294 
THE AMATEUR’S KITCHEN GARDEN. 
June. 
“ The. cuckoo is in June heard, not regarded.” 
The ground will be now, for the most part, covered, and 
everything in full growth. The hoe must never be idle ; 
weeds grow faster than the crops, and exhaust the soil 
rapidly, and,, if allowed to seed, make the mischief worse. 
Next to keeping down weeds, the most important operation is 
that of watering. Plants lately put out should not be 
drenched to excess, or the chill will check them more than a 
drought would, and it is better to trust to moderate watering 
and shade combined than to keep the soil soddened about 
plants that have barely taken root. Cucumbers, gourds 
tomatoes, and capsicums may be put out ; the soil should be 
rich ; and for tomatoes a sunny aspect must be chosen. 
Manure-water should be freely used" to all crops in fuli 
growth, and especially to strawberries, but there should be 
two or three waterings with plain water to one with liquid 
manure. Sow beet, early horn carrots, scarlet runners, and 
French beans, turnips, lettuces, radishes, cabbages, spinach, 
endive, cauliflower, and peas and beans. .All salad plants 
should have a shady position, or they may run to seed. In 
sowing peas and beans, it is best to depend on the earliest 
sorts at this time of year, as they are soon off the ground, but 
Knight’s Marrow and Bedman’s Imperial are good peas to’ sow 
now for late supply. Dress asparagus and seakale beds with 
one pound of salt to every square yard, and give asparagus 
beds strong doses of liquid manure from horse-dung. 
Search among raspberries every morning for snails, which 
take shelter on the stalks and among the side-shoots. If 
large fruit are required, thin the blooms at once, and give 
liquid manure. Disbud and nail in. Pot trees to have 
plenty of water, . and, if weakly in their new growth, pretty 
strong doses of liquid manure at intervals of a week each. 
Pinch, regulate, and where the fruit grows thick, thin it out." 
Put in cuttings of alyssums, wallflowers, pansies, and a few 
other such subjects of choice kinds. Balsams, asters, cocks- 
combs, and other tender annuals, must not be pot-bound or 
starved, which they too often are at this time. Give cucum- 
bers and melons plenty of water; the latter must have 
the full sunshine. 
