Sharp County record., 1885-06-04
GARDEN VEGETABLES.
How Growth and Maturity May BE Easily
Forwarded.

Forwarded.
When the gardener gives a plant a
special advantage the result of 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 open ground. By sowing seeds in
hot-bed and raising the plants, the
tomato is forwarded. If the seeds were
sown last fall, and the plants kept in
hot-house to produce fruit in the early
spring, that would be forcing"
Cucumbers are forced under glass, but
thev NAV also be forwarded. For Illus
tration: to forward the cucumber, fill
some four-inch pots with fine, rich soil,
SOW half dozen cucumber seeds IN
each, and set the pots in 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,
if a good piece of turf can be had, is
this: Take up thick, strong sod, and
fit it to q shallow box with the grassy
side down. The sides of the box need
not be over three inches high.
With strong knife, cut the sod
into squares, which should be accord
inc to the size of the box, three or four
inches square. Cut quite down through
the grasS-roots and 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 the pots. Either pots or 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 out the extra plants, as 1t
will disturb the roots of those which
are to be left, but cut them off with
knife or pinch them off with the
thumb and finger nails, close to the
ground. When the weather is settled,
prepare well manured hills in the gar.
den. Set the pots in a pail or tub Oh
blood-warm water and let them soak
until the earth in them is wet
through. Take them out and let them
drain for ali hour or two, when the ball
of earth, with the cucumber roots, may
be removed from the pot with slight
knock, and set in the hill, pressing the
soil well around il. If the cucumber
plants are on pieces of sods, about
week before planting out these, run
knife along the cuts made at the be-
ginning, before the seeds were sown.
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 below
the surface, and press the soil to it firm
ly. There should be prepared, before
hand, some frames or bottomless boxes.
foot or more square and high, with
cotton cloth tackled over one end. Place
one of these boxes over each hill OF
plants, and leave it there a few days.
After this, on warm and pleasant morn
ings, remove the frame, setting it on
that side of the plants from which the
wind blows, to protect them. In the
afternoon, before it grows cool, 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 bot
tom, and placing stone to mold it 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 manner the plants will
bear several weeks before those from
seed sown in the open ground. They
have been forwarded by sowing the
seeds under glass, or in the house; pre-
serving them from any check, by Gov
ering them after they we're planted out
has also forwarded them. Attention to
watering and an occasional treat OF
liquid manure Will forward them still
more. Many other plants may be for
warded in similar manner. But close
ly follow the directions given.-Amers-
ram 40ric1iLt,lria