16 
About Vegetables. 
The Kitchen Garden. 
Under the influence of a higher tem- 
perature all kinds of vegetables are 
making rapid growth, but the soil in 
many districts is getting dry, and an inch 
or so of rain just now would be much 
welcomed, 
It it most important that the surface 
‘soil be kept loose, and not allowed to 
form acrust and become hard. Especially 
cafter heavy rains and also after a few 
-artificial waterings should the hoe or 
digging fork be brought into use. All 
ground that has been deeply duy and well 
‘worked will retain moisture far longer 
than hard, shallowly-dug land. In the 
formrr case the moisture penetrates 
_ deeply, while in the latter it cannot get 
far beneath the surface, and is conse- 
‘quently more-readily evaporated. The 
-great value of mulching crops in a dry 
season is recognised by all gardeners. 
Frenco Bgays. 
Sow more French Beans for succession; 
in fact, you may put in a row or two 
every fortnight in order to keep up a 
‘continuous supply. 
Lima Beans. 
The Lima Bean was described in our 
October number, together with advice s 
to cultivation. Seed may still be sown. 
Runner Beans. 
This class of bean was fully dealt with 
‘in our September issue. 
be sown if required. 
More seed may 
CABBAGE, 
Make small sowing for succession, and 
-continue putting out plants large enough. 
Cape GOOSEBERRY. 
Plant out the young plants sown in 
September if they have made sufficient 
‘progress. 
_ CELERY. 
Sow Celery seed for early plants. A 
good, deep, rich, vegetable mould in a 
moist situation is most suitable. For 
‘the seed bed or box, make up a mixture 
& 
THE AUSTRALIAN GARDENER. 
of fine loam, leaf mould, and sand. Sow 
the seeds thinly, cover very lightly, pre- 
ferably with sifted stable droppings or 
decomposed manure, and slightly shade 
them. When the plants are up and the 
rough leaf is a little advanced, prepare a 
bed by mixing 2 inches of well-rotted 
manure with about 3 inches of the soil. 
Level the surface, water thoroughly, and 
afew hours afterwards, in the evening, 
plant out the seedlings 5 or 6 inches: 
apart. Slightly shade them, and then 
prepare a similar bed for planting out for 
succession. For the final planting, throw 
out trenches 1 foot broad and 1 foot deep 
at 5 feet apart from centre to centre. At 
the bottom, lay 4 inches of well-rotted 
manure, and dig it in with a fork. Give 
the whole a good soaking with water, 
Now, take up your plants, being careful 
to leave a good ball of earth on the roots. 
Then take a stiff piece of brown paper, 
and make a collar or case, and wrap it 
round the lower part of the plant, leaving 
the top free. As the top grows this can 
be lifted. The object of this is to enable 
you to Leap in the soil against the plants 
without any of it getting inslde them. 
Keep on drawing the earth up to them 
to within 6 inches of the top. This must 
always be done in dry weather. 
Give plenty of water and occasionally 
A litle salt 
sprinkled on the soil once or twice, 
followed hy a good watering, will be 
beneficial. 
Celery matures in 100 days. 
some liquid manure, 
Cress and Musrarp. 
Sow for succession about once a fort- 
night in light rich soil in drills half an 
inch deep and 8 inches apart, and sow 
thickly. 
CucuMBER. 
We dealt fully with the Cucumber in 
our August issuy. More seed may he sown 
in order to keep up a succession. 
Eaa Prant. 
Transplant if your seedlings are large 
enough. 
LETrucs. 
More seed may be sown for succession, 
and the plants large enough planted out, 
Onron (for Salad). 
Sow in shallow drills about a foot apart 
November 1, 1909 
NN 
and do not cover deeply. When larg? 
enough transplant in rows a foot apart 
and about six inches apart in the rows» 
and apply liquid manure occasionally. 
Sweztr Porarors. 
These may be grown successfully in the 
The tubers 
are prepared in various ways and eaten 
like those of the ordinary potato. ‘The 
flesh is sweet and very tender. There is 
no vegetable that will stand drought 
better than the sweet potato. living and 
making a good growth through hot, ary 
weather. On the first approach of frost 
it begins to stop its growth, while a heavy 
frost cuts it right down. i 
Sweet potatoes thrive best in a warm 
sandy loam. ‘The tubers will readily 
start into growth if laid out in a warm 
bed and covered about an inch or two 
with stable dung kept rather moist. The 
cuttings, or rooted plants, should be 
planted out in rows, These rows should 
be about 4 feet apart, and the cuttings 
should be planted 1 foot apart in the 
rows, 
warmer parts of this State. 
Pumpkins, Squasuses, Tromponss and 
VEGETABLE Marrows. 
Make another sowing of any of the 
above you may require. 
Ravisu. 
Sow either in drills or broadcast, and 
when the plants are fit thin out to abot 
two inches apart. 
Rare. 
Make a small sowing of Broad-Leaf 
Essex Rape in the same manner 38 
Mustard and Oress, 
Srtver Beer, 
Sow a little seed in rows, and after 
wards thin out the seedlings when they 
have attained a height of about 2 or 3 
inches. 
Tomato. 
Put niore plants out. This excellent 
fruit was fully dealt with in the August 
issue of this journal. 
New Zeatanp Sprnacu. 
Sow the seed in a bed, 4 inches apart, 
and when the plants are 3 inches high 
plant out in light rich soil in rows 3 fee 
apart each way: 
