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HINTS FOR ALLOTMENTI .HOLDERS.

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HINTS FOR ALLOTMENT HOLDERS. By spade-workeb. WHAT SHOULD BE DONE NOW. The successful gardener is he who does the Tight thing at the right time, and does it well. Those who wish to make the very best of their allotments and to grow suffi- cient vegetables to last until vegetables come again, should realise that the only work that matters at the moment is the cultiva- tion of the ground. There is an economical and a wasteful method even of doing that. It has been a common sight during the last week or two to see loads of manure carted on freshly turned land, and no sooner is it there than it is dug in. That is not the best way to prepare new soil for potatoes and other vegetables. Land that has been pasture for many years is inert, but it is not usually poor; a dressing of lime now will do far more good than manure, and it costs a good deal less. Last year I tackled ten rods of pasture land and grew very satisfactory vegetables without the use of stable manure, but with the help of lime. THE GREAT YALUE OF LIME. The average allotment holder very often wastes as much money on manure as the vegetables are worth, whereas by spending a lit tie on lime he would obtain better crops. Unless the soil contains sufficient lime, much of the plant food cannot be made use of by the roots of vegetables, and adding manure simply makes matters worse. My advice to the prospective grower is to throw up the soil in the form of ridges as shown in the accompanying sketch, and to scatter Vacant ground in the kitchen I garden should be thrown up in the I form of ridges. lime at the rate of two or three ounces per square yard, or, in other words, as though there had been a light fall of snow. In three or four weeks' time the ground may be levelled, and, if then thought desirable, "table manure may be dug in about twelve inches deep, being mixed with the lower "spit." Ridging has the effect of exposing the largest possible surface to the weather; thus the mechanical condition of the soil is improved, insects are killed by frost or de- stroyed by birds, and, helped by the action of the lime, the soil will crumble to a fine tilth in spring and be in excellent condition for sowing and planting. PLANTING SHALLOTS. In order to grow a good crop of onions it is necessary to go to some considerable trouble in preparing the ground. Those who have neither the time nor the inelination to o this should grow shallots. They are the easiest of all vegetables to cultivate, and now is the time to put in the bulbs; they The correct way to plant the Shallot is shown above. can scarcely fail if planted in fair soil in a fiunny spot. They should be about Sin. from each other in i-ows lOin. or 12in. apart. The proper way is to press the bulbs in-the soil until they s*re about half covered; it is a mistake to pl4nt them below the surface. Another point 'n favour of shallots is the large return obtained from a small outlay; further they will be off the ground in July, in time to allow of another erop being planted to supply "winter vegetables. A WORD FOR HORSERADISH. Christmas is still a long way off, but those who would have horseradish sauce with their Christmas beef must see about preparing for it within the next week or eso. There are not many vegetables you can plant out of doors at this season, but horseradish is one of them. As may be gathered from the accompanying illustration, deeply-dug soil is necessary to produce serviceable roots. How Horseradish Roots should be Planted. Unless the ground is tilled to a depth of 18in. to 20in. the plants have no chance to give of their best. A rich soil is not essen- tial, though if manure is thought to be necessary, it should be put well down. Pieces of root Sin. or 9in. long are placed from 12in. to 15in. deep, and should be lOin. or 12m. apart. I HTS ABOUT POTATOES. ":M06t of us have our favourite varieties, and are rather loth to try different ones. Yet it is a great inistake to be so conserva- tive, for old potatoes are superseded by new .and better ones, an4 if the seed costs a little more the increased yield is ample  pensation. Have you tied, among first early potatoes for digging in late June and July, the varieties May Queen and Ringleader? If not, I am eure you will be pleased with the result. Excellent second earlies, to dig in August, are New Guardian, British Queen, and Sutton's Abundance, while of maincro p sorts, to take up in September for storing, Toogood's Tremen- dous, Arran Chief, Goldfinder, King Edward, and Langworthy are a first-rate half-dozen. Having made up your mind as to the selection of soitfi of potatoes, the pveat thing now is to orr-er them at once. There is an unpreced-enU<leinand for seed potatoes, and thMe 's lio do nv sending off their orders may be left 1arienting. ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. Essex.—It is undoubtedly a great advan- tage to sprout potatoes. If you have not much room for this puipoee, sprout the early varieties rather than the maincrop tubers. Handsworth.—It is a mistake to plant largo potatoes just as they are it is far better to cut them into two- or three pieces, but be sure that each piece'has an "eye." E. O. G.—To grow first-class onions you must dig the soil not less than 18in. deep, and mix stable manure in the bottom of the trench. Early in March use superphosphate of lime at the rate of two ounces per square yard a fortnight later give a good dressing of soot, forking both materials beneath the surface. Sow the seeds now under glass or out of doors towards the end of March. I "Spadeworker" is open to give practical advice, free of charge, to readers of this paper. Address your inquiries to "Spad. worker," care of Editor.

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