Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1885-05-08
Forwarding Garden Vegetables.

q speclal auNahlas0 ""
which is to cause it to produce or
mature earlier than it otherwise
would, he is said to forward it,
Tomatoes will bear long before
frost, if the seeds are sown in the
omen ground. By sowing seeds
ma hotsbed and raising the plants
Ne tomato is forwarded. Ifsthe
seeds we're sOwn last fall, and the
ulants Kept in dollhouse TO pro.
flnce fruit in the early spring, that
would be 'forcing.' Cncumbers are
forced under glass, but they may
also be forwarded. For illustra,
ton; to forward the cucumber, fill
some four.inch pots with fine, rich
soil SOW half a dozen cucumber
seeds in each and set the pots in, a,
hot bed, or stand them in a box
which can be set on the sill of the
kitchen window. Another method
of starting. the seeds, TIA good
piece of turf can be had, is this ;
Take up a thick, strong sod and'tit
it to a shallow box with the grassy,
s;da down The sides of the box
need not be over three inches high.
With a strong knife, cut the sod
into squares, which should be &C,
cordipg to the size of the box, three
or four inches square. Cut quite
down through the grass roots ana
tops to the bottom Of the box, to
make sure that the pieces can be
separated readily Sow several,
seeds in the earth of each piece OF
sod. which is of course bottom or
earth.side up. Set this box OF sods
in the window or in a hOt-bed, as
directed for tue pots. Either pots
OF sods must be watered as needed.
When the seeds are up and the
plants begin to show their rough
leaves. remove all but two or three
in each pot, or piece Of sod. Do
not pull ont the extra plants, as 1t
will disturb the roots of those
which are to be left, bat cut them
of with a knife, or pinch them of
with the thumb aud finger nails,
close to the ground.
When the weather is settled, pre-
mare well MANFRED hills in the gar
den. Set the pots in a pail or tub
of blood. warm water and let them
soak until the earthin them 10 wet
through. Take them out and let
them drain for an hour or two,
when the ball of earth, with the
cucumber roots, may be removed
from the pot with a slight knock
and set in the hill, pressing the soil
well around it. Ii the cucumber,
plants are on pieces Of sods, about
a week before planting out these,
run a knife along the cuts made at
the beginning, before the seeds
were sovn. Some<of the grass
roots may have grown across from
one piece to another; this Will
sever them, also any cucumber
roots that have grown out Of
bounds. In planting these, set the
sod containing the plants in the
hill, letting it be an inch or so be
low the surface, and press the SOL
10 it firmly. There should be pre-.
pared, beforehand, some frames or
bottomless boxes over each hill Of
plants, and leave it therea few
days. After this, on warm ana
pleasant mornings, remove the
frame, setting it on that side OF the
plants from which the wind blows
10 protect them. In Afternoon, be-
fore it grows cold, cover the frames
over the plants for the night. On
chilly days leave the frame over
the plants, lifting it on one side at
the bottom, and placing a stone 10
hold 1t up, BY the time the plants
become too large for the boxes, the
weather will be warm enough to
expose them night and day
Treated in this madner the plants
will bear seyeral:weeks before those
from seed sown in the open ground.
They have been forwarded y
sowing the seeds under glass, orir
the house; preserving them from
any check, by covering them aitel
they were planted out, has alsC
forwarded them. Attention tic
watering aud an occasional treat o
liquid manure will forward them
still more. Many other plants
may be forwarded in a similar
manner. But closely follow th'
directions given.