Pumpkin (Cucurbita Pepo)

Sow seed in April on a gentle hot-bed; and as soon as the seedlings have a pair of rough leaves, pot them off- - two in a forty-eight sized pot. Let the plants be grown on as before until they are well established, when they must be hardened off gradually until May, and then be planted in the open ground, where they can have the protection of hand-glasses for a short time, in the event of severe weather setting in.

Pea (Pisum Sativum)

Peas are particularly partial to fresh ground; in short no crop pays better for liberal cultivation than this. Deep trenching is of the utmost importance, and a heavy dressing of manure should be placed at the bottom of every trench. Any soil will produce good peas if properly dealt with, but you must bear in mind that this plant contains a very great portion of phos-phate of lime, and as such guano and superphosphate are valuable aids, and particularly where the soil is deficient of such ingredients. The first earlies may be sown in November, December, and January, on a dry, sloping, sheltered border, not over rich, in drills four feet apart. Put sticks to them as soon as well above ground, as they tend to afford some degree of shelter, while, if the weather is very severe, a few close-setting branches stuck here and there will prove a double protection. Both the first and second earlies may be sown in February on well-prepared ground containing plenty of manure. So again at intervals, proportionate to the demand, the best sorts obtainable, including the latest, until the end of May; then sow second earlies, and, finally, provided you do not object to incur a little risk, make another sowing of first earlies any time between the middle of June and the middle of July. It is advisable to put in rows of peas of all sorts far apart, say from eight to ten feet at least, and have a row of cauliflowers, cabbages, or spinach in between.

Tall-growing peas are preferable to dwarfs as a rule, both as regards quality and quantity; consequently the little extra outlay for sticks will not be an object. Peas should always have stakes put to them before they fall over, otherwise the crop will not be nearly so good.

Potato (Solatium Tuberosum)

This is a plant so well known, and its use so great, as to leave me at a loss for expressions to convey a proper idea of its value. Suffice it to say it is a vegetable grown everywhere, by everybody who has the means of doing so. It is a root propagated in various ways, but the most general and best mode is by cuttings of the tuber, called sets. In cutting the potatoes into sections or sets, the crown or watery end of the tuber should be rejected, as being apt to run too much to top, having the eyes small and in clusters. In dividing the tuber not more than one good eye ought to be left to each piece, and in general the crop will be found greater than if two or more were left. In planting almost every individual differs in some respect or other in his practice. The soil best suited for this root is a light fresh soil without manure, if they can be grown to answer the desired end, as on such they are much better flavoured. The soil should lie dry, as they always grow sickly - the tubers becoming as a rule watery and scabbed - in wet ground. If the soil be poor and exhausted, it must be manured; in which case mellow dung should be employed, as least likely to affect the tubers.

The season for planting mainly depends upon the state of the ground and the weather; but the last fortnight in March and the first in April is the best season, provided other circumstances are favourable, for getting in this root, both for early and late crops. If the ground be manured, having the dung spread on the surface, begin at one side, and if convenient, either the east or the west, and dig as much as will serve for one row, then stretch a line across from north to south, and with a blunt-ended dibble insert the sets; if early ones, about six inches apart and three inches deep, and fill the holes in immediately; then proceed to dig for another row - if for early ones about twenty inches, but if for main crops two feet or two feet six inches, according as the ground is rich or poor, and from twelve to fourteen inches apart in the row, and so on till the whole is complete; the ground being left even, avoid treading upon it till the potatoes are up, when it must be hoed over to cut down all rising weeds, in dry weather only. As soon as the plants are from six to eight inches high, they must have earth drawn up to them on both sides with the hoe, for the purpose of strengthening their growth and promoting increase below.

When the plants have been thus hoed or landed up about a fortnight, the flat spaces left between the rows should be forked over to loosen the ground about the roots, which will be of great advantage to the crop. After this the plants will require but little more attention until the time of taking up. In June and July tubers of the early sorts will have advanced to what may be termed a sufficient size for present use, though still small; a few therefore only should be taken up at a time as wanted for immediate use, as they would not keep for more than a day or two at the outside. In September they will have grown to a larger size, and may be taken up in greater quantities, but still not with the view of keeping them for any length of time. The main winter crops should be allowed to remain in the ground until they are quite ripe, which will be indicated by the haulm or stalks beginning to decay. This mostly takes place in October or November, when they may be lifted at once, and stored for winter and spring use.

In forking them up care should be taken to clear the ground thoroughly of both large and small tubers, otherwise they will be found troublesome the year following.

Early Potatoes

These are necessarily forced in pits or frames, and require a bottom heat to begin with of sixty or seventy degrees, and this is best composed of about two parts leaves to one part dung; for the plants once up the heat should be allowed to decline, or the plants will become weak. The ash-leaved kidney is one of the best for this purpose, the secret being to so preserve the seed as to secure their first sprouts. In a word, they are best preserved through the winter on shelves thinly, or in tubs or baskets placed out of the reach of frost, but where the air of the room or shed is cool and tolerably dry. They ought to be planted about ten inches apart every way, and five inches deep, in sound, turfy loam, although any ordinary good garden soil will answer. As soon as they are above the soil they must be liberally supplied with air, for if permitted to grow weakly for want of air, the crop will be deteriorated. They will require no water until the plants are six inches high, but one good supply of moisture should be given them when the young potatoes begin to form, which may be known by the foliage showing symptoms of curling.