4 THE AUSTRALIAN GARDENER. 
Tn 
The Vegetable Garden. 
WATER MELON—FLORIDA FAVORITE. 
Operations for the Month. 
[* cessitate frequent watering in the 
vegetable garden. Let the soil be soaked 
thoroughly, and thus encourage a deep 
root system in the vegetables ; mere 
sprinkling is not sufficient. Weed the 
beds, hoe the surface well, and where it 
has not already been done. spread a mulch 
of manure or some suitable litter. 
Bean, French or Kidney.—This should 
be at its best. Seed may be sown from 
time to time in any paris of the State 
where the rainfall has been satisfactory. 
This bean delights in warm, moist condi- 
tions. Gather the bean pods whilst they 
are young and not fully developed, and 
then it will be found that the flavour and 
quality is infinitely superior to the pods 
gathered when nearly matured. When 
sowing, make drills about 2 feet apart 
for dwarf or about 4 feet for tall-growing 
varieties, and sow the beans about 4 inches 
apart in the drills. Cover to about 3 
inches with soil. 
Beet, Red.—A little seed should be 
sown occasionally during the month, in 
order to keep upa supply for as long a 
time in the summer as practicable, for it 
is one of the most useful vegetables for 
summer use, and one that can generally 
be relied upon if it be treated fairly well. 
Instead of sowing in drills in the garden 
plants can be raised in a seed bed and 
when large enough to stand a shift can 
be planted out in the garden whenever 
space can be found for them. It is quite 
possible to grow good beets in almost any 
vacant space, if the space is even only 
sufficiently large for two or three plants ; 
or a single plant may be put in here and 
there. Such planting, although a make- 
shift method, will under some circum- 
stances prove effective} and this and other 
the season continues dry it will ue- 
vegetables may sometimes be had where’ 
if planted under ordinary conditions,they ~ 
might fail. 
Beet, Silver.cThis is another very 
usoful summer yegetable ; and if only 
two or three plants can be grown during 
the dry weather they might provide a 
good occasional dish. Seed may be sown 
in seed-bed, if plants are required, Plant 
seedlings in rows about 20 inches or so 
apart 
Broccoli.—In the coolest and elevated 
districts a few seeds may be sown occa- 
sionally in seed-bed, and well advancad 
seedlings may be planted as required 
from the bed in which they had been 
planted to develop. Water before moving 
the plants, and water thoroughly after 
planting. 
Cabbage,—A good and well-known cab- 
bage for the summer is the variety known 
as St. John’s Day. Another one that 
may do well in moist districts during the 
summer is Succession. For the cabbage 
uso a heavy dressing of rotted dung, and 
during growth stir up the surface soil 
with hand or wheel hoe. Prick out a fow 
strong seedlings, and plant advanced 
GRECIAN CUCUMBER, 
December 1, 1907 
pricked-out plants to meet requirementsf 
The cabbage needs a good deal of moisture 
and unless this be supplied in dry weather 
the cabbage is unlikely to succeed. 
Carrot.—A little seed should be sown 
from time to time during the month, in 
drills from'12 to 18 inches apart 
Cauliflower.—A little seed nay be sown, 
but only in cool districts where the season 
is satisfactory. The seed-bed should be 
well looked after, and never allowed to 
beeome quite dry. Urght shading is ad- 
visable, and it should be removed as soon 
as the plants have come into the second 
leaf, 
Celery.--Earth up, or blanch by any 
other method that may be convenient, 
well grown or full grown celery plants, 
Plant out a few advanced seedlings, and 
apply abundance of water, if available, 
and some liquid manure occasionally, 
This is a semi-aquatic plant, and needs 
abundance of moisture, . 
ROSY GEM RADISH, 
Cucumber, Melons, Marrows, Pumpkin, 
&e.—These plants are unlikely to make 
progress during the dry spell, but rs soon 
as rain falls they grow rapidly and make 
up for lost time, In favored places seeds 
may be sown as extensively as may be 
required. 
Mustard and Cress yen in dry places 
where but little water is available, these 
salad plants might be raised sufficiently 
well to provide an occasional dish, which 
will be very welcome when green vege- 
tables are practically unprocurable, Sow 
a little seed from time to time, Use 
abundance of well-rotted manure, and 
take means to make the bed somewhat 
below the surface of tho surrounding 
ground, Asa rule, vegetable and flower 
beds are raised so high up that plants 
growing in them are far more liable to 
suffer from dry weather than low beds, 
and it is infinitely more difficult to apply 
water to the former than to the latter, 
DRUMHEAD OR MALTA LETTUCE, — 
