6i6 



Gardening for Amateurs 



to their supports regularly. Feeding is 

 necessary once a week now ; liquid made 

 from cow or sheep manure, together with 

 soot-water, is as good as anything. 



THE FRUIT GARDEN 



Gathering Fruit. The work of gathering 

 fruit is now general and novices may be 

 reminded that the work is not so simple as 

 it seems. Fruits cannot be handled too 

 carefully ; the slightest squeeze of the thumb 

 will show on some, and dropping them into 

 baskets will ruin even the hardest skinned 

 varieties. First make sure that the fruit is 

 fit to gather. This is easily discovered if a 

 few are gently lifted with the palm of the 

 hand, if ripe they will part from the trees 

 readily. 



Pruning Morello Cherries. The prun- 

 ing of Morello Cherries may be carried out 

 at any time after the crop has been gathered, 

 for, like Peaches and Nectarines, the trees 

 bear chiefly on the growth made the previous 

 season. For this reason it is important to 

 tie in young shoots wherever room can be 

 found for them ; where they can be trained 

 to take the place of old shoots the latter 

 should be removed. 



Late Plums. These are always valued 

 coming as they do when the glut is over, 

 and for this reason a little trouble should be 

 taken to keep them. Of course, the aspect 

 of the wall against which the trees are 

 planted if they are wall-trees has some- 

 thing to do with it, but this is a consideration 

 for the planter. Birds must be kept away 

 by the use of nets. Wasps are not so easily 

 dealt with, but the methods recommended 

 in former calendars are worth adopting. 



Condemned Trees. If for any reason 

 certain trees have been marked during the 

 summer as being useless, there is no good 

 reason for delaying their removal. If they 

 are grubbed out now the ground can be got 

 ready for other things, but do not make the 

 mistake of planting young fruit trees on the 

 exact spots previously occupied by old trees. 

 If this cannot be avoided, see that plenty of 

 new soil, good loam especially, is put in first. 



THE KITCHEN GARDEN 



Main Crop Celery. The earthing of the 

 main crop of Celery should be proceeded 

 with now, remembering that six weeks are 

 necessary for the completion of the blanching. 

 In dry weather water the rows thoroughly 

 the day before the work is to be started, 

 giving liquid manure after clear water. A 

 dusting of soot will make the work less 

 pleasant, but it keeps away slugs. Be care- 

 ful not to allow any soil to enter the centres, 

 and avoid earthing very high on the first 

 occasion. 



Thinning Turnips. This must be 

 attended to before the plants become very 

 large ; do the work when the soil is wet, 

 thus allowing the plants that are left to 

 recover quickly. The Turnips requiring 

 thinning now are those intended for winter 

 and early spring use, and a suitable distance 

 apart to leave them is 8 inches. See that 

 the remaining plants are firmly established 

 in the ground. 



Cabbages. A dry September is often 

 experienced, rendering watering necessary 

 for many crops. Spring Cabbages still in 

 the seed beds must not be allowed to suffer 

 from dryness at the root or growth will re- 

 ceive a check. The object is to get them 

 ready for planting at the earliest possible 

 date, and a thorough soaking in hot dry 

 weather is of great assistance. It often 

 pays, after such watering, to pull out many 

 of the weakest where they are overcrowded 

 and in excess of the number required for 

 planting out. 



Parsley. In some gardens great difficulty 

 is experienced in keeping up a supply of 

 Parsley during the winter. In cold and wet 

 localities it is advisable to place a frame over 

 the bed, or lift the Parsley and plant in 

 the frame, or pot a few roots for keeping 

 on a shelf in the greenhouse during the 

 winter. 



Weeds. September is one of the worst 

 months for weeds, and where a few were 

 allowed to seed during the summer the result 

 will be hundreds of seedlings now. They 

 should be destroyed by hoeing. 



