l>Ed. 5, 1901. 3 S^tippkmmi k ik *' fminmt AffricuUmhl}^ 
I have often been told that a certain kind 
of vegetable will not grow here, because it has 
alre-idy been tried by someone, when, as a matter 
of fact, ir has proved to be as easyoi cultivation as 
pnrapkins or ni:uze, if accorded jjroper treatment. 
It is always safe, however, for the beginner 
to profit by the successes of his iieighb"Uis at 
first. There aie many things which only ex- 
perience can teach, and it is rather expensive 
to go experimenting with unfamiliar kinds of 
plants, before learning how to grow the knowa 
and established varieties. 
SOWING THE SEEDS. 
Some kinds of vegetable seeds are sown in 
seed-beds, and when large enough transplanted 
to the open ground ; otliers are sown directly 
in their permanent places. For a seed-bed, I 
know of nothing better than the plan recom- 
mended by Mr. Js'evill for raising young tobacco 
plants. A full description and illustration of 
this form of seed-bed appeared in Vol. 11. , 
■ Part 3 (March, 1898), of this Journal, and 1 
can confidently advise its adoption for raising 
young plants of any kind. 
Cabbages, Ciinliflowers, lettuce, tomatoes, and 
numerous other kinds are alw:Lys raised in seed- 
beds ; and it vvill be found better to sow these 
all m narrow shallow drills in the bed than 
t"> sow broadc ist. Young plants grown in drills 
are much easier to lift and transplant than if broad- 
casted, and as a rule are stronger and sturdier. 
In preparing the bed, the soil should be raked 
as finely as possible, and the seeds must not 
he sown too deeply. A quarter to a half inch 
of soil above the seed is usually enough. li' 
the drills are covered in with a little very fine 
and thoroughly rotten manure, germination takes 
place quickly, and in transplanting a ball of 
the manure will stick to the rootlets, thus 
increasing the chances of success in planting. 
lu preparing soil for seed-sowing in the open 
■ground, always have the soil thoroughly tilled, 
cleaned from weeds, and well pulverised. An 
Acme harrow immediately following the plough 
will reduce most soil to a very flue tilth ; and 
if not, the rake must be used to linish off, 
especially with such seeds as carrots, onions, &c. 
Where enough ground is available, I should 
recommend sowing all such crops as these ia 
drills from 2 to 3 feet apart, so that horse 
cultivators can be used among them. 
However, this subject will be more closely 
gone into when dealing with crops in detail, 
TRANSPLANTING. 
For transplanting, the ground should be 
prepared, more especially for delicate plants, 
in precisely the same way as for seed-.'^owiug, 
Tlie finer the surface soil is, the more easily 
will the young tender rootlets be able to force 
their way down iu search of food and sustenance ; 
end as a ousequence leaf growth will neces- 
sarily follow. 
If the soil is hard aiid lumpy, the attempt 
of the rootlets to strike into it becomes to some 
extent useless, and it naturally follows that the 
top, growth also becomes retarded, and it will 
only be by good luck if the plants conie to 
anything. When taking the plants from the 
seed-bed, be careful uoc to break the roots too 
much, and endeavour to lift them with a little 
of the soil adhering. Never pull young plants 
up, but lift tbem carefully, It is a good plan 
to give the bed a thorough soaking with water 
some time before beginning to lift the plants. 
Always, if possible, choose a dull or showery 
day for transplanting ; but should the weather 
be warm and dry, do tlie work in the afternoons, 
and water well after planti.ig; and if suitable 
material is procurable, mulch the ground for a 
few inches round each plant, f^et the plants 
ft little d*-epei- in the ground tlian they weri» 
in tlie bed, and llrm the soil well around the 
roots without bruising the necks of the plants. 
Take care always to make the hole for planting 
just deep enougii, so that the plant will not 
haiiry ill it, and give the plants pb,'n)y of room 
to grow, by setting them a lit-tle wider iu the 
rows than the size of the plants when fully grown. 
For examijle, if a cabbage will cover 2'r feet 
on the outside leaves, set the young plants of 
that variety' out 3 feet apart each way. 
Should the weather be dry for some time 
after planting, it will be necessary to water 
the young jjlanSs several times a week until 
they become established ; the watering being 
done either early iii the morning or late iu 
the afternoon. 
A great deal of watering and hoeing will 
however, be saved if mulch is used as already 
advised. The importance of mulching cannot 
be over-eiiimated. Almost anything will do — 
stable manure, grass, or litter of any kind, 
provided it can be easily and conveniently 
placed round the plants. Mulching prevents 
the ground from baking after watering, and 
so saves hoeing ; and it also helps to arrest 
evaporation, to us saving watering ; and also it 
tends to keep the temperature of the surface 
soil equable, and so tends to promote healthy 
and vigorous root-action. I confideiitly re- 
commend mulching for any kind of vegetable 
crops which require transplanting, and am 
sure that the grower will never give it up again so 
long as he aims to get the best possible results for 
his work with as little labour as possible. — 
[H. W. GoRRiE in the Queejislaiid Agricultural 
Jonrnal.'\ 
[We shall reproduce Mr. A'evill's instructiona 
for making seed beds and raising seeds iu 
over next. — Ed. yl.ifef.] 
POULTRY NOTES. 
{Culled from Various Sources.) 
There ia a great similarity between the various 
poultry-powders and foods. The powders are 
popularly supposed to increase the egg-laying 
powers of hens. The following are a few typical 
formulas :~Powdered eggshell, or phosphate of 
lime, i oz, ; iron sulphate, 4 oz. ; powdered cap- 
sicum, 4 oz. ; powdered fenugreek, 2 oz. ; pow- 
dered black pepper, 1 oz. ; silver sand, 2 oz. ; 
powdered leatils, G oz. A table?poonful to be 
mixed with sufficient food for 20 hens. Oyster- 
