494 THE GARDENER. [Nov. 



HINTS FOR AMATEURS. -NOVEMBER. 



In highly cultivated gardens, November is generally a busy month, as 

 the work for a future season may be said to fairly commence then. 

 There is also much storing to be done, and protecting and clearing off 

 the remains of the past season's crops; and every means should be used 

 to forward operations before winter sets in. Wheeling out manure, 

 trenching, and otherwise preparing ground, may now be carried on 

 judiciously and with all haste. It is also a good time to make ar- 

 rangements for next year's cropping. A rough sketch of the ground 

 and what it grew last season might be put on paper, and the necessary 

 changes for next season also noted down. This saves much trouble, 

 and reduces the management to great simplicity. Systematic cropping 

 is of great advantage — especially where gardens are limited in space. 

 It is well to arrange to have the root-crops by themselves ; and where 

 several crops are to come in at the same time, such as Celery, Leeks, 

 Brussels Sprouts, and late Brocolis (which are winter crops), it makes 

 easy work to turn over the soil after their removal, as great breadths 

 can be done at one time, and the same ground answers for a number 

 of summer and autumn crops, and can be manured accordingly. Where 

 manure has been freely used the previous season, it may be withheld 

 if the succeeding crop is not to be of an exhausting nature. Lime and 

 sand in moderate quantities may be used freely in very heavy soil ; and 

 if the bottom is of a sandy nature, some of it may be incorporated with 

 the surface with great advantage. Light sandy soils may be improved 

 with a little clay placed on the surface, exposed to the winter's frost, and 

 then well worked in with rotten manure ; this will do much to improve 

 the ground. Mud from the bottoms of ponds, or rivers, sweetened by 

 frost, is of great service when used on poor light land. Some old fruit- 

 tree borders here, trenched up and dressed in this way, produced excellent 

 Kidney and Forty-fold Potatoes • after which were sown Turnips and 

 Spinach, which promise to do good service all through the winter. 

 While advocating the mixing of soils when entirely of an opposite 

 nature to each other, I am strongly opposed to bringing up unhealthy 

 subsoil unnecessarily to mix with good soil, as the mischief might not 

 be overcome for years. The sowing of early Peas and Beans will now 

 require attention. A warm sheltered spot, well turned up, should be 

 chosen, and the seed sown (more thickly than usual) on the surface in 

 drills and the earth drawn over. Where mice or other vermin may be 

 troublesome, chopped furze thrown over the seed will keep them off. 

 Red-lead sprinkled over before covering up often answers well. Keep 

 Spinach, autumn-sown Onions, and other crops free from weeds, with 

 a well-broken surface. Quantities of Parsnips, Chicory, Horse-Radish, 



