304 THE GARDENER. [July 



sprinkling of salt over the surface of the soil among the plants, which is 

 an easy way of destroying weeds. Sow Carrots and Onions for draw- 

 ing young, also all kinds of Salads, in cool well-moistened ground. 

 Endive and Lettuce may be sown extensively this month, as they will 

 keep on long into the autumn if watering is not neglected ; sow them 

 thinly where they are to stand, Celery should be got out as early as 

 possible now, keeping good balls with the roots, and giving abundance 

 of water after they are planted. Slight mulching will be serviceable 

 for keeping the roots cool and moist ; and if the Celery-grubs appear, 

 pick them off, and dust the parts with lime. Lime well dusted in the 

 ridges is good for dislodging slugs and other vermin. Twist the necks 

 of autumn-sown Onions to help them to ripen : when they are allowed 

 to stand long in the ground, they (if showery weather sets in) are apt to 

 make a second growth, which destroys their keeping qualities. Kidney 

 Beans and Scarlet Runners may require heavy watering and mulching, 

 if on sandy soil, to keep them in bearing. Pick all pods off them as 

 soon as they get past use. Pinch in Runners where they are to be 

 kept dwarf : we get a longer continuance of bearing from those kept 

 down than from staked ones ; besides, no time is spent in staking. 

 Leeks, if not already planted, may have attention at once ; they 

 require abundance of good manure : those left where they were sown 

 should be thinned out to 8 inches apart (or less if the ground is 

 poor), and earth drawn about the stalks to blanch them. If more 

 Spinach is to be sown, let the soil be well watered the day previously. 

 If weather is wet, this precaution will not be necessary, but cover- 

 ing in and treading on the soil, when wet, is an evil to be avoided. 

 When it is compulsory to sow in wet weather, let the earth be drawn 

 over the seed with a rake, and treading or smoothing it when dry 

 on the surface. Ground may soon be prepared for prickly Spinach. 

 Heavy coatings of manure, turned in near the surface, is an evil 

 by which the crop is often destroyed wholesale. We prefer trench- 

 ing deeply ; and if manure is required, it is turned into the bot- 

 tom. A week or two later for sowing it in the south will suit very 

 well. Cabbage, for autumn planting, may be sown in the north 

 about the third week in the month. The first week of August to 

 the middle of the month is suitable for the south of England. This 

 being a very important crop, it should suffer no check from drought 

 or grubs, otherwise premature seeding in spring will be the result. 

 Mats or evergreen branches placed over the seed, and well watered 

 till it comes up, will do much to secure success. Vegetable Mar- 

 rows will require thinning and stopping ; if they are allowed to 

 become matted, the crop will be a poor one. Stop the shoots of 

 Cucumbers and Melons above the fruit, and do not allow too many 



