458 QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOUBNAL. [1 Dzc., 1902. 
Farm and Garden Notes for January. 
Field.—The main business of the field will be ploughing and preparing the 
land for the potato and other future crops, and keeping all growing crops clean. 
Never allow weeds to seed. This may be unayoidable in the event of long 
continued heavy rains, but every effort should be made to prevent the weeds 
coming to maturity. A little maize may still be sown fora late crop. Sow 
sorghum, imphee, Cape barley, vetches, panicum, teosinte, rye, and cowpeas. 
In some yery early localities potatoes may be sown, but there is considerable 
risk in sowing during this month, and it may be looked upon merely as an 
experiment. Plant potatoes whole. 
Kitchen Garden.—A. first sowing of cabbage, cauliflower, and Brussels 
sprouts may now be made ina covered seed bed, which must be well watered and 
carefully protected from insect pest. Sow in narrow, shallow drills; they will 
then grow more sturdy, and will be easier to transplant than if they were sown 
broadcast. The main points to be attended to in this early sowing are shading 
and watering. Give the beds a good soaking every evening. Mulching and a 
slight dressing of salt will be found of great benefit. Mulch may consist of 
stable litter, straw, grass, or dead leaves. Dig over all unoccupied land, and 
turn under all green refuse, as this forms a valuable manure. ‘Turn over the 
heavy land, breaking the lumps roughly, to improve the texture of the soil by 
exposure to the sun, wind, and rain. In favourable weather sow French beans, 
cress, cauliflower, mustard, cabbage, celery, radish for autumn and winter use. 
Sow celery in shallow, well-drained boxes or small beds, which must be shaded 
till the plants are well up. Parsley may be sownin the same manner. Turnips, 
carrots, peas, and endive may also be sown, as well as a few cucumber and 
melon seeds for a late crop. The latter, however, are unlikely to succeed, 
except in very favourable situations. Transplant any cabbages or cauliflowers 
which may be ready. We do not, however, advise such early planting of these 
vegetables, because the fly is most troublesome in February. For preference, 
we should defer sowing until March. Still, as “the early bird catches the 
worm,” it is advisable to try and be first in the field with all vegetables, as 
prices then rule high. Cucumbers, melons, and marrows will be in full bearing, 
and all fruit as it ripens should be gathered whether wanted or not, as the 
productiveness of the vines is decreased by the ripe fruit being left on them. 
Gather herbs for drying; garlic, onions, and eschallots as the tops die down. 
Flower Garden.—The average mean shade temperature for January at 
Brisbane is 76 degrees, and the average mean rainfall is 7°10 inches. The 
weather during the month is usually muggy, the air being very moist, and the 
growth of plants consequently rapid. 
During the early part of the month, should we be favoured with rain, it is 
a good time to plant all tropical plants, and the first sowing of seeds of annuals 
for the flower garden will require to be made. The ease with which a person 
can provide a stock of annuals sufficient to make any garden gay during the 
autumn and winter months is not generally recognised. Small boxes or pans—a 
separate one for each variety of seeds—should be prepared ; and a compost, into 
which decayed leaves largely enter, should be got ready. The compost should 
be of such a consistency that, when taken in the hand and squeezed, it will fall 
asunder at the slightest touch. In sowing annuals, let them be sown thinly, so 
that a little delay in pricking off may not do them so much harm as if sown 
thickly in the first instance. The surface of the soil should never be watered so 
heavily as to wash it about; and when the young seedlings are large enough to 
handle, they should be lifted one by one and, with the aid of a label or knife, 
planted into beds or boxes of very light soil, still with a goodly proportion of 
eaf soil. Even if they seem thin enough in the seed boxes, it is better to prick 
them off in this way. You must look out for insects. The marauding slug 
