36 NEW ZEALAND GARDENING. 



a shallow trench. The rows should be eighteen inches apart, 

 and the plants twelve inches in the rows to be earthed up 

 as they grow. The soil cannot be too rich. An abundance of 

 water or liquid manure will very much add to the size, colour, 

 and mildness of this vegetable. One ounce will sow 100 feet. 



Lettuce. All the Year Round, Drumhead, and Nea- 

 politan Cabbage, Wilmot's Giant, and London White Cos, 

 are all excellent varieties. They may be sown in small 

 quantities once a month throughout the season, from August 

 till March or April. Like all other salads, it thrives well in 

 rich, moist soil. Sow in drills fifteen inches apart, and thin out 

 to one foot. Lettuce may be transplanted, choosing showery 

 weather. A quarter of an ounce will sow a fifty-feet row. 



Melons. A very long list of names might be given, 

 but Munroe's Little Heath, Turner's Scarlet Gem, and 

 Gilbert's Green Flesh are good varieties. Melons can 

 not be grown with any certainty out of doors, -except in the 

 warmer parts of the North Island. They can, however, be 

 grown with a little heat supplied by a hot-bed (see directions 

 for growing cucumbers in beds). They however differ from 

 cucumbers inasmuch as they require much more sun to bring 

 the fruit to maturity. 



Mint. Spear Mint, for soups, salads, and mint sauce. 

 Any soil will suit ; a few plants will suffice. If not looked 

 after it will soon spread beyond its proper bounds. It should 

 be gathered when in flower, dried, and hung up in a dry, 

 cool place for Winter use. 



Mustard and Cress may be sown throughout the 

 season, beginning in August, and ending in March. Make 

 small sowings once a fortnight, on rich soil, covering the seed 

 with a quarter of an inch of fine soil. It will not be necessary 

 to sow in drills, as the crop remains so short a time on the 

 ground that weeds have not time to grow. One ounce will 

 sow twenty feet of a row four inches wide. 



Onions- White and Brown Spanish, James' Keeping, 

 Zitteau Giant, Giant Rocco, and Silverskin will be found 

 good varieties for general purposes. Sow, for the main 

 crop, in August or September. A sowing may also be made 

 in October, which will answer for salading during the Summer 

 and for small bulbs for pickling. Sow again in January and 



