VEGETABLE GROWING.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 12903, 7 September 1907, Page 6

VEGETABLE GROWING.

A VALUABLE LECTUEE.

A most valuable lecture on the subject of "Vegetable Growing" was delivered last night in the Manchester Chambers, by Mr J. Dewes, F.R.H.S., Curator of the Domain, under tho auspices of the Canterbury United Horticultural Society.

Mr Dawes devoted the first section of his lecturo to a consideration of the proper means to be adopted for the preparation of the ground for vegetable growing. Ho said that thoso who hoped to be successful should make preparation of their ground at least a twelvemonth beforehand. It was not to , be understood that the ground should be idle, but it should be planted with a close-growing crop, such as potatoes, etc., to get it clean. A great deal had been said and written as to the proper time for trenching, manuring, etc. Many*clever gardeners said that autumn was the proper time, but his experience had taught him (and he had been managing some heavy clay land) that the spring was by far and away the best time, thereby preventing the souring of the soil by the winter rains. In this country, where decomposed manure was so difficult to get, and where so much artificial had to bo used, he was further convinced in his opinion. Of course, trenching and manuring had to be done in different n ays and in different forme, according to the soil that ono had to deal with. In the kitchen garden that he had recently the management of, and whero lie grew the best fruit and vegetables that ever he produced, the eubsoils were heavy clay and mar), and when he commenced trenching in that garden ho had only got nine inches of soil on the surface, fn following out the oldfashioned idea of trenching he turned that nine inches of soil into the bottom of a two-foot trench, bringing tho subsoil to the surface, but the result at the end of the season he found anything but satisfactory. The following season he commenced to cultivate in another way. Instead of a two-foot trench he took out a four-foot trench and carefully kept the top soil separate from the clay and marl. Hβ broke up the clay and marl and incorporated them with three layers of good, rotten manure, replacing the good soil on the surface. At the end of five years ho found that with the assistance of tho manure and the pulverisation of tho roots and the opening up of the crust ho had over two feet of jjood, pliable soil. That was the way in which ho had found trenching to be the most successful. That process was, of course, n long and tedious one, but if a piece of a garden was done every j'enr a marked improvement would bo seen. While on that subject he \rould mention the matter of storing and preparing the manures. It was no uee for cne to attempt t<v bury manure in a live condition, thinking to get immediate results from it. It was very necessary that the manure available here—etable manure—«hould bo collected from time to time from •wherever it oonld be e©t,.and all the rottablo offal from the garden, snch ac loaves ond decayed vegetable matter of ell descriptions, should be incorporated with it. for that would provide one with a great amount of humus that in an old garden the plants had already taken out of the soil. Those heaps could bo very profitably employed by planting vegetable morrowe, cucumbers, etc., on thorn. a>nd the -water those vegetables would necessarily requim during the summer would assist considerably in the decomposition of the manure.

Mr Dawos then proceeded to explain in detail the methods of cultivation to bo adopted with respect to n number of different vegetables. Asparagus, he eaid, would thrive in almcst any soil provided that proper attention was bestowed on the preparation of the ground that had to receive the roots. The most suitable soil was a good, deep, free loam, with a porous subsoil. That did away with the necessity of drainage, for if the soil was heavy, drainage must be provided, as the fleshy roots were most impatient of stagnant moisture. If the ground was naturally free a-nd well drained, the beds might be prepared on the flat, but if they were to be planted on wet, heavy land, thejf ehould be raised at least nine inches above the level. The beds should be laid out five feet wide; the, permanent rows of roots for those bede should be three, and the centre row and two eide rows one foot from the edge of the alley, duplicate rows to be planted between the centre row and the outside rows. Those duplicate rows could be cut from the first end succeeding seasons, thereby giving an immediate return, at the same time enabling the permanent plants to get thoroughly established before cutting operations commenced. The beds, if more than one, should be separated by an alley two feet wide, and those alleys could do cropped with cauliflowers, turnips, lettuce, or other quick growing plaints. Dealing with rhe cultivation of cabbages, Mr Dtawea said that in his opinion a good cabbage was always useful, and in early spring ought to be mo3t prized. The eeed could be sown almost any month of the year, and a few rowa of plants planted every month would often eiipply a gap when other vegetables were

scarce. The eyetem he would advocate for planting was in rows eighteen inches apart ami one foot from plant to plant. Alternative -'ante could be cut out as they became crowded, leaving the permanents ultimately two feet apart in the rows. Pickling cabbages should be eown in the autumn, and planted out in the early spring, thereby giving them a. lone season's growth. Turning to carrote, he said that that root was looked upon as indispensable to any vegetable garden. It succeeded best in a light, friable loam, but on the other hand it adapted itself to most eoiis. It was periectly hardy, and the seed might bo sown at almost any time of the year, when the weather was favourable. It should be sown in deep, around, in drills two inches apart and fifteen inches apart. As soon as the plants were large enough to be handled, tho first thinmug or three inches apart ehould be carried out. Tho iiual thinning should leavo tho roots sis inches apart, and the intermediate thinnings could be cooked in their small stete. Cauliflower, the lecturer continued, was one of the oldest vegetables known, for he believed it was introduced from Italy in the loth century. It was. of course, companion to the broccoli, but bud a more delicate flavour. Its principal use was to fill in the time between ttie first and second crops of peas. Seed sown in the autumn and transplanted in hi ring would flower and succeed the late broccoli and early peas. Celery was a British plant, and undoubtedly one of the most popular, useful, and delicious vegetables grown. By sowing seed tho first week in August, and another batch six weeks later, a continuous supply could be kept going for at least six months. After the seeds had been sown and the plants were fit to handle, they should be pricked out into boxes threo inches apart, and whon attaining tho height of from four to six inches should be transplanted to their permanent quarters in the trenches propared. In preparing tho trenches, each trench should bo marked out fifteen inches wido and four feet apart. The trench should be dug out ono foot deep, and the soil put out on tho sido of the trendies to form the ridge. Six inches of good rotten manure should bo placed in the trench and dug in. Tho soil coming uppermost should be well pulverised, and allowed to remain exposed to tho weather as long as possible. When planting took 1 { .!<•«;, it should bo in two rows in each trench, planted angle-wise, ono foot apart. Copious supplies of water must be given all through tho growing season, as celery could hardly ever be over-watered. It was a very gross faedor, and abundance of liquid manure should bo supplied. iSoot and lime in equal proportions dusted over the plants in the early morning oncf> a week would help to check the celery fly. which was oftimes very troublesome. If celery was wanted very early in the season, of course earthing up must take place before tho plants had anything liko attained maturity, otherwise earthing up should not be commenced till the plants had nearly completed their growth. About seven weeks were required to properly blanch celery. Groat care and skih was required in earthing up, lor many good plants wero spoilt in that process. Previous to earthing up, plants should bft gone over, all decaying leaves and eide-growths removed, and the rows flooded with water. On a succeeding day, when the plants wero quite dry, operations might commence. Three pairs of hands wore required for that work if it was possible to obtain them —one man to hold tho leaves tightly together with one hand, as the spade men on each side of tho trench supplied him with well pulverised earth, and to press it firmly round tho stem with his other hand. Tho operation of earthing up should be done at threo operations, as it was not advisable to put too much earth to commence, witt. Mr Dawes also dealt at length with the proper cultivation of artichokes. Chinese artichokes, Jerusalem arbohokes, broad beans, dwarf beans, runner beaiw, beetroot, borecoles and kales, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cardoon, leeks, mushrooms .onions, parsnips, peas and potatoes.