34 NEW ZEALAND GARDENING. 



September, watering freely and shading, having due regard 

 to ventilation every warm day, taking care to close up early 

 in the afternoons. As the fruit shows, stop one joint above 

 it. For open-ground crops the long and short prickly 

 cucumbers should be selected. Any well-sheltered, richly- 

 manured, fresh soil will answer. Sow five or six seeds two 

 inches deep, in clumps five feet apart. Sow from the 

 middle of October to the end of November. Keep a sharp 

 look out for slugs and birds. An occasional dust of lime 

 will secure the plants against slugs. Birds are not so easily 

 dealt with. Excellent crops of cucumbers may be produced 

 if planted amongst cabbages and irrigated occasionally. 

 Beds for cucumbers may be prepared as follows : Dig a 

 trench six feet wide and fifteen inches deep, throwing the 

 soil on both sides in order to raise them. Fill up to the top with 

 well decomposed manure, consolidate by tramping, and 

 cover with four or five inches of the soil taken out of the 

 trench. This should be done not later than September, in 

 order that the bed may have time to settle before the plants 

 are set out, or the seed sown. Sowing the seed is preferable 

 to plants. 



Capsicum (Chili and Long Red). The first of 

 these is used for pickling when green ; for mixing with other 

 pickles ; for placing in vinegar, so as to form Chili vinegar ; 

 and for grinding, when ripe, for pepper. Unless in warm 

 situations it does not often ripen sufficiently. In the North 

 Island they ripen freely in the open air. The seed should 

 be raised in heat, and the plants, when hardened off, may be 

 planted out in November, selecting warm sunny situations. 



Cress. There are two varieties, plain and curled leaved. 

 These may be sown in small quantities any time between 

 August and April, covering with half-an-inch of fine earth. 

 One ounce will sow twenty feet of a row four inches wide. 



Endive. Used in salads. The Green Curled is usually 

 sown for the main crop ; the White Curled is chiefly grown 

 for Summer and Autumn ; the Broad-leaved, or Batavia, is 

 preferred for soups and stews. A light, dry, but rich soil is 

 most suitable for this crop. To secure a continuous supply 



