DECEMBER TI, 1902. 
THE AUSTRALIAN GARDENER. 
Wg) 
of the returning sap is stopped, and the 
leaves, stem, and fruit are overcharged, so 
that the natural deposit of sugar cannot 
take place, but a lot of what I call uncon- 
verted sap remains behind instead of passing 
on in circulation. This is poisonous, as all 
unconyerted sap is. In my opinion, it is 
wrong to advise anyone to ring vines. Anold 
experienced grower may sometimes resort to 
some of these tricks of the trade at particular 
times and seasons, but I would rather depend 
on more natural methods of cultivation. 
An observant vinegrower will always know 
just what the plant requires. You cannot 
make any rules, because circumstances of 
climate, soil, seasons, &c., vary so much. 
The Greeks do it no doubt. to get a good 
sample to sell. 
Iam, Sir etc., 
NATURE. 
[We are exceedingly pleased to publish this 
letter and trust that others who know as 
much upon the subject as our contributor, 
will favour vinegrowers with their views upon 
such an important matter. ‘This tfade is in 
its infancy, comparatively, and any unwise 
action. upon the part of vinegrowers at this 
stage may lead to serious results from a 
commercial point of view.~-Eprror.] 
FSESCe stess= 
Fruit Notes. 
Raisin growers in California are appre- 
hensive that a record crop promising this 
season will bring down the price, and the 
Raisin Growers’ Association of the State 
are proposing to borrow £100,000 to enable 
them to make liberal advances on the 
whole crop on delivery, say 75 per cent. of 
the sweat box value. This seems to us a 
risky procedure unless the Association is 
sure of being able to control, say 80 per 
cent. of the total output of the State. 
Apples for the German market from 
France, Italy, and Austria are wiped with 
dry cloths, each apple wrapped in soft, 
porous papers, and snugly laid layerwise in 
casks lined with paper, and having open- 
ings cut in the ends and heads to secure 
adequate ventilation. American apples in 
barrels similar to those sent to England, 
and nether wiped nor wrapped, have meti 
with a poor reception in Germany, and 
prices realised in many cases did not pay 
expenses, while the Continental apples, 
carefully packed, fetched good figures. 
Germany should be tested as a market 
for Australian apples. There is no doubt 
she could take a large quantity, es notwith- 
standing the immense quantity grown in 
the country she still imports £1,750,000 
worth of fruit. 
=eS6E360o= 
SLtucs.—Lime dusted out of a bag is 
the best remedy we know of, 
The Vegetable Garden. 
~ BOCORE SES 
It the season continues dry it will 
necessitate frequent watering in the vege- 
table garden. Let the soil be thoroughly 
soaked, and thus encourage a deep root sys- 
tem in the vegetables; mere sprinkling is 
not sufficient. Weed the beds, hoe the sur- 
face well, and where it has not already 
been done, spread a mulch of manure or 
some suitable litter. 
Seeds of French beans, pea, carrots, tur- 
nips, beet, and spinach can be sown for a 
succession. It is a good plan to sprinkle 
superphosphate over all drills, trenches, 
and beds prepared for the reception of 
vegetables. Celery can be planted out in 
the trenches. Lettuce can be sown be- 
tween in a rich, moist soil. With plenty 
of water and attention it is possible to keep 
up a supply of salads during the hot 
months. Discontinue cutting asparagus in 
good time, and give the beds a good soak- 
ing of water, liquid manure, or a dressing of 
salt. Give rhubarb beds also water and 
liquid manure at regular intervals. Onions 
that were sown in the autumn are now 
ready for harvesting, the leaves having 
turned yellow. Take the opportunity of 
pulling them when they are quite dry, 
spread them out until absolutely dry, cut 
the leaves off within a few inches of the 
bulbs, and store them in a cool, airy posi- 
tion. Plant strong young tomatoes for 
later use, and give those more advanced 
a liberal mulch and watering. Do not 
awamp the plants, but let the soil around 
them be permanently moist. Confine them 
to a single stem, and secure it firmly to a 
stake by raffia tied in several places, and 
pinch out the laterals as soon as they ap- 
pear. Mulch and water liberally marrows, 
cucumbers, and the various squashes. Re- 
gulate their shoots and peg them down. 
This will shelter the roots and also streng-. 
then the plants. 
Continue to make fortnightly sowings of 
radishes in moist, shady positions. Sow 
parsley for winter use. Old plants can be 
kept in excellent condition if not allowed 
to seed. 
All vegetables as they advance are bene- 
fited by application of liquid manure. It 
promotes flavor, and the requisite size, and 
also enables them to complete their de- 
velopment quickly. 
“PBOSE SECO ECC OES 
Asparagus. 
More attention should be paid to the cul- 
tivation of this most desirable vegetable, 
and to those desirous of cultivating it upon 
a, large or small scale perhaps the following 
notes may be of interest:  ~ 
The soil best suited for it is a rich sandy 
loam, although it will thrive upon heavier 
soils, as is the case at Bathurst Farm, it be- 
ing, grown upon rather a heavy clayey loam 
made friable by applications of well-rotted 
stable manure. The land should be trench- 
ed from 2 to 2 ft. 6 in. deep, and thoroughly 
mixed with well rotted manure. 
To save time it is better to purchase 
strong shoots which have been raised from 
seed two seasons previously. If raised 
from seed it would be the fourth season be- 
fore strong heads would be produced for 
cutting. The beds are thoroughly prepared 
during the wintey for the reception of the 
roots towards the beginning of spring, for 
if planted too early a number are apt to 
die. The’ beds should be 4 ft. wide, with 
paths about 2 ft. between, to allow of cut- 
ting without treading upon them. Two 
drills should be opened upon each bed from 
18 in. to 2 ft. apart, and the roots care- 
fully spread in them about 1 ft. apart, and 
the crowns covered by about 2 in. Care 
“should be taken not to expose the roots 
more than is necessary. The beds 
are then neatly raked over and a top-dres- 
sing of coarse salt applied, which is washed 
in by the rain. If strong roots were planted 
a cutting could be made the second season 
after planting, which would be in avout 
fifteen months. The old method of cutting 
the young shoots several inches*below the 
surface has given place to the method of 
allowing the shoots to grow from 5 
to 6 in. high, which are then cut off level 
with the beds; this allows of the 
whole of the shoot being eaten, in- 
Stead of only a portion, as by the 
former practice, and prevents injury from 
cutting other shoots below the surface. No 
stems should be allowed to grow during 
the cutting season, which should last 
from six to ten weeks, according to 
the vigor of the roots. If continued too 
long the plants would be considerably 
weakened. After this they should be al- 
lowed to grow, in order to store up nutri- 
ment in the root and give out shoo’: the 
following season, and should be kept free 
from weeds and receive liberal treatment 
with liquid) manure and salt throughout 
the summer. After the stems have turned 
brown in the autumn they are cut close to 
the bed and removed; the beds are care- 
fully forked over and given a good dressing 
of well-rotted manure several inches in 
thickness. . In the early spring the beds 
are again forked lightly over, tidiea, and a 
dressing of salt applied. If carefully 
tended the beds will remain productive for 
many years. 
If the asparagus plants be raised from 
seed it is preferable to only plant those 
which bear unproductive flowers, as the 
seeds produced by productive plants readily 
germinate and dirty the beds. Several 
varieties are under cultivation at this farm, 
including Connover’s Colossal, Efurt 
Giant, Camden Park, Almera, Mammoth 
White, Giant Dutch, and Pallmetti. Up 
to the present Connover’s Colossal has 
proved the superior—over an acre is under 
this crop, and it has proved a payable one. 
The medicinal value of this vegetable 
has long been recognised ; its diuretic pro- 
perties make it valuable for affections of 
the kidneys. No garden is complete with- 
out a bed of it—R. W. Pracock, Experi- 
mental Farm, Bathurst, in the “Agricul- 
tural Gazette,” N.S.W. 
