The Garden.

Manawatu Herald, Volume III, Issue III, 13 October 1891, Page 3

The Garden.

Theve is much seed-sowing to he clone about this time. The successional sowings of peas and beans are j of the first importance. In sowing | the later and stronger growing peas j a much larger space should be allotted to them than was required for the smaller and earlier varieties. On no account should over crowding be allowed. In properly prepared soil the plants if allowed sufficient room will grow strongly, branch freely, and give a longer succession of large well-filled pods than would be the case if grown much more thickly together. Few or no second early maincrop and late peas will fail to branch thoroughly, and in most cases one pint of sound seeds would be ample for a row or rows equal to a length of 30 yards. Rather wide drills ought also to be drawn for them, this being far better than crowding the seeds into narrow drills. The plan of disposing the rows 10 feet or rather more apart, planting a few rows of Cauliflowers, Savoys, Cabbage, and such like between them, answers well, the room given favouring the peas, while the intermediate crops are but little injured by them. The least that can be done is to arrange the rows full as far apart as the height it is known the varieties will attain when well ground. A large crop of Carrots will have to be sown, choosing the lightest part of the garden for the crop ; and it is better for the plants if the ground has been heavily manured the previous year, and deeply trenched last autumn. Before sowing, a dressing of soot may be spread over the land, and lightly forked in ; afterwards tread it moderately firm, and rake off large stones, &c. The drills may be drawn at !3 to 14 inches apart and \ inch to 1 inch deep for New Red Intermediate, Long Surrey, Altrincham, and other large varieties. Sow thinly, or drop a few seeds into the drills, at a distance of 8 inches apart. Close the drills, and make the surface smooth with a rake. If very large roots are desired, holes may be made 16 inches deep, and filled to within 1 inch of the surface with finely sifted rich soil, and woodashes mixed together, the seeds being dropped into each hole, the plants to be thinned out to one to each. On shallow soils it will be best to rely chiefly on the short horn varieties or intermediate kinds. Old garden soils are improved by the addition of lime. As soon as the seedlings are through the soil the ground must be carefully hoed over, this stimulating growth. Thinning must take place gradually, eventually thinning out to six inches apart. The smaller growing varieties, such as the Short Horn, may be thinned out as required for use. Sowings of the various kinds of of Cabbage, Cauliflowers and Hroc.

j coli have also to be attended to. By I sowing thinly it will not be found necessary to prick out the plants produced by these sowings previous to the final planting. Broccoli may be planted out as soon as they are large enough to handle, in well manured land, at about 8 feet between the rows and 20 inches from plant to plant. This allows of the intermediate spaces being used for crops of short duration. — Exchange.