SEPTEMBER 7, 1903. 
chances are in favor of a good vegetable 
supply in the summer. 
' So far the season has been favorablé as 
regards rainfall for the garden, for over a 
vast’ portion of New South Wales the 
ground is in a satisfactory condition, and 
the prospects of good rains during the com- 
ing summer seem to be satisfactory. 
Whilst there is yet time a sufficient .ex- 
extent of ground should be prepared on 
which to carry on a _ succession of vege- 
tables; not that it need take a very exten- 
sive space in which to grow all the vege- 
tables needed by a fair-sized family if pro- 
pez economy be carried out. The greait 
point to keep in view is; never to allow any 
part of the vegetable garden to remain un- 
occupied longer than can. possibly be avoid- 
ed. Use abundance of good dung for all 
vegetables, and, if possible, use it in a well- 
rotted condition, without the best part, or 
the soul of it; so to speak, having been 
washed awaly by rains. 
Asparagus.—August, is a good time to 
plant this useful vegetable before the 
shoots have started into growth. If plants 
have been raised from seed, they can be 
moved without much injury to their roots. 
Should, however, roots be obtained from 
other gardens the chances are that many 
roots will be injured, bruised, and broken. 
Look well over the plants before planting, 
and remove with a sharp knife all bruised 
and broken roots, and trim all rough ends. 
Make wide trenches, with the bottoms 
raised in their centres an inch or two, so 
that the crowns of ithe plants may stand 
higher than the ends of the roots, which 
should be well spread out. When filling in 
the trenches with soil, shake fine soil well 
in amongst the roots, and when the work 
of filling in is finished, the soil should be 
about 2 in. above the crowns of the plants. 
The rows should be about 18 in. to 2° ft. 
apart, and the plants about 18 in. apart in 
the rows. The spaces between the rows 
might be made use of for quick-growing 
vegetables, such as lettuce, mustard and 
cress, radishes, and other salad plants, 
which should be fit for use before the as- 
paragus shoots make too dense a covering. 
Old asparagus beds should be cleaned up, 
and a good dressing of farmyard manure 
might be forked in amongst the plants 
without interfering with o# injuring their 
crowny. As the asparagus is a native of the 
sea coast, where the sandy soil is impreg- 
nated with salt, it follows that an occa- 
sional’ ‘dressing of coarse waste salt would 
be likely to prove- beneficial. 
Artichoke (Globe)—Young plants or 
suckers may be planted out. A very few 
plants will prove sufficient for any family. 
Artichoke (Jerusalem).—Plant out dur- 
ing the early part of the month as large an 
area of ground as can be spared. If more 
tubers are raised than the family can con- 
sume the spare ones can be used with ad- 
vantage by pigs. ae 
Beans (French or Kidney).—These are 
tender vegetables, which should not be 
‘sown until frosts are unlikely ‘to occur. 
Use plenty of farmyard manure when pre- 
paring the ground, and sow in rows about 
2 ft. Gin. apart for dwarfs, and 4 ft. or so 
for the tall-growing kinds. Sometimes it is 
hit AUSTRALIAN GARDENER. 
a good plan. to sow the tall beans in double 
instead of single rows, and this is worth 
trying: Sow the beans 3 or 4 in. deep and 
4 to 5 in. apart in the rows. 
Beet (Red).—Sow a little seed during 
the ménth in sufficient quantity for re- 
quirements. It is much better to sow from 
time to timé than all at one time, as by 
that method a constant succession can. be 
kept up, except from some unavoidable: ac- 
cident; and. the same system) should be car- 
ried out with all vegetables. Beet seed 
sometimes takes a good while to come up 
after sowing; but if it be soaked well, or 
spread out on a moist bag and covered with 
another moist bag or some material that 
will retain moisture well, such as old flan- 
nel or something of that. kind, the beet seed 
will germinate in a few days; but the bags 
or flannel or other stuff should be kept 
moist. As soon as the first sign of the 
bursting of the seeds’ coats can be detected, 
the seed may be sown, but the soil should 
be watered after the seed is sown. Unless 
this be done the seed may perish if the soil 
is dry: Drills should be about 18 in. apart, 
1 in. deep. Cover with fine soil and press 
this down about the seeds. -Thin out 
seedlings to 9 in. or 1 ft. apart... Sow 
the globe varieties in preference to the long 
tap-rooted kinds. 
Silver Beet—One of the most . useful 
of vegetables; is not grown so largely as 
it merits. It is to some extent, if the term 
may be used, a permanent vegetable—that 
is, the leaves may be pulled time after time 
for a considerable period if the plants be 
well treated and looked after. Sow the 
seed in a seed-bed, and transplant when the 
seedlings attain a few inches in height to a 
well-manured bed, where they are to re- 
main. ° : 
Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, 
Cauliflower, Savoy Red Cabbage.—Sow a 
little seed of each of these vegetables occa- 
sionally during the month, and plant out’ 
from former sowings, or from beds where: 
plants have been pricked out. Use abun- 
dance of good farmyard manure for all 
these vegetables, and cultivate the soil bet 
tween them frequently as they are growing: 
manured shallow trenches. 
Celeriac (or Turnip-rooted Celery) is 
worth trying. A little seed may be sown 
in a seed-bed or box, and the plants treated 
as ordinary celery; but they may be grown 
on a flat bed, and they will not need 
earthing up or blanching like celery. 
Carrot.—Sow a little seed from time to 
time. ‘Thin out the seedlings well as soon as 
they are-an inch or two in height. Keep 
the carrots from! weeds, and run the-hoe 
between. the drills frequently. 
Cucumber.—Sow a-few seeds in a warm 
corner under shelter, and plant out the 
young cucumbers when large enough to 
move. In cool districts the plants should 
bo well protected from frosts at nights. 
Leek.—Sow a little seed, in a seed-bed, 
of this useful vegetable, and transplant the 
young leeks when they have grown to 
13 
about the ‘size’ of an ordinary pen-handle, 
or larger. The leek-needs very rich. ‘soil to 
enable it to grow to the greatest perfection. 
Plant in shallow trenches, so that water 
and liquid manure can be most easily ap- 
plea. ; 
_ Lettuce.—Sow a little seed in a seed-bed, 
and plant out’ when large enough to 
handle... Seedlings, which may. be: avail- 
able now, should be» planted, a few ata 
time, in order to- keep up a succession. 
Melons.—Sow in the open ground in the. 
warniest localities; but in the-cold! districts 
seed should be sown under protection. . 
Onion.—Seed may be’ sown largely dur- 
ing the month. Drain the beds. well, 
manure heavily, and make the surface: soil 
as fine as possible. Sow in drills about 12 
or 15 in. apart, and do not cover the soil 
more than half an inch with soil at the 
most. Keep -the young onions free from, 
weeds when they come up, and thin out as 
the plants become strong. For the produc- 
tion of pickling onions.sow the seed broad- 
cast thickly. Try seed of potato onion, 
Brown Spanish, White Spanish, Anderson’s 
Market Model. The last-named is a beau- 
tiful onion worth trying. 
Parsnip.—Sow as largely as may be re- 
quired during the month. Dig the soil 
deep, but avoid using manure if it can be 
avoided. j ; 
“Peas—Sow extensively from time to 
time. Dig the ground well, and use abun- 
dance of manure. Provide sticks or supr 
ports as soon as the young peas appear. 
Keep well weeded and do not earth up the 
peas. Bonemeal, superphosphate of lime, 
lime, or gypsum. will be found useful. But 
do not add ordinary lime to stable or 
farmyard manure. Apply it either to the 
soil before or after applying the dung. 
Yorkshire Hero is one of the most useful 
varieties to grow. 
Potato.—Plant a few rows of Kidney 
potatoes or the Early Rose. The ground 
should be well drained, and if not of good 
quality should be heavily manured with 
farmyard dung. Plant in rows about 3 ft. 
apart, and drop the potatoes about 1 ft. 
apart in the rows 5 or 6 in. deep... 
Radish.—Sow a little seed from time to 
time to keep up a continuous supply.. _ 
_Rhubarb.—This may be planted out at 
any time during the month. Manure the 
ground heavily, mixing the manure tho- 
roughly well with the soil. If the soil be of 
very rich quality the manure need not, per- 
haps, be applied. Plant the rhubarb so 
that the crown of the planits be covered 
with about 2 in. of soil. Spread a mulch: 
oi stable manure over the top of the bed. 
Clean up old rhubarb beds and fork in, a 
dressing of manure. Then spread a mulch. 
around and ‘between the plants. 
Salsify—Sow a little seed in drills about 
15 in. apart. When the plants come up 
thin them out to about 5 or 6 in. apart in” 
the rows. ° epia Siar 
ip.—Sow a little seed in drills about 
1-ft. or 15 in apart. =~ Caras 
Tomato.—Sow seed when convenient, 
and plant out any young tomatoes which 
have already been raised for the purpose. 
When frosts are likely to’ occur protect 
the planted out tomatoes at night.—‘“Agri- 
cultural Gazette of New South Wales.’ 
