Poultry Notes.

BY S. GRAY.

By the time these notes appear it will be necessary, in the colder districts, to prepare the fowl-houses for winter. A thorough cleaning-out and limewashing will be all required for houses in good repair. Otherwise roofs and sides will require to be made air and water tight. The chief object to be kept in view is to provide plenty of air, but no draughts. It must be borne in mind that hens will be much more likely to lay when provided with warm comfortable houses, and that winter eggs are very profitable.

Steps should be taken to pick out the birds it is intended to keep through the winter. All surplus males and females should be fattened off in convenient batches and sent to market. It is also a good plan to keep the stud male birds away from the hens until they are required for breeding purposes. The important point in poultry-keeping is to prevent promiscuous breeding, as this is the chief cause of weedy, unhealthy chicks. This is also true in the case of turkeys, geese, and ducks,—in fact it applies to every animal or bird. Therefore make sure that your males and females are not related. If pullets are being used for breeding, the male bird should be in about his third season; while for old hens a strong healthy male in his second season will be found most satisfactory.

By a recently-received pamphlet from the American Department of Agriculture, I see that a very businesslike plan is adopted in Belgium in the conduct of poultry farms. In that country, as in France and Germany, the poultry and egg trade attains enormous proportions. The plan last adopted is to import into Belgium young Leghorn pullets from Italy. These are kept for two seasons for the sake of their eggs, which are mostly exported to England, after which they are fattened and sold for the table when they realise a higher price than they cost as pullets.

Of course here in Australia it would not pay to import pullets from Italy. The question of dividing the labour of rearing chicks and keeping pullets as layers is, however, well worth consideration. It is a point to be remembered that birds moved to a different country from where they are hatched often lay more and larger eggs. Another point is that chicken-rearing could be carried on by farmers who have to get rid of most of their birds before the crops are put in; while the other portion of the work could well be undertaken by those who devote their attention more particularly to poultrykeeping, and consequently have means for keeping them within bounds.

In Belgium the laying pullets are generally housed in barns or stables near an orchard, which is carefully fenced in and utilised as a run. In many cases no male birds are kept, as the eggs keep better when not fertilised. Others, however, run cock birds with the hens as guides in the proportion of seven males to 1,000 females. The ground in these barns or stables is dug up to a considerable distance, and then covered with peat-moss. perches are movable, and placed at the same height.

All the

In wet and cold weather a shed, under which straw is littered, should be accessible to the birds. Whole grain should be scattered amongst the straw, when the work of scratching for the food will keep the birds warm and healthy, and cause them to lay better.

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I would strongly advise all persons using an incubator for the first time to make the attempt with duck eggs. These are not so susceptible to change of temperature, and the operator will gain his experience, and probably a few ducks, as an incentive to continue. A few general hints on the management of incubators will be found in Vol. VI, p. 909.

Practical Vegetable and Flower Growing.

DIRECTIONS FOR THE MONTH OF MAY.

Vegetables.

THE season is likely to be a good one in most parts of the Colony for vegetables after the seasonable rains, and there should be no excuse for a want on any farm if the directions given in the Agricultural Gazette have been followed from month to month.

The vegetable most frequently grown in the Colony is the cabbage, and perhaps it is as good a one as any for a beginner to experiment with. It is wholesome and nourishing when well grown, but great size should not be aimed at, those of a moderate size being the best and most palatable. There are many varieties of cabbage, some being best suited for certain districts, and others for different localities; therefore it would be advisable to try several varieties until it be ascertained which particular kind is most suitable. Take, for instance, the Savoy, which comes to the greatest perfection in cool climates, and also the Brussels sprouts, which, when well grown, is one of the nicest of vegetables, but which, strange to say, is but rarely to be seen in gardens. Of the Savoy and Brussels sprouts there are several kinds, some better than others. Amongst the cabbages-for they belong to the same family-are the borecole or kale of varieties, the broccoli, the cauliflower, and also the turniprooted cabbage, or Khol Rabi, and there are many kinds of each of these. The general cultivation needed for all those vegetables is much the same. The seed should be sown in small beds, in drills, and when the seedlings come up they must be transplanted to some ground that has been dug up well, and heavily dressed with rich farmyard manure. The young seedlings should always be planted out in rows equidistant from one another, and the ground between the rows should be frequently hoed, and kept free from weeds. If it be possible, a thick mulch of farmyard manure should be spread around the plants and between the rows so as to cover all the ground. If this can be done, it will not be necessary to hoe so frequently, unless weeds are prevalent. When moving the young plants from the seed-beds, a good deal of care should be taken to avoid breaking off their roots. A little practice will enable anyone to do this easily and effectively. All garden operations should be done with care and neatness, without hurry. It is far better to produce one good plant than a dozen bad ones. If the plants are moved carefully they will grow without flagging or dropping the greater number of their leaves, which they generally do if pulled out of the seedbeds and planted with a dibber or pointed stick. Cabbage seedlings generally come up very thick in the little rows, unless the seed is sown very thinly, but it is almost useless to advise a beginner, or almost anyone, to sow his seed thin. He will sow thick, and is afterwards afraid to waste his plants by thinning them out. However, the best thing to do will be to "prick out" the plants-indeed, it is an excellent practice to adopt in every case. Pricking out means to plant out the seedlings on a well-prepared piece of

ground a few inches apart, so as to give them sufficient space to grow freely, and when they are good strong plants they can be shifted to the places where they are to finally develop. This pricking out may be adopted for other plants besides the cabbage family. Lettuces, celery, leeks, tomatoes, may all be improved by this little extra trouble. Everyone who grows vegetables should bear in mind that it is a great mistake and waste to sow much seed at a time. It may be stated that cauliflower seed does not, as a rule, come up nearly so well as cabbage. Why this should be the case it is diffi cult to say.

When growing other kinds of vegetables than the cabbage it will also be advisable to try several varieties of each. Amongst onions there is considerable diversity. Some are very large, others small; some are most highly flavoured, others mild. Then allied to the onions to some extent are the leeks, shallots, chives, and garlic, all useful for various purposes.

The carrots vary considerably. Some long, others medium-sized, and again some are almost like turnips in shape. And so on with all vegetables. Great efforts are made by those in the seed-growing business to produce new and improved varieties, but not infrequently the size is improved but quality sacrificed.

Asparagus.-Advice was given last month to have some ground made ready for this good vegetable. If this work has not been done, set about it as soon as possible, and do not delay it until the planting season. Asparagus is a native of the sea-coast of England and several countries of Europe, and has been cultivated as a vegetable to our knowledge for upwards of two thousand years. It has always been highly esteemed and used to be a great luxury, obtainable only by the wealthy, but now that it is known how easily it can be grown, it is fairly plentiful, but not nearly so much as it should be. It may be of interest to state that this plant belongs to the same natural order (Liliaca) as those beautiful garden plants, the well-known lilies. Although a native of the sea-shore and districts where the soil is impregnated with salt, asparagus will succeed in many different kinds of soil, so that it may be tried almost anywhere, and if it succeeds the grower will have as good a vegetable as he can wish to have, and for years without the necessity for replanting or resowing.

Artichoke (Globe).—A vegetable hardly worth the growing. It is a cultivated form of the wild cardoon, a native chiefly of the Mediterranean seacoast. Plants or suckers may be planted at any time during the month. The soil should be a rich sandy loam, moist, but well drained, for this vegetable to come to perfection. Half-a-dozen plants will probably be enough to grow. They may be planted in a row about 3 to 4 feet apart. The artichokes will succeed pretty well on most soils, if not too dry, provided the ground be well manured.

Beans, Broad.-Is said to be a native of the Caspian Sea and North Africa. It has been used as a vegetable from time immemorial, and is much valued in some countries. Seed may be sown largely, at intervals during the month, in order to keep up a constant supply. It needs a good deal of moisture, and is a very suitable vegetable for cool districts, quite unlike the French bean.

Beans, Kidney or French.-Should only be sown in the warmest parts of the Colony, where frosts are not likely to occur. Old plants should be cleared out of the garden immediately they cease to be productive. One great secret of success in producing a large quantity and variety of vegetables on a small space of ground is to prevent old, useless vegetables from occupying

valuable land, which should be manured, dug up, and put under crop as soon as possible. This does not seem to be generally understood.

Brussels Sprouts.-Sow a little seed during this month in a seed-bed, or even in a box, in order to have some plants coming on for successional planting. If strong plants can be obtained they may be planted out.

Cabbage.-Sow seed of several varieties, as recommended before, once or twice during the month. If strong seedlings are available, plant them out. Cauliflower.-Sow a little seed occasionally, and plant out strong seedlings, a few at a time.

Carrot. This is a most useful and wholesome vegetable to have on hand. Sow a little seed occasionally in drills about a foot to 18 inches apart. Sprinkle the seed thinly along the shallow drills, and cover by hand with fine soil. The seeds are covered with little hooks, which cause them to stick together. Before sowing, rub the seeds, so as to separate them. Keep young plants free from weeds. The soil for carrots had better not be freshly manured, or else they are liable to fork. If the ground is very poor, and it is necessary to apply manure, use that which is thoroughly rotted, and mix it well with the soil.

Celery.-Sow a very little seed, and plant some good strong seedlings in shallow trenches. Apply a heavy dressing of manure before planting. Endive. This is a plant rather like lettuce in appearance, and it is used as a salad Sow a little seed, in the same manner as you would lettuce, and afterwards transplant the seedlings when they are large and strong enough. The soil should be made rich, for the plants should be grown quickly, so as to have them tender.

Leek.-Sow some seed, and plant out the seedlings when they are 8 inches or so in height. The ground must be made very rich to grow the leek to perfection, for it is a greedy feeder.

Lettuce. This is a good time to sow seed, and also to plant out strong seedlings from previous sowings. Move the plants without breaking any roots if possible. The great object to attain is to grow the plants without a check, and this can be done if they are carefully taken out of the ground and carefully planted. Make the soil rich with well-rotted manure.

Onion.-A most useful and wholesome vegetable, which should be grown largely. The ground should be made rich and worked fine on the surface, and particular care should be taken to have the beds well drained. Sow in rows, and barely cover the seed with fine soil. Keep the beds quite free from weeds, and, to facilitate weeding, the beds should be made narrow. Soot mixed with salt half and half makes a useful top-dressing sprinkled amongst onions when they come up.

Parsley. Sow some seed of this useful plant.

Parsnip.-Sow a little seed in drills. This is a deep rooting plant, and therefore the soil should be deeply worked.

Peas. Keep on sowing a row or two from time to time, in order to keep up a continual supply if possible, for it is hard to find a better vegetable than the pea. Sow in rows about 3 feet to 4 feet apart. The drills shall be about 3 inches deep, and the peas about 3 inches apart in the drills.

Radish.--Sow a little seed frequently in order to keep up a supply.
Sea Kale.-Sow a very little seed.

Spinach.-Sow a little seed.

Shallots.-Plant out some bulbs or cloves in rows about 12 to 15 inches apart. Do not bury the clove deep, but just press it firmly into the soil. Herbs.-Sow seed and lift; divide and replant old plants.