THE GARDEN.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXII, Issue 4361, 4 January 1922, Page 3

THE GARDEN.

VEGETABLE CULTURE.

(By W. H. Taylor, Horticulturist, in the Journal of Agriculture.)

The last week in December and the whole of January should be a very busy time in the vegetable garden. In the majority of places a ll sica family must be planted out during this period. My experience is that if planting extends into February only partial success cap be ex-i pected. Brussels sprouts can hardly he planted too early, a Jong period of growth being neecssa'ry to get best results ; they do fairly well if planted iar'ly in January, but that is quite late enough. Alt brassicas require a fairly strong and rich soil, brussels sprouts more so than any other species. A fair ampnnt of humus is necessary, not only for its fertilising properties, but because it holds moisture and also encourages the formation of roots. Not infrequently plants growing in soil deficient of, humus exhibit a diseased appearance, growth becomes feeble, and the leaves show yellow, brown, and black discolourations. This is riot always due to bacterial or fungus diseases, but to what is termed malnutrition disease, cans-, ed by lack of proper plant food.

Cauliflowers of the Autumn Giant type should be-planted early in^ January ht the latest.. The heads come Into cut during autumn, after peas and beans are past, and before broccoli are ready, thus constituting a most valuable crop. Early varieties of cauliflowers, such as Snowball, may be planted at the same time, but must not, however, supersede the giant kinds, .as they fill a different and less important role. Being quicker in growth, they come in while sum - mer vegetables are still available, and are merely useful to afford a change; for that, reason they are net particularly important. Leeks, which are generally regarded as a very important winter crop, should be planted at thb time state! for cauliflowers. Later planting is often done, but tp get really flrsrclass leeks a later date will not answer. Where pressure qf work or lack of garden space rendered early plant ing difficult, my own plan has been to plant as many as possible at the time stated ; then if more are wanted I let the seed row stand and plant more in a month or so. The later planting always does well, but the specimens are smaller. Plants from a later sowing do not answer so well; they lack size to start with, The septi should have been sown about the middle of September, and left unthinnei so as to produce tall, drawn-up seedlings, which are the kind wanted. At planting time they should have a solid stem about Bin long, independent of the top leaves. The ground should be deeply workecHind well pulverised —not merely op top, but from the bottom upwards. If possible, a liberal dressing of farmyard or stable man,ure should be given, but, (failing this, humus of some kind is essential. If a fertiliser is to be used blood and bone will answer. Wood ashes, or ashes and burnt earth from a rubbish fire, are valuable, while a liberal dusting of soot, about 71b per square rod, is also useful. Anything of this kind should be well worked into the soil. In planting, draw drills as though for peas, spacing them 18in apart. Set the leeks about lOin apart in the drills. The best planting in-, pthiment is a dibber made from a spade-handle. This is pressed into the soil till the handle nearly or quite touches the surface, and then twisted round to increase the circumference of the hole. A plant is let down as far as .it will go into the hole thus made, and. then lifted so as to straighten the roots. The dibber is then thrust into the ground a few inches from the hole/held at an angl i with the point directed to the foot of the hole, and the handle brought upright close to the Ptynt, using some force, so as to firm the soil against the plant from bottom to top. Some planters trim the roots and cut off lhe long tops before planting. I am opposed to either practice, though trimming is necessary if? the plants are done up in bundles and sent away for sale. When replanting is to take place immediately both, tops and roots ihould be left intact, and the plants •will start growing the sooner if this s done.

Broccoli, cabbages, savoys, and kale ihould be planted before January is jast. Other current work includes be sowing of sweed turnips, dwarf jeans, turnips, lettuce, silver beet, feinach, raddish, and a last sowing of ,|eas. j The main planting of celery should made now. In the warmer local* |,ies planting can extend to the. end I. February, but in cooler parts it is fest to make the planting done about fhristmas time the last one. The leads will stand right through winter, hcreasing in size most of the time, n former times it was the custom to arth up gradually a little at a, time s the plants increased in size, but ery few present-day cultivators do to, though the practice is not entirely Abandoned. It is a fact, however, that he plants grow strongest when not Moulded up, and the best plan is to eave them open until sufficient growh has been made, and then mould in ne operation. In either case a slight moulding is necessary soon after the ilants start to grow freely. The low-i r leaves have a habit of spreading iut more or less horizontally, apd if kt till, they get set these cannot be Ifted without being bruised or brokji. For this reason sufficient soil bould be firmly packed around the fese of the plants to hold the lower Ijaves upright. Where rust is troubleSjme -spray every twelve days with 2-2—40 Bordeaux mixture. The pulling of stalks from the sumvarieties pf rhubarb should now ' All the stalks now on, and any Hire that may be made, should be 14 to die down on the plants. If this isnot done a good spring crop, which is the most valuable of the year’s grwth, cannot be got. This is a plat that is specially benefited ny stale manure; a good mulch applied novwill do a great amount of good ‘ -

and have a -marked effect on the spring crop. 1 It may be well to again call attention to the necessity for using potasn in conjunction with other fertilisers —particularly when a nitrogenous fertiliser is used to force growth—as it imparts vigour, makes growth firmer, benefits the fruit, and renders the plant less liable t.o disease.' In this Connection the following extract from a lecture by Dr. E. J. Russell, director of the famous Rothamsted Experii mental Station, should be noted : “Nitrogenous manures tend to vegetative growth, of large, deep-green leaves, which are somewhat liable to be attacked by fungus pests. . . Potassic fertilisers improve the vigour cf the plant, and increase its power to resist fungus attacks.”