August 1, 1908 
Carrot seed may be sown largely in soil 
that should be prepared in the same way 
as that recommended for red beet. 
Cucumber —Sow some seed under 
shelter, and plant out the seediings when 
they have become strung plants. Frosts 
are likely to kill them if they are not pro- 
tected at night. 
Leek:— Sow a little in a seed-bed, and 
when the seedlings have grown to a 
height of 6 or 8 inches they may be trans- 
planted. The seed should be covered 
very lightly with soil—in fact barely 
covered, 
Lettuce—Sow a Jittle seedin a bed, and 
plant out the seedlings when they are 
large enough to handle. If plants can be 
obtained they should be planted out. Do 
not break the roots more than can be 
avoided. 
Melons, Cucnmbeer.—Seed may be 
sown in warm spots, where the young 
plants can be protected from frosts. 
When all danger from frost is past the 
seedlings may be transplanted out to the 
garden ae 
Onion.—Sow seed largely of this im- 
portant and wholesome vegetable. 
Parsnip— Sow largely in drills as was 
directed for beet-sowing, The ground 
should be dug deep, but it would not be 
advisable to apply manure. 
Peas should be sown largely in well 
prepared ground that has been well- ° 
manured with rotten dung. Avoid the 
use of manures containing a large pro, 
portion of nitregen, such as sulphate of 
ammonia. If artificial manure has to be 
used, apply superphosphate of lime two 
parts, and kainit, or potash mannre, 
one part, at the rate of ahout a large 
handful to the square yard. Fine ground 
bone-dust is a good manure to apply, and 
lime, rubbish, and wood ashes are useful. 
Sow the peas in drills, about 38 feet 
apart, and cover with about three inches | 
of soil. The peas should not be sown \j 
closer together than 4 inches, As soon 
as the peas are well up above the ground 
put in sticks along the rows to support 
the plants from trailing over the ground. 
Keep the ground between the rows fre- 
quently hoed. : 
otato—}Flant a few rows of kidney 
variety of the Early Rose; or if these 
cannot be procured, try any other kind 
There is Nothing like Leather, 
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77 HINDLEY STREET, ADELAIDE 
(Opposite Max Swift’s), 
Where the man himself makes and repairs 
Boots with the best of material, 
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solicited, 
The Cheapest House in town for the 
durable nature of work as guaranteed. 
A trial 
- vegetable garden ? 
THE AUSTRALIAN GARDENER. 5 
available. Use fair-sized whole potatoes 
in preference to cut sets. 
Radish—Sow a few rows of various 
kinds in soil made rich with well-rotted 
manure. 
Rhubarb—This is most useful plant 
to grow. It 1eedsrich, heavily manured, 
well-drained and deeply-dug soil. Plant 
out roots if they can be obtained, 3 or 4 
feet apart. The crown of the plant should 
be about 2 or 3 inches below the serface 
of the soil when covered up. If plants 
are not easily obtainable, seed may he 
sown next month, but the plants willnot 
be ready to put ont for syme time. 
Salsify or Vegetable Oyster—Th's is 
but seldom grown in the colony, but it is 
a good vegetable and useful for a change. 
It needs a light rich soil for its fleshy 
roots but fresh manure should not be 
used, Sow the seed in rows about 15 
inhes apart. and when the plants come 
up thin them out to about 4 or 5 inches 
apart. 
Turnip—Sow a little seed in drills, 
about 1 foot or 15 inches apart Cover 
the soil with not more than an inch of 
fine soil. Manure with stable dung, 
“superphosphate of lime, or fine bone- 
dust. 
Tomato—Sow a little seed in a warm, 
sheltered place and protect from frosts. 
When thereis no danger from frosts, 
seed may be sown in the garden without 
protection, and if plants can be obtained 
they should be planted out. 
TURK’S TURBAN PUMPKIN. 
John Chinaman, Gardener. 
It goes without saying that the Euro- 
, pean gardener who understands his busi- 
ness, and devotes himself earnestly to it, 
can raise a greater variety of vegetables, 
and of infinitely better quality, than the 
Chinaman gardener. It was out of mar- 
ket gardening that Kubelik, the great 
violinist, made the money which enabled 
him to become a celebrated artist, and an 
exceedingly wealthy mau. Why is it that. 
we so rarely see a purely white man’s 
egiveitup. Vege- 
tables grow to perfection in the States all 
the year round. The soil is unsurpassed 
_— Se eee 
in the world. Water is plentiful, or can 
be made so, yet the white farmer contents 
himself with a possible profit of less than 
£2 per acre on wheat, and proportionately 
small profits on maize, pumpklns, potatoes, 
etc., whilst the Chinaman forces ten times 
that amount per annum ont of a small 
hand-worked garden. His methods are 
described as follows by a writer in the 
‘ Rural Californian ’:— 
For the past three years it has been my 
pleasure and privilege to observe the 
methods of a Chinese gardenear near by, 
and humbly imitate his procedures in my 
own modest ‘ truck patch,’ 
Although in his own country - John’ 
was a water-carrier by occupaion, he has 
during his few years’ sojourn here ac: 
quired a store of agricultural lore calcu- 
lated to inspire his neighbeurs with 
envious admiration. 
For example, when his young lettuce 
reaches the height of 2 or 3 inches, he 
does not eat or throw away the young 
plants in the process of thinning. Instead, 
he clips off about an inch of the root tip, 
and replants them in long rows, placing 
the plants at least a foot apart. This 
transplanted lettuce forms heads of such 
an immense size that at a short distance 
the bed resembles a cabbage patch. 
His onions, which he always grows from 
the seed, disdaining the use of cloves or 
sets, have their roots clipped when trans- 
planted and grow to be larger than an _ 
ordinary saucer in an incredibly short 
time. .He transplants beets in precisely 
the same manner as lettuce and onions. 
When he cuts off the lettuce heads for 
market he waters and cultivates the bare 
stalk, which heads out again ia about 
one-third the time required to grow it 
from the seed. He treats his cabbages in 
the same way, except that he allows the 
outside leaves to remain attached to the 
stalk. The second head is small, and has 
no white centre, but he finds a ready 
market for it among the lovers of boiled 
greens. 
‘Jchn’ saves his pumpkin and squash 
seeds by leaving them inside the pumpkin 
or squash, as the case may be, until the 
planting season. Then he opens the 
aforementioned vegetables, and plants 
the seeds with the fresh pulp clinging 
to them. 
He wraps his muskmelon seed in a tow 
sack and buries them in rich soil, keeping 
them very moist during the few days 
which pass before the seeds sprout. He 
then plants them, and they appear above 
the ground with mushroom-like rapidity. 
Once, contrary to his advice, I set 
‘tomato plants on a spot where ashes had 
been thrown for several years. The vines 
grew to an enormous size, and had many 
blossoms, which dropped off in a few 
days. One day ‘John’ observed this, 
and with great solemnity came over and 
cut and hacked the branches of the plants 
almost half in two, Although this was in 
thr latter part of July, the drooping, 
half-severed vines were soon loaded with 
tomatoes, and continued to bear until 
killed by frost in December. 
