1 Fes., 1898.] QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. 167 
Farm and Garden Notes for February, 
Farm.—During this month plough up and prepare the land for a potato 
crop. Small potatoes are the best for this planting, for if large they have te 
be cut up in sizes, and the chances are they will rot. Deep ploughing is 
recommended. If you have rich deep soil, clear of weeds, sow lucerne; but 
if weeds are still making their appearance in consequence of hot, mugey, 
showery weather, then defer the sowing until the ground is perfectly clear. 
Panicum, Cape barley, sorghum, vetches, Kaffir corn, and imphee may be sown 
under similar conditions. Sow Swede turnips and mangel wurzel for early 
winter crop. Maize may still be sown, although, should frosts occur early in 
June, the ripening crop runs a risk of being damaged. Plant early potatoes, 
using bone-dust or short manure on the poorer soils. 
Kitchen Garden.—All unoccupied land should be roughly dug, and, where 
required, add well-decomposed manure; the land not immediately required 
will benefit by exposure, and the remainder will be ready for sowing at the 
first showers. Transplant cabbage, cauliflower, celery, &e. Sow French beans, 
beet, carrot, turnips, radish, cabbage, cauliflower, cress, peas, mustard. 
Former sowings should be turned out and kept clear of weeds. Muleh round 
melon and cucumber beds with a good dressing of long stable manure, as it 
assists in keeping the fruit clean and free from dampness. Should the weather 
be very dry, and the plants appear to suffer, give them a good soaking of water ; 
it is better to depend entirely on mulching than to give a mere sprinkling of 
water, more especially when plants are exposed to the sun .at this season. 
Seeds of plants previously selected should be collected as they ripen, and before 
the pods are too brittle. Cucumbers, melons, French beans, and tomatoes 
should be looked for every day, and gathered whether they are required or not, 
for, if left on the vines or plants to perfect their seeds, the plants will soon 
cease to be productive or will form ill-shaped, inferior, unsaleable fruit. 
Flower Garden.—The hot weather experienced at this season of the year, 
especially when following such an abnormally wet season as was experienced 
in the month of January, materially damages the appearance of the garden 
beds. ‘Thin out and tie up dahlias. Keep the weeds down rigorously, never 
allowing them to seed. Rake all the borders, so that they may look neat and 
trim. ‘his is the best month of the year for. sowing all the hardy annuals. 
By judicious sowing now, a succession of bloom will be kept up during the 
succeeding months of autumn and winter. ‘To ensure this, sow phlox, pansy, 
daisy, stock, aster, nasturtium, hollyhock, candytuft, mignonette, sweet peas, 
dianthus, carnations, cornflower, summer chrysanthemums, verbenas, petunias, 
penstamons, &c., &c. Dianthus sown now and planted out the next month 
will bloom during the whole year, if the dead flower-stalks are regularly cut 
away. 
ttn sowing flower seeds, every care should be taken that they are not sown 
too deep, for on this depends greatly what results you will have as regards the 
seed germinating. A good plan to adopt in the sowing of seed is to cover the 
seed with fine soil the same depth as the seed is in size; for instance, take a 
pea, which is near enough to a quarter of an inch in size—this, to be properly 
sown, should be covered a quarter of an inch with soil. 
