HIE CULTURE Oh VEGETABLES. 



459 



ONION, SII-VER-SK1N. 



it, as this will assist in lightening and drain- 

 ing the ground. Soil, however, of a lighter 

 character, especially that which is gravelly 

 or chalky, should receive far more liberal 

 supplies, and nothing is better than that from 

 the farmyard used in a half-rotten state. 

 In my opinion far too many gardeners rely 

 upon artificial manures. When used care- 

 fully 1 am quite aware good results often 

 follow, especially in wet, showery weather ; 

 but during a dry season the effects in many 

 cases are actually harmful, and patent 

 manures, of which there are now so many 

 in the market, should be used with great caution. Bone dust is one of the most valuable, 

 as it is safe, beneficial, and lasting. 



There is sometimes a tendency to use manure too liberally, and this is fatal when the 

 ground has not been thoroughly trenched. The soil is apt to become too rich, and even 

 actually poisoned, so that the results are as disappointing as if no fertiliser had been used. 

 This condition is not often reached by one excessive dressing, but will inevitably follow if such 

 treatment be applied over a period of years. In such cases the best remedy is to thoroughly 

 dress with lime, as this will have the effect of sweetening the soil. Where the ground has been 

 much over-manured, it will be necessary also to trench it thoroughly in the autumn, and let 

 it lie rough and fallow through the winter frosts, which will complete the purifying process. 

 Some plants may be said to form an exception to the rule, as such strong-rooting products as 

 Onions, Leeks, and Celery seem capable of assimilating any amount of stimulant ; in these 

 cases, when particularly tine individual specimens are required for the show-table or otherwise, 

 one may be liberal with the manorial dressing. 



WATER. — The storage of water is of great importance, and nothing answers better than a 

 pond or basin in the centre of the kitchen garden. This is not only useful, but ornamental, and 

 the advantage of using water which has been exposed to the air over that drawn from a service 

 pipe or taken from a well is very great. Arrangements should be made for utilising the 

 sewage water from the house, and this may be done by making cesspools in any out-of-the- 

 way corner. No stimulant is more 

 valuable for nearly all vegetable 

 growth. Watering is always best 

 performed during the evening and in 

 hot dry weather, and sprinkling over- 

 head is most beneficial to nearly all 

 crops. 



Garden Pests. — These are 

 numerous, and the gardener must 

 always be on the watch for them. 

 Some birds, in a certain degree, and 

 rats, mice, moles, slugs, caterpillars, 

 grubs, thrips, red spider, Onion and 

 Celery fly, and wire-worms may be 

 mentioned ; but these by no means 

 exhaust the list of gardeners' enemies. 

 1 know it is little use enumerating 

 causes of mischief if one cannot suggest 

 the remedy, and I only regret that 1 



J ' J <-• CARROT, INTERMEDIATE. 



