Kohl-Rabi (Brassica Caulo-Rapa)

This vegetable, when about three inches in diameter, is very delicious if cooked and served up in the same manner as turnips. Seed should be sown in March or April in drills fifteen to eighteen inches from each other, and the plants thinned out, when large enough, to a foot apart in the rows. Another sowing may be made in the same manner in June and July for standing through the winter. Any well-manured and carefully dug ground will suit them.

Leek (Allium Porrum)

Similar culture to that described for celery will suit this. Sow in February and March in the open ground, and thin out to four inches apart, as soon as they become crowded. The thinnings may be planted out on another bed of good soil, about the same distance asunder; and these will provide small leeks for use throughout the winter, for soups, etc. The stronger plants left in the seed-bed should be planted out in May and June, in trenches one foot deep and two feet apart (setting the plants six inches from each other in the row) prepared as for celery, with plenty of rich manure. If practicable keep them well supplied with liquid manure during the entire summer, or at any rate water them freely, even if with pure water only. As soon as they have attained a considerable size earth them up to blanch; by this method you will ensure their being large and tender. They may also be grown very well by ordinary culture, digging in plenty of manure on a flat surface.

Lettuce (Lactuca Sativa)

It is a fact - and facts are stubborn things - that a fine, tender, crisp, and juicy lettuce can only be ensured by good cultivation; that is to say, generous treatment. In a word, it loves a somewhat loamy soil, but will succeed very well in any ordinary garden soil provided it be liberally manured. Sow seed in pans in February and March and place these under glass; as soon as large enough for the purpose, prick them out six inches apart in every direction. The plants from this sowing, if planted with care on rich soil, and well watered, will afford a good and early supply. Occasional small sowings may also be made from the latter end of March to the middle of July, and planted out as fast as they become large enough, choosing showery weather for the job; or, in lieu of that, affording shade and moisture. Make it a practice when planting from the late sowings to leave a fair proportion of the plants undisturbed, as it may so happen that those put out late may run to seed, while those left in the seed-bed invariably make nice solid hearts. In August and September some of the hardiest kinds should be sown on a warm border, in the open air, to stand over the winter; a few of this sowing may likewise be preserved in frames or sheltered beds.

Provided the winter is not over severe, those in open quarters will scarcely be checked by frost. All lettuces require a distance of a foot at least between the plants, if required to grow large and succulent; for ordinary purposes and in cottage gardens, however, they may be grown closer, especially the cabbage variety. Every one knows that this vegetable is appreciated in proportion to its crisp-ness, and this cannot be obtained without high culture. Liberal dressings and abundance of water arc the way to ensure this condition; the latter is indispensable in dry weather. The hoe must bo used as soon as they are half grown, but it must not be inserted too deep close to the plants, as they possess roots nearing the surface. Their summer culture is simple enough, but some extra pains must be taken with the winter plants ; a little dry litter strewed over them in sovcro weather will prove of much benefit.

Maize, Or Indian Corn (Zea Mays)

Seed should be sown in April in pans or boxes, and placed in gentle heat to germinate. As soon as the plants have attained the height of two inches, or thereabouts, they should be gradually hardened off previous to transplanting into the open ground by the end of May. Any moderately rich soil will suit this plant. The green heads of maize, when boiled and served with fresh butter, form a delicious dish.

Melon (Cucumis Melo Var)

The production of early melons in high perfection is considered, and indeed is, a nice point in gardening; they require a great amount of care, and as the proper management of fermenting materials, where employed, is the very foundation of success, I will explain the kind of process they should undergo. The first thing necessary is to render the hot manure what is termed sweet, which consists in causing it to part with a portion of those gaseous matters which in excess are at all times prejudicial to vegetation. Fresh stable manure is preferable to anything else, and this should be thrown into a body to become hot, which it will do, provided it is bulky enough, in less than a fortnight. As soon as the heat is sufficient to become unpleasant to the hand, it must be turned completely inside out, and in this turning every particle should be shaken out and divided as much as possible. If the dung be in the least dry at any time, it must be well watered, for on a liberal application of moisture depends solely its fitness for the hot-bed. After laying for eight or ten days it must be again turned as before - this is sometimes made the last turning, but it is advisable to give it a third for early forcing.