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Farm and Garden Operations for April.

In Europe October. Average temperature

Auckland 62.9, Wellington 56.6, Christchurch 56.8, Dunedin 51.8.

Farm.—This month generally fine weather, with occasional showers. Continue to sow oats for green food—about three bushels to the acre; this may be grazed or cut by the end of September or October. During wet winter months cattle should not be allowed on young grass. Land for wheat should now be well ploughed and harrowed; potato land is preferable, if it has been well wrought and manured for potatoes; in breaking up land, either new or old, remember that land broken up during Dry weather will grow the best crop. If September lambs will be soon enough for the farm, the rams should be with the ewes this month. Sow cabbages, Swedish turnips, mangolds and early stone turnips, to be eaten off with sheep in spring. Sow winter vetches with oats, as oats will keep them off the ground. Burning off for the season must be finished end of this month. Sow main crop of grass, but if the land has been fallowed and cleared of weeds and insects, last month would suit better. Sow rape with grass seed, as the leaves spread and assist to keep ground moist and afford shelter to young clover; four to six pounds of rape to the acre—but without sheep the rape would not be serviceable.

Kitchen Garden.—In favourable weather plant out lettuce, cabbage, cauliflower, savoy, celery, for spring use. Sow turnip, carrot, radish, for succession. Tie up endive for blanching, plant out a few more from the seed bed; mould up broccoli, cabbage and all plants that require it. Earth up celery; let the leaves be Dry before putting soil to it; the same will apply to leeks; expose fruit of tomato to the sun and light, by putting stakes under the plants and shortening some of the shoots; they fruit well when planted against a close fence and trained along it; pumpkins, expose the fruit and thin out where too thick; cucumbers almost over. Gather late crops of potatoes and onions; clear and dig vacant ground; sow with oats for spring use. Fruit Garden.—Gather apples and pears daily. Take care of choice sorts; do not bruise late keeping ones. When they part freely from the stems they are ready; if gathered before, they will shrivel. Use them as carefully as eggs, and do not heap too many together, or the upper ones will bruise the under ones. Mark trees; worthless sorts to be replaced at the proper season. Gather melons as they part from the vine; pumpkins and vegetable marrow, pie-melon, tomato, chillies, cape gooseberries, and figs.

Flower Garden.—Cut back and remove the flower stems, and if moderate weather prevail they will flower again towards the middle of next month. Remove and root out annuals looking shabby; keep a few plants in store to fill up vacancies. Chrysanthemums in flower, water with liquid manure to insure large flowers; tie up if necessary; peg down on the ground.

Greenhouse.—Pot off calceolarias and cineraries for spring flowering, also Chinese primulas. Remove plants done flowering. Bulbs and tubers that have ripened, their leaves should be removed, and their place filled with plants coming into flower.