Morning journal and courier., 1889-04-05
Forwardins Vegetable Plants.


 Years ago we thought it essential to sue. cess in growing early cabbage that the seed should be sown in September and wintered over in cold frames, or, south of Baltimore, planted out on the sides of elevated ridges. But this practice has been generally aband- oned. We have found 1t more satisfactory l to SOW the seed in February, in boxes in q greenhouse or in a hotbed, to transplant iato other boxes as soon as the plants are large enough, and then to harden the plants in 6 cold-frame. Plants raised in this way are better than those from fall-sown seed, for they make more rapid growth in spring, come in as early, and form better crop, since they do not run to seed.
 We use greenhouse boxes in preference to hotbeds for all kinds of plants, aiway taking care to get them into 8 cold-frame as soon as the character of the plant renders it safe to do so. This saves the trouble of prepar- ing manure making hotbeds, and handling, covering and airing through snow, slush, and rain. The work can be comfortably at- tended to inside. Besides by the use of shallow boxes not only is the irksome work the plants are kept in good shape for re- moval to the garden. A plant lifted from the box on the point of trowel, and set with lump of soil and manure on its roots gets good start of one pulled from the frame.
 make hotbed and sew tomato seed thickly therein that they are forwarding the plant for the garden. But good, healthy plant started ln the open ground month later will surpass in vigor, earliness, and productive ness the tender and bleached plants raised in hotbed. If hotbed is to be used, the seed should be sown in small bed; a week or so later large bed should be prepared, and into this the young seedlings should be transplanted as soon as large enough to be handled, though for this purpose we'll prepared cold-frame is better, if not used too early. Here we SOW our tomato seed in February, in greenhouse boxs, transplant large enough to be handled, .and then into frames for hardening by the middle of March. In the latitude of New York month later than these dates will be the proper time. Plants thus transplanted are stout, stub-pointed, and vigorous, if care is taken to expose them, after they go into the frames, to the open air whenever practicable. Such plants, set out here late in April, will give ripe fruit late in June or early in July. This practice involves more trouble, for which, however, the gain in earliness fully compensates. Egg plants and peppers will not harden well Tn frames, like tomatoes, and the effort to make them do 50 will only re- suit in stunted, unhealthy plants We always pot egg-plants and shift them, like any hot house plants until the weather is settled and the ground is warm-generally about the middle of May in this latitude. After this treatment, when the plants are put out, they are large and robust, and do not easily sue cumb the Colorado beetle, which is fonder of them than of the potato. A few early cucumbers and early Musk-melons, treated in the same manner as the egg-plants, will do well and give an early crop. Seeds of these very tender plants should not be sown even here before March, and month later at the North. While the cold-framc is waiting for the tender plants somaseed of early scarlet turnip-radish may be sown in it. These, with care, will be out of the way by the time it is safe to trust the tomato plants in the frames. Of course, during the fall and winter, the frames are kept at work with lettuce and csulifower. The lettuce being cut out, the caulihower, can be left without the glass when the times comes to SOW rsdishes in March, and with an extra frame the same sashes that grew the lettuce and cauilhower may be used for the radishes and for hardening the tomato plants. Few amateur gardeners understand the full capa- bility of an ordinary cold-frame. A few sashes can be kept proftably at work on frame, from November to June or later.