months. 
growth. 
planted out should be shaded for a few | 
days, or they are likely to get burnt off. — 
_ During this and next month the fruit is 
IO 
Artificial Manures. 
The Meaning of the Term. 
The cultivation of a close aquaintance 
with the relationship between the differ- 
entterms will serye to prevent buyers 
from being misled by flattering analytical 
formulas. As regards the nitrogen in- 
gredient, the farmer will be able to avoid 
deception, by calculating on the basis 
that 17lb. of amonia always contains 
14lb. of nitrogen, or, what is the same 
thing, 14lb. of nitrogen are equivalent to 
17lb. of amonia. To give an everyday 
example, a manure offered as containing 
4.5 per cert. of amonia actually contains 
3.7 of nitrogen. In the form of sulphate 
of amonia 66lbs, are required to equal 141b 
of nitrogen, so that a manure containing 
3.7 percent. of nitrogen would have to 
show 17.4 per cent. of sulphate of am- 
monia, Again,in the case of phospatic 
manures, the phosphates, or phosphate of 
lime, may be stated in order to convey an 
exaggerated estimate of the material; but 
here also a knowledge of the fact that 26 
_ per cent, of phosphates is equivalant to 
12 per cent. of phosphoric acid will safe- 
guard the buyers against mistakes. Sim- 
Harly, with potash manures, 172.zlb 
sulphate of potash and 149.2lb muriate of 
chloride potash represents 94.2Ib. of pure 
potash: thus, kainite, stated- to contain 
_ 12.5 per cent. of potash would contain the 
equivalent of over 23 per cent. of sulphate 
of potash, nearly 20 percent. of muriate 
of potash. — 
; Vegetables. 
The latter portion of the past month 
proved most disappointing to gardeners 
generally, owing to the prevalence of hot 
_dryi g winds and the almost total absence 
of any useful rains. The great advantage 
of mulching will now be apparent. and 
whenever possible, it should always be 
carried out. 
The cutting of asparagus shoots should 
ui now cease, and the whole of the haulm 
should be induced to grow vigorously by 
supplying the beds with plenty of liquid 
manure during the summer and autumn 
‘Pumpkins, melons. squash, 
Mmatrows and cucumber vines will also re- 
quire plenty of liquid manure in order to 
_ force their growth, and where these have 
'_ made good strong growth they should be 
carefully pinched back and pegged down. 
Tomatoes will now require attention, as 
ile plants will require judicious pruning 
Lefore being fastened to stakes or rough 
trellises. Remove all misshaped. blem- 
ished or diseased fruit, and destroy them 
at once. Search the foliage of the vines 
for any catterpillars, slugs, or snails which ~ 
may injure the fruit at an early stage of 
f Any seedlings which may be 
‘: liable to attacks of disease called ‘ Black 
charcoal. 
meaning of your words (not the adjec- 
THE AUSTRALIAN GARDENER. 
rot.” and which always develops itself 
after a very hot day or two, The smaller 
varieties of tomatoes do not suffer so 
severely as the larger, and coarser kinds 
and the disease or sunburn can usually be 
checked in some degree by keeping the 
surface of the ground between the rows 
well tilled by wide planting, mulching 
and supplying the vines with sufficient 
moisture during the hot weather. All 
ripe fruit should be “ cut” off the vines 
and not “pulled,” as the latter operation 
often breaks the vines, Attend to the 
destruction of all weeds and prepare fresh 
ground for cabbages and cauliflowers. 
Beans—Sow largely of either the dwarf 
or tall varieties. | 
Cauliflowers—Sow largely for main 
crop, and shade the seed beds. 
Cabbage—Sow a small quantity of seed 
Carrots, Parsnip, Turnip—Make small 
sowings if required. - 
Celery—Sow largely in a semishaded 
position; plant out into trenches as re- 
quired, ; 
Cress, Mustard. Cucumbers, Melons, 
Pumpkins, Squashes and Marrows may 
be sown in small quaatities. 
Peas—A small sowing or two may be 
made. 
Radish, Rhubarb, Spinach, Pop Corn 
and Sugar Maize—Make small sowings. 
' Lettuce—Sow a small patch in a moist 
and shady position, and keep the seedlings 
well supplied with liquid manure. 
Parsley—Sow some seed if requ:red. 
Eschallots—Plant out in beds of rich 
soil. ; 
_ Tomatoes—Make small sowings- and 
grow the seedlings as rapidly as possible. 
Plant out during favourable weather, 
and pinch back the vines to secure a 
sturdy growth and induce rapid fruiting 
The Poultry Yard. 
Pure charcoal or charred wood, when 
fresh, is excellent aid in arresting bowel 
complaints and is quite harmless. When 
hens have not had a variety, parched 
grain partly burnt affords an agreeable 
change and serves the same purpose as 
There is much sagacity in fowls, and 
there is matter of much interest to learn 
in regard to them. They learn the 
tives ) us easily as a dog, and by repeating 
the same words to them every time, you — 
wish to drive them into a certain place, 
they learn very readily. yt 
Too heavy feeding of green bone or 
fresh meat will cause worms, but they are 
excellent foods when sparingly used. For 
a flock of layers, an allowance of 1 oz. to 
each bird three times a week is quite 
sufficient. 
December 15, 1906 
The colouring matter in the egg is iron, 
just as it is iron that gives color to the 
blood. ‘There is little doubt that the 
colouring compound of the egs is the 
same as that in the blood. It is easily 
assimilated, and eggs are regarded ag 
suitable food for tho anaemic person, ag 
they present a concentrated and generally 
easily digested form of nutriment rich in 
iron. The iron compound of the eco 
has, in fact, been termed a * haematogen” 
because of itis propable that from it 
the blood of the chicken is derived. The 
amount of iron in the yolk of an egg 
would appear to increase with the inten. 
sity of its colour, and there can be little 
a | 
doubt that the richly colouring yolk of — 
the egg produced bya fowl existing in 
healthy surroundings. 
best eggs is of a rich reddish color rather 
than a pale yellow. 
Many an enthusiast has made a start at 
keeping poultry with the fairest prospect 
The yolk of the _ 
of success, with plenty of time, space and _ 
money at hls disposal, and yet he hag 
come to an abrupt end by falling into one. 
of the many pitfalls that have to be 
avoided by poultry-keepers everywhere, 
One of the worst pitfalls—the ecasiesr to 
fall into —is that which is laid by 
success.. A man perhaps beging 
modest way, with a dozen or so of fowls 
on afew acres of ground; and he &nds 
that they lay oxceedingly well and grow 
to good size, and give altogyther much 
in a 
get. Then nothing will do but he must 
pod 
birds from all places, of good, bad, and — 
indefferent breeds and quality. These 
he proceeds to put on the same land on 
which his dozen had done so well, and he 
expects to have as good a result with — 
perhaps over a hundred. What is the _ 
To begin with, they are over. 
result ? 
early 
' better results than he ever expected to 
keep many more poultry, and he buys up. ; 
crowded and the ground quickly becomes _ 
tainted, and they will soon contract liver _ 
disease, and will in consequence give bad _ 
results in the way of egg production, ‘Tt 
is a wall-known fact that the fewer fowls 
there are in a flock, the better individual Ve 
results will be obtainable.’ 
—_— 
A few fowls 
o2 fresh ground are sure to do well, and. i. 
they find most of their food, so that a 
very small outlay will bring in good — 
profit; but not so with a large number on _ 
the same ground. They need to be fed 
regularly, and they need more attention 
diminishes the profit, so that unless there 
i oo 
_ in every way, and everything of this kind 
is ample space at disposal, it is wise to 
keep well within the limit and keep a_ 
few fowls, and get good results, tather 
' than keep a large number with consequent _ 
extra expense yielding much poorer re- 
sults. One of the most likely thing t 
happen when a novice takes steps toward 
stocking his land with poultry is, that he 
~ will purchase a fowl suffering from some 
contagious disease, which will quickly 
spread to all the other poultry. Under 
conditions of overcrowding this is sure 4 
cause the death of many, if not all, o 
them, and this is another reason why 
