1 Dxc., 1897.] QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. 491 
Farm and Garden Notes for December 
Tur wheat harvest will now be in full swing, and every effort should be made 
to get in the harvest speedily. Barley should be allowed to ripen in the field 
before cutting, but should be harvested as soon as the grain is hard, otherwise 
loss will be sustained by scattering. There being a probability of showery 
weather, care should be exercised in stooking, as a shower of rain will discolour 
what is left on the ground. After stacking, which should only be done when 
the barley is absolutely dry, it should remain from six weeks to two months in 
the stack before being thrashed. Maize may still be sown in large areas. Sow 
sorghum, imphee, Kaffir corn, and panicum. —_Arrowroot, ginger, and sweet 
potatoes may be planted. 
Too much care cannot be exercised in protecting newly dug potatoes from 
the sun. They should be dug as soon as the skin is firm, as they will rot if left 
in the ground too long during the great heat of this month. They should be 
dug early in the morning before the sun has gained great power, and carted to 
a barn, where they should be spread out to cool. Tobacco must be attended 
to in the manner described last month. Keep all crops clean, and thin them 
out if too crowded. 
Kitchen Garden-—Gather French beans, cucumbers, melons, vegetable 
marrows, &c., as soon as they are fit for use. Hyen if they are not required, 
still they should be gathered, as the plants will leave off bearing otherwise. 
Sow cabbage and cauliflower seed for carly plants. Some difficulty will be 
experienced in getting the seed to grow at this season, but if sown in a shady 
place and well cared for they will succeed, and the plants will be propor- 
tionately more valuable. French beans, tomatoes, mustard and cress, radish, 
&e., may be sown. All rubbish should be removed, and either dug under or | 
burnt, as rubbish heaps, stumps, &c., form excellent harbour for all sorts of 
insect pests. 
Flower Garden.—As the grass lawns are the chief attraction, care should 
be taken to keep them closely mown and all weeds taken out. Keep all the 
walks clear of weeds. Perpetual roses may be cut back so as to obtain fresh 
wood for bloom. Cut petunias well back, as they will be getting unsightly by 
this time. Keep all straggling plants staked and tied. Dahlias will require 
thinning and tying. Zinnias, balsam, marigolds, cockscomb, amaranthus, 
ealendula, gaillardia, and coreopsis may be still sown, if not already sown during 
the previous month. 
xl 
