page 86

Farm and Garden Operations for July.

In Europe January. Average temperature

Auckland 52.7, Wellington 47.8, Christchurch 43.9, Dunedin 42.7.

Farm.—This is generally the severest month in the year, with continuous cold, sloppy weather. Cattle will require more than ordinary attention, as there is very little strength in grass at this season. This is the season for in-door work. Never work land during wet weather; you will find it more profitable to keep the horses in the stable and let the land alone. Towards the end of this month put in a few early potatoes, but only in a light, Dry soil. Put them in Drill's twenty inches apart and ten inches between the sets; cover them three inches deep, and when they are about four inches high, earth them up. Beans and wheat still sown in favourable weather. Do not allow water to lodge on newly-sown ground. New ground may be ploughed first time. Keep heavy stock on high land in wet weather; look after them daily. Cows calving require attention; in wet, cold nights keep them in, and feed with hay and green oats.

Kitchen Garden.—Embrace every opportunity to trench vacant ground; throw it up as roughly as possible; heavy rains will percolate through it without hardening the surface. General sowing of parsnips, onions and early peas when the ground is fit—that is when it does not adhere to the soles of the shoes; a few carrots may also be sown on Dry, light, warm soil; slugs are troublesome. In season—celery, leeks, cabbage, cauliflower, beet, turnip, carrot, parsnip radish, lettuce, &c.

Fruit Garden.—Prune apricots, peaches, pears, plums, cherries, and gooseberries. Peach trees, thin as much of the old wood out as possible; dead shoots, cut to the live part, the bark will grow over the wound; shorten back previous year's growth to six or nine inches, and unripened shoots cut clean out; peaches bear on wood matured the previous year. Cherries require very little pruning, except Kentish and Morillo, in the young state, shorten back to form heads. Plums generally bear on two-year-old wood; cut out dead wood and shorten the shoots. The less pruning the pear has the first few years, it yields a better crop; keep the tree balanced. Vines, cut in two or three eyes of the present year's growth; dig round the stems of old trees; add manure on the surface.

Flower Garden.—Clear weeds from bulbs coming through the ground, and plant for succession; stir the surface. Collect decaying matter to convert into manure. Remove trees encroaching on one another. Dig shrubberies, and regulate if too thick. Keep walks and lawns neat and clean. Any alterations should now be proceeded with, such as laying edgings, making additions to garden, cutting out new beds or borders and doing away with old ones, trenching and removing shrubs or trees when too thick or misplaced. Many of the plants in the border or bed will require to be taken up yearly, divided, and part re-planted; let this be done as the dying proceeds.

Greenhouse.—Geraniums, calceolarias, cinerarias, Chinese primulas, re-pot as they are filled with roots; the soil light and friable, decayed vegetable matter; manure water may be given to nearly all the plants about once every week; water in the morning, so that any damp may evaporate before night; pick off decayed leaves.