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Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 387, 24 July 1889, Page 3

Kitchen Garden. The late continuous web and showery weather will have caused many operations in this department to come to almost a standstill, but tho most must be made of any fine weather we may get, so as to pet early crops into the ground. A few early potatoes bhould now be planted in a warm situation. Continue planting out a few cabbages and cauliflowers for succession ; earth up such plants as may require ib, so as to keep the wind from rocking them about ; clear away the roots of the old crop as soon as they are v cut. Sow the usual fortnightly successional crops of mustard, radishes and cress, also prick out a fresh batch of lettuce, and tie up a few of tho advanced plants for blanching. All vacant pieces of ground should be manured and dug whenever the soil is sufficiently dry, so as to be in good order for putting in the main crop of \ egetables later on. As the period for sowing main crops is approaching i I would like to point out to amateurs the j importance of sowing seeds or planting vegetables iua-ows, as it.possesses many advantages over the broadcast system. When the row system is adopted a certain space can be allotted for each plant to grow in, and greater facility is allowed lor hoeing and cultivating between the rows of plants. The proper allowance of space for each plant to fully develop in, and frequent stirring of the surface soil with tho hoe, are two of the most important principles for all cultivators to practise, as it will gieatly assist in promoting good crops. Mauy persons sow too thickly, and do not thin out sufficiently, as they think that number is the main object in cultivating, but this often defeats itself, and ends in bibber disappointment, by producing an inferior crop. It would almost be impossible for anyone to lay down a definite rule as to the elxacb distance each plant should be allowed in the rows, as' in rich soil they«wbuld demand more space^th.a'n in poor soil:-' 'Another matter I wiH4«fer to here is the depth to sow seeds.-'* Often seedsmen get blamed for bad seeds' when the fault entirely lies with the person who sows, by not putting them deep enough or too deep. Sowing seeds may be classed under three heads : Deep sowing, shallow sowing, surface sowing. Deep sowing : Such large seeds as beans, peas, lupins, nurstetrum, etc., should be buried from two inches to one inch under the surfaces of the ground. Shallow sowing : All vegetable seeds about the size of cabbages, carrots, onions, spinach, parsnips, also all flowers, asters, dianchus, candytuft, stocks, wallflower, etc., also all the pine tribe, should be sown from half an inch >o a quarter of an inch under the surface. Surface sowing: Under this head will come all the fine dust-like seeds which will require to be sprinkled on the surface of the soil and afterward slightly pressed down with the soil. They should "always be kept moist till they get well established, as if allowed to become dry after germination the little roots which- they have pushed out uill be sure to be shrivelled before they can penetrate the ground. Another great 'detriment to raising young seedlings' is the-large number of slugs which in many instances devour the whole ciop before it has'tihie to make itself apparent. From this cause many a disappointment occurs which .might be readily avoided if the cultivator would go to a little trouble in using lime. Simply dusting, this lime occasionally over the surface- of the soil at night will almost cure this 'evil. It is no use putting the lime on during the day, as the slugs are then in hiding under the soil, where they will simply wait, till the effect of the lime is over, when they will emerge from their hiding places more voracious than ever. Lime will lose its virtue as a slug destroyer after it has been cooled with water or subjected to heavy dews.