Farm and Garden.

Waipa Post, Volume VII, Issue 339, 11 August 1914, Page 8

Farm and Garden.

THE GARDEN.

VEGETABLE-CULTURE.

Onions.—The kind of soil on which onions are grown is of less importance than the way in which the soil is treated. It is possible tq grow good onions on almost any kind of soil when this receives proper 'treatment. Good drainage should be secured, although not necessarily by underdraining. Some of the best onions I have seen were grown on a natural bog in a deep hollow, where sunshine was of minimum duration, and I may say that strawberries also flourished there. The only draining done was by open trenches, which lowered the water but did not drain the soil to any depth. I also saw in the same place a pound of onion-seed put in and none grew. On that occasion they were sown too early for the situation. They were sown according to calendar time, which is not a guide to be followed in all circumstances. Heavy cla> .soil is about the worst to deal with in onion-growing, but it will produce onions as good as any soil when the grower works for it. The best of all soil for the purpose is sandy loam, and if it is of fair depth and drained, either naturally or artificially, it will usually give the brightestskinned onions and with the smallest possible outlay of labour. Heavy soil should have humus added on every possible occasion. Nothing is better than stable manure, but on no account put cow manure on it; the latter would make it heavier. After being dug over and treated to as much manure as can be worked in or spared to it, heavy soil should lie undisturbed until dried by sun and wind. On no account work it when wet from recent rains, but before the lumps become really dry after rain will be the best time to break them down. This is to be done with the least possible amount of trampling. If there is a heap of ashes and burnt earth in reserve, give a good surfacing of this, and it will be easy to get a surface fit for sowing the seed. The drills should be just deep enough to allow of covering the seed, which means as shallow as it is possible to"clraw them. After the plants are up the surface must be kept loose. After heavy rain, but not until the surface has dried somewhat, the soil between the rows should be loosened —not deeply, but just enough to prevent a crust forming. A sharptoothed rake or round-tined manure-drag will do the work well. The workrrfan should walk backwards so as not to tread oh the loosened soil. When thinning is finished a thin mulch of littery manure will assist in keeping the surface loose, and will in other ways promote healthy growth. Soil that is naturally free is better worked with a flat hoe, which will move only an inch or so of the surface soil. The state of soil to aim for at all times is firmness with a loose surface. Just as a loose surface helps growth in the case of onions, so it does with all other plants. The principle should, in fact, be applied to all growingcrops. Not infrequently plants lag in growth for no other reason than want of cultivation. Air, but in less abundance, is just as necessary to the roots of a plant as to the tops. Air cannot penetrate with sufficient * freedom through a closed-up surface, still less in waterlogged soil.

Lettuce seed should be sown now about once a month, and radish every ten days. Only a comparatively small sowing of each will be wanted.

Turnips may be sown as soon as August is in. Early Horn carrot should be sown, if not already in. It is best to sow only sufficient to last till midsummer, for the main crop should not be put in for several months yet, the object being to sow at such a time as will allow of good development of roots before winter. They should not, however, have gained a large size until autumn, as they will then be in a tender state for winter use, and will last until the following August.

Peas should be sown now at intervals of two weeks until the end of the year. Cease now to sow dwarfs, and substitute varieties that grow more or less tall, according to the treatment that can be afforded. Certain it is that wherever sticks can be obtained it pays to use them for varieties of only moderate height. The best peas are obtained only from rows so supported. The haulm being clear of the ground, the pods develop better and are not injured .by slugs. In the early part of the season it is quite impossible to clear the place of slugs when the peahaulm lies on the ground, and from the peas they travel to adjoining lines of seedlings, and either work havoc or give the gardener a lot of night work litning them.

If cauliflowers and cabbages have not been planted, the sooner this work is done the better, or the first supply will be late. Both require rich ground. Blood manure is very useful for these crops. It becomes available for the" roots as soon as there has been a good fall of rain, as it dissolves immediately. Rhubarb may still be planted on lines previously laid down. Asparagus on old-fashioned beds should have had a heavy dressing of manure given several months ago, as advised. Before the manure was applied the surface soil was stripped off and left along the sides of the beds. This soil should now be returned, being thrown up on top of the manure, which will have shrunk down considerably. When the soil has been replaced give a dressing of salt at the rate of 4oz. to the square yard. This will serve first of all to kill slugs, etc., and weeds, and later on, as it gets washed down it will feed the plants. If the asparagus is planted according to the modern plan —viz., in rows on the fiat, and manure placed on it —the treatment now required will be different. The rough parts of the manure remaining should be cleared away and the soil bevery lightly forked over. Salt should be given as for the other style of bed. Wood-ashes are a very fine fertilizer for asparagus and, if available, may be liberally applied. If the supply of manure were not plentiful, bonemeal may be given. The best way to apply it is mixed with wood-ashes, or road-grit, or a mixture of both, a 6in. potful of bonemeal to a barrowload, the mixture to be put on 2in. or 3m. thick. Asparagus cannot be overmanured. Any one near the seaside may manure with kelp ; it is good for asparagus, but has proved to be no better than other manures. Garlic and shallots should have been planted before. It is not yet, however, too late to do so. These bulbs require a very free soil. They should not be planted deeply. Merely press them into the surface, leaving the tops visible. Put in the cloves about ioin. apart in rows a foot asunder. Parsley may be sown, and thyme may be divided and replanted. It is best to do this every second year, or the growth becomes straggling and woody. Sage and winter savory may be treated the same way. These herbs root easily from cuttings of young shoots in a warm somewhat shaded spot, with more certainty in pots or boxes in a frame. Either is easily raised from seed.

Early potatoes may be planted. Sprouted sets should be used, being safer if a spell of wet weather should ensue. Choose a comparatively dry spot, with free well-worked soil for the early crop. A small piece should be cut from each set to ensure decay. A little soot put in around each set will shield them from wireworms and slugs. Whole sets of small size are best; about as large as a hen's egg is a good size. The quality of the sprout is of more importance than the size of the tuber. The sprout should be firm and plump, and firmly attached to the tuber.