THE GARDEN.

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume XV, Issue 4, 20 October 1917, Page 233

THE GARDEN.

W. H. TAYLOR,

Horticulturist.

VEGETABLE-CULTURE.

The next few weeks should be a busy period in vegetable-gardens. Spring-sown crops will demand attention in hoeing, weeding, and thinning, and a good deal of advance work in sowing and planting has to be carried out. Thinning growing crops of onions, turnips, &c., should be done as early as possible. When the plants are crowded they draw up weakly, and delay in thinning is attended by harm in proportion to the delay. The soil should be kept loose between crops, this having very beneficial effects on growth.

' Advance work includes sowing all the . gourd tribe, which includes pumpkins, marrows, cucumbers, pie-melons, -melons, and watermelons. All these may be sown on the flat in groups 10 ft. or 12 ft. apart-. A good plan is to make a drill in a circle about 12 in. across, the drill to be about i| in. deep. Three plants will be sufficient in each clump, but a few extra seeds should be put in to allow for losses. Gourds do not require very rich —moisture is of greater consequence, therefore the : soil should be deeply worked. ”

. Winter rhubarb may be sown in drills 2 ft. apart, and the plants thinned to 1 ft. apart, and eventually to 2 ft. apart when they begin to grow together. Rich and deeply worked soil is required for rhubarb. Good artificial manures are superphosphate and blood-and-bone, 2 oz. per square yard of the former and ri Oz. of the latter, followed by nitrate of soda, 1 oz. per square yard, after the plants have begun to grow freely. Sulphate of potash is useful, but it may be substituted by wood-ashes in liberal quantity. Fowl-manure that has been kept dry till it will powder up is valuable for this and most other strong-

growing plants, particularly the cabbage tribe. Give about 3 oz. per square yard. , . . - . Peas and French and butter beans are to be sown for succession, also turnips if not sown within the last seven or eight weeks, which is about the life of a crop during the summer months. Runner-beans may still be planted ; if sticks or other means of training cannot be afforded the haulm can be kept dwarf by pinching off the ends of the runners. If more than one row is planted the rows will require to be 3 ft. apart. The advantage of runner-beans is that the crop is continuous over a long period. In this respect they have an advantage over the dwarf beans. The continuance of the crop is, however, dependent on gathering all the pods as soon as they are fit for use. If beans are formed in the pods growth soon ceases. The same applies to dwarf beans. The pods should be gathered as soon as they areready, even if they are thrown away. If it is desired to save seed a part of the crop should be set aside for the purpose. It is not good policy to save the last of a crop for seed, the plants being then exhausted and the seed not so good. The same applies to peas ; the first strength of the plants should be devoted to seed-production, when strong offspring may be expected.

Parsnips and carrots should be sown for the winter crop. A good breadth should be put in,- as these rare- the • main crop. The carrots sown should be one of the large kinds. James’s Intermediate is a true garden vaiiety, but for farm-garden purposes I think it is better to sow Sinclair’s Champion. Part of the bed can be thinned to 6 in. apart, and when fully grown the roots will be useful for live-stock. A row or two less severely thinned will provide smaller roots for table purposes. Seed of this class of plant should be thinly sown to save trouble, in thinning, particularly with parsnips, which are somewhat troublesome to thin. The seedlings should stand about 5 in. apart, or farther rather than closer.

Cabbage-seed for the winter crop should be sown about the middle of November. The plants should be ready to put out early in January, except in the warmer parts of the Dominion, where a month later will answer better. Early celery may be planted in well-manured trenches. Plant tomatoes. Sow lettuce in lines, and thin out instead of transplanting'. Red beet should be sown for winter use if not already done. ■ , ■ '■

Potatoes.

Moulding-up should begin when the tops are about 9 in. high. The object of moulding is to shield the tubers from the sun, and inci-, dently to prevent the haulm being broken by wind ; ' it does not increase the crop, as some think. Moulding, should not be left, too late. The best tubers are those produced on the ends of roots farthest from set, and these are likely to be injured, or even torn off, if . moulding-up is delayed too long. Moulding also has no effect of checking disease,but it' is a protection . against the potato-moth. Where this pest is troublesome the work should be well done, making sure that the soil falls closely about the haulm. It will pay to go along the rows with a hoe and draw the soil close up about the haulm. , Spraying . pays because it saves the crop from blight if properly done. Spraying does not increase the cropprobably the reverse

but it is better to spray than risk losing a large part of the crop. If the season proves to be dry blight may not be troublesome, but it is a gamble to trust to the weather, as it cannot be foretold. The first spraying should precede the first moulding, so that all the haulm may be covered ; after that spray each fortnight, unless heavy rain washes the mixture off, in which case the operation should be repeated as soon as the rain is over. Lime-bordeaux consists of 4 lb. bluestone and 4 lb. fresh lime in 40 gallons water. Suspend the bluestone in canvas in a barrel containing 20 gallons of water. Slack the lime with a little water, then make up to 20 gallons. Pour the lime-water slowly into the bluestone-water, stirring all the time. This order of mixing must not be reversed. Five pounds of washing-soda may take the place of 4 lb. of lime. For small quantities use 1 lb. bluestone and 1J lb. soda to 10 gallons water.