Feb. I, 1904 ; 
In thinning, gather the fruit;- don’t 
knock it off with poles. Pull off all the 
smallest fruit, and thin evenly all over the 
tree, not all on one side and none on the 
other. Thinning pays well, as 200 lb. of 
good fruit on a tree will sell for more 
money than 500 lb. of rubbish, which is 
hard to dispose of at any price. There 
ig another great consideration in thinning 
the fruit, and that is that the strain on 
the trees’ energies is very mych lessened, 
and the plant-food removed from the ‘soil 
by the crop is very much less, as it takes 
much more out of the land to form the 
“stone than it does to form the fleshy por- 
tion of the fruit, because the kernel of 
stone-fruits always makes a heavy call on 
the soil for phosphoric acid and nitrogen, 
the two principal plant-foods that have to 
be kept up in the soil by manuring. Thin 
a few trees to see whether it pays or not, 
and I have little doubt that you will con- 
tinue to thin, as the increased size of the 
fruit renders it much easier to dispose cf, 
and the extra price obtained will more than 
pay for the expense of thinning. 
Now, if “Pater” puts on his spectacles— 
-as those South Kensington judges did after 
they had got their eyes opened—he will 
find in my first reference that qualty and 
the credentials of the raiser were taken in 
combination. Better by far one good 65- 
pounder that will feed half-a-dozen street 
-arabs than South Kensington Hall full of 
-clodwollopers not fit for the pigs. 
“Pater,” like Pope, wants me to lisp in 
numbers, and this when the pleasant sea- 
son allures, and the garden invites atten- 
tion! I cordially agree, however, to let 
the numbers come; they may be instruc- 
tive as well as interesting to readers. 1. 
121 plants, occupying 4 rods, produce 672 
lb. What weight per acre? 12 tons. 2. 
Value per acre at 2/6 per lb., £3,360 
(pounds). 3. How many eyes per pile? 
~81,312. 4. Land planted same distance as 
121 sets were, and weight of crop—l16 acres 
-3 rods 8 poles, and 201 tons 12 cwt. respec- 
tively. ‘‘Pater” says it does not matter 
about the value of the last item, as it 
dropped considerably. Here it is, as pre- 
viously stated —£56,448.—B. Locxwoop. 
BIRDS ON THE LAWN. 
If the indefatigable “T. A. W.” had 
paused during his slavery for a moment's 
inspiring respite, and cut out a piece of the 
turf for examination, he would probably 
have discovered the cause of the presence 
-of starlings, wagtails, and robins, for they 
were annihilating the voracious cockchafer 
-grub, which is without exception the most 
destructive underground foe we have. The 
~damage these grubs do in fields, lawns, and 
gardens is almost incredible. After the 
young are hatched they remain in the 
‘ground three years before they become per- 
fect beetles, and during the larval period 
they totally destroy all vegetation they 
come in contact with, and have béen 
known to ruin a harvest. Without the as- 
sistance of our feathered friends man would 
be helpless, for destruction would be com- 
plete ere the discovery was made. — I once 
saw a field where you could take the turf 
and roll it up just as if it had been cut 
‘and pared. It is most interesting to ob- 
THE AUSTRALIAN GARDENER. 
‘ 
serve the birds after their prey. They fly 
down, hop about, and listen most intently 
with their clever heads laid lown and on 
one side, and instinctively they bore into 
the ground in an instant, and in that mo- 
ment have accounted for one foe. Unfor- 
tunately, the mischief of the cockchafer 
does not end with its larval stage, but 
when it comes to a perfect. state its havoc 
with foliage is as great as it was with the 
roots.—R. E. 
ABIES ..OBILIS VAR. GLAUCA. 
Abies nobilis is one of the finest of the 
many fine Conifers discovered by Douglas, 
who was sent out collecting by the Royal 
Horticultural Society of London about 
seventy yearsago. In places where it does 
well in this country it makes a very hand- 
some plant, the trunk being tall and 
straight, and furnished with branches from 
top to bottom. 
In its native habitat it grows to a height 
of 300 feet, forming large forests. It is 
found in Oregon and California, and was 
introduced in 1831. The specimen shown 
in the illustration will be seen to be in cone. 
The cones are borne in an upright posi- 
tion on the branches, and are from 4 to 6 
inches long, and 2 to 24 inches in diameter. 
The variety glauca has more silvery 
leaves than the type, and is of stronger 
growth. In various parts of the British 
Isles fine specimens of both the type and 
the variety are to be found, some being 70 
or 80 feet-high, with a girth of from 5 to 
7 feet.—D. i. Mort. 
Vegetable Garden. 
OPERATIONS FOR FEBRUARY. 
W.S. Camrsett. 
Favorable conditions for vegetable grow- 
ing seem likely to continue during 
January, and in all probability, unless 
some sudden change takes place, the pre- 
sent summer will probably be the~mildest 
experienced for many years. The occa- 
sional showers keep the ground sufficiently 
moist for vegetable requirements, and no 
farmer can have an excuse for being with- 
out an abundant supply of these neces- 
saries, for, during such a season, the grow- 
ing of vegetables is a comparatively easy 
matter, the most difficult work in some 
localities being’ the prevention of the 
growth of weeds, which run up so rapidly 
as to outgrow and injure, and, perhaps, 
destroy young vegetables unless the weeds 
are removed in time. 
Pull up everything that is not likely to 
be productive or profitable, such as old 
peas, beans, cabbages, and other vegetables 
which have run, or have started to run, to 
seed. Strawberries, which are generally 
grown in the vegetable garden, are likely 
to send gut runners from all sides, and it 
some good plants are required for putting 
out in new beds next autumn, take the op- 
portunity of selecting the best of the 
suckers, which will probably be found next 
13 
to the mother plants, and in removing aih 
others. As soon as the suckers have be- 
come well rooted, separate them from their 
parents by cutting the connecting links. 
Should the weather continue favorable, 
the young strawberries, if nicely rooted, 
may soon be planted out, without waiting 
for the autumn, and it is quite possible 
that some of them may bear fruit before 
the winter sets in. When planting, or, 
rather, after planting, tread the soil well 
about the roots and spread a mulch of 
dung all around the plants, as it is quite 
possible that some hot, dry weather may | 
set in after all; although there may be @ 
risk in planting, it is worth chancing, for 
so much time may be saved. 
Beans.—Any kinds, except the Windsor, 
or broad bean, may be sown as extensively 
as may be.equired. It would not be ad- 
visable to sow beans on the same ground 
from which beans of any kind or peas have 
just been removed. It would be muck 
better to try cabbage, or, better still, some 
roots, such as carrot or turnip, and the sok 
would have a complete change. By. con- 
stantly growing the same kind of vegetable, 
or vegetables belonging to the same na- 
tural order, as it is called, on the same 
piece of ground, not only does the soil be- 
come “sick” of them, but vegetables pests, 
inects, and fungi, which are common tc 
the natural order, have a much better 
chance of thriving and increasing than 
would otherwise be the case. Try some 
of the runner beans, if sticks or other sup- 
ports can be provided for them. ‘These 
can, be sown either in single or in double 
rows, about a foot or so apart. The little 
labor entailed in fixing up supports should 
noti deter anyone from growing a few rows 
of these beans. 
Broccoli—sSow a little seed of this vege- 
table, which is much the same as cauli- 
flower, but rather coarser and hardier than 
that variety of cabbage. Like the cauli- 
flower, it requires good, moist soil, welt 
drained, and it is always advisable to use a 
good quantity of manure and thoroughly 
incorporate it with the soil when preparing 
for planting. This vegetable should b 
grown without a check if possible. . 
Borecole, or Kale.—This is a good vege- 
table, but, strange to say, but little grown 
in this State. It is worth a trial, parti- 
cularly by those who live in the cool parts 
of the country. This is another member 
of the cabbage family, and necds much the 
same management as cabbage, applying 
abundance of manure to the soil, unless it 
be naturally very rich. Sow a little seed. 
Cabbage.—Sow seed occasionaily—just a 
little—in order that a supply of plants may 
be available for pricking out, and for plant- 
ing whenever required. Sow the seed in 
drills, in a small seed bed, quite thin. 
The generally adopted but crroneous 
method of sowing cabbage seed is broad- 
cast, as thick as possible, with the result 
a miserable lot of lanky-looking plants, to 
be hauled out by the handful when ve- 
quired for planting. Mr. Ellis, of the 
Viticultural Station, Howleng, finds that 
the variety known as Phenomenal suc- 
ceeds best if sown during January. Well- 
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