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GARDENING FOR BEGINNERS 



frosts come, it may be wise after they have disappeared to make the soil about the roots 

 somewhat firm. Not large, but nice, clean, even-sized bulbs are best. They are appre- 

 ciated for pickling, and for soups and stews. The best variety is the Old Shallot, which 

 has a brown, silky skin ; and the largest is the Red Jersey or Russian, which is double the 

 size and very productive, but is of stronger flavour. 



Spinach. This is a very useful, hardy, green-leaved vegetable that is easily raised from 

 seed, and can be had over a long season. Its nature when gathered and cooked is some- 

 what bitter or astringent, but when properly prepared and sent to table with condiments 

 that bitterness is toned down and becomes rather pleasant. Spinach is a very healthy 

 product, and should be more largely consumed than is usually the case. Seed is both 

 smooth and prickly, but all varieties have those characteristics. It is customary to 

 recommend sowing round or smooth seed in the summer and prickly seed in the autumn 

 for a winter stock, but that is a mere seed fancy. Without doubt the best varieties are 

 for summer the Long Slander, which has large, thick, green leaves, and if well thinned 

 out to 9 inches apart in the rows, stands much longer before running off to flower than 

 any other. That and the Victoria or Viroflay, very large leaved, are the best for winter 

 cropping. The drills should be fully 12 inches apart, drawn shallow, and the seed be 

 sown thinly. Spinach needs good liberally manured and deeply dug soil. The earliest 

 sowing may be made on a warm border about the middle of March, and others for 

 succession every three or four weeks, not large ones, but to give a good succession. The 

 final sowing should be made about the third week in August, as that will begin giving 

 leaves in November and form the supply all the winter till quite the end of March. In 

 all cases leaves only should be gathered, but not until the plants have become strong. 

 Besides thinning the plants, the hoe should be freely used between the rows in all seasons, 

 not only to destroy weeds, but also to keep the soil open and loose. New Zealand 

 Spinach is a very useful vegetable in late summer and autumn. As the plants spread 

 about a lot seed should be sown thinly in May in drills 6 feet apart. The young tops are 

 picked for use, and the more these are gathered the more the plants spread. New 

 Zealand Spinach does not run to seed, and is available for use until killed by frosts. 



Tomatoes. These plants are, like Potatoes, very tender, and so closely allied to them 

 that it has been found possible to graft Tomatoes on to Potato stems, and thus exhibit 

 the strange phenomenon of Potato tubers in the ground on the roots and Tomatoes above 

 the ground on the stems. But the Tomato is a Lycopersicum and not a Solanum. They 

 are, however, tender, and can be grown outdoors only during the summer months, but 

 may be grown at any time in glasshouses when sufficient warmth is produced. Still it is 

 never wise to attempt to fruit the plants in glasshouses during midwinter, for, because of 

 the lack of sunshine, the fruits are few and quite flavourless. All the plants are easily 

 raised from seed, as each fruit produces seeds in abundance. These, where any are 

 saved specially for one's own growing, may easily be taken from the fruits by cutting 

 them clean through crosswise, removing the seeds from the cells with a knife, washing 

 and drying them, then saving in a paper bag until wanted to sow. In saving fruits for 

 seed always select one of the finest and handsomest from a plant that fruits well, as in 

 that way a good stock is obtained. Where it is desired to keep any stock true, only that 

 one variety should be grown in one house. 



Sowing Seed. Generally it is best to make sowings in pots of from 5 to 6 inches 

 across the tops, putting an inch depth of broken crocks or rubble into the bottoms, on to 

 that some of the coarser soil used, then filling up with a compost of loam, leaf soil, and 

 sharp sand. Press the soil into the pots fairly firmly, and leave it the third of an inch 

 below the tops of the rims. Sow the seeds evenly and singly over the soil, putting about 

 fifteen seeds into a 5-inch pot and twenty-four into a 6-inch pot. Then place over them 

 fine soil the thickness of a penny piece, water gently, and stand in a frame or green- 

 house. Until the seeds make growth it is well to place a sheet of thin paper over the pots 

 to shade them if the sunshine be strong. But whilst seed sown thus in April or May will 

 germinate that is, grow very well without the aid of artificial warmth if sowings be 

 made earlier some such warmth is needful, as growth will be slow and very weak. But 

 it is seldom necessary to sow seeds before the middle of April, and then the sun usually 

 warms a frame or greenhouse sufficiently. Even then if the pots be stood in a box large 

 enough to hold four of them and a sheet of glass laid over the box, great help is given to 

 the seeds. Where there is no glasshouse plants may be raised in such a box thus covered 

 with glass, if stood in a sunny place in a garden. Of course, some covering should be 

 given to it at night. 



General Treatment. When seedling plants are some 2 inches in height and show 

 what are called rough or second leaves, it will be needful to lift them carefully with the 

 aid of a pointed stick from the seed pots, and put them singly into quite small or 3-inch 

 pots, still using sharp sandy soil, and giving each pot some drainage. In thus potting 

 the seedlings place them down so as to bury one-half of their stems. When all are done, 



