TO CORRESPONDENTS

Auckland Star, Volume XXIII, Issue 288, 3 December 1892, Page 3 (Supplement)

TO CORRESPONDENTS

Jhwajip Ground for Growing Vegetables ji'B.G.')— As a rule you couldnoi get better land ".than good swamp ground for growing vegetables, as in nearly all swamps there is a lot of decayed and decaying vegetable matter. , This deposit makes all land valuable for vege- . table crops, especially those which aro grown ,_br their leaves. Your first consideration Should be to see that tho swamp can be 'drained, as no vegetable crops will succeed _f the soil is sour and wet. The best time to drain is now. The size and character of your ■drains must depend on not only the quantity of water iv tho swamp but on the water-shed yrhieh drains into the swamp, li the swamp Ib a small one. and the water is from springs, "tho best system of drainage will be one of tile drains under the ground, as those could be i»ut down so as to cut all the springs. Again, lithe swamp is ono which is supplied with water from a largo extent of back country, in wet weathor you would be apt to become Sooded if you did not leave open drains to carry off the storm water. If you drain now when it is finished havo all tho surface of the soil turned up roughly, that it may lay exposed to tbe sun and air to sweeten, so that it iiuay got ready for cropping next autumn.

SCBEBOUS - ROOTED BEGONIAS IN THE OPEN (.{'B.-t..—You could not do butter than put 'out your plants in tho open air. They like good, rich soil and liberal treatment to inako .them grow into good strong plants. For somo years now I have grown them out in vibe open, and have found that for a dwarf plant there is none which will equal them for continuous flowering during tho summer '^Bionths. With mo they begin to flower about *_he beginning of December and continue in .flower up till May. and where a large - .collection was grown thoy would supply :: considerable nurnbors of out flowers that period. You could plant out now even, though plants growing in !pots in the bouse should bo hardened out In •Ahe open for about a week before putting 'them out in the borders. The begonia is gaid in Britain to stand tbe dry summers ietter than most- othor plants in the open, %nt I have always mado it a practice to give any plants a good soaking of water once a week during the dry part of the summer, and _ would advise you to do the same so as to keep them in a continually active state,