The Forcing Garden; Or, How to Grow Early Fruits, Flowers, and Vegetables

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1881 Excerpt: ...plates on which canvas sashes can be fixed. These canvas sashes are made with a frame of light scantling halved and nailed at the corners; on these is tightly stretched some unbleached calico, and tacked on them securely. These canvas sashes should be made in the summer, or at least the material should be dressed over with linseed oil and sugar of lead in the summer, so as to get thoroughly dry and hard. The oil will do by itself, but the sugar of lead dries the oil more quickly and makes it hard; two coats should be given the canvas, which will render it as transparent as is required without the admission of much sun. I have found that these pits and canvas lights are equal to brick pits, and are capital things to keep plants in; while for early Radishes they are first-rate, as no other covering is needed for them. Radishes may be sown in these pits at Christmas, and will then be fit to draw in March, perhaps by the beginning, if on a warm border, and I am convinced that there is nothing which pays better, if so well, as these things. Plenty of good rotten manure must be forked into the bed, and an abundance of water given them as soon as they get from four to six leaves. CHAPTER IV. ON FORCING ASPARAGUS, SEA-KALE, ETC. ASPARAGUS. I Have often thought what a pity it is that Asparagus roots should be thrown away, after giving from 10s. to 15s. per hundred for them, and after getting perhaps about as much, or a trifle more, from them Fig. 33.--Section Of A Seventy-five-feet Asparagus Forcing Pit. References--a, the bed, permanently planted with four rows of roots; b, one flowand-return three-inch pipe running on the surface of the bed, close to the walls; c, the boiler. than what the roots originally cost. Asparagus forcers should remember, that it is not bo...