FARM AND GARDEN CALENDAR FOR MAY.

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume II, Issue 173, 2 May 1874, Page 3

FARM AND GARDEN CALENDAR FOR MAY.

(FROM “ BEED AND BEKM’s ALMANAC Fmwek G auden.— This is the beat month of laying out and making alterations in the flower garden and shrubbery, and for general planting. Plant crocuses, jonquils, hyacinths, xxias, and spaiaxis. Dig beds and borders, remove all decaying matters, and tie up straggling branches. Sow annuals for spring flowering. Kitchen and Feuix Oaedbn.—Asparagus and soa-kale beds should be carefully forked over, and covered with a good coating of well-rotted dung, mixed, if practicable, with sea weed, or otherwise sown freely with salt. Sow cauliflowers for spring planting ; sow lettuce and salad herbs. Earth up celery and leeks where required. Sow parsley ; thin carrots and turnips where required ; keep down weeds, and dig spare ground. If the weather proves dry onions may bo sown. Avoid working stiff or clayey ground when wet. Si rawberries, raspberries, currants, and gooseberries may be planted towards the close of the month. Let the ground be well trenched and manured. Late fruit should be gathered, trees staked, and the ground prepared, for planting operations in Juno and July. In strawberries the May Queen is the earliest, being almost a perpetual bearer. The Marguerite is next in season, and is an excellent kind, of largo size and a most abundant bearer. Trollop’s Victoria (Duke of Edinburgh) is an abundant bearer of good market fruit of medium flavour.

Farm —If any grass seed remains to bo sown let it be finished rapidly, as the rains often set in early in this month, and alt hough grass seeds may bo sown in some exceptional years even through May and June, it is not wise to risk it. Where wheat is intended to be sown, the land may bo prepared. Bye may be sown this month or next. Docks and thistles should be eradicated. Ditches may be cleared, water furrows kept open, and draining commenced—a very important operation in soils of nearly oil descriptions. Early sown rape will probably be fit to stock at the end of the month, and where grass and rape are sown together it is not advisable to let the rape grow too long before eating, as although it affords shelter to the grass and clover up to a certain stage, after that it will injure them. Rams may all be taken from the ewes ; the owes will be better prepared for lambing and more healthy if not allowed to get too fat daring the winter ; they may be kept on the old pastures, reserving the young grasses and rape for the young sheep which are intended for mutton, or for the ewes when they lamb.