February, 1920
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A Gardener's Letter
f':>\ r.VIA,-We nxe ashamc(l of our little
greenhouse thi" month, hut mo8t greenho u se~ aro
bn.rC' ju~t now because of the general (hfficulty of
outrtitung coko for heating clunn~ the war. The
rc1:1Ult has been that all our pet plants have dted and
w<> ha' c not had the heart up to the present to
scart all over again. ln the old days we used to
hrwc- such a mas~ of Oowers of different sorts tht
month, nnd it WM dC>lightfuJ on dull, wet days to
~:~pc nd a rooming in th(• warmth and the scent of
l>ut ch hyacinths, tulips, narcis:n and freesias-
With the glorious reds and ml,\uvcs of the clycla.mens
and primul~ to complete our riot of colour. We mtss
them all so much in this victory year, and we have
jotted down in our diary as part of the autumn work
t h<• preparation for our February harvest of bloom.
\Ve are sowing broad beans as early as possible
this m ont h - and don't forget, Sylvia, when you
clo yours that all peas, beans and ca bbage seeds
should he rolled in red lead, moistened with paraffin
before you sow them. Pa.ra.ffin is used instead of
wa.ter becttuse it does not, as water would, hasten
t l}e germination of the seeds and promoto lUltimely
~rowth. The lead wil1, of course, " put off., the
attontions of field mice, sparrows a.nd cha.ffinches.
:Mice w~re a great nuisance with us last year,
a nd in spite of traps, M well as red lead, our peas
had to be sown in some ca.scs three times over.
The first of our peas will go in this month, and as
we have only a small space for them we are confining
ourselves to the dwarf varieties. Our hot bed is
to be started next week and .tomatoes sown. They
cannot be started too early, as, unless the summer is
a very sunny one, we have such a stock in October
which refuse to ripen and have to be made into
green tomato chutney ! Leeks and a littlt' lettuce
seed will go into boxes, and on wet days we shall be
spreading out our seed p otatoes.
We are also going to try our hand at a little
Fronch gardening this year, and for this reabon our
hot bed is of greater importance than usual, so I
will copy for your information tht> instructions gi~·en
in my own pet text book on French gardemng,
bv C. D. MoKay : -
w" Choose mode rately fresh steamy stable manure,
moist, full of heat- rejecting the very dry, long
straw, and exhausted pnrts previously to formin g it
into a. hod. If the manure is rank, it would ht•
best to prepare it a little by forking the whole up
into a. heap- mixing woll t ogether-and let it thuR
remain oi~ht, ten, or twelve days to ft'rment equally,
and for the rank steam and fierce heat to evaporate.
Tt will then be of a proper temperature to mnke into
the hotbed.
~lake the hotbed in a sheltered dry spot facing
dno south. .M:ako it whollv on tho surface of the
s:(ronnd, four or five feet ;dde, according to the
frame. Tho sides of the hod can bo lined with
fresh, hot manure, rachin,g quite to the botto m \\hen
n<'cessnry, to augment the heat should it cool.
£ n making tho hcd, let it be tWO Ol' three inCh('S
wid<>r than tho framo each way. Now b<·~in to
ntake tho hod. Shal P.\It
which 1!>. allowed to :'lcttlc gradually of it. <'lf. Let
the bed be about thrcf feet high, makm~ nn allc,w-
ance for it.s etting six or c1ght inchc~ in a '\\eek or
fortntght after making. As soon as finif:hed, Jllit
on the framo and glass, keeping them clo e do'\\·n
t1ll the heat comes up ; then raise the glru g behind,
that the steam may pass away.
Three or four days after ninking the bed in '\\ hieh
to sow the seed, earth it with rich, light, dry earth or
compo!>.t, which has been made ready at this ~en on
under somo dry ohed, to a depth of three or four
inches."
Cucumber and melon sced:J will then be SO\\D,
m 60 pots, and we arc hoping great thing~! And
if you have forgotten to sow your s-ucet pea ~eed~ m
the autumn get them in at once in five. inch pots, and
pnt th<'m in a. frame or on a. shelf in the greenhoul'e.
Th1 :
and the garden- ab l that's the most wondt•rfnl
thing about it! Ifs a wonder-garden !- just a
splash of vivid colour, with queer littl<' twisted
grey paths. and ro~e-covered arches, and great
waving trees that whisper fairy stones to anyone
"ho cn.res t o listen.
Underneath one of tho n.rchcs is a '"ickct-gatc,
leading to the less romantic part of tht' gnrd<'n.
Thero are blue-green cabbages there and cnmRon
beetroots, plum and n.pplc trees, and vnriou ot h<'r
things that arc part of the mnrkct-vurd<'n world.
You must come early in th<' morning to Rl"t• the
ga.rdon at its best. F or thl n <'' crv leaf tuHl
blossom sparkles with dow, and thf• fniriN\ havo
been at work in the n1ght. je\\dhng the silken
spidors' w<' bs with gli8tcnmg, shim mni ng djamondfl.
An O'{lalcscent miRt d c<'pens the blue shadn\\ 14 (ltt
th~- paths and Boftcns cv<•ry outhno till the garch·n
ia tru.nsform