THE FARM AND GARDEN. November. [By S. J.]

Waikato Times, Volume XV, Issue 1302, 2 November 1880, Page 3

THE FARM AND GARDEN. November. [By S. J.]

The Farm. Maize, mangolds, carrots, sorghum, and beet; can be sown this month, if not in before, but it is useless to leave the operation later., if anything of a orop in expected. It is advisable to give tho land two to three owt. of artificial manure, if farmyard is not procurable. If plants get a good early growth, there is a greater prospect of a crpp. X>et the laud be thoroughly worked before sowing 1 , so as to get a good fine seed bed, A great many failures occur through the neglect of this, and it is far better to put in a small quantity properly than a larger area carelessly. I believe that many farmers in England could. l"hey grow' the roots to as great perfection as we can here, and would get a greater quantity per acre than we do, through theii" greater care and attention, A great fault v/ith many in the colonies is that they sow the seed anyhow, and then! leave j. the rest 1 td nature. Potatoes should, by this time, be nil planted, and those that are up should be scarified and kept clear of weeds. Advantage should be taken of a fine day to start as early in the morning as possible with the scarifier, as the longer the sun is on the stirr.ed>oil the easier ' are the weeds killed. '' One thing bhould be borne in mind ; the more potatoes are worked until they are fit to be moulded up the better the returns. If the weather is favourable, shearing should becomploted this month. The sheep should be branded at the came time. About the end of the month a good paddock should be closed up, so that the lambs may be well kept when they are being weaned, as it is known that more lambs are lost through being ,kept too bure at that period than from any cause, and if good, strong hoggetts are expected they ninst have good pasture and be well kept though the winter. In the past season a gi'eat many hoggetts w,ere ( lost, but it was' generally found' that 1 they Were not , in a condition to go through the winter, either through the want of food or water soon after being weaned. Everyone must know that a good strong lamb in condition is more likely to dp well fthau a poor half-grown thing. Care should be taken that theyare. well cleaned if any of. them scour, anil that they ;are r kept clean. If the weather id showeYy; "grass seed can still be sown, but if there is a prospect of continued fine weither it is ■ advisable to leave it until the autumn, as the sun's heat this time of year is too powerfnl for the young plant. * Advantage should be taken of any spare time to prepare everything for harvest operations ; see that all machinery is- in working order : a great deal of tune, labor, and even temper is saved by this. At the las>t moment, when the grain is standing ready for the reaper, one man is generally found looking for a missing screw, another for a misplaced part of the machinery, and another for something else. Valuable time is thus lost, anil the crops run the risk of being spoiled by perhaps unfavourable weather. Everything on a farm should be performed methodically, and a farmer should be able to place his hand on everything he requires ; it saves time and money. See that all, fencing js properly secure, as it is not pleasant to get \\\) of a morning to see the cattle and sheep running over the crops. By a little attention to this a great deal is saved.

The Garden. Flower Garden. — Keep the borders and beds well stired with the hoe, pull up any places where the plants have failed, thiu were they are too thick, keep every thing neatand in order. Mow lawns,digout docks and all weeds growing among the grass. Paths should be kept clean, and the edges neatly triniraecl Kitchen Garden. — Sow cucumbers, pumpkins, melons, etc. Any fit for transplanting should loe attended to; sow sa}ad herbs*, lettuce cabbage, and scarlet ronners, earth up potatoes and beans if fit. Peas requiring sticks should be attended to at o'ice, they do so much better if they are sticked directly tMey require it. Prick out celery, sow carrots and turnips for succession. Keep the ground loose and cleare iibont all growing plants, and thm out all crops that require it. Tako advantage of showery weather to transplant, Where goosberries bear heavily thin out, the young" fruit" taken off make capital tarte. and those that are left on the tree make fine frnit. Destroy shtga on strawberry beds ; a good plan to adopt with them is to place litter around eaoh pjart, it keeps the froit clean and, to k great extent, clear of insects. Rasberries must; must be kept neatly tiod up. , Orchard. — Keep about the roots of all treess clear of grass and weeds, and pinch back any strong growing shoots that are not required." Any treeß that are too heavily laden with fruit ,thin out ; the trees and the fruit left reap the benefit. Look to young shoots from grafts and buds that thej are carefully tied up, to prevent damage from high winds. Young trees planted this reason should be well mulched, if not attended to before, it keeps the roots cool and clean, the growth freer, and the plant more healthy.