VEGETABLE GROWING

Evening Star, Issue 16626, 8 January 1918, Page 3

VEGETABLE GROWING

MR HOLLTNGWORTH’S SUCCESSES AT THE BENEVOLENT. Gilbert writes of the beauty in the bellow' of the blast and the grandeur in the growling of the. gale. Garden-lovers, understanding this philosophy of the topsy-turvy, can see that loveliness is not a monopoly with the flowers, but may bo discovered in the homely and lowly products destined for the kitchen—that is, when these things are grown as Mr F. H. Hollingworth grows them. Mr Hollingworth is tho gardener in charge at the Benevolent Institution. He comes of a race, of Staffordshire gardeners. One of his brothers holds an official position as agricultural instructor. To provide an ample and constant supply of vegetables for the inmates and the staffs of the Benevolent Institution, the Dunedin Hospital, the Fever Hospital, and the Maternity Hospital calls for a lot of orderly thinking, also for the command of a large area of ground. In times past Mr Hollingworth has had to struggle on as best ho could with the garden at Caversham, his part of which measures about four acres. Now ho has the use of. an Acre and three-quar-ters of the Wakari site, so that he is able to secure something like rotation of crops, and not be faced with the annual puzzle of how to get the summer crops out in time to plant for winter. In alt, ho provides for about 500 persons. To do this he must pick peas and beans by the sackful and lift cabbages by the cartload. He has a splendid patch of Jerusalem artichokes near the frontage to the Main South road, Pasccrs-by think they are sunflowers or tomatoes. “How many of these do you lift for a boiling?” he was asked, and he replied that a barrowful fast .sufficed for the old folk in' the home. Faced with a consumption on that scale, the man in charge must know how to keep down blight and how to guard 'against birds, how to make sure that the seed is good and how to take the most out of the soil without exhausting it. He must, in short., be an expert, and' all who know Mr Hollingworth .admit that ho has earned that reputation. Tho garden at the Benevolent Institution, in its unimproved con- , dition, vas not. an ideal site for root crops. Some of tho ground was sour. This has been remedied bv a system of drainage. Another fault w'.as the shallowness of the soil. Even now, after all tho , making up which comes from years of working and growth, there is only a foot and a-half of soil. Below this the spade touches that leathery blue pug that nobody, has yet. been able to conquer for garden purposes. In the it is wonderful bow the garden yields. It may be of interest to know what Mr Hollingworth’s order of peas is. He starts the season with William Hurst, which is not staked; Carter’s Daisy is used for Urn second crop; and Stratagem is tho main crop. This season the peas have not so far come so good as usual; It is the experience in this and other gardens that the pea seed is inconstant, and our expert admits that he does not like the look of tho occasional bare patches. In French beans tho Canadian Wonder is used. _ It came well, then got partly shrivelled with the cold winds, but now is putting forth new loaves underneath, and it will be all right. For earlv cabbage London Market is relied on: then, in the order named, Daniels’s Defiance, Enfield Market, Blair’s Phenomenal, Drumheads, and Savoys. The Savoys have just been set out. From the London Market a second growth of tender greens is cut. In broccoli and cauliflower there is successional cultivation. The common turnips are varied with Lang’s Garden Swede—a nice little turnip, about the size of a Indy’s 'fist. Carrots have come all ways this year. The Cnrenton was used for the early crop, and it is turning out anyhow. Not more than one root in four has the proper shape. It is hoped that the James’s Intermediate will do better. This is a most reliable seed if true to name. In onions Mr Hollingworth finds it wise to rely on the potato onion for early summer use. It is planted in .August, and it lasts until the spring sown onions come large enough for use. He prefers to sow his keeping onions in spring, believing that this is ono way of preventing them becoming neckv. The onion beds are the especial pride of the garden. The first lot was sown in July, a risk being taken on account of the fine weather then prevailing. August sowing is, however, the safer. The leek beds have just been planted, also the celery Mr Hollingworth has a quick and effective way of earthing up these plants when they are in trenches. He plants in perfectly straight rows, five in a row the width of the trench, 10 inches between the plants, and the rows a foot apart I n earthing up he takes two light boards puts one on each side of a row, the upper edges of the boards meeting and fonnincr a roof over the row. Then he shovels in the earth, removes the boards to the next row, Unis proceeding to the end of the trench, after which he runs his hand round each plant and draws the earth to it. A handy method of securing a thorough earthing that does not let tho soil in between the leaves. With some of the leeks no earthing is required. They are on light black soil, and will sink into it as far as is necessary. Plots that have been used for spinach and turnips are now manured and ready to receive the last of the seasons peas, William Hurst beinrr the seed chosen. It will be sown this 7 e j .^ s , to beet > tlle turnip-rooted is tound the best for early use. but the lone reds are sown for standing in the ground tine of the best crops is tho rhubarb The old crowns were lifted in May, thrown out to stand the weather, and in July cut up and planted. They look very well, but of course, will not have a stalk cut till next season.