GARDENING NOTES.

Evening Post, Volume LXVII, Issue 150, 25 June 1904, Page 12

GARDENING NOTES.

[Br ExrKiiiENOK.J THE VEGETABLE GARDEN. Lettuces aro in some families required all the year round. There is no dilhcult}' in getting them, provided the proper steps aro taken m time. 1 havo on other occasions advi.sed Mining the ."-ced in drills, and thinning out the plants, inMcad of .sowing broadcast in natches and then transplanting. Theie is little advantage in tho plan beyond quickness. If the plant* that me. thinned out were transplanted, it would be. found that those not drawn would be fit for um> by thb tinlo the transplanted oiks are beginning to make a good .start again, hence it is useful lo do so for tlie &ako of succession. 1 have found it hard to drum this into the heads of Home, people, yet it is a proven fact. During the sitting of Parliament Ihero is a great demand for this Kilad, and it malteis not much if they have not hearts, which are hard lo get during the winter months; they arc usually cut up, and good crisp leaves will answer. Jl is too late to sow now to get them in lime, except under glazed frames, but if any havo bods thnL were .sown broadcast for transplanting, I would advise that they be left where they are, simply thinning them out a bit if too thick, for if transplanted now they will do little, good, or, anyhow, will be too Into, whereus those in the bed will be pretty fine- to make useful f.lufl\ leas. — Theue are probably tho most valued of the summer vegetables, and therefore deserve extra attention. It is useless to expect good peas on" poor land, though the dwarfs will often do well where Iho tall varieties would do but poorly. Thia will be owing to the extra demand for moisture by tho tall-growing varieties, the dwarfs requiring just as good soil otherwise. Therefore, if there is a plot that is likely to get dry early in the season, it might be well to give it a good dose of manure and sow it with early peas ; I have- found thorn do well hi such places. Dwarf peas may be sown in drills, about 15in pait, and will not requiro slicks. Half a pint will sow a drill about 30fl long. It must bo borno in mind that tho dwarfs do not produce great crops, so a good sowing should be made. With regard to varieties, I am rather slow to take to new kinds, having been disappointed more than once, and not having opportunity to experimentalise. Tho most satisfactory 1 have had so far is tho truo "American Wonder," but it is dillicult lo gel it. A very large grower of peas has supplied me with llie results of sumo elaborate- comparisons. American Wonder is given as 15in high ; 1 &ay emphatically that it is not true. True American Wonder should be under 121n in height, and I ask no beUer early than that, but in many years I have only been able to get it three or four times, and the 15in vuriety is not nearly .so prolific. But accepting tho position as it is, Harbinger has proved to be far ahead in the essential qualities of siso of pod and productiveiiom, and is as early on tho American Wonder in the market. The time from [ sowing to pulling ia given as 93 days. This must be taken "cum grano sulis;"" it cannot do that as an early, though if sown later it would do so, no doubt. It you sow your first peas on the Ist of July, in a. sunny place, you may cxpsct to gather pods about tho 9th of November, or about a mouth longer, growth not being t.o rapid as later in the bpring. At Iho timo tl»e dwarf eort i» sown a tall kind should also be sown, and it will conio into u«e just before tln> dwarf is finished. Jsi ill stick to Veiteh's Perfection as the first of tho tall kinds. I dare say I'm a bit old-fiishioned, but it's a true friend, and to bo relied on for a .good crop of well-flavoured peas. Following it and sown shortly after, I recommend Diamond Jubilee — a lino pod, large, well-flavoured peas, and a good cropper. I have n great admiration for Pride of the Market, with fine dark green pods, aud peas of highest excellence, but il» fault is that it appears only to produce* one crop— that is, all tho pods come in pretty well together, a fault in a private garden though a merit for the market man. After tho puns aro scattered in tho drills, and before covering them with soil, 1 like to stutter aomo dry coot over them j tho early sowing* como a bit slow if the weather prove wet, and it saves them from damp mid wireworms, not- to suy slugs to some extent. It also acts as a powerful msuiuie, and a. little bonedust added will nmko it all the better in this respect. Broiid Beans should bo sown at first opportunity. Some people refrain from growing this vegetable, owing to its tall habit on<l brittle- growth rendering it liable to injury from wind. This can be overcome by pinching tho tops out when they are lOin or 12m high, they will then throw up sido shoots; the plants will not only bo dwarfed, but also by the. duplication ol shoots moi<» prolific. Tho seed should be sown in drills about 4in deep, made with tho broad face of tho hoe, so that they wo wide, then place tho beans about 6iu apart in two rows in tho drill, in quincunx orderthat i», each three beans form au equilateral triangle. The most difficult time lo obtain vegetables is September and October. That is because most of tho winter stuli" runs to seed as soon as August is over — a good deal of it before that, even. This refers to Savoys, Brussels SprouU, Celery, and Leeks, theso latter being about the last to bolt. It is useless to plant late, thinking to get late growth to meet the dilficulty. J'ho result is just tho same, they go to seed with tho earlier ones. This is tho time when Broccolis aro valuable; there aro no Cauliflower* to be had at that time, but it is the natural season for late kinds of Broccoli. But these occupy Iho ground so long as to bar a good many people growing them, then they are a bit erratic in coming in, no that it is necessary to grow a good 'batch to ensure having a useful number of heads at tho required time. It behoves every one, therefore, to have a good bed of Asparagus, which is not only ono of the best of vegetables, but comes in ot the scarcest time — viz., about the latter half of September, and can be cut from till near tho end of November. Though tho old ideas about making an Asparagus bed are pretty well abandoned, and it is no longer thought necessary to dig yards deep, and bury prodigious quantities of manurial mailer, yet it is useless to try to grow it except on reullv good ground. '1 he ground should bo weil trenched for at least 2ft in depth, and plenty of manure incorporated with the soil, and if at all adhesive in character, anything of a loosening nature, like ashes, lime, rubbish, leaf mould, etc., should be- added, as well as a goodly quantity of fresh lime. Tho site of thobed, if there is any choice, should be in a moist position, for if it puffer want of moistuio in tho summer, whilo the growth is being made, tho crop will suffer. Tho ground for new beds should be prepared now, and left to settle and sweeten before planting is done at the latter end of September. Sea Kale is not much grown in 1 these paitd. though I notice it is receiving moro attention than formerly. It i.s a most valuable winter vegetable- where a supply of fresh stable manure can be hail to force it, for there are few, perhaps nonq, who havo tho better and easier accommodation of a forcing house for it. The reason it ia not much grown is, I suppose, becauso it occupies the ground permanently. Any one having v- bed may cover for forcing at any tune now. Covered with fermenting manure over the piotecting boxes, it wHI he lit U> cut in «. foitnight after covering. Jt kliould be covered in batches, so .<» to iseciue v succession of bends.