20 NEW ZEALAND GARDENING. 



the ground to dry ; if the weather should be damp, it will be 

 advisable to remove them to a gravel path or to some dry 

 place exposed to the sun ; they should be turned over once 

 a-day till they are thoroughly dried, and then stored away in 

 a well-aired loft or storeroom or strung in hanks. Various 

 kinds of biennial herbs should now be sown. A final crop 

 of turnips may be tried, the best kind for late work being 

 the Old Snowball. Remove all decayed leaves, haulms, and 

 the remains of all crops which have been taken up, in order 

 to preserve that neatness which is so desirable in the kitchen 

 garden. Towards the end of the month prepare the ground 

 where it is intended to plant new fruit trees. Our reason for 

 recommending the preparation of the ground now is that we 

 are convinced that early planting is very desirable in most 

 of the districts of New Zealand, on account of the extremely 

 changeable nature of the Winter. Indeed, we are convinced 

 that trees planted in the latter end of April will do better 

 than at any other season. Raspberries should be pruned as 

 soon as the wood has thoroughly ripened. It is advisable to 

 cut away all except the six strongest canes, and these should 

 be shortened to different lengths according to their strength, 

 and tied together with flax or cord. Young plantations of 

 strawberries may now be made with every prospect of success. 

 The ground should have been trenched two feet deep and 

 well manured, and should not be dug again, being merely 

 forked over, while the crop remains in the ground, say three 

 years. 



Flower Garden. This is not a busy time in the 

 flower garden, the principal work being the frequent hoeing 

 of borders, and the gathering of such seeds as are now ripe. 

 A few cuttings of the finer herbaceous plants may be put in 

 now, and most of the deciduous shrubs will be found to 

 strike best if put in at the end of this month. Cuttings of 

 the various kinds of pelargoniums, verbenas, and all other 

 half hardy plants may be struck now in pots or boxes. 

 Continue to stake and tie up crysanthemums. 



APRIL. 



Kitchen Garden. Lettuces may be transplanted into 

 rows in a dry, warm situation where they are to remain during 



