KITCHEN GABLES.

Manawatu Herald, 27 August 1889, Page 3

KITCHEN GABLES.

1 . . trr-^r.,.*.. ..... ' Jerusalem Artichokes very often [ will succeed when other vegetables ' fail, and as they, are- very service- •' able, if: only by waj^ of variety, when ' ' the list is rather limited, a few or. many, according to circumstances, [ may well be gi'own in every garden, if prqperly cooked and served, these roots are by no means to be de spised. Although they ..succeed -, fairly well .with but little trouble 1 expended upon them, in reality they pay for good culture and ohange of 1 soil, and this is accorded them in mbst well-managed gardens. They are much hardier than the Potato, and should the weather and ground be favourable for the operation, there is no reason why the planting should not be completed now. They succeed best in deeply-dug, wellworked ground, or such as best suits Potatoes, very little manure being used, a rich root-run causing strong top-growth and the formation of coarse tubers of the poorest quality. ■; J 'lant in drills running from north

fcmn »• —— to south, these being drawn sir deep and fully 3ft apart. Tho pre ferenee is given to small whole seti with a sprout intact, but if thesi were scarce large tubers may b cut up, much as potatoes are treated every little piece growirg. Tha; may be disposed lOin ajjart, an< should be carefully moulded over or otherwise the sprouts might b snapped off. One good moulding up and occasional cleanings is a] that needs further to be done i them. Horse radish maybe plante< bj' itself in rows, the plants bein; 12in by 18id apart. The roots ar dug in the autumn and stored f o the winter. On do account shoul any roots be left in the ground ove a single season, or the plant wi] become a troublesome weed. Ho between the rows o* ec,rly cabbag so as to keep t!ie soil open. I: plantingjrhubarb the ground ough to be double dug to a depth of S feet, solid manui-e being freel; mixed each spl ; .t. If this ha already been done, so much th better, as unless it has settled con siderably ij will be necessary ti trample it down, a loose root-rui being unfavourable to aquick strong growth. The divisions may be pu in threes, these groups being no less than 3 feet apart, a distance o 4 feet separating the rows, or strong single pieces may be planted 3 fee: apart each way The old stemi ought to be completely buried, onlj the buds or crowns showing jus! above ground, and some of thefinesi soil should be firmly disposed aboul them. A good mulching given now and renewed if need be next summer will complete tlie operation. Wellestablished clumps that give signs of failing vigour will be much improved if tie soil is forked away from the uppermost roots, these being given a good dressing of solid or partially decayed manure prior to returning the soil.