350 



EXPERIMENTAL FARMS. 



OUTSIDE SOWING. 



Variety. 



White Spine . 



Cool and Crisp. 

 White Wonder. 

 Gherkins 



Colour. 



Light green. . . 



Dark green . . . 

 Creamy white. 

 Light green. . . 



Shape. 



Short, spiny. 



Oval, spiny. 



Productive- 

 ness. 



Fairly produc- 

 tive. 

 11 II . . 

 Very » . . 

 Poor 



Length. 



8. inches . . 



8 M .... 



8 M .... 



For pickling 



INSIDE SOWING. 



White Spine. . . 

 White Wonder. 

 Telegraph 



Light green. . . 

 Creamy white . 

 Dark green . . . 



Short, spiny. 



II II 



Long smooth 



Good 



II 



Very good 



5 oz. 



4 I, . 

 24 „ . 



Fair. 

 Poor. 

 Very. 



5 inches . 



4i II ... 



18 .. ... 



The " White Wonder," as a forcing variety, was a failure, while outside, it was 

 the most productive variety, although not generally grown here, it has much to recom- 

 mend it to market gardeners, viz. : — Earliness, productiveness and excellent flavour, and 

 colour for pickling, it no doubt will soon work its way into public favour. "Telegraph" 

 again demonstrated its superiority as a forcing variety. The " Gherkins " were late, 



GARDEN LEMON OR VEGETABLE PEACH. 



This was sown 21st May in hills outside, and ripened 10th September. It comes 

 highly recommended from the seedsmen, but did not fulfil expectations. The fruit, 

 when ripe, is of the size of a lemon, and similarly coloured, with a centre resembling a 

 miniature musk-melon. Flavour of the flesh (which consists of a very narrow strip), 

 sub-acid and disagreeably perfumed. It is credited with making a fine preserve, but we 

 found it far inferior to the citron in this respect. 



TOBACCO. 



A sample of tobacco seed was received from the Department of the Interior for 

 testing purposes. Sown in hotbed on 8th April, and transplanted into boxes on 23rd 

 April, and planted outside on 16th June. Following is the result : 



Fearful of frost, which in previous tests have spoilt the leaf, this was harvested 

 before it was properly ripened, although had it been allowed to stand, it would probably 

 have ripened this season on account of the peculiarly open fall. The product was dried 

 as carefully as possible, and a sample has been forwarded to an expert for examination, 

 but has not yet been reported on. The average season does not appear to be long 

 enough for the varieties that have been tested up to the present, to mature. The leaf 

 grown this year would answer for tree spraying purposes, and it might be advisable to 

 grow a small quantity each year, with that end in view. 



