The National tribune., 1882-02-25

SEASONABLE OPERATIONS AND HINTS.-Ihe
Vegetable Gdrden.-E Early crops of peas, carrots
potatoes beets &C.. and the main crops OF on
ions, parsnips carrots, and the seeds of such
plants as parsley, lettuce, radish, spinach, and
cabbage should be put in the ground as soon as
practicable as a weeks delay at this time may
prove to be the difference between failure and
a success but nothing will be gained by at
tempting to SOW before the ground is in fit
condition; clayey soils require especial care, for
if they are tramped upon while wet the ground
will not recover its friability for some time but
will remain lumpy and probably crack open in
assures during dry weather, to the great injury
Of the plants which may be struggling to grow
in it. All soils for early cropping should be
turned over in the fall; with clay soils this is
almost indispensable, in order to secure finely
divided and loose surface, and prepare them for
early spring seeding.
Manure to be applied to early maturing crops
should be well decomposed, evenly distributed
over the surface and worked into the soil with
harrow cultivator, or covered by blowing with
a shallow furrow not over three inches in depth.
In order that proper cultivation may be given,
it is necessary to grow all crops on the drill sys
TEN, and the drills should be so wide apart
as to admit the use of the spade, fork, horse
cutivator between them as may be most con-
venient The depth of the drills will vary as
to the kinds of seed to be sown it is safe rule
to cover seeds with depth of soil about equal
to their own thickness, and although this cannot
always be strictly done, yet it should be aimed
at as nearly as possible, and Immediately after
sowing, the soil should be pressed over the seed
by rolling or by tramping with the feet if the
area TO be gone over is small.
The chief difficulty in getting seed to vegetate
freely and so ensure good start of young plants
on most soils, is the tendency of the surface to
become hardened by dry winds; this caking of
the surface sometimes retards growth to an in
furious extent; sprinkling Of sand immedi-
ately over the drills or, still BETTER thin layer
of chat, are expedients which may be resorted
to in extremely tenacious soils
Young plants of tomatoes, elephants, pep
pers, and earl cabbages may be brought for
ward by sowing seeds in frames covered with
adass sashes. Set the frames in sheltered place
and keep the sashes close for several days so that
the soil may become warm before sowing the
seeds The glass should be covered during cold
nights by straw mats, or loose straw-the most
efficient of all coverings for this purpose, al
though somewhat unhandy to keep in place.
cold-frame of this kind is easier managed than
hot-bed, and for ordinary gardens answers every
purpose of forwarding plants to be set out in
May or later
Strawberries that covered before winter
should be examined, and the covering drawn
from the plants so that they may have the bene-
fit of the sun heat The most critical point in
connection with the winter covering of the
above as also the RASPBERRY and Fig, Is that OF
the uncovering in the spring; If too long de-
layed, the buds will have started and Will be
more or less injured when first exposed. 1t is
therefore safer to uncover early than to run the
risk OF having the buds start prematurely under
cover.
Cuttings Of CaTrd0fs, GOOseberrieS, and Grape
r'"eS should be set in the ground soon as
practicable The cuttings should be exclusively
OF last years growth, cut to lengths of about
elgnt inches, and inserted their entire length in
the ground leaving the top level with the sur
face OF the soil; the less that any portion Of
these cuttings are exposed to the atmosphere the
more likely are they TO succeed in forming