 THE FAMILY KITCHEN GARDENER, Part 1, by Robert Boist. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Recording by Bologna Times. The Family Kitchen Gardener by Robert Boist. The Family Kitchen Gardener, containing plain and accurate descriptions of all different species and varieties of culinary vegetables, with their botanical English, French and German names alphabetically arranged, and the best mode of cultivating them in the garden or under glass, with a description of implements and medicinal herbs in general use. Also descriptions and characters of the most select fruits, their management, propagation, etc. By Robert Boist, author of the American Flower Garden Directory, published in New York by Orange Judd & Company. Entered according to Act of Congress in the year 1847 by R. Boist. The Office of the District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Preface. Gardening is one of those occupations that combines pleasure with helpful employment, reason and history unite in regarding it as the first pursuit that engaged the attention of man. The fruits of the garden are appreciated by all, and contribute much to the pleasures and comforts of life, but many possess gardens unworthy of the name, for want of a knowledge of their management they are unable, in season, to supply the wants of their own table. To remedy this deficiency is the object of this compendium. To it nothing has been admitted that is not of the most practical character. It may be received as the result of thirty years' experience and observation on the cultivation of vegetables and fruits. To have given the reason for many of the operations recommended, or the process by which certain conclusions have been arrived at, would have enlarged the volume without adding to the value of the advice. It has been the object of the author to describe the preparation of the soil, the mode of culture, and the best varieties of every fruit or vegetable for market or family supply, in the plainest language and most concise terms. The subjects are arranged in alphabetical order, so that anyone, in an instant, or any part of the United States, may see how to cultivate, when and what to sow, and when to reap. Hitherto the works on the subject have been merely repetitions of European writers, not at all adapted to our climate, or, when compiled with some degree of consideration as to that, yet simply the names of vegetables have been given, allowing the gardener or amateur unguided to select whatever might strike its fancy without enabling him to supply his wants. In this manual will be found a short but faithful description of the best vegetables and fruits, their period of maturity, or the relative earlyness or lateness with their botanical, English, French, and German names, a facility not met with in any similar work we have ever seen. We omitted a few vegetables of a course description, principally raised for cattle, by field culture, among which are the Portugal or cow cabbage. The former appeared lately as a new vegetable, under the name of Cui Trimchuda, though cultivated twenty years ago under the former name. The latter, also an old vegetable, created some excitement a few years ago, mania having died away it finds its merited place. The fruits have been arranged in the order of their attaining maturity, and only the best in their season have been selected. It is presumed that the list will be found a certain guide to those who wish to grow only the best and most prolific sorts. Some selection of this kind has for some time been imperatively called for by the wants of the gardener, farmer, and amateur, the multiplicity of sorts in these larger works and catalogs, rendering them nearly useless to those who merely wish to know those kinds adapted for family or market supply. In illustrating our subject, we have endeavored to avoid the use of all technical words, and to make everything so plain that it can be comprehended by the most illiterate. In conclusion, if this little manual be the means of diffusing a knowledge of vegetable culture more generally, of adding to the pleasures of rural life, of increasing the interest taker in horticultural pursuits, or guiding the gentleman, farmer, or student in the occupation of his leisure hours, it will have attained the objective. Signed the author, Philadelphia, February, 1847. The Formation of a Vegetable or Kitchen Garden Before proceeding with the subject of vegetable culture, the attention of the reader is requested to some remarks on the formation of a kitchen garden. This subject is forced upon us by a knowledge of how much labor and money are expended in producing one misplaced, badly designed, and unproductive, a most unpleasant attendant upon a country life. When by the same labor and expense one could have been obtained that would have yielded liberally every pleasure, every comfort, and even every luxury for a bountiful table. The situation is a very gentle inclination for the east or southeast that it may have all the advantages of the morning sun. The next preferable exposure is south or southwest, if sheltered from the north or northwest, so much the better. However, avoid the neighborhood of large and spreading trees as their roots will exhaust the soil and their shade injure the crops. When selecting the ground it is of vast importance to have the soil of a healthy quality, being mellow, dry, and capable of being worked with the spade. The best soils are of a friable and loamy texture, the worst those of a very light, sandy, or a stiff clay-y description. If the bottom or subsoil be retentive, trench the ground at least 18 inches deep. Ground vegetables can never be produced on sour soil, nor on thin soil of only a few inches depth. Care and attention are necessary in trenching. As on the proper disposition, at first the after good will follow, I must decidedly condemn the mode of trenching ground generally recommended, that is, to bury the top spit and turn up the cold, sour subsoil. Experience has taught me another lesson. Open the first trench two feet wide. By putting aside the top spit spade deep, then turn up the bottom, where it lies, at least the full depth of the spade, in the same manner as in digging. Throw the top of the next trench on the top of the first subsoil, and so on, till the hole is finished. The general method of trenching is to turn the top soil down and the subsoil up. This is attended with evil consequences, as many years will elapse before the bad soil, which has been turned up, can be made equal to the good soil, which has been turned down. Another point we call attention to, the inclination of the soil. Some authors in this country merely published the ideas of those in Europe without regard to their applicability into this climate, and have recommended an inclination of one foot in from 15 to 20 feet. Such a declivity would, during our heavy rains, sweep soil, manure, seeds, etc., to the lowest ground. An inclination of one foot in 40, or merely sufficient to carry off the water, is all that is requisite. However, the man's have frequently to be adapted to the ends. If the situation be necessarily on the side of a rising ground, throw it at once and to terraces of any required breadth. Let the steeps be covered with turf, to prevent the washing away of the soil, and arrange the plains into subdivisions for culture. The shape or figure of a garden is a point of little consequence, though the square or any form approaching it is the best and most convenient. The boundary lines may be of any form, but these interior subdivisions work to the best advantage in even lines. With regard to size, that, of course, must depend on the number of the family, and may vary from a quarter to a whole acre. The walks may be from 3 to 6 feet wide, straight, or serpentine, the former preferred, however, or fancy may dictate the latter can be adopted, cropping the curves of the ground with flowers, fancy plants, or choice fruits. Rotation of crops I admit that the same vegetable can be grown upon the same spot with success year after year, but I also assert that a rotation of crops will be more productive, which is of great importance in culinary gardening. Therefore, never grow exhausting crops and succession. Substitute those alternately of as different roots and constitution as possible. Deep these objects in view, and even with ordinary management we vouch for a crop. Asiduity in the destruction of weeds, neatness, and cleanliness, a constant stirring of the soil, digging deep and manuring frayly, must be the constant companions of the gardener. Making the business a source of pleasure, profit, and advantage to himself, and an object of admiration to others. Of manures We may hear premise that no garden will be worth its culture unless well supplied with manure every year. The present day is a period of considerable agitation on this all-important subject. We have tried several of the new manures, some of them to our loss, and when we have departed from the stable yard, few to our advantage. In Europe great attention has been given to this subject, and many specifics recommended, which, when tried, have had frequently uncertain results, though in particular cases they have been crowned with success. In this country, however, our resources of domestic materials are abundant, and on every farm and garden much goes to waste. All weeds and useless vegetables, sweepings of walks, etc., should be dug into the ground at once. The dung of domestic birds, compounded with fresh soil, is a great renovator, but, if applied by itself, use it sparingly. Guano can only be safely applied in solution, one pound to five gallons of water. The liquid to be used when the vegetables are in a growing state. Gypsum is beneficial, but not of any duration. Poudrette is a very active manure, highly exciting to early crops. The safest and best of all manures are the combined deposits of the horse, the cow, and the pig. These thrown into a heap to ferment, saturating it with all the soap suds and urine that can be collected, will form the best, the safest, and most prominent manure, not equaled by any or all of the nostrums of the age. It may be applied at the rate of 20 to 30 tons per acre. This quantity is not too much when a garden is regularly cultivated. It requires no adept in vegetable culture to take at least two crops a year from the ground. Plime is not genuine to the growth of vegetables. Its principal function as a manure appears to be to dissolve the organic matter in the soil and facilitate its decay. Soils of a sour, heavy nature, full of thready, undecumbosed vegetable fiber, are greatly benefited by addressing of air-slacked plime. But on rich soils, well cultivated, its effects are unfavorable to the growth of culinary vegetables. End of The Family Kitchen Gardener Part 1. The Kitchen Family Gardener Part 2 by Robert Boist. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Recording by Bologna Times. The Family Kitchen Gardener by Robert Boist. On Implements It is not our intention to go into a detail of all the useful articles connected with the culture of the garden which would take us beyond our limits. Our object will be only to point out those most useful and essential to carry on the cultivation of the soil. The materials of which they are composed are chiefly of iron and wood. The best quality of both should be used. Nothing purchased merely for its being cheap. The cheapest is the best and most durable to accomplish the end. The spade is a very common tool and should be of steel with a hickory or ash handle having two rivets through its head. Number two of the manufacturer is the most convenient size. Some American spades are equal to any of British manufacturer. The rake should be of the best wrought iron with teeth about two inches long and apart. The head is of any size from 6 to 20 inches. There are also rakes of malleable iron and wooden rakes with steel teeth. The latter sort are very convenient for rough ground. The handle should be round, made of pine or any other light wood and from 6 to 8 feet long. Beat rake. This very useful implement is composed of hard wood with steel teeth, obtusely pointed about 2 inches wide, 5 inches long, and from 9 to 12 inches apart. It is exceedingly useful for drawing drills in which to sow beets, carrots, onions, and all small seeds or roots. In using it, strain the line and draw with some strength. In three drills will be made at once, saving the labor of moving the line so frequently as when the work is accomplished by the hoe. Hows are of many and varied descriptions, sizes, and shapes. This guide gives an idea of the most useful. They should be of the very best of steel with rather strong round handles 5 feet long. They range in sizes from 3 to 10 inches. Those of 3, 5, 7, and 9 inches are generally used. Pronged hose are very useful indeed, indispensable for stirring the soil and destroying weeds. They are of steel or malleable iron, the latter generally used, though the former is preferable, with handles 4 and a half feet long. The Dutch or scuffle hoe is very useful for cleaning walks and cutting weeds where the ground is of a light nature. It is also called a thrust hoe, being used by pushing from you, in contradiction to the draw hoe, which is best adapted for all heavy work. The reel and line, the reel is of wood or iron, the latter is preferable. It consists of two parts, the shank and the head. The head turns round on the shank and winds up the line or cord, which can be of any length. The trowel is very useful for removing plants and lifting them with balls of earth for transplanting. It should be of the best iron or steel, with the square socket and to the handle, and from the 5 to 9 inches long, exclusive of the handle. The Dibber is a short piece of round wood, generally made from an old spade or shovel handle, about one and a half feet long, obtusely pointed, frequently shod with iron on the one end and conveniently formed for the hand on the other. It should be well made, as it is of very general use, and if iron shod will last half a century. Garden watering pot. Of this utensil there are several sizes. Those that hold from three to four gallons are of the proper dimensions. They should be made of the best double ten, having two roses, the one pierced with holes, the 20th, the other the 40th part of an inch. Make them well painted, and when not in use, the mouth downwards. The grass edging iron, or knife, is for cutting the turf of raspberries or guacs. It should be of the very best steel, with a round strong handle about three and a half feet long. Garden hook for dressing hedges. Made of the very best steel, having a handle of an oval form, of strong wood three feet long, and of a small size that the hand may conveniently grasp. Garden shears are of various sizes, from eight to twelve inch blades, and used for cutting edgings of box, clipping hedges, and many other purposes. They are of great variety and quality. The seven and nine inch sizes are most convenient. These are of the very best material, neatly made, for the use of ladies who take a delight in gardening operations. Grass edging shears. These are made expressly for cutting grass edgings, and have a wheel that rests on the walk while the shears trim off the grass. It is very convenient and expeditious to implement. Ground glass. These are made of red cedar or cast iron. The latter is most neat and durable. It consists of two parts, the bottom and top. A useful utensil for growing seeds of early celery, tomato, eggplant, or any other article of early culture. Also well adapted for covering cauliflower plants when the winters are not very severe. When air is to be given to the plants in clothes, it is done by lifting up the top and replacing it diagonally. By this means air is freely admitted. A glass case may be made of any height with these handglasses, by merely placing the bottom frames one upon the other. Those we use are of cast iron, and cost $3.50 each in 1847. A sunk pit is in part in the earth, and partly above it, by forming sides of brick, stone, locust, chestnut, or cedar boards. On these glass frames are sometimes placed, and at other times only mats or shutters. Such pits answer for the preservation of vegetables, such as on-deaf, celery, lettuce, cauliflower, broccoli, etc. Air is given on all occasions, when it can be done with safety, by propping up the sash or shutters. The walled pit is also partly sunk into the ground, and partly out. The walls are formed of brick or stone, finished with a wooden or stone coping, the width of the wall, into which cross-rafters are mortised but movable to support the sashes. One object in having them movable is to admit of their being raised as the growth of cauliflower or any other plants require. This is readily done by having a strong two-inch plank made to fit the back and front of the pit, and to the rest on the coping. The rafters to rest on these planks, either by mortising holes for the reception, or to have them to rest on cleats. This is a great convenience, and overcomes the difficulty every grower feels when his cauliflower touches the glass. There is no appendage to the garden of greater utility than this pit. It is two feet underground, one foot above it in front, and two feet above it at the back, and six or seven feet wide in the clear. It is an excellent winter apartment for plants when covered with sash and mats. When filled with very rich earth, it grows fine cauliflower that will be in use from March to May. If filled with warm manure early in February, it will grow cucumbers that will be in use from April to July, or grow radishes and small salading in quantity. In summer, the sashes can be used for growing fine varieties of grapes. See our article on fruits. Sash Light Made of yellow or the best season white pine, one to two inches thick, the sash should be three feet eight inches wide and six or more feet long. The glass we prefer is six by six, or six by eight, and of the best quality. The wood must have two coats of oil paint before glazing, and at least one coat afterwards. While the glass must be bedded in soft putty, the laps of the glass should not exceed half an inch, one fourth of an inch, if well done, is quite sufficient. A sash well painted and protected when not in use will last from thirty to forty years. The smaller the panes of glass, the less will be the damage from breakage. The common hot bed frame is a box of wood, bottomless, of any length or breadth to suit the object in view, but generally six feet wide and from six to sixteen feet long, highest at the side to be placed to the north and subdivided by crossbars, and each division covered by a glazed sash. The component parts of the above frame, instead of being mortised into one another, should be fastened with hooks and staples or keyed iron bolts which easily admit of their being taken asunder and put under cover when they are not wanted for use. I have about a hundred sashes that can be taken apart and stowed away or erected in one day. Vegetable or kitchen garden with a select assortment of fruit combined. This arrangement affords great facilities for cropping the ground and rotation of crops. It also confines the trees to one place for the purpose of giving a partial shade to the main walk in summer without injuring any of the vegetables. This plan is decidedly preferable to the mode of distributing the trees over the garden. A. A main entrance. B. A grapevine arbor. C. A border of ten or twelve feet wide all around the garden for the smaller and finer source of vegetables. D. Compartments for vegetables in quantity divided by alleys. E. Row of choice parteries on each side of the walk affording shade. F. Rows of dwarf trees either plum, quince, peach, or the plum stalk, apricots, or dwarf pears. G. Large compartments surrounded by current and raspberry bushes for early corn, early potatoes, or any vegetables of which a large quantity is grown. If situation will admit of it, the pits or frames can be in these quarters portioned off by a low hedge. Garden seeds for half an acre. The following seeds, with judicious management, will fully crop a garden of half an acre, which will supply a moderate-sized family with vegetables throughout the year. Vegetable seeds, where carefully grown in this country, are, with a few exceptions, preferable to those imported. But the utter carelessness manifested by many and keeping them apart when growing is not to be recommended. One ounce asparagus. Three quarts, beans of sorts. Four ounces beetroot. A quarter ounce broccoli. A quarter ounce cauliflower. Four ounces cabbage of sorts. Four ounce celery. Eight ounces cress. One half ounce cucumber. One ounce carrot. One quart early corn. One packet eggplant. One and a half ounce andive. Quarter ounce leek. One quart lima beans. One ounce lettuce of sorts. Four ounces mustard. One half ounce melons. One half ounce okra. Two ounces onions of sorts. One pap parsley. One ounce parsnips. One pap peppers. One half ounce pumpkin. Eight quarts peas. Eight ounces radish. One half ounce salsify. One half ounce squash. Eight ounces spinach. One pap tomatoes. Two ounces turnip. Six pap pot and sweet herbs. Cost about ten dollars. Seeds should always be kept in bags in a dry, airy situation. Wall closets and cellars are objectionable from their dampness. All seeds will keep two and many from three to six years. End of The Family Kitchen Gardener, part two. The Family Kitchen Gardener, part three A by Robert Boist. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org recording by Bill Honor Times. The Family Kitchen Gardener by Robert Boist. Artichoke. Sinara Scolentes in Latin. Artichoke. French. Artichoke. German. The artichoke is principally cultivated in the gardens of the French, by whom it is considered more as a luxury than a profitable escalant. There are two varieties, the globe and the green. The former is so-called, from its globular head, of a dull, purplish tent. The scales are turned in at the top more than the other variety, and it is preferred as the scales, or edible parts, are thicker and possess most flavor. The green is more hearty and prolific. The scales are more open, and the plant better adapted for culture and cold climates than the former. The heads, in their immature state, and before their blue, thistle-like flowers open, are cut and boiled in salt and water. The edible part is merely the fleshy substance on the bottom of the scales, which, to make palatable, has to be dipped in a nicely prepared sauce of butter and spices. They are frequently, however, eaten as a salad in a raw state. Culture. It is propagated from seeds, or by division of the young suckers that arise from the roots of the old plants in spring. They are fit to slip or cut off after they have made a few roots and leaves. Plant them three feet apart each way, and in soil well-prepared by digging and maneuvering. Water each plant freely, and occasionally, if the weather continues dry, till they have taken root, keep constantly stirring the soil and destroying the weeds. On the approach of winter, remove all decayed leaves. Although it appears a very strong plant, yet north of Virginia, it requires more or less protection, and may be covered with the earth taken from between the rows, and drawn well up around the roots. In very severe seasons, an additional covering of dry litter or branches is advisable. In spring, remove all the litter, level down the soil, and examine the stools. Let those of the strongest grow to produce heads. The rest are removed by a pressure of the thumb or a cut with the knife. Dig the whole ground level, using yearly plenty of good rotten manure. A bed will continue productive for seven or more years. If the heads are not wanted for use or seed, they should be destroyed from the stem, which promotes the strength and vitality of the plant. Seed sown early in spring and drills 18 inches apart and two inches deep, will produce good plants the first season, and even be more permanent than those procured for offsets. Protect them carefully the first winter. Transplant early in spring as above directed for offsets. They will produce a few heads the following year, and thereafter a regular crop. If quality is preferred to quantity, the head that surmounts the stem only should be allowed to grow. All the lateral ones growing on the same stock should be removed in their young state. Asparagus. Asparagus often dillus in Latin. Asperge, French, Spargel in German. This universal vegetable is supposed to be a native of Great Britain, where it is found on banks of sandy soil contiguous to the sea, growing luxuriously under the salt breezes. Cultivators have found that salt brine, or a thin covering of salt, thrown over the beds in the fall, before they have their final dressing, proves very beneficial to its growth. Although it is not considered a very nutritious vegetable, yet it occupies a considerable proportion of every garden and is extensively cultivated for our markets. Some growers having eight or 10 acres under culture, and I have no doubt that in very few years it will be increased tenfold. Propagation. This is accomplished only by seeds. When a new bed is formed in order to save time, two or three year old plants may be procured from nursery men or gardeners at a very low rate. There are several varieties of asparagus named in catalogs, but there is a great similarity among them, and we will class them into two only, the green top and the purple top. The former is round in the top and of a bright green color. The latter of a purple reddish green color, very close headed and is the sort generally cultivated. There is another supposed variety called the giant, which is greatly extolled by seedsmen on account of its size, but I believe the principle secret lies in the quality of the soil and the superiority of the culture. So the seed early in spring, about a pound will be sufficient for a family, thinly and drills, one and a half to two inches deep and 18 inches from row to row in good, rich, sandy, loamy soil, well-manured and prepared. Strong, one year plants are much better for transplanting than those of even three years old when the growth has been indifferent. Rake the ground even and keep it free from weeds by frequent hoeing. About the first of the following November, some stable litter should be spread over the ground to keep the young roots from frost. Culture. The best ground for asparagus is a light, sandy loam, at least two feet deep. Before planting, it should be dug very deep or trenched in the way we have recommended, burying in plenty of manure as no more can be supplied after the beds are planted unless by surface dressings. The ground can scarcely be too rich for the sweetness and tenderness of the shoots depend on the rapidity of their growth, which is greatly promoted by the richness of the soil. A plot of ground 20 feet wide and from 40 to 50 feet long will be suitable for a moderate-sized family. Over it, sow from 50 to 100 pounds of salt, incorporating it with the soil to the depth of four or five inches. The ground, having been well-prepared and properly leveled, divide it off into beds four feet wide with alleys of two feet between them. The work should all be done in fine weather about the end of March. Drive in a strong stake at east corner, take out the plants carefully from the seed rows with fork and expose them to the air as little as possible, keeping them covered during the time of planting and not allowing the roots to get dry. Stretch a line lengthwise along the bed, nine inches from the edge with a spade cut, a small furrow, six inches deep. Having the plants ready, set a row along the trench, nine inches apart, with the crown of the roots two inches below the surface, drawing a little earth upon them to fix them as placed. Having finished a row, cover them directly with the earth that has been thrown out of the furrow, raking it regularly and to an equal depth over the crown of the plants. Proceed to open another furrow, a foot from the first plant, and finish it as above when you will have four rows to each bed. After all is planted, rake the beds lengthwise, drawing off all stones and rubbish. Dress the surface neatly and evenly. Let the edges be lined out in exact order, allowing two feet to each alley. As these alleys will be of little service the first season and no waste ground should ever be seen in a garden, dig them up and plant a row of cabbage in each. Nothing further will be required during the summer than to destroy all weeds. The following winter cover them to the depth of three or four inches with rotten manure to keep the crowns from sun and frost. If in the spring the earth is found to have settled in any part the deficiency must be made up with more mold. It is common practice to sow radishes upon the beds, but it is an injurious one as it robs the ground of a great portion of its nutriment, so essential to their luxuriant growth. The plants are permitted the two first years to run up to stalks that strong crowns may be formed at their base for the future crop. After the third year the beds will require the following mode of treatment. From the middle of October to the end of November give them their winter dressing which consists in cutting down the stalks close to the ground and clearing the beds from weeds, drawing them off at the same time with a rake into the alleys to be buried or taken to the compost heap to be mixed up with other litter and again return to the soil. Cover the whole of the bed with two or three inches of manure. The alleys must be dug spade deep at the same time spreading some soil over the manure on the beds and leveling the whole evenly. It may be supposed that the annual dressing in this way will in a few years considerably raise the beds but by the spring forking and raking together with the howling and dressing during summer a considerable portion of the earth is being continually drawn again into the alleys. As soon as the frost is fairly out of the ground in the spring loosen the surface of the beds with a fork introducing it three or four inches into the soil turning up the earth with care not to wound the crown of the roots. Then make the surface on the beds even and equal drawing off the rough earth stones, et cetera. Into the alleys, finish by stretching a line along the edge of the beds and trim them neatly off with a spade. Stirring the bed in this manner enables the shoots to rise in free growth, admins the air, rain and sunshine into the ground and encourages the roots to produce buds of a strong size. A full crop may be expected the fourth season after planting. The proper method of cutting them is to scrape a little of the earth away from each shoot. Then with a sharp pointed long bladed knife cut off the shoots slantingly about three inches under the surface taking care not to wound the younger buds that are advancing below in different stages of growth. It is in the best state for cutting when it is four inches above the ground and while the top remains closed and round. The cutting should never extend beyond the middle of June. Asparagus beds with good culture will continue to give both bountiful crops for 12 or 15 years. It is frequently forced on dung hot beds and in the hands of the initiated with great success. But to go into the general minutiae of forcing vegetables would take us entirely beyond our limits. A few hints however will give an idea of the operation. Prepare a hotbed of two lights in the way we have directed for cucumbers about two feet high at back and 20 inches in front. Cover it with four inches of soil. Lay there on roots that are at least four years old. Cover them three inches with the same soil and give the whole a copious watering. Admit air at the back by tilting the sash daily in sunshine. In two weeks or three at most, you may expect to be able to cut for the table. A bed of this sort will produce daily or at least every two days a dish for the table and continue in bearing three or four weeks. The process may be carried to the extent of the demand. Where properly managed, it will fully compensate either as a luxury or a marketable article. End of recording. End of The Family Kitchen Gardener Part 3A. Section four of The Family Kitchen Gardener. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Recording by Storm. The Family Kitchen Gardener by Robert Buist, section four. Basil. Okimum Basilicum. Basilic, French, Basilicum, German. There are two sorts of basil, the sweet or large-leaved Okimum Basilicum and the small-leaved or bush basil, Okimum Minimum. The qualities of both are the same, but the former is principally used for culinary purposes. They are both annuals. The leaves or tops are the part gathered for use. The French are very partial to the flavor of this plant. Its leaves enter into the composition of many of their soups and sauces and on account of their strong flavor of cloves are used in all highly seasoned dishes and even introduced into salads. Culture. The seeds should be sown on rich, light ground about the middle of April or it may be grown in a gentle hotbed with early salad and transplanted to the open ground about the end of the month in rows one foot apart and six inches from plant to plant. It makes a very good edging for some of the vegetable quarters. It is a tender plant and very easily injured by the early frosts of autumn, previous to which they should be pulled up by the roots, tied in small bunches and hung up in an airy room or loft to dry. They will retain a great portion of their aromatic qualities for winter use. Beans. Faseo-louce vulgaris. Aricot, French. Schminkbohne, German. This vegetable is one of the standards of the garden for summer culture. It is an everyday dish for the table. The numerous forms in which it can be served up, the rich buttery flavor of some of the varieties, the crisp, juicy character of others, renders at least some of the family palatable to the most fastidious. The following are bush beans or snapshots and their characteristic of excellence is their breaking crisply. If tough, they are unfit for cooking. They are arranged in the rotation of their coming to maturity. Some growers prefer one variety only, while others prefer several sorts. Our remarks are all made with the articles under our culture and notes taken on the spot. We pay no regard to the hackneyed quotations handed down from one writer to another. Early mohawk, a variety that resists more frost as an early crop than any other. It is an excellent barrel, pots long, beans when ripe, large, oval, dark speckled. Sewn 13th May, fit for the table June 16th. Early six weeks, not so hardy as the former, but equally early. It is a light-colored bean. Early Valentine. The Valentine beans are extensively cultivated in this vicinity for the market. They are the sorts that have round pots and continue on the plant a long period for culinary purposes. A great bearer of a salmon color with pink spots. Sewn 13th May, fit for the table June 20th. Yellow six weeks. In growth and maturity, very similar to the former, though three days later. Late Valentine or refugee. Very excellent variety, very similar in appearance to the early Valentine when green, though a stronger grower. Color dark brown, speckled. Sewn 13th May, fit for use June 25th. Black Valentine is a most excellent variety, great bearer and of delicate flavor. Ripens a few days later than a former. Royal white kidney. The best late variety has long pots, richly flavored and for family use is indispensable, not only in its green state but for winter use. As a vegetable it is preferable to any other. Sewn 13th May, fit for the table July 1st. The above sorts may be sewn at any time from the 10th of April to the 25th of August. The first sewing in spring is frequently cut off with frost, though we have seen the Valentine sorts all killed while the Mohawk stood uninjured. It should therefore always be adopted for the earliest sewing. A few rows of each sort sewn every two weeks will keep a succession for the table from the 1st of June till the middle of October. As this crop does not long occupy the ground it can frequently be sewn between rows of corn, ridges of celery or drumhead cabbage when they are first planted. Culture, any good light rich soil will grow this bean in perfection. Draw drills with the hoe two and a half inches deep and from one foot to 18 inches from row to row. Drop the beans regularly there in about two inches apart. Cover up carefully and expeditiously. Give frequent and deep hoeings to keep open the soil. As soon as the crop is three inches high draw the earth to their stems. When they begin to show their flower bud draw a few inches more which is turned by gardeners earthing up. Seed, where seed is wished to be saved the sorts must be grown apart as far as practicable for they are very susceptible of mixture if even within 50 yards of each other. Running or pole beans. Aricot aram, French, Stangenbohne, German. Our sorts in great esteem especially the lima of which there are two varieties the white and green. Both are excellent in flavor. The latter has the advantage of size and the form of producing a more certain and uniform crop. It is a variety most extensively cultivated for the Philadelphia market covering an extent of over 200 acres in the immediate vicinity of the city. Culture, they are planted in the last week of April or first week of May in hills very similar to Indian corn and about the same distance apart. In fact, those who can plant corn can plant lima beans. Those strangers to this luscious vegetable often make very curious mistakes in its culture some drawing drills and sewing them therein others digging pits and burying the delicate seed which is impatient of cold or moisture six or eight inches deep. The results from both of which operations must be nearly a total failure. Some sprout these beans in a hotbed and transplant them into the hills in which they are to grow but very little if any time is gained by the trouble. The hill of good rich earth raised a few inches above the level and five or six beans put two inches deep therein will be found the safest and surest. If three grow it is enough. If not, plant over again. They will grow 20 feet but rods of 12 feet placed two feet in the ground at the time the hill is made will support them. Cold damp weather frequently destroys the first and even the second planting. Carolina or seaweed bean has all the habits of the lima though not so large. It is more hardy and produces as profusely but has not so much of the rich buttery flavor. Dutch case knife is an excellent pole bean producing a good crop of fine flavor and much earlier for the table than either the lime or Carolina. It can be used either in or without the pod. It is also well adapted for winter use. Cranberry, both the red and white are much cultivated though we decidedly prefer the latter. They are of the easiest culture. The cornfield can be used if the garden does not suffice. In fact, we see no reason why every farmer should not have a few beans even of the lima on every corn hill. The stocks would support the vines. The produce would bring four dollars per bushel or even for family use. They would be profitable for an everyday vegetable the whole winter. They are a certain crop even preferable to the potato. More nutritive are the latter is becoming a precarious crop and of an indifferent quality. Scarlet runners require to be earlier planted than the lima bean that they may be well advanced in growth before the hot weather begins which stunts their growth and prevents their blooming. They must be pulled in the same way. The blossoms are red, hence their name. Vigia farba, ferv de mare of the French or Windsor bean of the English are of trifling value for this climate compared with the source previously described. However, in cool climates on rich loamy soil they will, if planted early, make a return for the use of the ground and prove a variety for the table. The Windsor and early Longport are the best varieties. Plant them in drills 18 inches asunder and two inches apart in the row. Beet, betta vulgaris, betta rave, French, rote rube, German. The beet is a native of the sea coast of the south of Europe. It takes its name from the shape of its seed vessel which, when it swells with the seed, has the form of the letter betta of the Greek alphabet. There are several varieties of the beet in cultivation for culinary purposes but the most essential sorts are confined to the longblood and turnip rooted. The turnip rooted is the earliest variety and takes its name from the form of the root. Its quality is decided by the richness of color and closeness of the grain. Longblood is the sort run upon for a general crop to use during winter and spring. It often grows 12 or 14 inches long and four or five inches thick. Beet is used and prepared for the table in a great variety of ways. It is boiled and sliced and eaten cold with vinegar. It is sliced in salads, both as an eatable and a garnish. It also makes a beautiful and agreeable pickle. The root itself, if eaten alone, affords but little nourishment though quite indispensable on a table of any pretensions. White beet is esteemed only for its stalks or the mid-rib of the leaves, which being divested of the leafy part improves the flavor of soups or if peeled and stewed it can be eaten like asparagus. Radish rooted beet is a new variety of a very dark blood red color in shape very similar to the long scarlet radish though much larger. White's new blood beet is an improvement in rations of color on the old long beet. London blood beet is a new variety with something more than a name. We are as particular at our table in discussing the qualities of vegetables as others are in the cut or the joint or the peculiar flavors of port or madera and we feel assured that this variety of the beet is more delicate in flavor, more brilliant in color and of as good a form as any other sort. Silver or sea kale beet very much resembles the white beet though the ribs of the leaves are larger and when cooked as much of the flavor of sea kale. There are several other sorts which come more under the notice of the agriculturalist such as sugar beet, mungal vurtul, et cetera. Culture, little art is requisite for the culture of this vegetable. One ground essential for an early crop is to dig deep and manure well. Sow as soon as the soil will admit of working after the frost is out of the ground. Draw drills, half an inch deep and 18 inches apart. Drop the seed therein about three inches apart. Cover them lightly and rake finely. If the ground be dry, tread or roll them firmly. Sow a light sprinkling of early reddish seed before raking. They will be fit for pulling before the beets are ready for thinning which will be in four or five weeks. As soon as the beets have made a few leaves, thin them out to six inches apart allowing the strongest plants to remain. For a full winter crop, sow the long blood or London beet at any time from the 20th of May till the 20th of June. These will keep better and be more tender for winter use than those sown earlier. On the approach of frost, about the end of October, take up the roots. Cut the leaves off within two inches of the crown and put the roots away in a dry cellar or pack them in barrels with dry sand and keep from severe frost. Plant out early in spring, a few of the best roots for seed. Avoid those of a rough or fibrous nature. Boar coal. Brassica olorachia, variant. Shoe ver, French, grüne coal, German. Boar coal, German greens or scotch kale, is a very delicate vegetable. It is essential to its perfection that it be fully acted upon by frost before it is cut for the kitchen. There are several varieties of it. The parts used are the top or crown of the plant with any of the side sprouts. It boils well and is tender and sweet. The tall and dwarf curly sorts are best adapted for garden culture. Sow the seed in April along with other cabbage which transplant and treat in the same manner. Broccoli. Brassica olorachia, variant. Broccoli, French, Italian, shoe coal, German. Broccoli is a variety of the cabbage closely related to the cauliflower, though not so delicate in flavor as that vegetable. It is supposed to have come richly from the island of Cyprus and was cultivated nearly 200 years ago. In mild climates, it is extensively used from November to March. The various early and late sorts coming to maturity in the very middle of winter. In this latitude, the culture is confined to granges early white and the early purple cape. In their growth, habit and eatable parts, they resemble cauliflower, all of them forming roundish heads in center of their leaves, composed entirely of a compact collection of numerous buds or tender advancing shoots. Granges early produces large, fine, white, compact heads of a conical shape. The leaves cover the heads and afford protection in frosty weather. This sort is so much like cauliflower that those who ought to be judges have pronounced it such, though the leaves and flavor are entirely different. For a good crop, sow the seed early in April. Early purple cape also produces large sized heads of a reddish brown color when genuine, very close and compact. It is rather earlier than the former and more hardy. The dwarf tartarean, white malta and late white are fine sorts for a mild climate. They will be in use the whole winter. Sow the seeds in June and transplant in July in very rich, sandy loam. Culture, the seeds should be sown in April and May in rich soil on an open exposure, where the plants grow much stronger than near trees or fences. Sow the seeds tolerably thick on the surface. If dry, trample them down and rake in lightly. If drought continues, give the beds a few waterings till the plants appear, which will be in two weeks. Transplant in June or July, when the weather is moist, in rows two feet apart and 20 inches in the row. If the weather is dry when planted, give them water every other day till they begin to grow. Their further culture is to keep them clear of weeds by hoeing and stirring the ground. When they have advanced in growth, draw some earth to dust stems, which greatly promotes their luxuriance. They commence heading in October and continue till destroyed by severe frost. The heads should be cut while they remain close and before they assume a seedy-like appearance. In this and more northern latitudes, it is necessary to put these plants into a shed or cellar to have them during winter. Lift them carefully before severe frost and plant them in earth. They'll head well when dust treated, but south of Virginia, this vegetable may be head in perfection without the least trouble accepting the culture. The seed is all imported from Europe. Brussels sprouts, Brassica olerachia variant. Schulbrussell, French, Sprossenkohl, German. This variety of the cabbage is supposed to have originated for foie. It is a celebrated vegetable in Europe, especially near Brussels and other large towns in Flanders, where from October to April, it is an everyday dish on the table of both the rich and the poor. Till recently, very little attention has been given to it in this country. Culture. So the seed in April and transplants in June or July in the same manner as broccoli. The leaves of the plant are similar to the savoy, crowning a stem about two feet high, from which grow out numerous little cabbages of from one to two inches in diameter. After the sprouts have been frosted, which is necessary to that perfection, they may be gathered. Immers them in clear water for an hour and cleanse them from dust and insects. Then boil them quickly for about 20 minutes using plenty of water. When soft, take them up and drain them well. They are then to be put into a stew pan with cream or with a little butter thickened with flour and seasoned to taste, stirring them thoroughly. They may be served up to table with tomato sauce, which greatly hides in their flavor, or seasoned with pepper and salt and eaten with any sort of meat. As this vegetable is comparatively little known, I have made these observations with a view of encouraging its culture. Plants for seeds should have their tops cut off and the little cabbages allowed to shoot, from which the seed is more perfect. It will keep fresh and sound in a dry place three years, but when grown for that object should not be near any other sort of cabbage. Burn it. Boterium sanguisorba. Petit pimpgenelle, French. Pimpgenelle, German. Burn it is a hardy perennial plant. The parts made use of are the young leaves which are put into salads and by the French very frequently into soups, to which it gives a pleasant and warm taste. Culture. Seed may be sown early in spring in a row, where they are to remain. Twenty plants will be sufficient for any family. They are also propagated by dividing the roots and as the young luxuriant leaves are preferable, the plant should be manured every year and renewed every three or four years. End of Section 4. Section 5A of The Family Kitchen Gardener. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Recording by Bologna Times. The Family Kitchen Gardener by Robert Boist. Section 5A. Cabbage. Brasica, Olorosia, Variety, Chopin, French, Viscopcle, German. The cabbage is one of the most ancient and esteemed vegetables and as an escalant it stands in the highest estimation. The name is applied to the firm head or ball that is formed by the leaves folding close over each other. Like all other cultivated plants, the cabbage has undergone so many changes and assumed so many varieties that it is not easy to give a description that will apply to the whole. Without exaggeration, many of the sorts are as far superior to others in flavor as cream is to sour milk. Yet we continue to grow year after year the same varieties, some of which are so rank and strong that they are only fit for the cattle yard or cowshed to the neglect of others which are not only tender and delicious to the taste, but are truly agreeable to the olfactory organs. The principal varieties in cultivation are the following. Early York. This is a valuable early variety which has been cultivated upwards of 100 years. Its earliness and delicate taste and flavor keeps it in estimation. The heads are small, round, slightly heart-shaped and very firm. From its very dwarf growth a great many can be planted in a small space. Rose one foot apart and eight inches from plant to plant. Large York. A variety of the former of larger growth and fully two weeks later it is the variety cultivated extensively for the markets about Philadelphia. Late York is another variety improved in size but inferior in flavor and is, under the same culture, three weeks later than the early York. Early nonperial is one of the best sorts in cultivation. It heads freely and is of a good size and very delicate flavor. Early Vanak is another sweet and delicately flavored variety in shape very similar to the early York, the larger and a little later. The flavor is equal, if not superior to that universally esteemed sort. Early Battersea is a roundish, oval-headed variety. It is most excellent while young before it becomes hard and continues a considerable time in use. It is well adapted for cottage culture. Early Sugarloaf is a very distinct sort. The heads are perfectly conical. The leaves erect and spoon-shaped. The heads are not so firm as those already noticed but unless for variety it is not desirable as the hot weather destroys its quality. Early Dutch is a variety that connects the more early sorts with the drumhead. Spring Sown Seed will be fit to cut in August and September and for the table is the only desirable variety of the late sorts. Flat Dutch or Drumhead. Hundreds of acres of this cabbage are cultivated in this vicinity for city use and shipping to southern ports. They are sold at about $2.50 per 100. It is a large spreading cabbage, generally very broad and flat at the top of a close and firm nature. It comes to perfection about the middle of September and will continue till January. Seed Sown in May will come into use in October and continue till February. Bergen is also a drumhead variety that is sweeter and coarser than the former. It is most eligible for feeding cattle or making sauerkraut. Savoy Cabbage. There are four varieties of this cabbage. Out the curled and drumhead will suffice for our purpose. The curled Savoy is a delightful winter vegetable, improved in flavor by a considerable frost. It does not head firm but the curled the head is fit for the kitchen. Drumhead Savoy grows to a large size, nearly round and a little flattened at the top. It is the principal sort for the market. Like large cabbages it fills the eye but the curled is the best for family use. It pleases the taste. Red Dutch. This sort is esteemed principally as a choice pickle and is sometimes sliced and salad. In its raw state it is of middle size, heart shaped, heading very hard and the whole of red purplish color. The darker the color and the more thick and fleshy the leaves without any white in the ribs and veins the more valuable. It is imperfection from October till Christmas. All these sorts of cabbage are biennial being raised from seed and attaining perfection the first year and in the second shooting up the stock to flower and seed after which they wholly perish. To save for seed on the approach of winter bury the roots and stems with a part of the cabbage slantingly in the ground and in severe weather cover the heads lightly with straw. When spring comes uncover them and as the stems grow tie them up to prevent their being destroyed by the wind. The seed will ripen in June or July. Clean it and put away in a dry place for use. If two varieties of the Brassica tribe are saved for seed in the same year they should be in the extreme parts of the garden or they will undoubtedly mix and degenerate. Culture Fortunately the cabbage can be cultivated by the most simple and easy means. It grows in most soils and produces its beneficial heads nine months in the year. The ground must be rich or made so by a good coat of manure as they have strong tapering roots. Digging or plowing deep is very essential. Indeed this is too much neglected in the culture of all culinary crops. To produce a constant succession of cabbages and responsible sowings are necessary. For the early spring and summer crops sow the seeds of the York, non-periel, Battersea, and Venac from the 12th to the 25th of September. Each sort separately on a bed of light-rich earth so moderately thick broadcast or over the ground if the weather be dry. Tramp in the seed with the feet. Rake evenly and smoothly and finish by giving the heads a gentle bead with the back of the spade. If drought continues water them a few times and they will be up in eight or ten days. Towards the end of October the strongest plants of the sowing will be fit to plant out. Prepare some rich well-dug ground. Draw deep drills 18 inches apart and dibble the plants one foot apart in the row on the south or east side of the drills so as the plants may have all the benefit of the winter suns and be sheltered by the tops of the drills from the north and northwest winds. After the frost sets in severely lay straw thinly across the drills which will fully protect the plants. On the approach of spring remove it. These plants will be ready for cutting eight or ten days earlier than those that have been kept in frames all winter. The balance of the plants for the main crop must be protected in a cold frame covered with boards or shutters removable at pleasure. It may be made by any person merely taking a few boards about one foot wide stretch them along in any sheltered situation to the extent that they will hold the required plants of cabbages and lettuces say twenty feet long and six feet wide which will hold four thousand plants which after allowing a considerable portion for failing will be enough for a large family. Sink in the ground shod posts of cedar or locust at back and front and nail firmly there to sound boards of oak or pine the board at the back one foot high the one on the front six inches. This one covered will allow the rain to run off throw up the earth close round the outside of the frame to keep the water from entering under the boards or among the plants. If they are kept wet during winter they will die off or what gardeners call damp off in fact the drier they are kept the more safe they will be. Give air and all clear weather during winter. In severe frost they should remain covered all day but expose them fully in mild weather. Take care that mice do not prey upon them. If they do take as much arsenic as will lie on a ten cent piece mix it with a tablespoon full of Indian meal and lay it on a piece of tile or board in the frame where it will be dry which will soon destroy them. Early in spring transplant to the compartments of the garden designed for them lift the plants carefully with a trowel retaining as many fibers in soil as possible. The plants should all be assorted planting the strongest where the crop is expected to be earliest so that all may come to maturity regularly. In their subsequent growth if any fail or run to seed supply the deficiencies with fresh plants. As the crop progresses hoe frequently and deep destroy every weed and as the plants grow draw earth round the stems which will strengthen and forward them. The large late yorks require the same care and treatment. They will mature in succession according to the lateness of the sort. Where a supply of plants has not been obtained in the fall it will be necessary to sow seed on a hotbed above the middle of February for the management of which see the article Cucumber only the hotbed will not require to be so strong. And a greater portion of air admitted to the frame and sunshine and even a small portion at night when there is no frost gradually hardening them as they grow till they become fit for planting out which will be about the end of March or first of April. I have seen however garden depended upon the exertions of the cook or the dexterous management of the housewife a good crop of early cabbage plants grown in the kitchen window. It is a lamentable fact that many of our otherwise industrious farmers would have no vegetables where not for the exertions of the female portion of the family. The health and comfort of a family would be greatly enhanced by giving a full portion of attention to the and cropping of a vegetable garden. It is absolutely necessary in this country that every farmer should be a gardener and every gardener a farmer. For the late summer fall and winter supply sow the seed from the first of April to the first of May and is directed for the September sowing. The sorts are Early Dutch Drumhead, Bergen Savoies and Red Dutch So also a few large York they will come in July or August and be found useful for filling up vacant ground or patching. Transplanting may be in May, June and July as circumstances will admit. When planting out in summer as the weather is frequently very dry and hot the ground should be fresh dug. The plants carefully lifted having given them a copious watering the evening previous and their roots dipped into a puddle or mush of cow dung, soot or earth before planting then dibble them in firmly give a good watering and a certain growth will follow. The rows may be two feet apart and 18 inches from plant to plant. The after culture the same as directed for early cabbage. When cabbage heads have been cut the crops should be dug up every week and deposited in the rubber sheep. It is a waste to allow them to sprout and grow or decay and evaporate in the air. Some seasons the fly a small black beetle destroys the plants as soon as they appear above the ground. Soot, air slacked lime and wood ashes sprinkled over them is in part a preventive. Others destroy them by having cooped allowing the young chickens to have free access to the plants from which they exterminate the flies. I invariably grow my scarce seed in boxes elevated 18 inches above the ground entirely out of the reach of this insect which does not appear on elevated objects. This operation requires more attention and watering but a certainty is always gained by it. Wintering, cabbage If you have not a dry airy vegetable cellar nor an open shed to spare for burying them take a sheltered part of the garden and bury the roots, stock and part of the head and the earth over which in severe weather place a few boards or a light sprinkling of straw. In southern latitudes this is unnecessary. There they can withstand the climate. Cold sorts, a small kind of cabbage, of a very tender nature and delicate flavor, can be successfully cultivated as directed for early cabbage. Where the winters are not severe they, with broccoli and brussel sprouts can be had for use the whole season. Cardoon Cenera cardunculous Cardon French Cardolan German The artichoke rides to a greater height and, with it, may be classed as one of the fanciful vegetables grown exclusively for the name or to please the fancy of some professed epicure. At least it has but little nutriment. The tender stocks, after being blanched, are either stewed or put in soups or salads during autumn and winter. Culture This is easily accomplished by sowing the seeds about the middle of spring, where they are to remain. They succeed in soils of a sandy loam, inclining to moisture well enriched by manure. Plant the seeds in a row six inches apart and one inch deep. When they come up thin them out to one foot apart, as they require room to grow four feet wide and five feet high. From weeds hoe deep and frequently. About the beginning of October when the plants have attained their full size they should be prepared for blanching. Choose a dry day and tie the leaves of the plant carefully and lightly together with matting or small hay bands previously removing all the damaged or decayed ones. Keeping the hole upright binding the plant closely round with twisted straw or hay bands. From the root to about two-thirds of its height. Covering it so as to prevent the earth from coming in contact with the ribs of the leaves. Then earth them up the height of the bands as directed for celery. In three weeks they will be sufficiently blanched for use. Which they may be taken up as wanted. In severe weather protect them as directed celery. Carrot. Dacus or Arpta. Carrot. French. More. German. The carrot, says an imminent physician, is a most wholesome culinary root. It strengthens and nourishes the body. It is very beneficial for consumptive persons. Carrots are generally served to table boiled with meats. And excellent ingredient in soup and form an agreeable pudding. As an agricultural root they are not surpassed for feeding cattle. Horses will do more work and look better on them than on any other feed. It is supposed to have been introduced into Europe from the island of Crete since which they have been greatly improved. The following are the leading varieties cultivated for supplying the kitchen regularly at all seasons of the year. Early horn is the most forward in ripening and the best adapted for early crops. And in my opinion the best adapted for any crop. Although they are shorter than the other sorts they require a less depth of soil and can be grown much closer together. Its peculiar character is the taproot drawing abruptly off to a point. It is higher colored when pure and sweeter in taste than the other varieties and can be sown as late as the 20th of July. I have this year a very excellent crop flown on the 28th of July after the onion crop was taken from the ground. Long orange is the sort generally ground for a winter crop. It is paler and color than the former and grows to a great length frequently two feet long. Altering ham is a bright red variety peculiar in having from one to two inches of the top above ground. I consider this in flavor next to the early horn. It is excellent for a general whop being a fine keeper for winter use. Long Surrey This variety is but imperfectly known here. It is like the long orange but of a brighter color. In soil of a deep sandy loam it produces a heavy crop and is very suitable for the farm. Long White is much cultivated by the French for seasoning and for soups. On light deep soils it produces a heavy crop. Culture In the culture of this excellent vegetable a deep light rich sandy soil well manured should, if possible, be employed. If the ground is not of this quality in the preceding year it should be dug deep and well broken. If this is not done the roots fork or spread in a lateral direction entering both their size and quality. It is very important to have an early crop. For such the horn sort only should be used. Sow on a warm border as early as the season will admit. In sowing a calm day should be preferred they also bundle together and should be rubbed between the hands in dry sand or earth to separate them. The preferable way of sowing is in shallow drills half an inch deep and nine to twelve inches apart which admits of the hoe being made use of in thinning out the crop and clearing off the weeds. As soon as the plants are up and can be easily observed take a hoe of three or four inches broad to three or four inches apart. The main crop intended for large roots should be thinned to six inches apart. Frequent hoeing and stirring the soil whether there are weeds to destroy or not is very essential to the growth of the roots. From the first of May to the first of June is the period to sow for a general crop which will be ready to house in November. As soon as the leaves begin to turn yellow the roots can be taken up in a dry day. Cut the tops off about an inch from the crown and pack the roots in dry earth or sand in the cellar for winter use or they may be pitted out of doors covered with two inches of straw and a foot of earth to keep them from frost when they can be in use till the following summer. Cauliflower Brassica Ocracia Variety Chaufleur French Blumenkohl German This very delicate vegetable was first introduced into England from the island of Cyprus about a century and a half ago. Since then it has been greatly improved and I believe that there are only two varieties of the cauliflower though there are several sorts sold in the seed shops. The early and the late are the two and even these have frequently very little distinctive character where they are under the same culture and it is somewhat curious that the Dutch prefer the English seed and the English prefer the Dutch. We have therefore to import the seeds from both countries every year to see the ideas of the purchases. Culture The proper seasons for sowing the seeds are for the early spring or summer crop between the 8th and 20th of September and for the late autumn crop about the 1st of April. The plants, as soon as they are two inches high should be planted out in a bed of rich, light earth three inches apart each way so as to grow firm and stocky to remove to their final place of growth. For the purpose of growing them in perfection a bed of the richest, light earth two feet deep and one third of it well decomposed manure in an open exposure sheltered from the northwest is requisite the hole to be surrounded with a closed frame and covered with glass or shutters. It may be prepared about the 1st of October to receive the plants after the ground has fully settled which will take two weeks. Lift the plants carefully with a trowel from where they were transplanted and plant them 18 inches apart each way into the pit or frame prepared for them. Give a gentle watering to the soil round the plant. Press it down firmly and little or no more water will be required till the spring. Between each of these plant a lettuce of the early butter or royal cabbage sorts that will head in February and March and be used before the cauliflower makes much leaf to cover the ground. It will be necessary to surround the frame with dry litter to keep out the frost and to cover the glass or shutters with dry straw or mats in time of severe weather observing to give plenty of air in clear mild days to prevent the plants from drying or damping off at the neck. With such treatment we have seen cauliflower 18 inches in diameter and nearly as white as snow. When they are in a growing state they should never suffer with drought. Allow a copious supply of water if enriched so much the better. Soap suds is an excellent nutritive for the growth of vegetables. In the southern states very little protection is required. Surround the roots with dry litter and cover the plants in severe nights with mats or branches of evergreens. Be careful to supply moisture whenever the plants demand it, which is readily observed by the drooping of the leaves. As many of my readers may have not seen a cauliflower nor know from the above what it looks like to such we say it is a kind of cabbage that produces within its long pale green leaves a white head very similar to a basin rounded full of the curd which is commonly called cottage cheese. This is about as plain a description of the appearance of this vegetable as we can give. In cutting cauliflower the head should be cut off with some inches of the stalk. Together with most of the surrounding leaves which should be trimmed down nearly to the circumference of the head when for present use. The leaves of those required to be kept a few days or intended for market should be retained in their full length. If the flowers are opening more rapidly than demand requires they can be retarded a few days by folding the leaves over the heads. By this process the flower is kept of a pure white being defended from the sun. End of Section 5A Section 5B of the Family Kitchen Gardener This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org Recording by Nani Blylaven The Family Kitchen Gardener by Robert Boyst Section 5B Celery Apium Graviolans Celery French Celery This is a native of Britain and it is found in marshy ground, ditches and such situations. In its wild state it has a rank course taste. The effect of cultivation is remarkably displayed in producing the sweet, crisp, mild stalk of celery generally very palatable to all from a wild, detestable and apparently worthless weed. This vegetable is yearly gaining repute and is cultivated to a great extent though in our market far from being in perfection. Use The leaf stalks when blanched are used raw as a salad. They are also stewed and used for seasoning soups. An agreeable conserve can be made from the stalks when perfectly blanched. There are several sorts in cultivation but they may be set aside to give place to the two following. White Salad which is most generally preferred on account of the color considered by some as the most crisp. Red Solid which differs from the former only in color though it withstands the frost better than the white showing at least that there is some constitutional difference. Manchester Red is another name for this variety. There are also sorts sold as Giant Red and Giant White. Seymour's Red and Seymour's White all corresponding with the varieties known as the Red and White Celery. There is another variety known as the Lionpaw's Celery. Pure White but in our opinion inferior to the White Solid. As for Giant sorts they are attained purely by culture and astonishingly so too. Seed from the same plant in the hands of some growers will produce stalks four feet long blanched to a silvery whiteness. With others a meager stalk of a few inches high with its base of a dirty rusty white which of course will be pronounced an inferior sort and the blame attached to the seed. Culture To procure early celery the seed should be sown on a gentle hot bed from the first to the middle of March. Collect a load or two of warm horse manure. Put it in a form 18 inches thick to be covered with a frame and a glass sash. When the violent heat has subsided cover it with six inches soil where on sew your seed. Press it down and rake it lightly giving a gentle watering. Put on the glass shade from severe sun give it a little air from 11 o'clock to 2 o'clock and as soon as the plants are up air freely. Then them out to half an inch apart. When they are three inches high plant them out into a well prepared bed of rich light soil which will be from the first to the middle of April. Cover at night with mats or boards to protect from cold or frost. By the first of June they will be sufficiently strong to plant out in trenches for blanching. However where extreme earliness is not an object sew the seed about the first of April on a rich dry warm border. When up then them out. About the middle of May transplant them three or four inches apart into another piece of ground to stalk and harden till they are finally planted into rows for permanent culture. The regular way to select a level and rich piece of ground dig a trench a foot wide ten inches deep and three feet from each other. If convenient from north to south though any other aspect will do. Let the earth be regularly thrown out on each side of the trench and sloped off. Five or six inches of well decomposed manure should then be worked with full half spade deep into the bottom of each trench. The plants which were transplanted into the beds or frames should be carefully lifted and prepared for planting which is done by cutting off the extremity of the roots. Shortening their tops or leaves but not so low as to injure the young center leaves and divesting the neck of the plant from suckers. This done they may be planted into the trenches at a distance of four to five inches apart after which they'll hold a good soaking of water and shade from the sun for a few days. Their after culture is to stir the soil frequently with a small hoe and giving a copious supply of water in continued dry weather. About the middle of August or first of September tie the leaves together or hold them tight with one hand while with the other the earth is carefully drawn up around the stem but not so high as to allow the earth to get into the center of the plant which causes it to rot or rust. The soil for this purpose has to be broken and well pulverized with the spade. If the weather be dry and hot celery should not be earthed up so early. In such case a row for early use may be blanched by placing a board on each side and throwing the earth along the bottom edge of the board to prevent the air from getting under. By this means it can be very well blanched and ready for the table by the middle of September. I am aware that riders on the subject say earth it up every few days as it continues to grow but with such a practice in warm weather it will not grow long but rot off and decay. About the first of October earthing up may proceed without injury but let it be done firmly and evenly and in a sloping direction from the base to nearly the top of the leaves. At that state it will remain sound for a long time. If continued frost be apprehended bitter should be spread over the plants and a quantity lifted and laid in a bed of sand or earth in the vegetable cellar in which it will keep fresh for several weeks. When planting it is very convenient method to mix both red and white together. You will thus obtain both sorts in use from the opening of one trench. Large fields of celery can be pretty successfully cultivated with the plow for supplying the market. It's a crop that generally makes a good return to the grower. Celeriac or turnip rooted celery is occasionally cultivated for its seasoning qualities and when boiled is used at the table. Culture, same as cabbage. When the roots have acquired a tolerable size draw the earth to each side of the row 3 or 4 inches high which will render them white and tender particularly so in moist weather. The whole of this family is being partial to moisture. In from 4 to 6 weeks after being earthed up they will be in good order for use. Chervil Sedendix Serifolium Serifule French Gartenkerbe German Is a warm, mild and aromatic plant, a native of Europe and in olden times of great repute. After being boiled it was eaten with oil and vinegar and considered a pensia for courage comfort to the heart and strength to the body. It is much cultivated by the French and Dutch who use the tender leaves and soups and salads as frequently as we use parsley and is considered by many to be milder and more agreeable ingredient. Culture Chervil is an annual plant and should be sown in March, April and May in drills about a quarter of an inch deep 10 inches apart. Cover lightly and press the soil firm with the foot, rake evenly and give a gentle watering and dry weather. The leaves are fit for use when 2 to 4 inches high. Cut them off close, they will come up again and may be gathered in succession throughout the season. Chive Allium Chivit French Benilanche It is a botanical generic name for all roots of the onion family to which this belongs. It is a British plant and is supposed to partake of the flavor of both the onion and the leek. Its principal use is for soups and salads. The fine rush like leaves and when they are 3 to 4 inches high are ready for use. They grow again with surprising rapidity and are the earliest spring salad or seasoning. Culture They will evolve and once planted will continue to grow for many years in any soil. They make very good edgings for any compartment of the kitchen garden. Plant them in March or October a few inches apart and 2 inches deep. They will soon spread into a large bush and not suffer in the extreme cold. Corn salad Fedea olyteria Feticus or lamb's lettuce is a native of Europe and cultivated extensively as a spring salad but in France they frequently dress it like spinach. It is called lamb's lettuce from having it in repute as an early feed for lambs. Every garden should have a patch of this palpable vegetable as it comes early in spring when even the sight of green is refreshing. Culture Sow the seed from the 8th to the 20th of September in shallow drills cover lightly and if dry weather tread or roll the ground to press the seed and soil together. It is an annual and requires to be sown every year. Ho and keep clear of weeds in November cover slightly with straw. When wanted the sleeve should be picked and not cut. If the winter proves mild it will be in use the whole season. If the seed is not fresh every year it will frequently lie 6 months in the ground before it vegetates. It requires good rich soil on such the flavor is greatly improved. Cress Lipidium Sativim Curled or pepper cross takes its name from its warm spicy puncture flavor. It is very generally cultivated as an early salad. In Europe it is daily on the tables of the wealthy and can be grown fit for use on a warm hot bed in 48 hours. The seed should be always sown on very rich light ground that it may grow as rapidly as possible being cut while perfectly young and in a crisp date. It is fully ready when one inch high and is best when only once cut though many allow it to get 2 or 3 inches high. Cutting off only the tops and allowing it to grow for repeated cropping. To have it very early sown in February on a gentle hot where the glass can be placed within a few inches of the soil. The sownings in the open ground begin about the end of March and should be continued every week for 2 months. So the seed very thick either in drills or broadcast. Earth over very lightly just enough to cover the seed and press it even with the back of the spade. In dry weather give occasional waterings. In cold nights cover the ground with mats or straw to ward off any frost. When grown in hot beds give plenty of air during the day a family can use from 4 ounces to a pound of seed. Cucumber Cucumus sativus The cucumber is a fruit of great antiquity found wild in all warm countries and is cultivated to an amazing extent all over the world a surprising fact when contrasted with its nourishing qualities few or none of our culinary vegetables have less nutriment it being of a cold and watery nature and two persons of a weak and delicate constitution very indigested. When dressed with oil, vinegar and pepper it is freely used to cool the feelings and sharpen the appetite hence the common saying I was cool as a cucumber. Of the many sorts in cultivation we select the following as being dissimilar and worthy of culture 1. Long early frame or open air 2. Early short white prickly Fruit from 4 to 6 inches long of seed green color with white spines forces very well and is grown extensively for the market It does not get yellow too soon as the early short prickly which is of the same size of a dark green color with black spines Long early frame This is used both for forcing open air culture it grows from 6 to 10 inches long a good bearer and a very excellent variety Manchester Prize Dark green with black spines an English variety of great excellence either as a fruit or abundant bearer generally grown in the gardens of the wealthy about Philadelphia and is often seen in our exhibitions 20 inches to 2 feet long Carrie Sorff's Long White Spine Insides and forms similar to the former the spines or prickles are white, a good bearer Long prickly grows about 10 inches long dark green color, black prickles a great bearer This variety with the first two named are the most certain for general crops The other long sorts are equally as crisp if not more so but they are not so plentiful bearers neither do they produce seed in any quantity if different sorts of cucumbers are grown contiguous to each other they are certain to mix and the seed from them will not produce the genuine variety there are also white cucumbers and white with black spines but their taste is flatter and more insipid culture and the open air is of the simplest character merely dig out a hole about a foot wide and deep fill it with rich sandy soil raise it above the surface 6 inches the hills should be such as apart each way any time in May sow a few seeds therein and the result is certain if the weather be warm they will grow in a few days if the nights are cold protect them there is frequently a little bug which preys upon the tender leaves if so soot and wood ashes sprinkled over them while wet with the dew will retard the progress of the dipprador as soon as the vines have made rough leaves, nip the points off to make them branch out they will fruit sooner by it 3 vines to 1 hill is quite enough to have young fruit in February and March is rather a nice operation but anyone who can command a few loads of warm horse manure can have them from April to October that farmers in the country may have the article either for family use or for sale a few hints may be in place forcing cucumbers the first requisite is to obtain 4 feet square of warm stable manure turn it up into a heap for 8 to 10 days to allow the rank vapor to pass off when it may be placed into any form to suit a sash the general size is 4 by 6 feet and 3 or 4 feet high at the back sloping to 2 and a half or 3 feet in front either make or have a frame of boards at least 15 inches deep 3 feet high and 5 feet long or the full size of the sash let the dung bed be a foot all around larger than the frame should heavy rain or snow fall or it be a severe frost the manure should be protected with a covering of straw care however should always be taken that the reduction of the boat in the dung is not carried too far before making up the bed as when that is the case the bed should be built square up and regularly beaten down with the fork when finished put on the frame and sash keep it closed for a day or two to draw up the heat air should then be admitted for a few days during the day by tilting up the sash at the back a few inches to allow the steam to pass off which generally does in 4 to 5 days or less supposing the bed now in order put in a quantity 3 barrel loads of light rich loam none better than that from the surface of the woods in 2 or 3 days the earth will be sufficiently warm for sowing the seeds if the plants are to be removed into other frames sew them into pox if not to be removed sew them into a hill made in the center of the bed by placing one barrel full more than a minute so a few dozen seeds to meet contingencies or any extra supply in pots in case of dampening off which frequently happens in cloudy winter weather cover the sash at night with straw mats or any similar protection and surround the bed with litter or boards to keep the piercing winds from carrying off the heat the seed should be 2 or 3 years old it is better than new seed which goes more divine than fruit it will be up in 24 hours 2 or 3 days will grow into strong plants during their growth admit fresh air every day at the back give the young plants as much light as possible when they have attained their third rough leaf nip the point off the vine to cause it to branch if the soil or the plants appear to be dry give them water in the afternoon which has been kept in the bed during the previous night that it may be in a warm state the plants succeed best when they are transplanted and plant them deep enough for the earth to reach their seed leaves as the plants grow roots will protrude from their stems to which earth may be drawn the roots will also appear through the hill to which a further supply of fresh soil may be added when the plants have grown and the sun is very warm they may flag or droop if so sprinkle a few straws or a very thin mat on the glass right over them about midday give them without this precaution and it is unnecessary when they have sufficient moisture heat and depth of soil the requisite temperature is from 65 to 75 degrees and from 75 degrees to 100 degrees by day experience can manage these affairs with sight and feeling but the untutored require the age of the thermometer and a stick to poke into the dung bed to ascertain the internal heat of the material when it begins to decline the mesh lining of manure all around of 18 inches in thickness and as high as to cover half of the frame the vines, if well managed, will bloom within a month from the day of sowing the male and female flowers are on the same plant and art may render assistance by taking the male blossom and putting its center within the female which is easily distinguished by having its base a form of a cucumber half an inch long after being impregnated it will fit to cut in two weeks these operations may be begun and gone through any time from Christmas to March to cultivate cucumbers extensively all that is requisite is a preparation of manure, frames and sash use the above described bed for growing the seedling plants transplanting them into larger frames or pots three plants being sufficient for each sash and 50 to 70 fruit may be cut from each light the cucumber was the gardener to the late Henry Pratt Esquire of Lemon Hill, near this city he cut cucumbers in February and had them for the table regularly until they could be obtained from the open ground cucumbers can also be cultivated under hand glasses dig out a pit early in April 18 inches deep and wide fill it with warm manure and cover with 6 to 8 inches of rich light soil in which sow the seed hand glasses are made of various sizes but such are 18 inches square will be found the most useful admit air during sunshine as directed for frames and if cold nights prevail cover them with mats or litter of any kind cucumbers for pickling should be sown from the end of June to the 15th of July either the short prickly or long green is suitable for the purpose there is also a small cluster of cucumber used by some for bottling or mixing with the finer sort of pickles where cucumbers are grown for family use it is of great advantage to cover the groundless straw which will keep the sun from parching the soil in hot dry weather and prevent the blossoms and young fruit from being covered with soil during heavy rains end of