JULY i5, 1903. 
THE AUSTRALIAN GARDENER. 
young or old seed aecording to: the species: 
seed two years old’should be’ sed to let ‘the 
root form better and keep' the plants ‘from 
running. For chicory and: cabbages three- 
year- -old seed, as’ then the plants shoot and 
‘ripen better. If we do not wish to let 
spinach, lettuce, or radish’run*to seed or 
differ from the type we must use two-year- 
old seed. For corn salad it is necessary to 
use séed at least a year old, as seed gather- 
ed in June will scarcely grow if sown in tants 
following September or October. . : 
‘In the “Good Gardener’ for 1829 gar- 
deners are recommended to:sow melon seed 
f 
several’ years old, the same as applying 
to the other cucurbitacee. 
For early sowings of- arp! ‘1b is neces. 
sary to use seed several-years old to “‘pre- 
vent #he plants running to'seed. The in- 
fluerice of ‘time “on the germinating value 
of seeds appears then to be’a well-establish- 
ed fact, and, perhaps, it'is hardly possible 
to’ account’for ‘ this influence otherwise 
than by the Soe ore I haveypuy forward. 
Poews > f i Pr “oR, 
_mesesoesoe 
GATHERING 2 AND KREPING FRUIT. 
By: 
“The less fruit is handled the ile: nthe 
The bloom on the skin is its ; In-fruit we must have flavor, color, shape, 
will keep. 
~ natural protection, and this should not be 
rubbed off; neither should the fruit be 
gathered when it is wet’ with rain or dew. 
Bunches of Grapes should have a small 
piece of the branch attached to them, ‘and 
. the berries must’ not be marked‘ with the 
fingers.. “Melons® must be supported as 
* 
“yoxible, 
ox variety. Thus, for- beetroot and carrots, ~~ 
“should -be: gathered with stems 
attached, except Peaches, Nectarines, and‘ 
Apricots.::- 
“En staging fruit, whether it be in single 
dishes: or, in collections, always use a few 
leaves:. of each kind for garnishing pur-— 
poses. Use-shallow plates or dishes, not 
deep, ones.. Have the specimens in every 
dish as nearly of one size as possible, Set 
up the largest kinds, at the back, and the 
smaller ones in front of them. Do not 
pelish a single fruit. 
=OSSSsSoesSe= 
ESSENTIAL POINTS IN SELECTING 
‘ AND EXHIBITING FRUIT. 
The final selection of the specimens is a. 
matter of the utmost importance. An ex- 
hikitor may have plenty to choose from, 
but unless he knows which are the best he 
may make some fatal mistakes. A 
farmer, when gathering the ears of wheat 
__ for show. purposes, does not select the 
they grow on the plants, so that they will, 
mature naturally and not‘fall off the plant 
prematurely. They are ripe when the 
aroma from them‘is very perceptible, the 
skin at the base easily indented; and when 
ib begins to. crack around the stem:’ 
- Peaches and Nectarines are ready when 
they part from the branch upon : being 
slightly pressed at the base; never squeeze 
the sides between the thumb: and, fingers. 
Cooseberries, Currants, black, white, and 
red, ought to be gathered before they. are 
really.ripe, or the: berries. will be injured 
through being. soft, and’ the Currants, in 
addition, will fall from the stems. 
Apples, Pears, .and: Plums should part 
from the trée easily when--the: fruit: is 
gently brought to a. horizontal position. * 
The Fig is. quite useless unless it is ripe 
when gathered ;- the skin‘should be cracked : 
in, several places and, juice filling the eye 
When. in-this condition ake 
ofthe fruit. 
requires most careful-handling. - 
_ All ripe or ripening fruit-should be rept 
in a dry, airy, cool'room. _ Extreme fluc: 
tuations..in. the .temperature must be 
avoided. -Unripe fruit, on trees in houses ’ 
imay be hastened forward. by. giving. extra 
heat, but it is best to allow, the crop to 
mature without undue forcing. 
' Strawberries and Raspberries will fot 
temain.good. for many hours after, they ‘are 
ripe; so that it is wise to gather them just 
hefore they are really ripe. All fruit, if 
‘trenches’ are required, 
dar gest, but travels all over his field pick- 
ing out here and there the ears which are 
of good average size, plump, and well 
'- filled with grain, clean and symmetrical, 
30 that when they are put together they 
all appear alike, and make a perfect bunch. 
It is the same with garden produce, the 
largest specimens are not always the best. 
and soundness. 
- 2R6ee SEE = 
A USEFUL VEGETABLE. 
 Celeriac, or. Turnip-rooted Celery.— 
This i is a useful winter vegetable, but it is 
not so largely grown as it deserves to be ; 
its value has long been recognised on the 
ecntinent, and quantities are annually im- 
perted into this country, which always find 
a ready sale and realise good prices. The 
flavor is very distinct from that of Celery, 
and makes a most welcome change. The 
cultivation is simple; it will thrive 
luxuriantly on almost any well-prepared 
soil. 
pans, and the seedlings pricked out as soon 
as large enough to handle—treated, indeed, 
precisely in the same way as Celery, and 
later on transferred to their summer quar- 
ters. A south or west border should be 
sclécted if possible. Trench the ground 
o: deeply dig it during the winter; no 
as i# should be 
grown on the flat. Break th'e surface up 
before planting, make quite firm, and rake 
down level. Lift and plant with a 
trowel, allowing 2 ft. between the rows and 
18 inches from plant to plant. Like 
The geed should be sown thinly in . 
Celery, it is a moisture-loying plant, and: 
should be kept well supplied with both 
clear and liquid manure water during dry 
weather, keeping the soil constantly stirred — 
with, the ‘hoe-to promote a free, quick % 
Lift. the roots before frosty _ 
grow th. 
weather- sets in, trimming off the leayes 
and store, in- sand ‘or ashes i in the root room, 
when they may be taken out as required. 
‘Epwix BECKETT. 
i3 
THE FIRST TOMATO GROWER. 
A good deal has been written about the 
‘Tomato of late, and speculation. as to its 
successful: culture outdoors in . England 
(says 
“The -Garden”) is being. dis- 
cussed ; but the culture of the, Tomato as 
a. vegetable i in. this country, either indoors 
‘or out, is not such a recent affair. as some 
seem to think. Tomatoes were. grown 
both indoors and outdoors at Drumlanrig 
Castle, in Scotland, at the time of. the 
Crimean War, about 1853 or 1854, by Mr. 
James McIntosh, the gardener there at that 
time. . The reason probably was that. Mr. 
McIntosh was rather fond of trying novel- 
ties. He grew, about the same time, 
good crops of Passiflora edulis, and, I think, 
P.. quadrangularis, the Guava, the Egeg- 
piant, and tried the Vanilla, but did not 
succeed in fruiting it. The Tomatees were 
grown. abundantly over the paths in whe 
pine-stoves, and large quantities - were 
gathered. They were then so acceptable 
to the cook that an attempt was made to 
produce a late supply out of doors. The 
plants for that purpose were grown.on like 
the Dahlias in pots and planted out in 
May against a close: wooden paling about 
20C° fect long. They fruited, but few of 
of the fruits ripened thoroughly, and about 
October the plants were pulled up with the 
partly ripened fruit on them and hung up 
iy warm sheds to ripen. - 
I forget the botanical name of the 
Tomato then, but it was not ‘ ‘Solanum,” 
and it was called the “Love Apple.” The 
fruit looked so tempting that the writer 
was once induced to taste it, but he never 
bit another for a-dozen years at least. 
Afterwards, when near. Edinburgh, no 
Tomatoes were grown in any garden near 
there that. I knew of, nor was it till long 
after that that it became common. Now- 
a-days it is as common as the Potato, and 
is In every greengrocer’s shop.and on every 
hawker’s barrow. 
Js. SIMPSON. 
PESO SECS SS= © 
_ PLANTING: POTATOES. of 
The following method of. planting pota- 
toes is very successful :—‘ After -cutting 
the tubers, leaving not ‘more than two eyes, 
cover them with soot and'leave them a day 
to dry. - After planting: hill them imme- 
diately, so that there is no. more treading 
among them. On ‘digging the crop, ‘the 
old sets will-be found to be perfectly sound. 
Unless the!season is very. wet, germinate all 
vegetable seeds under a. wet bag, taking.care 
to shade the TAS plants sania ge Bag. ds 
removed. 
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“The: Australian Gardens? 
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