The complete Indian housekeeper & cook

4. Broad Beans (Sem). — Sow in September in rows on ridges. One seed every four inches. Soil fairly rich, and very well worked. It is better in many ways to sow in a seed-bed, and transjilant when two inches high, as in this way you are certain of germination. Earth up once or twice, and nip back the top shoot to make the flowers set. The first flowers seldoln do set in India. The refuse chalk from soda-water machines is good for a bean manure. 5. French Beans (^Beldti Send) give trouble, but are Housekeeper and Cook 137 natives of India. As a rule, they are sown out of season. They will not stand any cold, therefore they must either be sown in July and sheltered from the frost, or be sown in a hot bed in Februaiy and transplanted. The dwarf kind is said to bear six weeks after sowing, but the writer has never been successful with them except in the hills. 6. Beetroot {Chuckimdci). — One of the most easily grown vegetables. Thrives in a salt soil. Sow in drills where it is to remain, dropping one seed into holes four inches apart. A pinch of soot and dried fowl manure in each hole makes the seed germinate better. Each seed produces three plants, and must be thinned out to one. The others will transplant, but are not so good generally. The ground for beetroot should be deeply trenched, or the roots will branch. Birds eat the young plants, which are just the colour of the ground. The seed germinates in three days. 7. Cabbages, Broccoli, Caulijiower, Kale {Gobi, Phool Gobi). — All require about the same treatment. Sow, beginning in July, in seed-beds well manured ; quarter ounce seed is suffi- cient for a bed 4 feet by 5 feet sown broadcast. When the 2>lants show their fifth leaf, transjilant to a seedling bed three inches apart. Again transplant five inches ajjart finally, when sticky and strong, to the ground. All the cabbage tribe are gross feeders, and it is therefore best to manure the hole for each plant separately, as it would take too much to manure the whole field. The cabbage tribe require constant earthing up, and each time manure should be added. The seed ger- minates in three days. 8. Carrots {Gajer) are most uncertain germinators, and in maiket gardens at home the seed is always germinated before being put into the ground, by being jjut in a Avarm jilace in a box mixed Avith a very little Avetted sand. In this country the seed Avill sometimes lie for six Aveeks in the ground, and as the insects are very fond of it, the English plan might be tried with advantage. Trench the ground to three feet at least, and mix Avith sand and leaf mould, and soav in drills nine inches apart. Thin out tAvice ; once Avhen about six inches high, and again for immediate use. Carrots do not like a freshly-manured land. If the seed is germinated on Avet sand, it should only be allowed to ^^chip”; that is to shoAv a Avhile streak, not to send out a germ. It should 138 The Complete Indian then be gently mixed witli dry sand and sown ; about half an ounce should be sufficient for four rows twenty feet long.