture, and is entirely superior to
any frame or pit. It appears, however, that in Melon-houses red spider
is more frequently seen than in frames heated by fermenting material;
but this point rests on management, and there can be nothing more
certain than that a reasonable employment of atmospheric humidity may be
made effectual for preventing and removing this pest. For the convenient
cultivation of the crop a lean-to or half-span is to be preferred. The
width should not exceed twelve feet, and ten to twelve feet should be
the utmost height of the roof. A service of pipes under the bed will be
required; but as Melons are not grown in winter, the heating of a
Melon-house is a simple affair, and, indeed, very much of the
cultivation as the summer advances will be carried on by the aid of
sun-heat only. The treatment of the plants in a house differs from the
frame management, because a trellis is employed, and the plants are
taken up the trellis without stopping until they nearly reach the top,
when the points are pinched out to promote the growth of side shoots. In
setting the fruit, the same principles prevail as in frame culture, and
it is advisable to ‘set’ the whole crop at once; if two or three fruits
obtain a good start, others that are set later will drop off. As the
fruits swell, support must be afforded to prevent any undue strain on
the vine, and this should be accomplished by nets specially made for the
purpose, or by suspending small flat boards of half-inch deal with
copper wires, each fruit resting on its board, until the cracking round
the stem gives warning that the fruit should be cut and placed in the
fruit room for a few days to complete the ripening for the table. In
houses of the kind described Melons and Cucumbers are occasionally grown
together. But although this may be done, and there are many cultivators
expert in the business, the practice cannot be recommended, for ships
that sail near the wind will come to grief some day. The moisture and
partial shade that suit the Cucumber do not suit the Melon, and it is a
poor compromise to make one end of the house shady and moist, and the
other end sunny and dry, to establish different conditions with one
atmosphere. A glass partition pretty well disposes of the difficulty,
because it is then possible to insure two atmospheres suitable for two
different operations. (See also pages 157, 175, and 184.)
The Pollination of Melons is performed by plucking the mature male
blooms, and after the removal of the petals, transferring the pollen of
the male flower to the stigma of the female flower.
MERCURY
Chenopodium Bonus-Henricus
This perfectly hardy vegetable, known also by the name of Good King
Henry, is much grown in Lincolnshire. The leaves are used in the same
way as Spinach, and by earthing up the shoots they may be blanched as a
substitute for Asparagus. Sow the seeds during April in drills twelve
inches apart, and in due course thin the seedlings to one foot apart in
the rows.
MUSHROOM
Agaricus campestris
The Mushroom has many friends among all classes, few benevolent
neutrals, and fewer still who are absolutely hostile to it as an article
of food. Those who find, or imagine they find, that this delicacy does
not agree with them, might possibly arrive at another conclusion were a
different mode of preparation adopted, or were the consumption of it
accompanied with a full persuasion that the Mushroom is not merely
delicious in flavour, but thoroughly wholesome, rich in flesh-forming
constituents, and, for a vegetable, possessed of more than the average
proportion of fat-formers and minerals. These facts have been clearly
established by chemical analysis, and may dispose of timid misgivings,
always supposing the true edible Mushroom, Agaricus campestris, to be
in question.
Hitherto the artificial production of Mushrooms has never been equal to
the demand. Notwithstanding the enormous quantities sent to Covent
Garden by the growers around London, many tons are imported from France,
although it is generally admitted that they are neither so fine nor so
rich in flavour as those produced in this country. If, however, the
large centres of population are inadequately supplied, the scarcity of
Mushrooms is more keenly felt in the provinces, except, perhaps, in
certain favoured districts, where, after a few warm days in autumn, an
abundant crop may be gathered from the neighbouring pastures. Then there
is a brave show in the greengrocers’ windows for a brief period,
followed by entire dearth for weeks, and perhaps months. Obviously,
therefore, the demand, large as it already is, might be immensely
augmented by a commensurate supply. Yet it is not only possible but
quite easy to grow Mushrooms for the greater part of the year in very
small gardens, even when such gardens are entirely destitute of the
appliances usually considered necessary for the higher flights of
horticulture. The idea that Mushroom-growing is somewhat of a mystery,
forbidden to all but the strictly initiated, has happily been dispelled.
If we examine the conditions under which Mushrooms grow freely in
pastures, it is surprising how few and simple are the elements of
success. The crop generally appears in September, when temperature is
genial and fairly equable, with sufficient but not superabundant
moisture. The artificial production of Mushrooms in the garden needs
only reliable spawn, a sweet fertile bed, and some means of maintaining
a steady temperature under varying atmospheric conditions. When the
principles of Mushroom culture are thoroughly mastered, they may be
successfully applied in many different ways, and they render the
practical work easy and tolerably certain.
The Spawn.—Although the Mushroom may be grown from seed, it is seldom
done except for strictly scientific purposes. The seeds are, however,
largely disseminated by Nature, and, having found a suitable home, they
germinate and produce an underground growth which at a hasty glance
resembles mildew. It really consists of white gossamer-like films, which
increase in number and distinctness as they develop, until they push
their way towards the surface, and give rise to the growth above ground
of the Mushroom. It follows that if we do not begin the cultivation with
seeds or spores, we must resort to the white films or ‘mycelium,’ that
the growth of the plant may begin in Nature’s own way below ground. What
is called ‘Mushroom Spawn’ consists of certain materials from the stable
and the field, mixed and prepared in such a manner as to favour the
development of the mycelium of the Mushroom. When dried, the cakes have
the appearance of an unburnt brick. The preparation of the spawn, though
a very simple matter, demands the skill and care of experienced
operators. If the work is not well done, the spawn will be of poor
quality, and will yield a meagre crop, or perhaps fail to produce a
single Mushroom. Whether the cakes or bricks are impregnated in the
manner long practised in this country, or direct from the tissue of the
Mushroom, the culture remains the same. Provided that the spawn is good,
it has but to be broken into lumps of a suitable size, and inserted in
the bed, to impregnate the entire mass with the necessary white films.
These will take their time to collect from the soil the alkalies and
phosphates of which Mushrooms principally consist, and this part of
their work being done, the fruits of their labours will be displayed
above ground in the elegant and sweet-smelling fungus that few human
appetites can resist when it is placed upon the table in the way that it
deserves. Experts can readily form an opinion as to whether a cake of
Mushroom spawn is or is not in a fit state for planting, and it will be
a safe proceeding for the amateur to buy from a Firm which has a large
and constant sale; otherwise, spawn may be purchased which was
originally well made and properly impregnated, but has lost its vitality
through long keeping.
Soil.—As to soil, it is well known that in a favourable autumn
Mushrooms abound in old rich pastures, and those who have command of
turf cut from a field of this character have only to stack the sods
grass side downwards for a year or two, and they will be in possession
of first-class material for Mushroom beds either in the open or under
cover. But small gardens, particularly in towns, have no such bank to
honour their drafts, and for these it becomes a question of buying a
load or two of turfy loam, or of making the soil of the garden answer,
perhaps with a preliminary enrichment by artificial manure. In the
general interests of the garden, the money for a limited quantity of
good loam would probably be well spent, independently of the question of
Mushrooms. No great bulk is necessary to cover a moderate-sized Mushroom
bed, but the quality of the soil will certainly have an influence on the
number and character of the Mushrooms. As a proof of the exhaustive
nature of the fungus, it almost invariably happens that when the soil is
used a second time it tends to diminish the size and lower the quality
of the crop.
Manure.—In the management of the manure two essentials must be borne
in mind. Not only is nourishment for the plant required, but warmth
also. Probably a large proportion of the failures to grow Mushrooms
might, if all the facts were known, be traced to some defect in the
manure employed, or to some fault in its preparation. It must be rich in
the properties which encourage and support the development of Mushrooms,
absolutely free from the least objectionable odour, for the plant is
most fastidious in its demand for sweetness, although it can dispense
with light; and there must remain in the manure when made into a bed a
sufficient reserve of fermentation to insure prolonged heat, no matter
what the temperature of the atmosphere may be. Of course, the duration
of the heat will depend very much on the care with which it is conserved
by suitable covering and management. These requirements, formidable as
they may seem, can be insured with extreme ease; indeed, the work is
apparently far more difficult and complicated on paper than it proves to
be in practice.
Preparation of the Bed.—The manure should come from stables occupied
by horses in good health, fed exclusively on hard food. The most
suitable store is the floor of a dry shed, or under some protection
which will prevent the loss of vital forces. Ammonia, for example, is
readily dissipated in the atmosphere or washed away by rain. The manure
should neither be allowed to become dust dry, nor to waste its power in
premature fermentation. Operations may be commenced with three or four
loads. A smaller quantity increases the difficulty of maintaining the
requisite temperature when fermentation begins to flag. The first
procedure is to make the manure into a high oblong heap well trodden
down. If the stuff be somewhat dry, a sprinkling of water over every
layer will be necessary. In a few days fermentation will make the heap
hot all through, and then it must be taken to pieces and remade, putting
all the outside portions into the interior, with the object of insuring
equal fermentation of the entire bulk. This process will have to be
repeated several times at intervals of three or four days until the
manure has not only been fermented but sweetened. When ready it will be
of a dark colour, soft, damp enough to be cohesive under pressure, but
not sufficiently damp to part with any of its moisture, and almost
odourless; at all events the odour will not be objectionable, but may be
suggestive of Mushrooms. Make a long bed, having a base about four feet
wide, and sides sloping to a ridge like the roof of a house, with this
difference—the narrow part of the ridge is useless, and the top should,
therefore, be rounded off when about a foot across. Some growers prefer
a circular bed of six or eight feet diameter at the bottom and tapering
towards a point, after the shape of a military tent; but here again the
point will be worthless, and the bed may terminate abruptly. Either the
long bed or the round heap answers admirably. Tread the manure down
compactly, and for the sake of appearances endeavour to finish it off in
a workmanlike manner. During the first few days there will be a
considerable rise in the temperature, which will gradually subside, and
when the plunging thermometer shows that it has settled down to a
comfortable condition of about 80° the bed must be spawned. Experienced
men can determine by the sense of touch when the temperature is right,
but the inexperienced should rely entirely on the thermometer. The
question will arise as to the period of the year when operations should
be commenced. Well, the experts who grow Mushrooms in the open ground
for market gather crops almost the year round; but a beginner will do
wisely to start under the most favourable natural conditions, and these
will be found about midsummer, because the bed will commence bearing
before winter creates difficulty as to temperature.
Spawning and After-management.—Break each cake of spawn into eight or
ten pieces, and force every piece gently a little way into the manure at
regular intervals of six to nine inches all over the bed, closing the
manure over and round each piece of spawn. The practice of inserting
spawn by means of the dibber is to be strongly condemned, for it leaves
smooth, hollow spaces which arrest the mycelium; and very small pieces
of spawn should be avoided because they generally result in small
Mushrooms. Immediately the spawning is completed, a thick and even
covering of clean straw or litter of some kind should be laid over the
bed, secured from wind by canvas, mats, hurdles, or in some other way.
From good spawn the films of mycelium will begin to extend within a
week. In the contrary case an examination of the pieces will show that
they have become darker than when put into the bed, which means that
they have perished. Then the question will arise as to whether the bed
or the spawn is at fault, and the former must either be spawned again or
broken up. Supposing the spawn to show signs of vitality, the time has
come for covering the bed with a layer of rather moist soil, pressed
lightly but firmly on to the manure with the spade or fork, so that the
earth will not slip down. At once restore the covering of litter, &c.,
and wait patiently for about seven or eight weeks for the crop.
Meanwhile the plunging thermometer ought to be consulted daily. Until
the Mushrooms appear the instrument should not indicate less than 60°,
and while in bearing not less than 55°. Experience proves that the most
violent alternations of temperature may be combated by regulating the
thickness of the covering. Although it may possibly be necessary to
resort to eighteen inches of litter or more during hard frost or the
prevalence of a cutting east wind, a much thinner covering will suffice
in milder weather.
Should the temperature of the bed, through inexperience in the
management of it, sink below the point at which Mushrooms can grow, we
advise the exercise of a little patience. We have known several
instances of beds made in autumn producing no crop at the expected time,
but which have borne fairly in the following spring or summer. But in
the event of the first effort failing outright there is no great loss.
The manure, which is the most costly item, will still be available for
the garden, and an observant man will pretty well understand in what
respect he must amend his course of procedure.
Water.—Moisture is of great consequence, for a dry Mushroom bed will
soon be barren also; but whenever water is given it must be applied
tepid and from a fine rose. To slop cold water over a Mushroom bed is
about as reasonable a procedure as putting ice into hot soup. Water is
best administered in the afternoon of a genial day, and should be
sufficient to saturate the bed. Immediately it is done the covering of
litter and canvas must be promptly restored to prevent the temperature
from being seriously lowered by rapid evaporation. A couple of stakes
driven from the crown to the bottom of the bed at the time of making up
the heap are useful as indicators of moisture, and may occasionally be
drawn out and examined.
In gathering the crop, only a small portion of the bed should be
uncovered at a time. This should be the rule at all seasons, and the
strict observance of it will prevent a mistake in cold weather, for
then, if the bed is carelessly uncovered and much chilled, the crop will
come to an end, when perhaps it would, if properly handled, be at high
tide and full of profit. Another rule should be enforced, to this
effect, that every Mushroom must be taken out complete, and if the root
does not come with the stem, it must be dug out with a knife. Any
trifling with this rule will prove a costly mistake. The stem of a
Mushroom, if left in the ground, will produce nothing at all. But it may
attract flies, and it certainly will interfere with the movements of the
mycelium at that particular spot, and actually prevent the production of
any more Mushrooms. The old practitioners were accustomed to leave the
stem in the ground, and they were content with about one-third of the
crop now produced on beds that are, perhaps, not better made than were
theirs. But they had a notion about the powers of the root which
increased knowledge of the subject has shown to be fallacious.
In Pastures.—As already indicated, Mushrooms are often to be found in
abundance in well-stocked pastures during the late summer months, and
where favourable conditions exist it is an excellent plan to insert
pieces of spawn two inches deep in the turf in June and July.
Turf Pits.—The facility with which Mushrooms may be raised under
simple methods is illustrated by the practice of growing them inside the
turf walls of cool pits. In the country turf walls are common, and they
offer the advantage of growing Mushrooms in addition to the purpose they
usually serve. After determining the size of the pit, and accurately
marking it on the ground, cut the turf into narrow strips, say three or
four inches wide, and of exactly eighteen inches length. The strips
should be closely laid, grass side downwards, across the width of the
walls—not longitudinally—except at the corners, where the layers
should cross each other. The front and back walls to be rather above the
required height, because the turf always scales down a little, and the
two ends must gradually rise from front to back. The top layer may be
right side up, when it will keep green for a long time. As the work
proceeds insert lumps of spawn at intervals in every layer, about three
or four inches from the inside edge. A wooden frame will be requisite on
the top to carry the glass lights. This structure makes a useful cool
pit and a Mushroom bed from which supplies may sometimes be gathered for
years. In the summer it will be necessary to keep the walls moist by
means of the syringe, or they will cease bearing.
Indoor Beds.—Mushrooms may be grown almost anywhere, evenly in a
cellar, or on the wall of a warm stable, provided only that the mode of
procedure is in a reasonable degree adapted to the requirements of the
fungus. Ordinary pits and frames are also serviceable, and many
gardeners obtain good crops in autumn by the simple process of inserting
a few lumps of spawn in a Cucumber or Melon bed while the plants are
still in bearing. Between spawning and cropping a period of six or eight
weeks usually elapses, so that if the plan just mentioned be adopted,
the spawn should be introduced in the height of summer, both to insure
it a warm bed and to allow time for the crop to mature before the season
runs out. Sheds and outhouses not only afford shelter and space for beds
on the floor, but the walls can be fitted with shelves on which
Mushrooms may be plentifully grown. In all cases the shelves should be
two feet apart vertically, and each shelf should have a ledge nine
inches deep. The walls of a house may be quickly and cheaply fitted with
woodwork for the purpose, but brick is so much better than wood that
whenever it is possible to employ brick it should have the preference.
As regards the ledges, they should be of stout planking in any case, and
should not be fixed, because of the necessity for clearing the shelves
and renewing the soil periodically. The details of cultivation are the
same within doors as without, but the roof gives valuable protection,
and helps to maintain the beds at a suitable temperature.
A proper Mushroom-house for production during winter should be heated
with hot water, and have an opaque roof. There is nothing so good for
the crop as a roof of thatch, but there are many objections to it, and
usually slate is employed. A double roof will pay for its extra cost by
promoting an equable temperature. A few side lights fitted with shutters
are necessary, as there should be a good light for working purposes; but
the crop does not need light, and a more steady temperature can be
maintained in a dark house than in one which has several windows. The
most convenient dimensions for a Mushroom-house are: length, twenty-five
feet; width, twelve feet; height at sides, six feet, to allow of a bed
on the floor, and a shelf four feet above it; the ridge rising
sufficiently for head room, and to shoot off water. There will be room
for a central path of four feet, and a bed of four feet on each side. An
earth or tile floor and a slate or stone shelf will, with one four-inch
flow and return pipe, complete the arrangements. The less wood and the
less concrete the better; there is nothing like porous red tiles for the
floor and stone for the shelves, with loose planks on edge to keep up
the soil, a few uprights being sufficient to hold them in their places.
Temperatures at every point are of great importance. The bed should be
near 80° when the spawn is inserted. The air temperature requisite to
the rising crop is 60° to 65°, which is the usual temperature of the
season when Mushrooms appear in pastures. While the bed is bearing a
temperature of 55° will suffice, but at any point below this minimum
production will be slow and may come to a stop. When giving water, take
care that it is at a temperature rather above than below that of the
bed.
MUSTARD
Sinapis alba, and S. nigra
Mustard is much valued as a pungent salad, and for mixing in the bowl it
may take the place of Water Cress when the latter is not at command.
Mustard is often sown with Cress, but it is bad practice, for the two
plants do not grow at the same pace, and there is nothing gained by
mixing them. The proper sort for salading is the common White Mustard,
but Brown Mustard may be used for the purpose. Rape is employed for
market work, but should be shunned in the garden. As the crop is cut in
the seed leaf, it is necessary to sow often, but the frequency must be
regulated by the demand. Supplies may be kept up through the winter by
sowing in shallow boxes, which can be put into vineries, forcing pits,
and other odd places. Boxes answer admirably, as they can be placed on
the pipes if needful; they favour the complete cutting of a crop without
remainders, and this is of importance in the case of a salad that runs
out of use quickly and is so easily produced. From Lady Day to
Michaelmas Mustard may be sown on the open border with other saladings,
but as the summer advances a shady place must be found for it.
ONION
Allium Cepa
The onion has the good fortune to be generally appreciated and well
grown almost everywhere. It enhances the flavour and digestibility of
many important articles of food that would fail to nourish us without
its aid, while to others it adds a zest that contributes alike to
enjoyment and health. Although there are but few difficulties to be
encountered in the cultivation of the Onion, there is a marked
difference between a well-grown crop and one under poor management.
There is, moreover, what may be termed a fine art department in Onion
culture, one result being special exhibitions, in which handsome bulbs
of great weight are brought forward in competition for the amusement and
edification of the sight-seeing public. Thus, when the first principles
have been mastered, there may be, for the earnest cultivator of this
useful root, many more things to be learned, and that may be worth
learning, alike for their interest and utility.
Treatment of Soil.—The Onion can be grown on any kind of soil, but
poor land must be assisted by liberal manuring. A soil that will not
produce large Onions may produce small ones, and the smallest are
acceptable when no others are to be had. But for handsome bulbs and a
heavy crop a deep rich loam of a somewhat light texture is required,
although an adhesive loam, or even a clay, may be improved for the
purpose; while on a sandy soil excellent results may be obtained by good
management, especially in a wet season. In any case the soil must be
well prepared by deep digging, breaking the lumps, and laying up in
ridges to be disintegrated by the weather, and if needful its texture
should be amended, as far as possible, at the same time. A coat of clay
may be spread over a piece of sand, to be thoroughly incorporated with
it; on the other hand, where the staple is clay, the addition of sand
will be advantageous. All such corrective measures yield an adequate
return if prudently carried out, because it is possible to grow Onions
from year to year on the same ground; and thus in places where the soil
is decidedly unsuitable a plot may be specially prepared for Onions, and
if the first crop does not fully pay the cost, those that follow will do
so. But the plant is not fastidious, and it is easy work almost anywhere
to grow useful Onions. The first step in preparing land is to make it
loose and fine throughout, and as far as possible to do this some time
before the seed is sown. For sowing in spring, the beds should be
prepared in the rough before winter, and when the time comes for
levelling down and finishing, the top crust will be found well
pulverised, and in a kindly state to receive the seed. Stagnant moisture
is deadly to Onions, therefore swampy ground is most unfit; but a
sufficient degree of dryness for a summer crop may often be secured by
trenching, and leaving rather deep alleys between the beds to carry off
surface water during heavy rains.
Manures.—As almost any soil will suit the Onion, so also will almost
any kind of manure, provided that it be not rank or offensive. This
strongly flavoured plant likes good but sweet living, and it is sheer
folly to load the ground for it with coarse and stimulating manures. Yet
it is often done, and the result is a stiff-necked generation of bulbs
that refuse to ripen, or there may be complete failure of the crop
through disease or plethora. But any fertiliser that is at hand, whether
from the pigstye, or the sweepings of poultry yards or pigeon lofts, may
be turned to account by the simple process of first making it into a
compost with fresh soil, and then digging it in some time in advance of
the season for sowing, and in reasonable but not excessive quantity. All
such aids to plant growth as guano, charcoal, and well-rotted farmyard
manure, may be used advantageously for the Onion crop; but there are two
materials of especial value, and costing least of any, that are
universally employed by large growers, both to help the growth and
prevent maggot and canker. These are lime and soot, which are sown
together when the ground is finally prepared for the seed, and in
quantity only sufficient to colour the ground. They exercise a magical
influence, and those who make money by growing Onions take care to
employ them as a necessary part of their business routine.
Spring-sown Onions require to be put on rich, mellow ground, the top
spit of which is of a somewhat fine texture, and at the time of sowing
almost dry. Having been well dug and manured in good time, the top spit
only should be dug over when it is finally made ready for the seed. The
work must be done with care, and the beds should be marked off in
breadths of four feet, with one-foot alleys between. Break all lumps
with the spade, and work the surface to a regular and finely crumbled
texture. Light soil should be trodden over to consolidate it, and then
the surface may be carefully touched with the rake to prepare it for the
seed. March and April are the usual months for spring sowing, although
in mild districts seed is sometimes put in as early as January. Space
the rows from nine to twelve inches apart, according to the character of
the sort and the size of bulbs required. The drills must be drawn across
the bed, at right angles to the alleys, for when drawn the other way it
is difficult to keep the ground properly weeded. For a crop of Onions
intended for storing, the seed should be only just covered with fine
earth taken from the alleys and thrown over, after which the drills must
be lightly trodden, the surface again touched over with the rake, and if
the soil is dry and works nicely, the business may be finished by gently
patting the bed all over with the back of the spade. If the ground is
damp or heavy, this final touch may be omitted, as the Onion makes a
weak grass that cannot easily push through earth that is caked over it.
But speaking generally, an Onion bed newly sown should be quite smooth
as if finished with a roller. To the beginner this will appear a
protracted and complicated story, but the expert will attest that Onions
require and will abundantly pay for special management.
As soon as possible after the crop is visible the ground between should
be delicately chopped over with the hoe to check the weeds that will
then be rising. Immediately the rows are defined a first thinning should
be made with a small hoe, care being taken to leave a good plant on the
ground. The next thinning will produce young Onions for saladings, and
this kind of thinning may be continued by removing plants equally all
over the bed to insure an even crop, the final distance for bulbing
being about six inches. Keep the hoe at work, for if weeds are allowed
to make way, the crop will be seriously injured. When Onions are doing
well they lift themselves up and sit on the earth, needing light and
air upon their bulbs to the very axis whence the roots diverge. If weeds
spread amongst them the bulbs are robbed of air and light, and their
keeping properties are impaired. But in the use of the hoe it is
important not to loosen the ground or to draw any earth towards the
bulbs. When all the thinning has been done, and the weeds are kept down,
it will perhaps be observed that in places there are clusters of bulbs
fighting for a place and rising out of the ground together as though
enjoying the conflict. With almost any other kind of plant this crowding
would bode mischief, but with Onions it is not so. Bulbs that grow in
crowds and rise out of the ground will never be so large as those that
have plenty of room, but they will be of excellent quality, and will
keep better than any that have had ample space for high development. It
is almost a pity to touch these accidental clusters, for the removal of
a portion will perhaps loosen the ground, and so spoil the character of
those that are left. Really fine Onions are rarely produced in loose
ground, hence the necessity for care in the use of the hoe. Watering is
not often needed, and we may go so far as to say that, in a general way,
it is objectionable. But a long drought on light land may put the crop
in jeopardy, unless watering is resorted to, in which case weak manure
water will be beneficial. Still, watering must be discontinued in good
time, or it will prevent the ripening of the bulbs, and if a sign is
wanted the growth will afford it, for from the time the bulbs have
attained to a reasonable size the water will do more harm than good.
The harvesting of the crop requires as much care as the growing of it.
If all goes well, the bulbs will ripen naturally, and being drawn and
dried on the ground for a few days with their roots looking southward,
may be gathered up and topped and tailed or bunched as may be most
convenient. But there may be a little hesitation of the plant in
finishing growth, the result, perhaps, of cool moist weather, when dry
hot weather would be better. In this case the growth may be checked by
passing a rod (as the handle of a rake for example) over the bed to bend
down the tops. After this the tops will turn yellow, and the necks will
shrink, and advantage must be taken of fine weather to draw the Onions
and lay them out to dry. A gravel path or a dry shed fully open to the
sun will ripen them more completely than the bed on which they have been
grown; but large breadths of Onions must be ripened where they grew, and
experience teaches when they may be drawn with safety.
As to keeping Onions, any dry, cool, airy place will answer. But if a
difficulty arises there is an easy way out of it, for Onions may be hung
in bunches on an open wall under the shelter of the eaves of any
building, and thus the outsides of barns and stables and cottages may be
converted into Onion stores, leaving the inside free for things that are
less able to take care of themselves. During severe frost they must be
taken down and piled up anywhere in a safe place, but may be put on
their hooks again when the weather softens, for a slight frost will not
harm them in the least, and the wall will keep them comparatively warm
and dry. When the best part of the crop has been bunched or roped, the
remainder may be thrown into a heap in a cool dry shed, and a few mats
put over them will prevent sprouting for at least three months. But damp
will start them into growth, and the only way to save them then is to
top and tail them again, and store as dry as possible in shallow baskets
or boxes.
To grow large Onions the principles already explained must be carried
into practice in a more intense degree. It will be necessary to devote
extreme care to the preparation of the ground, and to give the plants
more time to mature; much greater space must also be allowed than is
usual for an ordinary crop. A good open position is imperative, and
where the soil is sufficiently deep, trenching is desirable. Shallow
soil ought to be thoroughly dug down to the last inch, and it will be
an advantage to break up the subsoil by pickaxe and fork. Cover the
subsoil with a thick layer of rotten manure before restoring the top
soil. For light land farmyard manure is excellent, but stable manure is
preferable for stiff cold soil. The usual time for trenching is October
or November, leaving the surface rough for disintegration during winter.
Nothing more need be done until the following March. Early in that month
break the soil down to a fine tilth and make it quite firm by treading,
or by rolling. Then broadcast over the plot a liberal dressing of ground
lime and soot, using about three pounds of each per pole. Rake both in
and leave the bed until the time arrives for planting out: this will
depend on the weather.
Those who are accustomed to exhibit Onions at horticultural shows almost
invariably sow very early in the year under glass and in due time
transplant either from seed-pans or boxes. Of the two, properly prepared
boxes are usually found most convenient. The dimensions are optional,
but boxes about two feet long, one foot wide, and five inches deep
answer admirably. Several holes are perforated in the bottom to insure
efficient drainage. In every box place a thick layer of rotten manure
and then fill with thoroughly rich soil firmly pressed down, leaving the
surface quite smooth. One of the most successful growers sows seed in
rather small boxes early in January, and about the middle of February
the young Onions are pricked into boxes of the size we have named. Only
the finest and most promising seedlings are used. When transferred, each
Onion is allowed a space of three inches. The boxes are kept in a
greenhouse, as near the glass as possible, in a temperature of about
50°. After sowing, very little water is given; but when transplanted,
finish with a sprinkling from a fine rose. Every morning the plants will
require spraying, but this must never be done at night or damping off
may follow. All through their time in the greenhouse it is important to
keep the boxes near the glass. Towards the end of March remove to cold
frames, keeping the lights rather close for a few days, but gradually
giving more air until the lights can be taken off for a short time
daily.
In the south, about the middle of April is generally a suitable time for
transplanting to open beds, but in the event of a cold east wind
prevailing a brief delay is advisable and it is always an advantage to
plant out on a dull day or in showery weather. Space the rows twelve to
eighteen inches apart, and allow about fifteen inches between plants in
the rows. In the actual work of transplanting take care to insert only
the fibrous roots in the soil. To bury any portion of the stem results
in thickened necks. Finish with a dusting of soot over the entire bed,
including the Onions, and then well spray from a fine rose to settle the
soil around the roots. Until the plants are established continue the
spraying daily. After the middle of May renew the dusting of the bed
with soot and repeat at fortnightly intervals. About the 20th of June
feeding the Onions must commence. Peruvian guano and nitrate of soda are
both excellent, but these powerful artificials need using with
discretion, or the crop may be scorched instead of stimulated. It is
often safer to employ them in liquid form than dry, and ten ounces of
either, dissolved in ten gallons of water, will suffice for thirty
square yards. Use the two articles alternately at intervals of ten days
and cease at the end of July. If continued longer, some of the finest
bulbs will split. The use of soot can, however, be regularly maintained.
Should bulbs be required for autumn exhibition carefully lift them a
week or ten days in advance of the show date. This has the effect of
making the bulbs firm and reducing the size of the necks.
Supposing an attack of mildew to occur, a dusting of flowers of sulphur
will prove effective if applied immediately the disease appears.
Sulphide of potassium, one ounce to a gallon of water, is also a
reliable remedy.
July and August Sowing.—During these months seed of the quick-growing
types of Onion may be sown for producing an abundant supply of salading
and small bulbs during the autumn and onwards. It is important to thin
the plants early in order that those left standing in the rows may have
every opportunity of developing rapidly.
Autumn-sown Onions, intended for use in the following summer, may also
be sown in the same way as advised for spring sowing. The time of sowing
is important, as the plants should be forward enough before winter to be
useful, but not so forward as to be in danger of injury from severe
frost. On well-drained ground all the sorts are hardy, and the finest
types, which are so much prized as household and market Onions, may be
sown in autumn as safely as any others. It may be well in most places to
sow a small plot: in the latter part of July, and to make a large sowing
of the best keeping sorts about the middle of August—say, for the far
north the first of the month, and for the far south the very last day.
Thin the plants in the rows and transplant the thinnings, if required,
as soon as weather permits in February. In places where spring-sown
Onions do not ripen in good time in consequence of cold wet weather,
autumn sowing may prove advantageous, as the ripening will take place
when the summer is at its best, and the crop may be taken off before the
season breaks down.
Pickling Onions may be obtained by sowing any of the white or
straw-coloured varieties that are grown for keeping, but the large sorts
are quite unfit; the best are the Queen and Paris Silver-skin, as they
are very white when pickled and are moderately mild in flavour. A piece
of poor dry ground should be selected and made fine on the surface. Sow
in the month of April thickly, but evenly, cover lightly, and roll or
tread to give a firm seed-bed, and make a good finish. Be careful to
keep down weeds, and do not thin the crop at all. If sown very shallow
the bulbs will be round: if sown an inch deep they will be oval or
pear-shaped.
The Potato or Underground Onion is not much grown in this country, in
consequence of occasional losses of the crop in severe winters. In the
South of England the rule as to growing it is to plant on the shortest
day, and take up on the longest. It requires a rich, deep soil, and to
be planted in rows twelve inches apart, the bulbs nine inches apart in
the row. Some cultivators earth them up like Potatoes, but we prefer to
let the bulbs rise into the light, even by the removal of the earth, so
as to form a basin around each, taking care, of course, not to lay bare
the roots in so doing. When the planted bulbs have put forth a good head
of leaves, they form clusters of bulbs around them, and the best growth
is made in full daylight, the bulbs sitting on and not in the soil.
The Onion Grub (Phorbia cepetorum) is often very troublesome to the
crop, especially in its early stages, and its presence may be known by
the grass becoming yellow and falling on the ground. It will then be
found that the white portion, which should become the bulb, has been
pierced to the centre by a fleshy, shining maggot, a quarter of an inch
in length, this being the larva of an ashy-coloured, ill-looking,
two-winged fly. Where this plague has acquired such a hold as to be a
serious nuisance, care should be taken to clear out all the old store of
Onions instantly upon a sufficiency of young Onions becoming available
in spring, and to burn them without hesitation. If left to become garden
waste in the usual way, these old Onions do much to perpetuate and
augment the plague. A regular use of lime and soot will be found an
effectual preventive. Other remedies are suggested in the article on
Onion Fly, Page 420.
PARSLEY—see HERBS, page 68
PARSNIP
Pastinaca sativa
The Parsnip is one of the most profitable roots the earth produces.
Probably its sweet flavour imposes a limit on its usefulness, but bad
cooking doubtless has much to answer for, the people in our great towns
being, in too many instances, quite ignorant of the proper mode of
cooking this nourishing root. When cut in strips, slightly boiled and
served up almost crisp, it is a poor article for human food; but when
cooked whole in such a way as to appear on the table like a mass of
marrow, it is at once a digestible dainty and a substantial food that
the people might consume more largely than they do, to their advantage.
The Parsnip requires only one special condition for its welfare, and
that is a piece of ground prepared for it by honest digging. Rich ground
it does not need, but the crop will certainly be the finer from a deep
fertile sandy loam than from a poor soil of any kind. But the one great
point is to trench the ground in autumn and lay it up rough for the
winter. Then at the very first opportunity in February or March it can
be levelled down and the seed sown, and the task got out of hand before
the rush of spring work comes on. A fine seed-bed should be prepared
either in one large piece or in four-feet strips, as may best suit other
arrangements. Sow in shallow drills eighteen inches apart, dropping the
seeds from the hand in twos and threes at a distance of six inches
apart; cover lightly, and touch over with the hoe or rake to make a neat
finish. As soon as the plants are visible, ply the hoe to keep down
weeds and thin the crop slightly to prevent crowding anywhere. The
thinning should be carried on from time to time until the plants are a
foot apart; or if the ground is strong and large roots are required,
they may be allowed fifteen inches. Good-quality roots may be grown on
the worst types of clay and on stony soils by boring holes and filling
them in with fine earth, in the manner described for Beet and Carrot.
The holes for Parsnip, however, should be rather larger and deeper, with
more space allowed between. It may be well to lift some of the roots in
November, a few spits of earth being removed first at one end or corner
of the piece to facilitate removal without breaking the roots: these may
be put aside for immediate use, but the general bulk of the crop should
remain in the ground to be dug as wanted, because the Parsnip keeps
better in the ground than out of it, and in the event of severe frost a
coat of rough litter will suffice to prevent injury. Whatever remains
over in the month of February should be lifted and trimmed up and stored
in the coolest place that can be found, a coat of earth or sand being
sufficient to protect the roots from the injurious action of the
atmosphere.
GARDEN PEA
Pisum sativum
Thanks to the skill and enterprise of enthusiastic specialists, we have
now the wrinkled as well as the round-seeded Peas for the earliest
supply of this favourite vegetable. Not only can we commence the season
with a dish possessing the true marrowfat flavour, but in the new
maincrop varieties dwarf robust growth is combined with free-bearing
qualities, while the size of both Peas and pods has been increased
without in the smallest degree sacrificing flavour. On the contrary,
there has been a distinct and welcome advance in all the special
characteristics which have won for this vegetable its popular position,
and so highly is the crop esteemed that it is usually regarded as a
criterion by which the general management of a garden is judged.
As an article of food Peas are the most nutritious of all vegetables,
rich in phosphates and alkalies, and the plant makes a heavy demand on
the soil, constituting what is termed an exhausting crop. For this
reason, and also because the time that elapses between sowing seed and
gathering the produce is very brief, it is imperative that the land
should be well prepared to enable the roots to ramify freely and rapidly
collect the food required by the plant.
Treatment of Soil.—The soil for Peas must be rich, deep, and friable,
and should contain a notable proportion of calcareous matter. Old
gardens need to be refreshed with a dressing of lime occasionally, or of
lime rubbish from destroyed buildings, to compensate for the consumption
of calcareous matters by the various crops. For early Peas, a warm dry
sandy soil is to be preferred; for late sorts, and especially for robust
and productive varieties, a strong loam or a well-tilled clay answers
admirably, and it is wise to select plots that were in the previous year
occupied with Celery and other crops for which the land was freely
manured and much knocked about. Heavy manuring is not needed for the
earliest Peas, unless the soil is very poor, but for the late supplies
it will always pay to trench the ground, and put a thick layer of rotten
manure at the depth of the first spit, in which the roots can find
abundant nutriment about the time when the pods are swelling. In all
cases it is advisable not to enrich in any special manner the top crust
for Peas. When the young plant finds the necessary supplies near at
hand, the roots do not run freely but are actually in danger of being
poisoned; but when the plant is fairly formed, and has entered upon the
fruiting stage, the roots may ramify in rich soil to advantage. Hence
the desirability of growing Peas in ground that was heavily manured and
frequently stirred in the previous year, and of putting a coat of rotten
manure between the two spits in trenching. As regards the last-named
operation, it should be remarked that as Peas require a somewhat fine
tilth, the top spit should be kept on the top where the second spit will
prove lumpy, pasty, or otherwise unkind. In this case bastard trenching
will be sufficient; but when the second spit may be brought up with
safety, it should be done for the sake of a fresh soil and a deep
friable bed. The use of wood ashes, well raked in immediately in advance
of sowing, will prove highly beneficial to the crop, for the Pea is a
potash-loving plant.
Method of Sowing.—It will always pay to sow in flat drills about six
inches wide, but the V-shaped drill in which the seedlings are generally
crowded injuriously is not satisfactory. Two inches apart each way is a
useful distance for the seed, although more space may be given for the
robust-growing maincrop and late varieties. It is wise policy, however,
to sow liberally in case of losses through climatic conditions, birds or
mice; and if necessary superfluous plants can always be withdrawn. The
depth for the seed may vary from two to three inches: the minimum for
heavy ground and the maximum for light land.
Early Crops (sown outdoors).—Early Peas are produced in many ways.
The simplest consists in sowing one or more of the quick-growing
round-seeded varieties in November, December, and January, on sloping
sheltered borders expressly prepared for the purpose, and provided with
reed hurdles to screen the plants from cutting winds. Where the assaults
of mice are to be apprehended, it is an excellent plan to soak the seed
in paraffin oil for twenty minutes, and then, having sown in drills only
one inch deep, heap over the drill three inches of fine sand. If this
cannot be done, sow in drills fully two inches deep, for shallow sowing
will not promote earliness, but it is likely to promote weakness of the
plant. It is not usual to grow any other crop with first-early Peas, but
the rows must be far enough apart to prevent them from shading one
another, and, if possible, let them run north and south, that they may
have an equable enjoyment of sunshine. As soon as the plant is fairly
out of the ground, dust carefully with soot, not enough to choke the
tender leaves, but just sufficient to render them unpalatable to vermin.
When they have made a growth of about three inches, put short brushwood
to support and shelter them, deferring the taller sticks until they are
required. Then fork the ground between, taking care not to go too near
to the plant. Sticks must be provided in good time, lest the plant
should be distressed, for not only do the sticks give needful support,
but they afford much shelter, as is the case with the small brushwood
supplied in the first instance.
On fairly warm soils the first opportunity should be taken to sow one of
the early dwarf marrowfat varieties in the open ground. This may be in
February or early March, but it will be useless to make the attempt
until the ground is in a suitable condition. Sow in flat drills as
already described, the distance from row to row depending upon future
plans. If no intercropping is to be done, eighteen inches between the
rows will generally suffice for dwarf-growing Peas, but many gardeners
prefer to allow three feet and to take a crop of Spinach on the
intervening space.
Early Crops (sown under glass.)—We now come to the modes of growing
early Peas by the aid of glass. The surest and simplest method is to
provide a sufficiency of grass turf cut from a short clean pasture or
common. There is in this case a risk of wireworm and black bot; but if
the turf is provided in good time and is laid up in the yard ready for
use, it will be searched by the small birds and pretty well cleansed of
the insect larvas that may have lurked in it when first removed. Lay the
turves out in a frame, grass side downwards, and give them a soaking
with water in which a very small quantity of salt has been dissolved.
This will cause the remaining bots and slugs to wriggle out, and by
means of a little patient labour they can be gathered and destroyed. In
January or February sow the seed rather thickly in lines along the
centre of each strip of turf, and cover with fine earth. By keeping the
frame closed a more regular sprouting of the seed will be insured; but
as soon as the plants rise, air must be given, and this part of the
business needs to be regulated in accordance with the weather. All now
depends on the cultivator, for, having a very large command of
conditions, it may be said that he is removed somewhat from the sport of
the elements, which wrecks many of our endeavours. There are now three
points to be kept in mind. In the first place, a short stout
slow-growing plant is wanted, for a tall lean fast-growing plant will at
the end of the story refuse to furnish the dish of Peas aimed at. Give
air and water judiciously, and protect from vermin and all other
enemies. A little dry lime or soot may be dusted over the plants
occasionally, but not sufficient to choke the leaves. All going well,
plant out in the month of March or April, on ground prepared for the
purpose, and laying the plant-bearing turves in strips, without any
disturbance whatever of the roots. Then earth them up with fine stuff
from between the rows, and put sticks to support and shelter them.
A more troublesome, but often a safer method, is to raise plants in
pots, or in boxes about four and a half inches deep and pierced at the
bottom to insure free drainage. Old potting soil will answer admirably,
and the seeds should be put in one inch deep and two inches apart. Place
the pots or boxes in any light cool structure as near the roof-glass as
possible, but make no attempt to force either germination or the growth
of the plants. When fair weather permits, transfer to the open in March
or April. A good succession may be obtained by sowing a first-early
dwarf variety and a second-early kind simultaneously.
Main crops require plenty of room, and that is really the chief point
in growing them. Supposing the ground has been well prepared as already
advised, the next matter of importance is the distance between the rows.
The market gardener is usually under some kind of compulsion to sow Peas
in solid pieces, just far enough apart for fair growth, and to leave
them to sprawl instead of being staked, because of the cost of the
proceeding. But the garden that supplies a household is not subject to
the severe conditions of competition, and Peas may be said to go to the
dinner table at retail and not at wholesale price. Moreover, high
quality is of importance, and here the domestic as distinguished from
the commercial gardener has an immense advantage, for well-grown ‘Garden
Peas’ surpass in beauty and flavour the best market samples procurable.
To produce these fine Peas there must be plenty of space allowed between
the rows, and it will be found good practice to grow Peas and early
Potatoes on the same plot, and to put short sticks to the Peas as soon
as they are forward enough. By this management the first top-growth of
the Potatoes may be saved from late May frosts, and the Peas will give
double the crop of a crowded plantation. The general sowings of Peas are
made from March to June, but as regards the precise time, seasons and
climates must be considered. Nothing is gained by sowing maincrop Peas
so early as to subject the plant to a conflict with frost. It should be
understood that the finest sorts of Peas are somewhat tender in
constitution, and the wrinkled sorts are more tender than the round.
Hence, in any case, the wrinkled seeds should be sown rather more
thickly than the round to allow for losses; but robust-habited Peas
should never be sown so thickly as the early sorts, for every plant
needs room to branch and spread, and gather sunshine by means of its
leaves for the ultimate production of superb Green Peas.
Late Crops.—To obtain Peas late in the season sowings may be made in
June and July, and preference should be given to quick-growing early
varieties. Ground from which early crops of Cauliflower, Carrot,
Cabbage, Potatoes, &c., have been removed is excellent for the purpose.
In dry weather thoroughly saturate the trench with water before sowing,
and keep the seedlings as cool as possible by screening them from the
sun.
Staking.—This important operation must not be unduly deferred, as the
plants are never wholly satisfactory when once the stems have become
bent. Commence by carefully earthing up the rows as soon as the plants
are about three inches high. In the case of early varieties, light bushy
sticks of the required height, thinly placed on both sides of the row,
will suffice. Maincrop and late Peas, however, should first be staked
with bushy twigs about eighteen inches high, these to be supplemented
with sticks at least one foot taller than the variety apparently needs,
as most Peas exceed their recognised height in the event of a wet
season. No attempt should be made to construct an impenetrable fence,
for Peas need abundance of light and air. Neither should the stakes be
arched at the top, but placed leaning outwards.
General Cultivation.—On the first appearance of the plant, a slight
dusting of lime or soot will render the rising buds distasteful to slugs
and sparrows, but this is more needful for the early than the later
crops. When maincrop Peas have grown two or three inches, they are
pretty safe against the small marauders. As the plant develops,
frequently stir the ground between the rows to keep down weeds and check
evaporation. The earthing up of the rows affords valuable protection to
the roots of the plants, and a light mulch of thoroughly decayed manure
will prove very helpful in a dry season. In the event of prolonged dry
weather, however, measures must be taken to supply water in good time
and in liberal quantity. The advantage of deep digging and manuring
between the two spits will now be discovered, for Peas thus
circumstanced will pass through the trial, even if not aided by water,
although much better with it; whereas similar sorts, in poor shallow
ground, will soon become hopelessly mildewed, and not even water will
save them. In giving water, it will be well to open a shallow trench,
distant about a foot from the rows on the shady side, and in this pour
the water so as to fill the trench; by this method water and labour will
be economised, and the plant will have the full benefit of the
operation.
The enemies Of Peas are fewer in number than might be expected in the
case of so nutritive a plant. Against the weevil, the moth, and the fly,
we are comparatively powerless, and perhaps the safest course is
occasionally to dust the plants with lime or soot, in which case the
work must be carefully done, or the leaf growth will be checked, to the
injury of the crop. Light dustings will suffice to render the plant
unpalatable without interfering with its health, but a heavy careless
hand will do more harm than all the insects by loading the leafage with
obnoxious matter. The great enemy of the Pea crop is the sparrow, whose
depredations begin with the appearance of the plant, and are renewed
from the moment when the pods contain something worth having. Other
small birds haunt the ground, but the sparrow is the leader of the gang.
Ordinary frighteners used in the ordinary way are of little use; the
best are lines, to which at intervals white feathers, or strips of white
paper, or pieces of bright tin are attached. In the seedling stage the
plants may be protected by wire guards, and even strands of black thread
tied to short stakes will prove serviceable. We have found the surest
way to guard the crop against feathered plunderers is to have work in
hand on the plot, so as to keep up a constant bustle, and this shows the
wisdom of putting the rows at such a distance as will allow the
formation of Celery trenches between them. We want a crop to come off,
and another to be put on while the Peas are in bearing; and early
Potatoes, to be followed by Celery, may be suggested as a rotation
suitable in many instances. Even then the birds will have a good time of
it in the morning, unless the workmen are on the ground early. However,
on this delicate point, the ‘early bird’ that carries a spade will have
an advantage, because the sparrow is really a late riser, and does not
begin business until other birds have had breakfast, and have finished
at least one musical performance.
Early Peas under Glass.—So greatly esteemed are Peas at table that in
many establishments the demand for them is not limited to supplies
obtainable from the open ground. Sowings may be made from mid-November
to mid-February, according to requirements and the extent of
accommodation available, from which the crops may be expected to mature
from mid-March onwards. Where a large glass-house, such as is used for
Tomatoes, &c., is at command, early Peas may be grown without prejudice
to other crops. Assuming that a good depth of soil exists, thoroughly
trench and prepare it as for outdoor Peas. Select a tall-growing
variety, of which there are a number that do well under glass. Sow in a
triple row, placing the seeds about three inches apart each way, and in
due course support the plants with stakes. A cool greenhouse or a frame
will also carry through an early crop of Peas, but for these structures
pots should be used and only dwarf-growing varieties sown. A ten-inch
pot will accommodate about eight seeds, and these should be planted one
and a half inches deep. When a few inches high insert a few bushy stakes
to carry the plants. A compost consisting of two parts loam, one part
leaf-soil or well-decayed manure, with a small quantity of wood ashes,
will suit Peas admirably. At no time is a forcing temperature needed.
From 50° to 55° at night, with a rise of about 10° by day will suffice,
and free ventilation must be given whenever possible with safety. Apply
water carefully, but never allow the roots to become dust-dry.
Peas for Exhibition.—On the exhibition table handsome well-grown Peas
always elicit unstinted admiration, and the magnificent pods of the
newer varieties are certainly worthy of the utmost praise bestowed upon
them. In all cases where vegetables are grown for competition at Shows
the amount of success achieved depends largely on the intensity of the
cultivation adopted, and in this respect no other subject will respond
more readily to liberal treatment than will the Garden Pea. Deep
digging, generous manuring, and copious watering during dry weather, in
the manner already described, are fundamental essentials. Another matter
of no less importance is the selection of suitable varieties. It is now
the general custom to start the early sorts in pots or boxes under glass
(see page 104), and some growers treat mid-season Peas in the same
manner. Of this system it may be said that it offers the fullest
opportunity of giving attention to the young plants and allows of the
strongest specimens being selected for transfer to open quarters. The
number of sowings will, of course, depend on individual requirements. At
the time of transplanting give each plant plenty of space for
development, and it will be well to stake the rows immediately. Keep the
plants under constant observation, especially while quite young, when
they are liable to destruction by garden foes. The flowering should be
limited to the fourth spike, and from the time the pods appear
assistance must be given in the form of liquid manure or a mulching of
well-rotted dung. Remove all lateral shoots and promote vigorous healthy
growth at every stage. Some means should be adopted to prevent injury of
any kind to the pods, which when gathered should be well filled,
carrying a fine bloom free from blemish.
POTATO
Solarium tuberosum
The potato has been designated the ‘King of the Kitchen Garden,’ and
perhaps ‘the noble tuber’ should be so regarded. Of its importance as an
article of food it is impossible to speak too highly, and the dietetic
value of the Potato appears to be always advancing. The known deficiency
of flesh-forming constituents naturally associates this vegetable with
meat of various kinds, poultry, game and fish, and in this proper
association the root is probably capable of superseding all other
vegetable foods, bread alone excepted. It is far from our intention to
recommend abstention from Asparagus, Cauliflower, Peas, and Sea Kale,
and to regard Potatoes as a sufficient substitute for these and other
table delicacies; but it is well to remember that by virtue of its
starchy compounds the Potato has a direct tendency to promote health and
that freshness of complexion that generally prevails among well-fed
people.
Forcing Potatoes.—The demand for new Potatoes exists long before the
first of the outdoor crops grown in this country can be lifted. To meet
such a demand is not a difficult matter where the necessary amount of
glass is at command, and by adopting the method here given supplies may
be maintained through the winter and onwards until the first-earlies
from the open ground are available. It may be said at once that for
culture in pots and boxes under glass a high temperature is neither
requisite nor desirable. Sturdy healthy growth is essential to the
formation of a crop of tubers, and if the plants be forced into an
attenuated condition the labour will have been in vain. Another matter
which needs to be specially mentioned is the choice of suitable
varieties. Only dwarf-growing kinds, thoroughly adapted for forcing,
should be considered. The date of planting will necessarily be regulated
by the time at which the crop is required. But a few weeks in advance of
planting, the sets should be sprouted by placing them on end in shallow
boxes, packed with damp light soil and stood near the light in a
slightly warm pit or house. When the sprouts are formed rub off all but
the two strongest. Good turfy loam, a small quantity of manure from a
spent Mushroom bed, and a little bone meal, will make an excellent
compost for the pots or boxes. Two sets will suffice for a ten-inch or
twelve-inch pot, or five tubers may be placed in a box measuring about
four feet long by one foot wide. Perfect drainage must be insured. Plant
the sets with care, taking up as much soil as possible with the mass of
fibrous roots which will have formed during the period of sprouting. The
operation may best be accomplished by only half filling the pots or
boxes at first, and when the sets are in position add a further two
inches or so of soil. Water sparingly, especially at the outset. As root
growth increases add more soil and give the plants an occasional
application of tepid liquid manure. At all times avoid excessive heat,
and if the crop can be finished off gradually in a cool house so much
the better.
Where sufficient accommodation cannot be found for forcing Potatoes in
pots or boxes, an excellent crop may be grown on a gentle hot-bed made
up in the usual manner, and covered to a depth of at least nine inches
with a compost of three parts light loamy soil to one part leaf-mould.
After putting on the frame, keep the lights closed for a few days. But a
great heat is not wanted, and undue forcing at any stage will lead to
disaster. Partially exhausted hot-beds which have been used for other
purposes will also be found to answer admirably. Prepare the sets in the
manner already advised for pots and boxes, and plant them with the least
possible disturbance to the fibrous roots, three inches deep, in rows
fifteen inches apart, allowing twelve inches between the tubers in the
row. Whenever the weather is fine afford the plants a little air.
Increase the amount gradually as growth develops, but close the frames
early in the afternoon and give them the protection of mats at night
should the outside temperature be low. Water must be given in
moderation. It should always be of the same temperature as the frame,
and as soon as the haulm commences to turn yellow watering must be
discontinued. Little earthing up is needed, but when the foliage is
about nine inches high the addition of a small quantity of warm soil
along the rows will be beneficial.
Early Potatoes outdoors are produced in various ways, and by very
simple appliances. The Potato will not bear the slightest touch of
frost. It is a sub-tropical plant, and will endure considerable heat if
at the same time it can enjoy light, air, and sufficient moisture. In
some respects it may be likened to the Lettuce, for if crowded or
overheated, or subjected to sudden checks, it bolts—in other words, it
produces plenty of top and no bottom, just as Lettuces similarly treated
produce flowering stems and no hearts. We will here propose a very
simple and practical procedure for obtaining a nice crop of Potatoes in
the month of June. This system fairly mastered, endless modifications
will be easily effected as circumstances and judgment may suggest.
Begin by selecting an early variety of the best quality. Some time
towards the end of January the sets are packed closely in shallow boxes,
one layer deep only, and these are placed in full daylight safe from
frost, but are not subjected to heat in any way. Having started the sets
into growth in full daylight, proceed with the preparation of the
ground. This must be light, warm, dry and rather rich without being
rank. If a length of wall is available, and perplexity arises concerning
suitable soil for the early Potatoes, seize all the sandy loam that has
been turned out of pots, and having mixed it with as much leaf-mould and
quite rotten manure as can be spared, lay the mixture in a ridge at the
foot of the wall. As walls do not anywhere run in such lengths as to
provide for all the early Potatoes that are wanted, select a plot of
ground lying warm and dry to the sun, and having spread over it a
liberal allowance of decayed manure, and any light fertilising stuff,
such as the red and black residue from the burning of hedge clippings,
turf, and weeds, dig this in. The ground being ready, it is lined out in
neat ridges two feet apart, running north and south. These ridges must
be shallow, rising not more than six inches above the general level. On
every fourth ridge sow early Peas that are not likely to grow more than
two and a half to three feet in height. This being done in February, the
land is ready for Potatoes in the first week of March. Plant on the fine
stuff laid up next the wall in the first instance, and then on the
ridges, where there is room for three rows of Potatoes between every two
rows of Peas. In the process of planting, it will be advisable to rub
off all the weak eyes and thin out those on the crown, two or three
strong eyes being quite sufficient. This can easily be accomplished as
the sets are laid into their places in a shallow drill opened on the top
of the ridge. The sets may be put a foot apart, and have four inches of
fine soil over them. Prick the ground over with a fork between the rows,
leaving it quite rough, but regular and workmanlike. The Peas will soon
be visible and require attention. Draw a little fine earth to them, and
stake them carefully with small brushwood. If snails and slugs appear,
give dustings of lime or soot, and as soon as possible supply stakes of
sufficient height and strength to carry the crop. By the time the
Potatoes begin to show their shaws the Peas will constitute an effectual
shelter for them against east winds, and it will be found that the
morning frosts that are often so injurious to Potatoes in the month of
May will scarcely touch a crop that has the advantage of this kind of
protection. But to that alone it is not wise to trust. One serious
freezing that blackens the shaws will delay and diminish the Potato
crop. Therefore, as the green tops appear, cover them lightly with fine
earth from between the rows, and if necessary repeat this, always
allowing the leaves to see daylight. When a sharp frost occurs, it will
be advisable to cover the tops with a few inches of light dry litter in
just the same way that a bed of Radishes is protected. There are many
other methods of saving the rising shaws. A plank on edge on the east
side of a row will suffice to tide through an ordinary white frost. Mats
or reed hurdles laid on a few stout pegs will also answer admirably, but
care must be taken that the plant is not pressed down, and the covering
must be removed as soon as the danger is over.
Crops grown under walls will be ready first, and those in the beds will
follow. Spaces between the trees of a fruit wall may be planted with
Potatoes, without injury to the trees. Those grown on the south face of
a good wall will be ready for table three weeks in advance of the
earliest crops in the open quarters. But east and west walls may be made
to contribute, and even north walls are useful, if planted a week later
and a little deeper. In all cases the sets should be put close to the
wall to enjoy the warmth, and dryness, and shelter it affords. When the
crop is lifted, the soil specially laid up for it may be taken away, or
scattered over the border. But the bulk will be so slight that it will
not matter much what becomes of it. However, in a new place with a clay
soil it may be prudent to remove it, and keep it ready as an aid in seed
sowing, for there are times and places where a little fine stuff is
worth a great deal to give a crop of some kind a proper start.
The main crop, as the source of supply for fully nine months out of
twelve, deserves every attention. Potatoes are grown with advantage on
so many diverse soils, and in such unlikely climates, that the plant
appears, on a casual consideration, to be altogether indifferent to its
surroundings. But it is none the less true that for the profitable
cultivation of this crop certain conditions are absolutely essential.
Among these an open situation and a well-drained soil are perhaps the
most important. To this might be added favourable weather, because a bad
season frustrates every hope and labour. Having an open situation and a
well-drained soil, it is much to be preferred that the soil be of a
deep, friable, loamy nature; in other words, a good medium soil,
suitable for deep tillage, but neither a decided clay, chalk nor sand. A
fertile sandy loam, lying well as regards sunshine and drainage, may
generally be considered a first-rate Potato soil, and excellent crops
have also been grown on thin soils overlying chalk and limestone. So
again, fine crops are often taken from poor sandy soils, and from
newly-broken bog and moss, as well as from clay lands that have had some
amount of tillage to form a friable top crust. But when all is said the
fact remains that the ideal soil for Potatoes is a deep mellow loam,
and, failing this, preference should be given to calcareous and sandy
soils rather than to clays or retentive soils of any kind.
Manures.—Much prejudice prevails against manuring land for Potatoes,
and where the soil is good enough to yield a paying crop, it will be
prudent to do without manure, and to dress generously for the next crop
to restore the land to a reasonable state. Still it is the practice of
many of the most successful growers for the early market to manure for
this crop, and in some instances the manure is laid in the trenches at
the time of planting. Generally speaking, land intended for Potatoes
should be deeply dug, and, if needful, manured in the autumn. About
twenty to thirty cartloads of half-rotten manure per acre may be dug or
ploughed in to as great a depth as possible, consistent with the nature
of the subsoil and the appliances at command. In breaking up pasture
with the spade, bastard trenching will as a rule prove advantageous. The
land is lined off in two-feet breadths, and the top spit of the first
piece is removed to the last piece, which will often be close at hand by
the rule of working a certain distance down and back again. The under
spit will then be well broken up, the manure thrown in, and the top spit
of the next piece will be turned in turf downwards, making a sandwich of
the manure. If this is done in autumn, there will be a mellow top crust
produced by the spring, and the best way to plant will be in trenches,
unless the land is very light, in which case the dibber may be used.
As light lands are often profitably devoted to Potato culture, and more
especially to the production of first-class early Potatoes for the
markets, a few words on their management may be useful here. If on the
light land there is a choice of aspects, by all means select the plots
that slope to the south-west; the dangerous aspects are north and east.
The ground should be ploughed up in autumn and left rough, but it is not
economical to manure light lands in autumn. At the time of planting, the
furrows should be cut with a plough fitted with a double mould-board,
and the manure spread evenly along them previous to laying in the sets.
A good dressing per acre will consist of fifteen loads of farmyard
manure, and four cwt. of artificials, consisting of one and a half cwt.
of guano, two cwt. of superphosphate of lime, and half a cwt. of muriate
of potash. When the sets are laid, cover them by splitting the ridges
with the plough. If planted early in March, the crop should come off in
time for Turnips, for which the land will be in good heart, and the seed
should be sown as quickly as possible after the clearing of the
Potatoes.
Preparing the Sets.—Among the many subjects that open out before us
at this point are the selection and preparation of the sets. Why are
smallish tubers chosen in one case and planted whole? and why, in
another case, are large tubers chosen and divided before planting, to
make two or more sets of each? Because there is a principle on which
sound practice rests, and it is this: the number of shoots starting from
any one growing point must be limited, for if they become crowded the
crop will be less than the land is capable of producing. Keeping this
principle in view, we proceed to remark, in the first place, that
carefully selected seed of moderate size may be planted as it comes from
the store without any preparation whatever, and with a fair prospect of
a profitable result. But certain varieties produce few tubers of seed
size, and when large they must be divided in such a manner as to insure
at least two eyes in each set. As a matter of fact, profitable crops are
grown in the most simple way; the seed is neither sprouted nor
disbudded, and with a well-made soil and a favourable season, the return
is ample, and all claims are satisfied. Potato-growing entails much
labour, therefore it is important to distinguish between tasks that are
necessary and those that are optional.
But where the time and strength can be found for first-class
cultivation, it should have the preference over the rough and ready
methods that are satisfactory on a large scale. Exhibitions of Potatoes
are for the most part sustained by persons who can find the time to do
things with extra care, and they have their reward in their crops as
well as in their prizes, for what may be styled Exhibition culture
consists simply in growing the crop in the best possible way, and
planting many sorts where in any other case a few would suffice. Here,
then, on the best plan, we begin with sets most carefully selected, to
insure true typical form and colour, and these are, some six weeks or so
before planting time, put in shallow boxes or baskets, one layer deep,
to sprout in full daylight, but quite safe from frost. In the first
instance a number of sprouts appear, and a large proportion are rubbed
off. The object of the cultivator is to secure two or three stout, short
shoots of a green or purple colour; the long white threads that are
often produced in the store being regarded as useless. When large sets
are employed, they are allowed to make three or four stout shoots, and
at the time of planting—not before—these sets are cut so as to leave
to each large piece only one or two good sprouts or sprits. As for the
smaller sets that are not to be divided, it is common practice to cut a
small piece off each of these at the time of planting to facilitate the
decay of the tuber when it has accomplished its work, for having
nourished the first growth the sooner it disappears the better. Thus,
with a little extra trouble, sound tubers have been prepared for
planting, and the main reasons for taking this extra trouble are
doubtless fully apparent. The best seed possible is wanted and the most
suitable soil; these two items forming the first chapter. By sprouting
the seed time is gained, which is equivalent to a lengthening of the
season. By limiting the number of shoots an excess of foliage is
prevented. Where the shoots are crowded the tubers will not be crowded,
a few strong shaws with all their leaves exposed to the air and light
being capable of producing better results than a large number contending
for air and light that are insufficient for them all. And finally, by
cutting the sets, whether to divide them, or simply to hasten their
decay, we insure that they will not reappear with the young crop as
useless, ugly things.
Distances for Planting.—The distance at which the sets are planted is
of importance, for a crop too crowded will be of little value. But the
ground must be properly filled. By wasting only a small space in each
breadth, or in the spaces between the sets, the total crop will be many
bushels short of the possible quantity. The guiding principle must be to
allow to each plant ample room to spread, and absorb the air and
sunshine, in accordance with the character of the sort and the condition
of the soil. A considerable proportion of the losses from disease may be
traced to overcrowding in the first instance; the tangled haulm being
rendered weak through want of air, and then becoming loaded with water,
and in contact with wet ground, the disease has made havoc where, had
the management been founded on sound principles, there might have been a
vigorous healthy growth. If a doubt arises, it is safer to allow too
much rather than too little space, and in this respect the exhibition
growers are very liberal. They often place the rows of strong-growing
varieties four feet or more apart, and allow a space of three and a half
feet for the more moderate growers. Even then, with good land, in a high
state of preparation, the shaws sometimes meet across the rows, and
enormous crops are lifted. For a very comprehensive rule, it may be said
that the distance between the rows may vary from fifteen inches for the
early sorts of dwarf growth, to forty inches for the vigorous-growing
late sorts. Between these measurements, for varieties producing medium
haulm, a distance of twenty-six to thirty-six inches may be allowed on
good ground. The distance between the sets must in like manner be
determined by the growth, and will range from nine inches for crops to
be dug early, to sixteen or twenty inches for the robust kinds. The
medium maincrop Potatoes will generally do well at twelve inches apart.
Much, however, depends on the season, for when great space is allowed,
and the season proves warm and showery, there will be more large tubers
than the grower will care for; whereas, if planted somewhat closer, the
crop would be smaller and more uniform in size. When planted, the tops
of the tubers should be about four inches below the surface.
Time of Planting.—Under favourable conditions, it is possible to
plant on a warm dry border as early as mid-February in very sheltered
districts, but a supply of protecting material must be instantly
available in the event of severe weather. As a rule, however, the
opening of March is soon enough to plant early crops out of doors,
always provided that the soil is light and the situation warm, but where
these conditions do not exist it will be safer to wait until the middle
of the month. Maincrops may be got in at the end of March and during
April, according to the locality and the character of the soil. In any
case, it is better to defer the operation for a week or so than to plant
in heavy wet ground which quickly consolidates, making it impervious to
air and unsuitable for root-penetration. Excellent crops may also be
obtained by planting in July, preference being given to quick-growing
early varieties. Old tubers only should be used and these must be
carefully stored until required for planting.
Method of Planting.—On light soils, in a sufficiently dry condition,
the dibber or planting stick may be used, but on heavy ground it is not
satisfactory. A good method of planting for all classes of soil is to
draw out a V-shaped drill of the requisite depth, place the sets into
position and lightly return the earth. Another plan which is largely
adopted is to insert the sets in the trenches as made during the
operation of digging the ground in spring, a garden line being used to
obtain the accurate alignment of the rows.
General Cultivation.—As soon as the shaws appear the ground should be
hoed between the rows, and if there is any fear of frost the shaws
should be lightly moulded over. As the growth advances the crop must be
earthed up, care being exercised not to earth up too much, for, taking
six inches as the best average depth, the crop will be diminished by an
increase beyond this depth. One urgent reason for early work between the
rows is that a prosperous crop will soon put a stop to it. The moment it
becomes likely that the shaws will be bruised by traffic between the
rows they must be left to finish their course in their own way, because
the formation of tubers below will be in the ratio of the healthy growth
above ground. The Potato may be said to be manufactured out of sunshine
and alkaline salts. The green leaves constitute the machinery of the
manufacture, for which the solar light from above, and the potash,
phosphate of lime, phosphate of magnesia, and phosphoric acid from below
are the raw materials.
Change of Ground and Seed.—In common with all other crops, the Potato
needs as often as possible a fresh soil, and a renewal of seed from some
distant source. The need for a change of soil is made apparent by an
analysis of the root, which contains large proportions of potash,
phosphorus, and sulphur, with smaller proportions of magnesia and lime,
without which the plant cannot prosper. A succession of heavy crops of
Potatoes on the same land may be said to take from the soil its
available potash and phosphates, and this crop will not, like some
others, take soda instead of potash when the last-named alkali runs
short. Here then is a chemical reason for change of soil. Another reason
is found in the history of the species of fungi that prey on the Potato
when its growth is checked by heavy rains and a low temperature. These
leave their spores in the soil, like wolves hiding in ambush, to
destroy the next crop. They are powerless to attack any other crop;
therefore a suitable rotation gives them time to die out and leave the
land clean as regards the Phytophthora and other parasites that
destroy Potato crops. The necessity for an occasional change of seed
rests on old experience, and should scarcely need enforcing. One word
may be said here by way of explanation, and it is this: the seed house
that aims to put a good article in the market adopts measures which
altogether differ from those followed by the majority of persons who
have not been trained to the business. It is a common experience to find
that those who save their own seed from year to year have as a result a
constantly declining strain, so that every year the growth is weaker,
less true, and less profitable. It is so all through, but is especially
the case with Potatoes. We do not say that all who save their own seed
act unwisely, for some are most expert in the business. But we do say
that seed saving is not learned in a day, and many who think they save
shillings when they save seeds, actually lose pounds by burdening
themselves with a bad article. The art of ‘roguing’—the elimination of
plants which are untrue to type—is but one part of the seed-saving
process. There is the proper storing, the selecting and sorting
operations, to which eyes and hands must be trained, and there must be
no scruple about the sacrifice of false, immature or diseased samples.
The point we have in view is to advise the Potato grower to be sure of
his seed, and when a doubt arises as to the purity and healthiness of
the sample at command, it may be remembered that the seed merchant
practises methods of purgation for insuring perfectly true stocks, while
by growing in many different districts, and on diverse soils, he can
furnish an admirable change of seed for any description of land.
The Potato Disease.—The culture of Potatoes cannot be dismissed
without allusion to the destructive fungus which is never absent in dry
seasons, and in wet summers does its deadly work on a vast scale.
Scientific men have acquainted us with the history of the Potato fungus,
and this may eventually result in as efficient a remedy as that which
renewed the vineyards of France. Such a remedy for the Potato murrain
has yet to be discovered. Meanwhile, we must continue to resist the foe
with the plough, spade, draining tool, and above all with a wise
selection of sorts. It is an acknowledged fact that many Potatoes that
have been cultivated for a long time appear to have lost their vigour,
and are liable to succumb to the disease; but several kinds that have
been raised from seed in recent years possess a constitution which
almost defies the virulent assaults of the Phytophthora infestans.
Since the introduction of Sutton’s Magnum Bonum Potato there has been a
disposition to believe in ‘Disease-proof Potatoes.’ There is no such
thing absolutely, and perhaps there never will be, any more than there
is a disease-proof wheat, or dog, or horse, or man. But some varieties
of Potatoes are known to be more susceptible to the ravages of disease
than others, and it has been one of our aims to secure seedlings which
combine the highest cropping and table qualities with the least tendency
to succumb in seasons when conditions favour the spread of the fungus.
Scientific men have not yet explained why the varieties differ in this
respect, but practical men have discovered that initial vigour of growth
is the main defence against the plague, and as the growing of a good
Potato costs no more than the growing of a poor variety, the cultivator
should bestow his care on the very best he can obtain. A little extra
cost for seed in the first instance is as nothing to the multiplied
chances of success a good variety carries with it. To sum up this
subject, then, we say that disease may be avoided in the early crops by
cultivating sorts which may be lifted before the plague generally
appears; and on soils which will not produce an early crop, only such
varieties should be grown for the main crops as have been proved to be
most capable of standing uninjured until late in the season. Let there
be a dry, warm bed, sufficient food, the fullest exposure to the
life-giving powers of light, and conditions favourable to early
ripening.
The Wart Disease (Black Scab) of Potatoes (Synchytrium endobioticum,
Percival) is dealt with in the chapter on ‘The Fungus Pests of certain
Garden Plants.’
PUMPKIN—see GOURD, page 63
RADISH
Raphanus sativus
The Radish is often badly grown through being sown too thickly, or on
lumpy ground, or in places not favourable to quick vegetation. Radishes
grown slowly become tough, pungent and worthless. On the other hand,
those which are grown quickly on rich, mellow ground are attractive in
appearance, delicate in flavour, and as digestible as any salad in
common use. It should be understood that earliness is of the very first
importance, and that large Radishes are never wanted. To insure a quick
growth and a handsome sample the ground must not only be good, but
finely broken up.
Frame Culture.—For the earliest crops it is advisable to make a
semi-hot-bed, by removing a portion of the surface soil, and laying down
about two-feet depth of half-rotten stable manure, on which spread four
inches of fine earth, and then cover with frames. Sow the seed thinly,
and put on the lights. When the plants appear, give air at every
opportunity to keep the growth dwarf, and cover with mats during frost,
always taking care to uncover as often as possible to give light, for if
the tops are drawn the roots will be of little account. Where the plants
are crowded, thin them, allowing every plant just room enough to spread
out its top without overlapping its neighbour. Sowings made in this way
in December, January, and February will supply an abundance of beautiful
Radishes in early spring, when they are greatly valued. To follow the
outdoor crops frame culture will again be necessary in autumn.
Outdoor Culture.—The second crop (which in many gardens will be the
first) may be sown on warm, dry borders in February. Within a few days
after sowing, collect a quantity of dry litter, and lay it up in a shed
ready for use. It happens often that we have warm, bright weather in
February, and the Radishes start quickly and make good progress, and
then may come a severe frost, when the litter must be spread as lightly
as possible, three or four inches thick. These open-ground sowings will
bear cold well, but they should not be allowed to get frozen, and
therefore semi-hot-beds may be employed. If time and materials appear
excessive for such a purpose, it should be remembered that this is a
capital way of preparing for the next crop, whatever it may be, and is a
particularly good method of preparing for Peas that are to be sown in
the month of April, by which time the earliest sown Radishes will be off
the ground. Successive sowings should be made from March to September in
the coolest place that can be found for them, and the usual practice of
four-feet beds will answer very well. In many gardens sufficient
supplies of Radishes are obtained by sowing in the alleys between
seed-beds, but care must be taken that this plan does not interfere with
the proper work of hoeing, weeding, thinning, &c. When seed is sown on
light soils a moderate firming with the back of the spade may be
desirable, but generally speaking it is sufficient to cover the seed
lightly, and so leave it. To thin the crop early is, however, of great
importance, no matter how wasteful the process may seem, for wherever
the plants are crowded they will make large useless tops, and small
worthless roots, and prove altogether unprofitable. For the earliest
sowings we have choice of many sorts, round, oval, and long; but the
long Radishes are not well adapted for late sowing, whereas the round
and oval sorts stand pretty well in hot weather, if on good ground in a
cool situation, with the help of a slight amount of shade. As the year
advances we return to the practice recommended for the earliest crops.
Winter Radishes.—These large-growing kinds are much prized by those
who use them in winter in the preparation of salads. Seed may be sown in
the open from June to August, in drills nine inches apart, and the
plants thinned to six inches in the rows. The roots may be left in the
ground and dug as required, or taken up and stored in sand. These
Radishes may also be cooked in the same manner as Turnips and they make
an excellent dish.
RHUBARB
Rheum hybridum
RHUBARB is so much valued that we need not recommend it. There are some
remarkably fine sorts in cultivation, adapted for early work, main-crop,
and late use.
Although an accommodating plant, Rhubarb requires for profitable
production a rich deep soil, well worked, and heavily dressed with
rotten manure, and a situation remote from trees, but in some degree
sheltered. It will be observed that the markets are supplied from
sheltered alluvial soils, that have been much cultivated, and kept in
high condition by abundant manuring. On the other hand, the coarser
kinds will make a free and early growth on a damp clay, if sheltered
from the east winds that so often damage early spring vegetation. The
shortest way to establish a plantation is to purchase selected roots of
first-class named varieties, and plant them in one long row, three to
four feet apart, or in a bed or compartment four feet apart each way.
The smaller kinds will do very well at two and a half feet each way, but
for large-growing sorts this would be injuriously close. Plant with the
top bud two inches deep, tread in moderately firm, then lightly prick
the ground over, and so leave it. Rhubarb may be planted at any time in
spring or autumn but of the two the spring is preferable. In any case
where a special cultivation is determined on, it will be found that bone
manure has a wonderful effect on the growth of Rhubarb.
It is not sufficient to say that the plantation must be kept free from
weeds, but the plant should be allowed to make one whole season’s growth
before a single stalk is pulled. And the pulling in the second season,
and every season thereafter, should be moderate and careful, for every
leaf removed weakens the plant, and it must be allowed-time to regain
strength for the next season. Some people know not when to leave off
pulling Rhubarb, but appear unwilling to cease until there is none to
pull; and it is a pity this should happen, especially as after the
delicate supplies of early spring are past, Rhubarb is a comparatively
poor thing, and to ruin a plantation to get stalks for wine is great
folly. For wine-making a special plantation should be made, from which
not one stick should be taken for table use. The summer stalks will then
be of a suitable character.
Rhubarb is easily forced in any place where there is a moderate warmth,
and it is only needful to pack the roots in boxes with moss or any light
soil, or even rough litter. The roots will push into any moist material
and find sufficient food. If entirely exposed to the light, forced
Rhubarb has a full colour; but the quality is better, and the colour
quite sufficient, if it is forced in the dark; hence when put under the
stage in a greenhouse, or any other place where there is a fair share of
daylight, it is well to put an empty box or barrel over to promote a
certain degree of blanching.
When raising Rhubarb from seed sow in spring in light soil, and the
young plants should have frame culture until strong enough to plant out.
If a great number are grown, they should all be kept in pots until the
end of the season, and then the common-looking and unpromising plants
should be destroyed, reserving the others for planting out in the
following spring. A new type of Rhubarb which is readily raised from
seed will remain in bearing continuously if put out on good ground and
given protection during severe winter weather. Seed of this strain
should be sown in March or April, in pots or boxes placed in a cold
frame. Plant out the seedlings in May and these will generally yield
sticks in the autumn. Seed may also be sown in the open ground in
spring.
SALADS
Although the art of making Salads is to some extent understood in this
country, it must be admitted that much has yet to be learned from the
masters of Continental cookery, who utilise more plants than are
commonly used on this side of the Channel, and who impart to their
Salads an endless variety of flavourings. Here, however, we are only
concerned with the plants that are, or should be, in requisition for the
Salad-bowl at different seasons of the year. But it will not be
irrelevant to allude to the fact, admitted by medical men of high
reputation, that the appetite for fresh, crisp, uncooked vegetables is a
really healthy craving, and that free indulgence in Salads is a means of
supplying the human frame with important elements of plant-life. In the
process of cooking, certain minerals, such as salts of potash, are
abstracted from vegetables, while in Salads they are available, and
contribute both to the enjoyment and the benefit of the consumer.
Our present object is to offer a reminder of the plants that must be
grown in order to supply such a variety of Salads as will fairly meet
the requirements of a generous table during the changing seasons of the
year. The culture of all the following subjects will be found under
their proper headings.
Beet.—For its distinct flavour and splendid colour Beet is highly
valued as a component of Salads. As the roots are easily stored they are
available for several months after the growing season has passed.
Celeriac is much used in French Salads, and some appreciation is now
shown for it in this country. The roots or bulbs are trimmed, washed,
and cooked in the same manner as Beet.
Celery.—This delicious Salad is in such general favour that no
comment on its virtues is necessary.
Chervil.—The curled is far handsomer than the common variety, and is
available for garnishing as well as for Salads.
Chicory.—The common Chicory (Barbe de Capucin) and the Brussels
variety (Witloof) have attained to great popularity. Both are
agreeable and wholesome, and a supply should be maintained from October
to May.
Chives find acceptance at times when the stronger flavour of Onion is
inadmissible.
Corn Salad.—The leaves should be gathered separately in the same
manner as they are collected from Spinach.
Cress should be in continual readiness almost or entirely through the
year.
Cucumber.—Everybody appreciates the value of this fruit, which is
almost startling in its crisp coolness.
Dandelion.—The cultivated forms of this familiar plant are
increasingly grown for use in the Salad-bowl.
Endive has a distinct flavour which is highly appreciated; and in
winter the plant occupies the important position that Lettuce fills in
summer and autumn.
Lettuce.—All the Cabbage varieties are in great demand for Salads,
because they readily assimilate the dressing. But for delicious
crispness the Cos varieties cannot fail to maintain their position of
assured popularity.
Mustard needs only to be named. Like Cress, it is in continuous
demand.
Nasturtium.—A few flowers may always be employed to garnish a Salad,
for they are true Salad plants, and may be eaten with safety by those
who choose to eat them.
Onion imparts life to every Salad that contains it; but for the sake
of the modest people who do not fail to appreciate the advantage of its
presence, although they scruple to avow their love, there must be
discretion in determining the proportion.
Purslane.—The leaves and shoots are used for Salads, and the former
should be gathered while quite young.
Radish finds a place on the tables of the opulent and of the humblest
cottager.
Rampion.—The fleshy roots are employed in Salads in the natural
state, and also when cooked.
Salsify is commonly known as ‘Vegetable Oyster,’ and is an excellent
component of a Salad. The roots may also be allowed to put forth leaves
in the dark to furnish blanched material.
Shallot.—A delicate substitute for Onion.
Sorrel possesses a piquant flavour that can be used by the skilful
with most agreeable results.
Tomato has fought its way to popularity in this country, and now holds
a commanding position.
Water Cress.—When the tender tops can be had they are seldom allowed
to be absent from first-class Salads.
SALSIFY
Tragopogon porrifolius
Salsify may be sown from the end of March to May, but two sowings will
in most cases be sufficient. Drill the seed in rows fifteen inches apart
and one inch deep. Thin from time to time until the plants stand nine,
ten, or in an extreme case twelve, inches apart. In ordinary soil nine
inches will be sufficient. Hoe between frequently, but do not use a fork
or spade anywhere near the crop, for the loosening of the ground will
cause the roots to branch.
A deep sandy soil with a coat of manure put in the bottom of the trench
will produce fine roots of Salsify. But there should be no recent manure
within fifteen inches of the surface, or the roots will be forked and
ugly. In a soil that produces handsome roots naturally the preparation
may consist in a good digging only, but generally speaking the more
liberal routine will give a better result.
In November dig a portion of the crop and store in sand, and lift
further supplies as required. Some roots may be left to furnish Chards
in spring. These are the flowering-shoots which rise green and tender,
and must be cut when not more than five or six inches long. They are
dressed and served in the same way as Asparagus.
Salsify is a root of high quality, the growing of which is generally
considered a test of a gardener’s skill. Perhaps the after-dressing and
serving of Salsify may be a test of the skill of the cook, but upon that
point we will not insist. It is a less troublesome root than Scorzonera,
and superior to it in beauty and flavour—in fact, it is often dressed
and served as ‘Vegetable Oyster,’ having somewhat the flavour of the
favourite bivalve.
Salsify roots require to be prepared for use by scraping them, and then
steeping in water containing a little lemon juice or vinegar. They are
boiled until tender, and served with white sauce. To prepare them as the
‘Vegetable Oyster’ the roots are first boiled and allowed to get cold,
then cut in slices and quickly fried in butter to a light golden brown,
being dusted with salt and white pepper while cooking. Serve with
crisped Parsley and sauce made with butter, flour, and the liquor from
tinned or fresh oysters.
SAVOY—see page 38
SCORZONERA
Scorzonera hispanica
Scorzonera is not much grown in this country, but as it is prized on the
Continent, it might be introduced to many English tables with advantage.
The main point in the cultivation is to obtain large clean roots, for
carelessly grown samples will be small, forked, and fibrous. Trench a
piece of ground, and mix a good dressing of half-rotten manure with the
bottom spit, taking care that there is none in the top spit. Make a nice
seed-bed, and sow in the month of March in shallow drills fifteen inches
apart, and as the plants advance thin them until they stand a foot apart
in the drill. Keep the crop clean, and it will be fit for use in
September. Lift as wanted in the same manner as Parsnips. Seed may also
be sown in April and May.
To cook the roots they must first be scalded, then scraped and thrown
into water in which there are a few drops of lemon juice. Let them
remain half an hour; boil in salted water in the same way as Carrots
until quite tender, and serve with white sauce. If left to get cold they
can be sliced and fried in butter to make a good side dish.
SEA KALE
Crambe maritima
Many persons prefer Sea Kale to Asparagus, but the two differ so widely
in flavour and general character that no comparison between them is
possible. On two points, however, the advantage certainly rests with Sea
Kale. It can be more easily grown, and, regarded solely as an article of
food, it is the more profitable crop. This comparison has therefore a
practical bearing. In forming a new garden, and in cases where it may
not be possible to grow both these esculents satisfactorily, Sea Kale
should have attention first, as a thing that will require but a small
investment, and that will surely pay its way, with quick returns, to the
general advantage of the household.
Outdoor Culture.—Sea Kale requires strong ground, fully exposed to
the sun, and enriched with any good manure, that from the stable being
undoubtedly the best. The most satisfactory way to begin is with
well-grown roots, as they make a return at once with the least
imaginable trouble. Let the ground be well dug two spits deep, and put
a coat of manure between; or if it is a good substantial loam, plant
without manure, and the results will be excellent. As the thriving plant
covers a considerable space, and there must be a certain amount of
traffic on the ground to manage it, there should be one row in the
centre of a four-feet bed, with a broad alley on one side; or, better
still, mark out a ten-feet space, with a three-feet alley on each side,
and in this space plant three rows two and a half feet apart, and the
roots one and a half to two feet apart. The planting may be done at any
time after the leaves have fallen, late in autumn, and during winter and
early spring. On warm, dry ground, winter planting answers perfectly,
and enables the gardener to complete the task, for there is always
enough to do in the spring months. But on damp ground and in exposed
situations the best time to plant is the month of March. Put down the
line, and open a trench one foot deep; plant the roots with their crowns
two inches below the surface, filling in and treading firmly as each
trench is planted. The precaution may be taken to pare off all the
pointed prominent buds on each crown, as this will prevent the rise of
flower-stems; but if this is neglected, the cultivator must take care to
cut out all the flowering-shoots that appear, for the production of
flowers will prove detrimental to the crop of Sea Kale in the following
season. Our custom, when a plantation has been thus made, is to grow
another crop with it the first season. The ground between the rows is
marked out in narrow strips, and lightly forked over, and if a coat of
rotten manure can be spared it is pricked in, and a neat seed-bed is
made of every strip, eighteen to twenty-four inches wide. On this
prepared bed sow Onions, Lettuces, and other light crops, and as the Sea
Kale advances take care to remove whatever would interfere with their
expansion, for the stolen crop should not stand in the way of that
intended for permanent occupation. A crop of early Cauliflower, small
Cabbage, or even Potatoes, may be taken, in which case there will be
room for only one row alternately with each row of Kale, and perhaps one
row also in the alleys.
The growth of the Kale should be promoted by all legitimate means, and
in high summer it will take water, liquid manure, and mulchings of rich
stuff, to almost any extent, with advantage. The irrigation that suits
the Kale will probably also suit the stolen crop, but irrigation is not
good for Onions or Potatoes; where these crops are grown care must be
exercised to bestow the fluid on the Sea Kale only.
As the leaves decay in autumn they should be removed, and the ground
kept thoroughly clean. When finally cleaned up, let it be forked over,
but with care not to put the tool too near the plants; and if manure is
plentiful, lay down a coat for a finish, or fork it in at the general
clear up. There should now commence a systematic saving of clean leaves.
Mere vegetable rubbish is not to be thought of. Proceed to cover the
ground with leaves in heaps or ridges sufficient to make a coat finally
of about one foot deep, or say nine inches at the very least. If there
is any store of rough planking on the premises, let the planks be laid
on the ridges of leaves on whichever side the prevailing wind may be.
This will prevent the leaves being blown away, and the planks will be
handy for the next stage in the business.
At the turn of the year put the planks on edge by driving posts down in
any rough way that will hold them firmly for a brief season, and then
spread the leaves equally. If there are not sufficient leaves to cover
the bed for the requisite thickness, raise a good heap over each crown,
and sprinkle a little earth to keep the heap together. But a better mode
of procedure is to have a sufficiency of Sea Kale pots with movable
covers, or in place of these large flower-pots, or old boxes. Put these
over the crowns, and then heap the leaves over and around, and the
preliminaries are completed. A very early growth will be the result, and
the quality will be finer than that of forced Sea Kale. Uncover
occasionally to see how the crop goes on, remembering that perfect
darkness is needed to blanch it completely, and to produce a plump and
delicate sample. Cut close over, taking a small portion of the woody
part of the crown, and when all the growth of a crown is taken, remove
the pot or box, but leave a thin coat of leaves on the cut crown to
protect it, as at the time of cutting Sea Kale keen east winds are
prevalent, and it is unfair to the plants to expose them suddenly. When
the crop has been taken, remove the leaves and the planks, and dig in
between the rows a thick coat of fat manure. The growth will be too
strong now for a stolen crop, and will so continue for many years. After
the crop has been secured, each crown will throw out a number of buds or
shoots. These should all be removed except two or three of the
strongest, which will form the crowns for cutting in the following year.
At the same time take away any small blanched shoots that may have been
left because they were too small or insignificant for table use. This
proceeding will prevent the production of flower-stems, which is
injurious to the plant, and there never need be any fear that the crop
will be diminished, because plenty of buds around the crowns, that do
not show themselves in the first instance, will come forward in due
time.
Forcing.—It is so easy to force Sea Kale that the cultivator may
safely be left to his own devices. But it will be well, perhaps, to say
that perfect darkness is requisite, and the temperature should not
exceed 60° at any time, this being the maximum figure. A rise above 60°
will produce a thin or wiry sample. It is sufficient to begin with a
temperature of 45°, and to rise no higher than 55°, to insure a really
creditable growth. The market growers are not very particular as to
temperature, but then they do not eat the crop, or know much of it after
it has left their hands. With the gardener in a domestic establishment
the case is different; and we venture to advise young men—to whom book
advice is often valuable as entailing no obligations—that Sea Kale
slowly forced may be nearly as good as that grown under pots in the open
without any heat at all; better it cannot be. Any spare pits or odd
places may be made use of for this crop, provided only that the heat is
not too great. Pack the roots in mould or leaves, or even half-rotten
manure, and shut them up to exclude light, and the crop will be ready in
five or six weeks, unless forcing is commenced very early, in which case
seven weeks at least must be allowed from the time of planting to that
of the first cutting. Roots that have been lifted for forcing should be
thrown away when the crop has been secured, but roots forced in the open
ground suffer so little by the process that they may be forced for
several years in succession ere it becomes necessary to renew the
plantation, provided, of course, that the work is well done. The outdoor
forcing is accomplished in the way described for growing the crop, with
the aid of leaves only, but with certain differences. In the first
place, care must be taken to let the plants feel the cold, but at the
same time to prevent the ground becoming frozen. A touch of frost will
render them more ready to grow when the cultivator brings his
persuasions to bear by heaping hot manure over the pots, and covering
the bed with a thick coat of the same. This is all that can be done, but
it is sufficient. In cases where leaves and other suitable materials are
not available, good Sea Kale may be grown by simply raising over each
crown a heap of sand or sifted coal ashes, provided some clean material
be interposed to keep the sand or ashes from actual contact with the
plant. When this heap begins to crack at the top it will be worth while
to examine it at the bottom, when there will be found a fine head of
blanched Sea Kale, and the mound will have served its purpose.
To grow Sea Kale from seed is a simple matter enough, but there is a
loss of a year as compared with growing it from roots. The ground should
be rich and well worked, and the seed sown in March or April in drills
one foot asunder if for planting out, or in patches about two and a half
feet apart each way if to remain. It is believed by many that Sea Kale
should stand where sown, and we admit that analogies are in favour of
the proposal. But every year such fine produce is obtained from
transplanted roots that we have not the courage to condemn a course of
procedure which may not be theoretically correct. The fact is, the root
is tough and enduring, and suffers but little by moderate exposure to
the atmosphere if handled in a reasonable manner. But to return to the
seeds: they sprout quickly, and, soon after, the plants make rapid
progress. Let them have liberal culture, keep them scrupulously clean,
and thin in good time. If quite convenient, give a light sprinkling of
salt occasionally in the summer: they will enjoy it, and the leaves will
not be injured in the least.
SHALLOT
Allium ascalonicum
The old-fashioned mode of culture is to plant on the shortest, and lift
the crop on the longest, day; but that is only applicable to the milder
parts of the country. As a rule, spring is the best time for planting,
and it should be done as early as the ground can be got into working
order—certainly not later than the middle of April. The soil should be
in a friable condition, and it must be trodden firmly, after the manner
usual for an Onion bed. Merely press the bulbs into the soil to keep
them in position, and put them in rows one foot apart, and nine inches
apart in the rows. They should not be earthed up, but, on the contrary,
when approaching maturity the soil should be drawn away so as to expose
the bulbs, for this facilitates the ripening process.
To store the roots for any length of time it will be necessary to have
them well ripened, and this point demands consideration. If dry weather
could be insured for harvesting the crop, it might be allowed to finish
in the ground; but as this cannot be relied on, it is a wise precaution
to lift the crop on some suitable opportunity before it is quite ready,
and allow the ripening to be completed in a protected airy place.
SPINACH
Spinacia oleracea
Spinach plays an important part in the economy of the dinner table.
There are unfortunate beings who cannot eat it, for they describe it as
bitter, sooty, and nauseous. Probably an equal number of persons
entertain a very high opinion as to its value. The rest of mankind
proclaim it a wholesome, savoury, and acceptable vegetable. Spinach will
grow anywhere and anyhow; but some little management is needed to keep
up a constant supply of large, dark green leaves, that when properly
cooked will be rich in flavour as the result of good cultivation. To
produce first-class Spinach a well-tilled rich loam is needed, but a
capital sample may be grown on clay that has been some time in
cultivation.
Summer Spinach.—The early sowings of Round or Summer Spinach should
be in a sheltered situation, but not directly shaded. Sow in drills
twelve to fifteen inches apart, and one inch deep, beginning in January,
although the first sowing may fail, and continue to sow about every
fortnight until the middle of May. The earliest sowing should be on dry
ground, but the later sowings will do well on damp soil with a little
shade from the midday sun. It is important to thin the crop early, as it
should not be in the least drawn. This is the only essential point in
securing a fine growth, for if the plant cannot spread from the
beginning it will never become luxuriant, and will soon run up to seed.
Thin at first to six inches, and if large enough for use, send the
thinnings into the house. Before the leaves overlap thin finally to
twelve inches. Every plant will cover the space, and it will suffice to
take the largest leaves, two or three only from each plant, and thus a
basket may be filled in a few minutes with really fine Spinach.
As the heat of the summer increases, the crop will be inclined to bolt.
The starved plant will bolt first; the plant in rich moist soil, with
plenty of room to spread, will be more leisurely about it, and will give
time for the production of a succession crop to take its place. The
sowings from May to July should be small and numerous, and on rich moist
land, to be aided, if needful, with water. In many gardens there is a
sufficient variety of vegetables after the middle of June to render it
unnecessary to keep up the supplies of Spinach, and it is best to
dispense with it, if possible, during July and August.
Winter Spinach.—The sowing of Winter Spinach should commence in
July, and be continued until the end of September, subject to the
capabilities of the place. In gardens near towns, where the land is at
all heavy, it is generally useless to sow after August, as the autumnal
fogs are likely to destroy a plant that is only just out of the
seed-leaf. But in favoured localities, with a warm soil and a soft air,
seed may be sown up to the very end of the year with but little risk of
loss. The winter crops are sometimes sown broadcast, but drilling is to
be preferred, and the rows may be twelve to fifteen inches apart. Thin
at first to three inches, and afterwards to six inches, and leave them
at this distance, for Winter Spinach may be a little crowded with
advantage, because the weather and the black bot will now and then
remove a plant. Should ground vermin claim attention, the best way to
proceed will be to scratch shallow furrows very near the plants, taking
care not to injure them. This may be done with the hoe, but if time can
be spared it will be better to do it with a short pointed stick, having
at hand, as the work progresses, a vessel into which to throw the grubs
as they come to light when the earth is disturbed. Where small birds are
in sufficient numbers, they will observe the disturbance of the earth,
and diligently search for the grubs at hours when the cultivator is no
longer on the search himself.
The July sowings will be useful in the autumn and throughout the winter,
as the weather may determine; the later sowings will be useful in
spring. Plants may be drawn where they can be spared to make room for
the remainder, but leaves only should be taken when the plant is large
enough to supply them. When symptoms of bolting become visible in the
spring, cut the plants over at the collar, and at once prepare the
ground for another crop.
New Zealand Spinach (Tetragonia expansa).—Gardeners are only too
well acquainted with the difficulty of maintaining an unbroken supply of
true Spinach during the burning summer months. But the weather which
makes it almost impossible to produce a satisfactory crop of Spinacia
oleracea brings New Zealand Spinach to perfection. The latter is prized
by some persons because it lacks the peculiar bitterness of the former.
The plant is rather tender, and therefore to obtain an early supply the
seed must be raised in heat. It may be sown in pots or pans at the end
of March or beginning of April. Transfer the seedlings to small pots
immediately they are large enough, and gradually harden in preparation
for removal to the open ground towards the end of May. They should be
put into light soil in a sunny position, and be allowed three or four
feet apart each way. It is not unusual to grow them on a heap of
discarded potting soil, where they can ramble without restraint. The
growth is rapid, and there must be no stint of water in dry weather. In
five or six weeks the first lot of tender shoots will be ready for
pinching off. Those who do not care to incur trouble under glass may sow
in the open in the early part of May, and thin the plants to the
distance named.
Perpetual Spinach, or Spinach Beet (Beta Cicla).—A valuable plant
for producing a regular supply of leaves which make an excellent Spinach
at a period of the year when the ordinary Summer Spinach is past its
prime. Although it is a true Beet, the roots are worthless, and there
should be liberal treatment to insure an abundant growth of leaves. Seed
may be sown from March to the end of July or beginning of August, in
rows one foot apart. Thin the plants to a distance of six or eight
inches in the rows. When the leaves are ready for gathering, they must
be removed, whether wanted or not, to promote continuous growth.
Orache is frequently used as a substitute for Spinach where the
ordinary variety fails. Seed should be sown during the spring months,
and as the plant frequently attains a height of five feet allow a
distance of at least three feet in each direction for development. Red
Orache is useful for growing in ornamental borders, but it is not so
suitable for culinary purposes as the white variety. The leaves only are
eaten.
STACHYS TUBERIFERA
This vegetable is commonly known as the Chinese Artichoke, and from the
peculiar form it is also called Spirals. A wide difference of opinion
exists as to its value, but in its favour the fact may be stated that
tubers are often exhibited in the finest collections of vegetables
staged for competition.
The time for planting is early spring, in rows eighteen inches apart,
allowing a distance of nine inches in the rows. The proper depth is four
inches. The roots are quite hardy and the crop gives no trouble. After
planting it is only necessary to keep the plot free from weeds.
The tubers do not mature until late in autumn, and as far as possible it
is advisable to lift them when they are wanted. Should it be necessary
for any reason to clear the ground, the Stachys must be covered with
soil. When exposed to light and air they soon become discoloured and are
then unfit for cooking. It is usual to boil them in the same manner as
Potatoes, but the finish must be by steam alone. An agreeable variation
consists in frying the boiled roots with butter until slightly brown,
when the dish is considered by many connoisseurs to be very delicious
and suitable for serving with poultry or joint.
STRAWBERRY
Fragaria
Probably the first thought will be that the Strawberry is a fruit, and
that the consideration of its treatment is out of place in a series of
articles on the culture of vegetables. The answer is that the plant
forms an essential feature in every good Kitchen Garden, and the general
routine of work has to be arranged with due regard to this crop, so that
we need make no apology for alluding to it here.
When to Plant.—The Strawberry is the most certain of all our hardy
fruits, and is much valued both for eating fresh as a summer luxury and
as a preserve for winter use. Although it deserves the best of
cultivation, its demands are few, for under the poorest system of
management it is often extremely prolific, and not unseldom the most
profitable crop in the garden. We have choice of seeds, divisions, and
runners in making a plantation of Strawberries. The universal way is the
best way, and it consists in planting rooted runners of named sorts in
an open sunny spot in well-prepared ground any time during spring or
autumn, when fresh and good runners are obtainable; but late planting is
undesirable, for when the plants have not time to establish themselves
before winter sets in many are lost. If, therefore, the planting cannot
be accomplished at the latest by the beginning of October, it is better
to defer the task until the spring. Plants put in at the latter time
should have the flower-stems removed, and will then yield a heavy crop
in the succeeding season.
Treatment of Soil.—The best soil for Strawberries is a rich, moist,
sandy loam, but a heavy soil will answer perfectly if it is well
prepared. The ground should be trenched and liberally enriched with
rotten manure placed between the top and bottom spits, where the plants
will reach it when they are most in need. In a new soil that is rather
stiff it will be advisable, when the trenching has been completed, to
put down the line and cut shallow trenches, which should be filled with
any rather fine kindly stuff that may be at hand, such as old hot-bed
soil, leaf-mould, or a mixture of material turned out of pots, with some
good decayed manure. In this the young plants will root freely and
quickly without becoming gross, for they should attain a certain degree
of vigour; but an excessive leaf growth may result in losses during
winter, and a small crop of fruit in the following year. Well-cultivated
soils need no such special preparation, but in any case a good digging
and a liberal manuring are absolutely necessary. And here it may be well
to state that after the plants have obtained a firm hold on the soil it
matters not how hard the ground becomes. The practice of some growers in
running a plough lightly between the rows either for a mulch, or to give
the plants the full benefit of rain, does not in the least degree upset
this conclusion, for this only creates a loose and friable surface, and
the operation is so managed that the soil near the roots remains
undisturbed. It may be accepted as a secret of successful Strawberry
culture that the bed should be firm and compact, and, in forcing, this
principle is so far recognised that the soil is positively rammed into
the pots.
Method of Planting.—If Strawberry plants come to hand somewhat dry,
unpack them quickly, and spread them in small lots in a cool shady
place, and sprinkle lightly with water to refresh them. A deluge of
water is not needed, and in fact will do harm, but enough to moisten
them will put them in a condition to begin growing as soon as they are
properly located. In planting, a little extra care in the disposition of
the roots in the soil will be well repaid, for plants merely thrust into
the ground cannot develop that robust root growth on which the future of
the crop largely depends. When preparing the positions it is an
excellent plan to build in the centre of each excavation a mound of
earth over which to spread the fibrous roots. Then return the soil and
firmly tread down. As a finish give each plant a copious watering. On no
account should the plant be deeply buried, but the crown should be left
just clear of the surface level. The distances in planting will have to
be determined by the relative vigour of the varieties and the nature of
the ground. As a rule the rows should be two feet apart, and the plants
eighteen inches in the rows, but some varieties require fully two and a
half feet between the rows. It is good practice to leave a three-feet
space between every two rows for necessary traffic. A modification of
the plan consists in planting a foot apart each way; and immediately the
first crop of fruit is off every alternate row is removed, and then
every alternate plant in each row is also taken out. This places the
remainder at two feet every way. The ground is then lightly forked and a
heavy coat of manure put on.
The general management comprises keeping down weeds, supplying water
abundantly in dry weather, especially when the berries are swelling, and
removing runners as fast as they appear, for to allow them to get ahead
is most injurious, and any serious neglect of this rule is likely to
ruin the plantation. The Strawberry plant makes no proper return on a
dry lumpy soil. Large plantations that cannot be watered must be aided
in the height of the season by covering the ground with any light
material which will prevent evaporation. As to obtaining runners, that
is easy enough, but there is a good way and a bad way. To allow them to
spread and root promiscuously is the bad way; it injures the plants,
makes the bed disorderly, and does not produce good runners. At the time
when runners begin to push, dig and manure the surrounding spaces, and
allow a certain number of runners to come out from each side of the
rows. As they approach maturity and are disposed to make roots, lay
tiles or stones upon the runners near to the young plants to favour the
process, but a neater way will be to peg them down. Or they may be fixed
by short pegs in small pots, filled with light rich earth and plunged in
the soil.
To keep the crop clean many plans are adopted, and the plant probably
takes its name from the old custom of covering the ground with straw for
the purpose. The cultivator must be left to his own devices, because of
the difficulty in many places of obtaining suitable material. But we
must warn the beginner in Strawberry culture against grass mowings as
more or less objectionable. They sometimes answer perfectly, and at
other times they encourage slugs and snails to spoil the crop, and if
partially rotted by wet weather communicate to the fruit a bad flavour.
There is a very simple means of feeding the crop and making a clean bed
for the fruit. It consists in putting on a good coat of long, strong
manure in February, and in doing this it is no great harm if the plants
are in some degree covered. They will soon push up and show themselves,
and by the time the fruit appears the straw will be washed clean, and
the crop being thus aided will be a great one, weather permitting. As
regards cutting off the leaves, we advise the removal of old large
leaves as soon as the crop is gathered. But this should be done with a
knife; to use a scythe amongst Strawberries is to ruin the plantation.
The object of removing old leaves is to admit light and air to the young
leaves, for on the free growth of these the formation of good crowns for
the next year’s use depends. By encouraging the young leaves to grow,
root action is promoted, and the embryo buds are formed that will, in
the next summer, develop into Strawberries.
Some gardeners recommend the removal of the Strawberry plantation every
three years. It is a better plan to make a small plantation annually,
and at the same time destroy an old plantation that has served its turn.
But we are bound to say that Strawberry plantations, well made and well
kept, will often last and prove profitable for six or even more years.
But this will never be the case where there is a stint of manure or
water, or where the runners are allowed to run in their own way to make
a Strawberry mat and a jam of the wrong sort. The Strawberry fancier
does not wish to keep a plantation any great length of time, and he must
plant annually to taste the new sorts. This to many people is one of the
chief delights of the garden, and it certainly has its attractions.
Forced Strawberries.—The high price realised on the market for the
earliest supply of forced Strawberries is a sufficient proof that
society is prepared to pay handsomely for this refreshing luxury. As the
season advances and competition becomes keen the figure rapidly
declines, but ‘Strawberries at a guinea an ounce’ has more than once
appeared as a sensational head-line in the daily press.
The fruiting of Strawberries in pots is part of the annual routine of
nearly all large establishments, but even with the most perfect
appliances it must be admitted that to produce berries which win
appreciation for their size, colour, and flavour demands both skill and
patience, especially patience.
Strong well-rooted plants are essential to success, and no trouble
should be spared to secure them from robust free-fruiting stocks. The
earliest runners must either be layered on square pieces of mellow turf
or over thumb pots filled with a good rich compost. When the runners are
fairly rooted in the layers of turf or the thumb pots they should be
transferred to pots of the fruiting size. No. 32 is generally used for
the purpose. After the pots have been crocked some growers add a layer
of half-inch bones, which aid the plants and insure free drainage. The
most satisfactory soil is a rich fibrous loam, with the addition of
one-fourth of well-rotted manure and a small proportion of sand, and the
compost must be well firmed into the pots with the ramming stick.
The best place to keep the plants is an open airy situation, easily
accessible, where the pots can stand on a bed of ashes. On the approach
of frost they can be transferred to a cold frame, keeping them close to
the glass, or they may be plunged in ashes in some sheltered position.
When the time arrives for forcing, it is usual to commence by plunging
the pots in a bed of warm leaves or in a mild half-spent hot-bed.
Immediately the plants show sign of blooming they must be shifted to
warmer quarters. A shelf at the back of an early vinery or Peach-house,
quite near the glass, is a suitable position. The temperature at
starting should be 55° Fahr., rising gradually to 60° by the time the
leafage is thoroughly developed.
The appearance of the flower trusses is a critical period. Liquid manure
should then be given freely, and at the same time the plants must have
abundance of light and a warm dry atmosphere. The blossoms need to be
artificially fertilised with a camel’s-hair pencil, choosing midday as
the best time for this operation.
When the crop has set it must be thinned to about nine berries on each
plant, and in due time the fruits should have the support of forked
sticks. Care will be necessary to prevent injury to the stalks, or the
flow of sap to the berries may be arrested. Syringe twice a day in dry
weather; and on the first show of colour discontinue the manure-water
and use pure soft water only. At this stage a night temperature of 65°
must be maintained, giving all the air and light possible.
More failures in the pot culture of Strawberries are attributable to
neglect in watering than to any other cause. The soil must never be
allowed to become dry. Should the leaves once droop they seldom recover.
At least twice a day the plants will need attention, and it is important
that the water should be of the same temperature as the atmosphere.
Always leave the cans full in readiness for the next visit.
Alpine Strawberries are very largely grown in France, probably more so
than the large-fruited varieties which are popular in this country. The
best method is to sow the seeds in January, in pans filled with a light
rich compost and placed in a gentle heat. Prick out the plants on to a
bed of light soil in a frame, or on a nearly exhausted hot-bed, whence
they should be taken to the open ground. From these sowings fine fruits
may usually be gathered in the following September. Seeds may also be
sown outdoors in spring or in September in shallow drills, six inches
apart, on a bed of light soil. Transplant in due course for fruiting in
the succeeding Strawberry season. When a full crop has been gathered the
plants should be destroyed, a succession being kept up by sowing
annually. By slowly growing the plants from spring-sown seeds and
potting in autumn, it is not a difficult matter to have Alpines in fruit
under glass at Christmas.
SUNFLOWER
Helianthus annuus
Although the Sunflower is not utilised as food for man, the plant is
frequently grown in the Kitchen Garden, partly as an ornament, and also
for the production of seeds which are given to poultry.
As regards cultivation, sow in pans in April, and put on a gentle
hot-bed, or shut up close in a sunny frame. The plants will soon appear.
Give them light and air, and plant out when they are two or three inches
high. But Sunflowers can be grown without any kind of artificial aid. A
simple and effectual method is to make the spot intended for them very
rich, and dibble the seed an inch deep on the first day of May.
TOMATO
Lycopersicum esculentum
The taste for Tomatoes often begins with a little antipathy, but it is
soon acquired, and not infrequently develops into decided fondness for
the fruit both cooked and in its natural condition. As a necessary
article of food the call for it in this country is no longer limited to
a select circle of epicures, for the value of its refreshing,
appetising, and corrective properties is now widely recognised, and its
advance in public favour has been accelerated by the improved quality,
enhanced beauty, and increased variety effected by expert raisers.
The Tomato is a tender, but not a tropical plant, and it requires a
moderately high temperature, free access of air, and above all a full
flood of solar light to bring it to perfection. The necessary heat is
easily managed in any garden equipped with ordinary forcing appliances;
so also is a current of air in properly constructed buildings; but the
deficiency of light during the darker months renders the task of
producing fruit in midwinter less easy than at other seasons. By the
introduction of varieties possessing increased powers of crop-setting,
however, the difficulty of winter fruiting has been largely overcome, so
that, with efficient management, it is now possible to send Tomatoes to
table throughout the year.
Almost every imaginable glass structure can be employed for growing
Tomatoes, from the small suburban greenhouse to the vast span-roof,
hundreds of feet in length, devoted to their culture in the Channel
Islands. And it is not essential that the crop should be grown alone.
Potatoes, French Beans, Strawberries, and Vines may be forced in the
same building, provided there be no obstruction to light and air, nor
any interference with the conditions which experience has proved to be
imperative for sustaining the plants in vigorous health. For winter and
spring gathering there must be a service of hot-water pipes, but as the
season advances it is easy to ripen fruit in cool houses, and later on
plants outdoors will in favourable seasons yield an abundant return
without artificial protection of any kind.
INDOOR CULTURE—Sowing and Transplanting.—Seed may be sown at almost
any time of the year, but the most important months are January to
March, August and September. In gardens favourably situated in the South
of England and furnished with the most perfect appliances, seed is sown
in all these months, and in others also; but in smaller gardens sowings
are generally restricted to February and March. Whenever a start is made
sow thinly and about half an inch deep, in pans or boxes, and do not
allow the seedlings to remain in them for an unnecessary day.
Immediately two or at most four leaves are formed either prick off into
other pans or boxes, or transfer singly to thumb pots, and as a rule the
pots will be found preferable. The soil for these pans or pots should be
stored in the greenhouse a few days in advance of the transfer, so that
the compost may acquire the proper temperature and save the plants from
an untimely check. In small houses place the plants near the glass that
they may remain short in the joint, but on cold nights they must be
taken down to avoid injury from fluctuations of temperature. In large
houses, where the light is well diffused, there is no need to incur this
trouble, for the seedlings will do equally well on the ground level. In
due time shift into six-inch pots, from which they can go straight to
borders, or into a larger size if they are to be fruited in pots. About
fourteen weeks will be required to prepare the plants for borders in the
winter season, but a shorter period will suffice in spring and summer.
Plants from an August or September sowing will not mature fruit in much
less than six months, while a March sowing will yield a return in four
months or less. A great deal depends on the character of the season, and
more on skill and attention. Those who sow in January or February should
sow again a fortnight later, and onwards until the end of April,
according to requirements. For winter supplies a first sowing may be
made in June, in a cold frame, and prepared for transfer to fruiting
pots in September.
Treatment of Soil.—In the first instance there need be no anxiety
about soil. Any fairly good sandy loam will answer for the seed-pans,
and if too stiff it may be freely mixed with sharp sand or the sifted
sweepings from roads and gravel walks. A fibrous loam, cut from a rich
pasture, and laid up in a heap for twelve months, will, with an addition
of wood ashes and grit, make an ideal soil for pots or borders. As the
plants advance, leaf-mould or thoroughly decayed manure in moderate
quantity should be supplied; but, instead of incorporating it with the
loam in the usual way, it will be found advantageous to place the manure
immediately above the crocks, and the roots will find it at the right
time. But the quantity of manure must not be overdone, especially in the
earlier stages of growth, because excessive luxuriance neither promotes
fruitfulness nor conduces to early ripening. After the fruit has set, a
mulch of decayed manure will aid the plants in finishing a heavy crop.
Manure which is only partially fermented will not do at all. The ammonia
it liberates exerts so deadly a power that the plants are quickly
scorched.
In its demand for potash the Tomato closely resembles the Potato, and of
the two the former is the more exacting. So quickly does this crop
exhaust the soil, that in small houses it is usual to take out the earth
to a depth of fifteen or eighteen inches every second or third year, and
replace it with virgin loam. Others grow the Tomatoes alternately in the
bed and in pots, but this is only a partial remedy. Constant dressings
of farmyard or stable manure result in the formation of humus, which, as
it becomes sour, has to be sweetened by the solvent influence of lime.
The chief objection to the use of stable manure, however, even when well
rotted, is that it induces a free growth of foliage instead of promoting
an early development of fruit. The most enduring method is that which is
based on chemical knowledge of the constituents of the soil, and the
relation which the plant bears to it. One of the most successful growers
for the London market almost entirely avoids the use of stable manure,
and he is able, by applications of nitrate of potash, dissolved bones,
and the occasional use of lime, to grow splendid crops in the same
houses year after year.
All the conditions which answer for border work are applicable to pots,
and a limited number of plants brought forward in succession will supply
the requirements of a small household from early spring until near
Christmas. The pot system is conducive to free setting and to early
ripening, and for these reasons it is worth attention. The plants should
be kept short in the joint by frequent shifts until the twelve-inch pot
is reached, and this size will accommodate two cordons or one plant
having two branches, each of which will require a separate stake for its
support. Plunging the pots can be adopted to save labour in watering.
Temperatures.—No advantage is to be gained by attempting to force
Tomatoes in a higher temperature than is consistent with healthy
progress, although in winter there is great temptation in the direction
of overheating. Full time for development in moderate heat will bring
stout joints, and impart a vigorous constitution that materially aids
the plants in resisting the insidious attacks of disease. The waning
autumn and dull winter days are the most troublesome periods of
management, and it is remarkable that of two days equal in duration and
apparently in other conditions, the autumnal appears to be less
favourable than the spring day. But if, on the one hand, a high
temperature is injurious, a low temperature must be avoided; although
for a time it may not appear to be harmful. A temperature of 60° or 65°
suits the seed-pans, and after transfer to pots and the roots have
become established, the thermometer should not register less than 55°
during the night. It may rise 10° by means of fire heat in the daytime,
and during bursts of sunshine another 10° or 15° will be quite safe,
always assuming that the roots are not dry, and that the plants have
free ventilation.
Watering.—The judicious administration of water forms an important
feature in the culture of the Tomato. The plant is too succulent to
endure drought with impunity, and it is mere folly to toy with the
water-can. Saturate down to the roots, and then leave the plants alone
until more water is wanted. No hard and fast rule can be stated as to
frequency. It depends on the condition of the soil, the period of the
year, and the age of the plants. Borders and soil for pots should be
made sufficiently moist in advance, so that watering will not be
necessary immediately after the plants are transferred. The prevalent
opinion that excessive watering generates disease is not confirmed by
our experience. Of course the watering should not be excessive for many
reasons, but the diseases which are often attributed to over-watering
are the result of atmospheric mismanagement.
General Treatment.—Authorities are not agreed as to whether branched
plants or simple cordons yield the better results. In our judgment the
single stem deserves preference, and it is now more extensively grown
than any other form, although plants having two branches are almost
equally popular. Certainly the cordon can be managed with extreme ease;
it is admittedly the earliest producer, and there is a general consensus
of opinion that the fruit it produces is unsurpassed in size and
quality. The doubtful point is quantity, but even here the difference,
if any, is too trifling to be worth the consideration of private
growers. Cordons are formed by removing the laterals as fast as they
appear, and when the fruit has set, or the requisite height is attained,
the top is also pinched out.
The space allowed for each plant varies greatly, especially among
growers for market. Under glass every branched Tomato should be allowed
at least three feet each way. For cordons we advocate a distance between
the rows of three feet, and a space of two feet in the row is not too
much. The stems require support of some kind, and stakes are preferable
to string; but of course the stems may be secured to wires whenever it
is convenient to run the plants immediately under the glass.
Another point upon which authorities differ is the extent to which
Tomatoes should be denuded of their foliage. Some growers condemn the
procedure entirely; others reduce their plants to skeletons. Both
extremes are objectionable, for when all the leaves are permitted to
remain there is delay or partial failure in colouring the fruit, and the
almost entire removal of foliage checks the root action injuriously. In
practice it answers well to wait until the fruit has set, then by
pinching out the leading point of each leaf, commencing at the bottom,
ripening and colouring are promoted, and the health of the plant remains
unimpaired.
In dull weather, and especially in short days, a difficulty is sometimes
experienced in setting the fruit, particularly the first bunch. After
fruit has begun to swell on one bunch, the remainder set with
comparative ease. A rather higher temperature than usual combined with
free movement of the atmosphere is generally sufficient to insure
fertilisation. If assistance is necessary, however, water the plants
early in the afternoon, and close the house rather before the usual
time. The warm atmosphere will develop plenty of pollen, and a gentle
shaking of the flower bunches with a slight touch from a hazel twig will
liberate visible clouds, which will effectually set the fruit. Another
method is to lift a flat label or paper knife against the flowers. The
label becomes covered with pollen, and by gently touching each flower
with a slight upward pressure a great number can be fertilised in a few
minutes. A soft brush passed over the flowers daily has the same effect.
Plants in the open ground need no such attention if they are in good
health and the season is at all genial. When a bunch of flowers contains
one that is fasciated or confused, the flower should be pinched out to
prevent the formation of large and ugly fruit. The remainder of the
bunch will be the finer for its absence.
OUTDOOR CULTURE.—For the open ground it is important to choose a
variety that ripens early. The plants should be vigorous, and they must
be carefully hardened before they are put out. Sow the seed in heat in
February or March, and when large enough transfer the seedlings to
single pots until wanted. Every effort should be made to avoid giving
the plants a check, and if room is available they may be potted on to
the six-inch size and allowed to form one truss of bloom before planting
out, thus saving valuable time. The end of May is usually the right time
for transfer to the open, but Tomatoes will not endure a keen east wind
or nipping frost. During the prevalence of unfavourable weather it is
advisable to wait a week or more rather than risk the destruction of the
plants. When the temperature appears to be fairly reliable, put them
into holes a foot deep and eighteen inches across, filled with light
soil not too rich. For a few nights until the roots take hold slight
protection should be at hand to assure safety; Sea Kale pots answer
admirably, and are easily placed in position. In addition to beds all
sorts of places are suitable for Tomatoes, such as under warm palings or
walls, on sloping banks and in sheltered nooks, where they will thrive
and yield valuable fruit. Stout stakes are required and should be
promptly provided. Pinch out the lateral shoots, and as soon as the
fruits commence to colour some of the largest leaves may be partially
removed. Early in August nip out the tips of the leaders in order to
encourage ripening. Thus in the open garden a supply of this delicacy
may be insured for part of the year equal in quality to fruit which is
grown under glass. (See also page 181.)
The diseases of the Tomato are dealt with in the chapter on The Fungus
Pests of certain Garden Plants.
TURNIP
Brassica Rapa
The Turnip is not a difficult garden crop; indeed, the simplest
management will produce an ample supply, and any fairly good ground will
suffice for it. But whatever is worth doing is worth doing well, and a
gardener may be pardoned for taking an especial pride in producing a
sufficiency of handsome and tender Turnips. The great point is to insure
a succession through a long season, or, say, the whole year round, for
Turnips are always in request, and at certain periods of the year
delicate young roots are greatly valued for the table.
The finest Turnips are grown in deep, sandy loam, kept in a high state
of cultivation. Useful Turnips may be grown on any soil, but a handsome
sample of the finest quality cannot be produced on heavy clay or thin
limestone. In common with other fast-growing plants of the cruciferous
order, Turnips must have lime in some form, and in many gardens it will
occasionally be necessary to give a dressing of lime in addition to the
ordinary manure. Superphosphate, bone, and old plaster or mortar from
destroyed buildings, are all valuable in preparing the soil for this
crop.
Times of Sowing.—An early crop of small bulbs may be grown by sowing
in January on a very gentle hot-bed as prescribed for early Radishes,
and it may be well to add, that in an emergency white Turnip Radishes
may be made to take the place of Turnips, both to flavour soups and to
appear as a dish in the usual way. Fast-growing Turnips may be sown on a
sheltered warm border in February and March, to be carefully watched and
protected when unkind weather prevails. In April and May sowings should
be made consistently with the probable wants of the household, but the
May sowings should comprise two or three sorts in the event of hot dry
weather spoiling some of them.
The principal sowings for autumn and winter supplies are made in June
and July, but seed may also be sown in August. Ground from which some
crop, such as Peas, has just been cleared generally needs little
preparation beyond breaking the surface with a hoe, followed by a good
raking. Thin the plants early and let them stand finally at six to nine
inches apart in the rows. For late crops seed is often sown broadcast,
the roots being pulled as they mature.
General Culture.—It is advisable to sow Turnips in drills on a fine
tilth, and it is an advantage to have a sufficiency of some stimulating
manure near the surface to hurry the growth of the young plant, for the
danger of fly belongs to the seed-leaf stage. Generally speaking, the
Turnip fly does but little harm in gardens; but where it is much feared,
the seed should be sown in prepared drills to encourage a quick growth.
Draw the drills twelve to fifteen inches apart, three inches deep, and
about the same width, and almost fill them with rotten manure, or with a
mixture of earth and guano, or wood ashes; cover this with a little fine
soil to prevent injury to the seed; then sow, and lightly conceal the
seed with earth as a finish. If the ground is sufficiently moist, growth
will commence almost immediately, and the plant will come up strong, and
very quickly put forth rough leaves. In the general management more
depends on timely and judicious thinning than upon any other point. If
Turnips are not well thinned, so that each plant can spread its green
head unimpeded by the leaves of a neighbour, a good growth cannot be
expected; and thinning by the hoe should be commenced as soon as the
rough leaves appear. The operation must be repeated until the plants are
at a suitable distance, and then comes the process of singling, which
should be done by hand. It will be found that in many cases two or three
little plants stand together looking like one. There must be only one
left at each station, and that should be the shortest. The distances may
vary from four to ten inches, according to the vigour of the variety and
the kind of Turnips required. An easy and profitable plan is to allow a
certain number of bulbs to swell to supply young Turnips, and, by
drawing these, leave room for the remainder of the crop to attain its
proper size for storing.
The Turnip likes a light soil, but does not well endure the occasional
dryness to which light soils are subject. This fact accounts for many
failures of the crop in a hot dry season, for sunshine suits the Turnip,
but it must have moisture or suffer deterioration in some way. If,
therefore, the soil becomes dry, and there is no prospect of rain, the
Turnips should have water, not simply to moisten the surface, but to go
to the roots, for frequent watering is not good for the crop, as it
tends to spoil the beauty of the bulbs, and promotes a rank leaf-growth
which is not wanted. An occasional heavy watering in dry weather will
also do much towards the repression of the many enemies that beset this
useful root—the jumpers, the grubs, the weevils, and the rest of the
vermin will be routed out of their snug hiding-places in the dusty soil
when the watering takes place, and the death of many will follow. But so
long as the soil is fairly moist at the depth the roots are ranging,
there is no need for watering, and the time it would consume may be
utilised for other work.
Lifting and Storing.—On the approach of winter a certain portion of
the Turnip crop should be lifted and stored. In doing this the tops must
be cut off, not too close, but just leaving a slight green neck, and the
roots should be rather shortened than removed; at all events, to cut the
roots off close is bad practice: when so treated the bulbs do not keep
well. Any rough storage answers for Turnips, the object being to keep
them plump by excluding the atmosphere, and at the same time render them
safe against frost. The portion of the crop left in the ground may be
lifted as wanted in the same way as Parsnips, but this should be done
systematically, so that the ground which is cleared may be dug over and
ridged up before winter. Those that remain will be in a piece, and will
give a good crop of spring greens, after which they may be made use of
as manure by putting them at the bottom of a trench.
Some of the foes that war against the Turnip crop are alluded to at
greater length later on. Happily, the gardener has many friends that are
insufficiently known to the farmer, not the least important being the
starlings, song birds, and occasionally (but not often) the sparrows.
Where the cultivation is good and small birds abound, the Turnip crop is
pretty safe, and the general routine of culture sketched above will
certainly promote, if it does not absolutely secure, its safety. The
worst foes of the Turnip in the field are the fly and the caterpillar;
but in the garden, and more especially the old garden, anbury is the
most to be feared. When this happens the cultivator may rest satisfied
that the soil is in fault, and this may be owing to a bad routine of
cropping. Wherever anbury appears, whether on Cabbages or Turnips or any
other cruciferous plant, there should be worked out a complete change in
the order of cropping, taking care not to put any brassicaceous plants
on the plots where the disease has occurred for two or three seasons,
and allowing at least one whole year to pass without growing any of the
cruciferous order upon them. In the meantime, for other crops the land
should be well trenched and limed, and generously tilled. The result
will be profitable crops of other kinds of vegetables and a refreshing
of the soil that will enable it to carry brassicaceous plants again,
with but little risk of the recurrence of anbury. Good cultivation is
the only panacea known against the plagues that assail our crops. This
does not surely secure them, for the elements are capricious and beyond
our control; but where good cultivation prevails the failures are few,
and even unfavourable seasons do not utterly obliterate the benefits of
past labour.
Swede.—There are several advantages in growing Swedes as one of the
garden crops. They are hardy in constitution and prolong the supply of a
wholesome vegetable. In districts where Turnips are unsatisfactory,
Swedes prove successful, and are appreciated for their delicacy of
flavour when grown from stocks which have been carefully selected for
the purpose. The culture is in all respects the same as for Turnip. The
date of sowing depends on the district. In the north it is safe to sow
at the beginning of May, but in the midlands and southern counties of
England the end of May or beginning of June is early enough.
VEGETABLE MARROW
Cucurbita Pepo ovifera
The Vegetable Marrow does not, in a general way, obtain the right kind
of attention in gardens. It is very generally grown and is much valued
as a summer vegetable. But too often the aim of the cultivator is to
obtain large Marrows, that at the very best are coarse and troublesome
to the cook and are always wanting in substance and flavour, instead of
smallish Marrows, which are easily dressed, elegant on the table, and
combine with a substantial and somewhat glutinous pulp a most delicious
flavour. Two fears beset the average gardener: he is afraid to grow
small sorts, and he is afraid to cut them when quite young. When he can
overcome these fears he will appreciate the smaller Marrows that have of
late years been secured by patient labour in cross-breeding, for while
they are of the highest quality, they are also early and productive, far
surpassing all the larger Marrows in quickness and usefulness. The
market grower we do not pretend to advise, for he must grow what he can
sell; and if the smaller Marrows are insufficiently appreciated in
gardens, we cannot hope to see them on sale in shops.
The Vegetable Marrow will grow in any good soil, and although a tender
plant, it is so accommodating that if the seed is sown on a piece of
newly dug clay land in the latter part of May, or early in June, the
plants will thrive and produce a heavy crop the same season. We put this
as an extreme case, but we do not recommend such a careless mode of
growing this valuable vegetable. The fact is, it pays better to grow it
well than to grow it ill; and in a country where land and labour are
costly, and the summer very uncertain, it is best to take such a thing
in hand scientifically, and provide for it as many favourable conditions
as possible. Three conditions are imperative: a moderate bottom heat
from fermenting material; a kindly, loamy soil, quite mellow, in which
the roots can run freely; and a sufficiency of water, for this is a
thirsty plant. But the excessive use of manure is undesirable, as this
only forces a rank growth of foliage at the expense of the fruit.
Frame culture is of some importance, because early Marrows are highly
valued at good tables. For this business the neat-growing, small-fruited
kinds should be chosen, as they yield a great crop in a small compass.
The best place for an early crop of Marrows is a brick pit, with
hot-water pipes for top heat, and a bed of fermenting materials for
bottom heat. It is no difficult matter to obtain a supply in a house
with Cucumbers, but it is better to grow the Marrows apart, as they
require less heat and less moisture than Cucumbers. In making up the
bed, it is well to employ leaves largely, say to the extent of one-half,
the remainder being stable manure that has been twice turned. Such a bed
will give a mild heat for a great length of time, and the plants can be
put out upon it within three days of its being made up. When grown in a
common frame, the arrangements are much the same as advised for the
frame cultivation of the Cucumber, the chief points of difference being
that Marrows should have less heat and more air. The temperature for
Marrows under cover may range from 55° the minimum, to 80° the maximum;
the safe medium being about 65° when the weather is cold and dull;
running to 80° when strong sunshine prevails, and the plants are growing
freely with plenty of air. As for the general management, a bed nine
inches deep of good fibrous loam is required, with regular supplies of
water of the same temperature as the pits, so that the bed is always
reasonably moist, and every evening a slight syringing over the leaves
and the walls before shutting up. The training out is a very simple
matter. Let the vines run in their own way until they have made shoots
eighteen inches long, then nip out the points. After this there must be
no more stopping, but occasionally the laterals must be suppressed to
prevent crowding. Give air freely at every opportunity, and be careful
not to administer too much water, or the blunder will result in a
deficiency of fruit.
To grow Marrows in the open air, the best course of procedure is to
remove a portion of the top soil, to form a shallow trench four feet
wide. Into this carry one foot to eighteen inches depth of half-rotten
manure, or a mixture of equal parts of manure and leaves, and cover with
the soil that was taken out. This will produce a very gentle hot-bed
that will last until the natural ground heat is sufficient to keep the
plants in vigorous health. The middle of May is quite early enough to
make up the bed, and in the course of two or three days the plants may
be put out. Cover with hand-lights or small frames, which on the
following day should be tilted at bottom to admit a little air, and if
strong sunshine occurs, a Rhubarb leaf may be laid over to subdue the
glare upon the young plants. We will suppose these plants to have been
raised in a Cucumber frame from seeds sown in April. If plants are not
available, sow seeds in patches of two or three on the bed, and cover
with inverted large flower-pots, and with a piece of tile to stop the
hole. This plan hastens germination. Pots may also be used as protectors
if glass frames are not at command, being taken off during the day and
put on at night, the hole being left open to give a little air. During
bad weather the pots should remain all day over the plants, but as soon
as possible must be again taken off to keep the growth short, green, and
vigorous. The plants should be put singly down the centre of the bed,
three feet apart, and as a matter of course the seeds should be sown at
the same distance, and each clump of two or three should be reduced to
one when the plants are somewhat forward. It is advisable not to be in a
hurry in thinning the plants, for the slugs will probably compel some
modification of arrangements, so that sometimes it will be necessary to
lift a clump, and divide the plants, to fill up gaps where the slugs
have made a clearance. An occasional inspection in the after part of the
day, and again in the early morning, will be the best course to keep
down the slugs, as they may then be caught and disposed of; but a
dusting of soot around each clump will do much to protect the plants
against silent marauders. As for after-management, there is no occasion
whatever for any stopping or training, but now and then a stout peg may
be placed to keep some strong vine in order. The necessity for moisture
must not be overlooked. If the ground becomes dry the plants will
suffer, but with sufficient moisture they will continue growing and
bearing until the frost destroys them. Cut the Marrows when quite young,
for not only are they more useful on the table when small and tender,
but the plants will bear five times as many as when a few are permitted
to attain their full size. The explanation of the case is very simple.
The production of the young fruits does not in any appreciable degree
exhaust the plants; but when the fruits are allowed to develop, the
plant is too severely taxed, and a succession is pretty well brought to
a stop. The most delicately flavoured Marrows, as a rule, are the
smallest; these when cooked should be served whole, or at most only cut
into halves, and of course there is no occasion to remove the seeds.
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![[Illustration: Onion Fly]](https://openoldbooks.sgp1.digitaloceanspaces.com/books/the-culture-of-vegetables-and-flowers-from-seeds-and-roots/images/007.jpg)
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![[Illustration: Mealy Bug]](https://openoldbooks.sgp1.digitaloceanspaces.com/books/the-culture-of-vegetables-and-flowers-from-seeds-and-roots/images/011.jpg)
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![[Illustration: Fungi of Gladioli, Lilies, etc.]](https://openoldbooks.sgp1.digitaloceanspaces.com/books/the-culture-of-vegetables-and-flowers-from-seeds-and-roots/images/024.jpg)
![[Illustration: Fungus of Hollyhock]](https://openoldbooks.sgp1.digitaloceanspaces.com/books/the-culture-of-vegetables-and-flowers-from-seeds-and-roots/images/025.jpg)
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![[Illustration: Violet Disease]](https://openoldbooks.sgp1.digitaloceanspaces.com/books/the-culture-of-vegetables-and-flowers-from-seeds-and-roots/images/027.jpg)