are almost sure to be light coloured. There are many varieties of red beet. That known as "the Globe" is one of the very best.

Silver Beet. This is quite a different thing from the above, being cultivated for its leaves and leaf-stalks. It is a capital vegetable, easily grown, and, if well looked after, very productive. Manure heavily, when preparing the ground, and as the plants grow give them liquid manure rather frequently. When the leaves are sufficiently large, or fairly well matured, they may be gathered and used like spinach. Pull only the outside leaves, and do not tear the plants more than can be avoided when they are gathered. As fresh leaves mature they can also be gathered, but do not take many at a time, or else the plants will probably be weakened too much. Seeds may be sown where the plants are to grow; or they may be sown in a bed, and afterwards transplanted. This vegetable is sometimes known as Spinach beet. Sow or plant in drills about 20 inches apart, and thin out the plants to about 18 inches apart in the drills.

Broccoli.-A little seed may be sown in a small seed-bed or box. When the seedlings are large enough plant out to well-manured ground. It is very much like the cauliflower, and requires the same treatment.

Cabbage. Plant out a few strong young plants from the seed-bed to wellmanured ground. The cabbage requires good rich soil to enable it to come to perfection. It also needs care in transplanting, and a good deal of cultivating afterwards. The cabbage aphis is often a great nuisance, chiefly to young plants, especially if the soil is in poor condition. They cause the leaves to curl, and prevent the cabbages from growing properly. Tobacco water, mixed with soapy water, is said to be a good remedy. A weak solution of Paris green, say, 1 lb. to 250 gallons of water sprayed over young plants, has been found effective; but the spray should be as fine as possible, or else the leaves will not be made wet. Give the plants some liquid manure from time to time, and when applying draw away the soil from about each plant, so as to make a sort of basin. Pour in the liquid, and then, when it has soaked into the roots, draw back again the soil which has been removed. If the weather is hot and dry, spread a heavy mulch between the plants.

Lettuce. Sow seed on ground which has been made rich with a heavy dressing of farmyard manure, where the plants are to grow. If transplanted during the summer, unless with the greatest care, they are liable to run to seed. Lettuce should be grown quickly during the hot summer months.

Carrot.-Some seed may be sown in drills, and when the plants come up and have attained a fair size, thin out considerably. The ground should be well prepared by deep cultivation, but do not manure if it can be avoided. It would be preferable to sow on land that had been heavily manured for some previous crop. The drills should be about 12 to 18 inches apart.

Cauliflower.-A little seed may be sown, either in a box or seed-bed, to be protected from the hot sun. Mulch the surface with some finely broken up dry cow-dung, and do not allow the soil to become dry.

Celery-Sow a very little seed, if plants are likely to be required, in a seed-pan or box, and if there are any plants available plant them out in richly prepared ground, either in prepared trenches or on the flat. A small bed of celery grown merely for flavouring soups, stews, &c., will be found of considerable value. In this case there will be no necessity to blanch the stalks. To grow celery well necessitates the application of plenty of well decayed farmyard manure and a good supply of water.

Cucumber-Sow seed in ground that has been well prepared by deep digging and rather heavy manuring. Draining should also be attended to. Any plants that are up and making headway should be pinched back as they

extend their spreading shoots, in order to keep them bushy and compact Plants which are not growing well should have some liquid manure from time to time, but this should be made weak.

Cress and Mustard.-These two salad plants are usually grown together, and they are about as easy to grow as any plants can be. During the hot weather frequent applications of liquid manure will improve them and make them tender and crisp.

Egg Plant.-Plants from seed sown some little time back should be ready to plant out in the garden, 3 feet or more apart every way. It is hardly worth growing to any great extent until it is ascertained that this vegetable is liked by the family. Seed may be sown, if plants have not been raised.

Leek.-Sow a little seed in the seed-bed, for succession. It is always well to have a few young plants ready to put out when required. Any small plants that may not be required for the garden will come in useful for the kitchen, no matter how small they may be. The leek is a greedy plant, and needs plenty of manure, and is greatly improved by frequent applications of liquid manure and water. Plant out a few strong young leeks deep in the soil. Fair-sized plants that are growing well may be earthed up to make the stalks white and tender. This vegetable can be strongly recommended as being most wholesome.

Maize Sweet. This is a useful and palatable vegetable not often used in this Colony, but common enough and much liked in America. Sow in rows about four feet apart, and drop the corn about one foot apart in the rows. When it comes up, cultivate the soil well between the rows, but do not draw the soil in a ridge to the plants. Cultivate" on the flat."

Melons.-Sow a few seeds in well-prepared ground, in the same manner recommended for cucumbers. The pie, or preserving melon, should not be forgotten, as it is very productive and useful for preserve.

Okra or Gumbo.-Plant out a few seedlings if any are available, but if not sow some seed. This vegetable is useful for soups and stews. Its young seed pods contain much of glutinous matter, which is said to be wholesome and nourishing. The flowers are pretty, and the plant may be grown for ornamental as well as useful purposes.

Onion.-Sow a little seed, and keep the onion beds free from weeds. Scatter amongst any onions which you may have growing a mixture of soot and salt, half and half. This is a useful stimulant, and it will, in a great measure, prevent the attacks of worms and insects.

Peas.-A few rows should be sown, in cool and moist climates especially. Peppers, Chili or Capsicum.-Plant out a few seedlings, and, if required, seed may be sown. A very few plants will serve for the purposes of s family.

Potatoes. A few rows may be planted. Plant only whole potatoes of a medium size. Use plenty of rotten horse or cow dung.

Pumpkins. Sow some seed in well-manured or rich ground. Plants that are progressing should be kept pinched back to prevent them rambling too much.

Radish. Sow a little seed from time to time and use the plants as quickly as they are ready. Old radishes are almost useless and indigestible, and should be thrown to the pigs.

Rhubarb.-Sow a little seed in order to raise plants to put out next winter or early spring. This is a useful plant to grow, and no garden should be without it.

Sweet Potatoes thrive best in a warm sandy loam. They are generally considered to succeed only in tropical or semi-tropical climates, but the experimentalist at the Wagga farm found them to succeed very well there, and he raised some good samples. They are not likely to succeed in a cold heavy clay. Tubers should be planted in some warm rich spot to start them into growth, so that cuttings may be taken and rooted to plant out in beds prepared for them. The tubers will readily start into growth if laid out on a warm bed and covered about an inch or two with stable dung kept rather moist. The cuttings, or rooted plants, should be planted out in rows. rows should be about four feet apart, and the cuttings should be planted one foot apart in the rows. When the vines are growing, it would be well to raise them occasionally to prevent them taking root at the joints.

Spinach.-Sow a little seed, but very little.

These

Tomato.-Sow seed in such quantity as may be required, and plant out from the seed-bed if any plants are available. Keep large plants tied up to some support if possible, and the fruit will then ripen better and be less liable to rot.

Turnips.-Sow a little seed in rows.

Vegetable Marrow and Squash.-Sow a little seed in the same way as recommended for cucumber.

Flowers.

MANY kinds of bulbs flower well this month, and chief amongst them is the magnificent species known as the Hippeastrum, which is remarkably easy of cultivation, for, once it is planted, it may remain undisturbed for years, and will continue to flower without fail. Do not cut away the leaves of any bulbs which have finished their flowering, but let them die away of their own accord. These leaves gather material from the atmosphere which assists the bulbs to lay up a store of nourishment for the production of flowers next season. As the leaves die off, mark with sticks the whereabouts the bulbs are growing, so as not so injure them when digging and clearing up the garden. Dahlias may be planted at any time convenient. Take care that the tubers have a portion of the crown to each, otherwise they will not grow. The variety known as the cactus dahlia is one of the best to plant, and is coming into great favour. Single varieties, also, are very pretty, and are well worth the growing. Some of the striped kinds are remarkably good.

Plant out balsams and any other tender kinds of plants which you may have raised. The balsam needs a rich warm soil to enable it to come to the greatest perfection. It needs also plenty of space in which to grow.

Chrysanthemums will require a good deal of attention if the weather is dry. The plants soon flag if they have not sufficient water, and it would improve them if they be sprayed with clean water every evening if plenty of water is available.

To grow fine large chrysanthemum flowers much care is necessary. With this object in view, plant out as soon as possible strong young plants; water well, and mulch heavily. As they grow keep down all suckers which are almost certain to come up from the roots, and keep the plant to one stem only. When this grows up to about six inches to one foot in height or more, just as your fancy pleases, nip off the top, and the plant will send out branches. Allow about three to six of these to grow out if a bushy plant is required, pinch each of these when it is from six inches to one foot in length. Any side shoots that grow from the stem should be pinched off. This will give a general idea what to do. The branches will before autumn become hard

and ripe, and in course of time little green flower-buds will appear. If large fine blooms are desired, retain only a few of the best buds; others will keep on appearing, but pinch them all off except those which have been selected. All this time suckers from the roots will endeavour to grow, but they must be kept down, as well as any side shoots that appear on the stems, The plants must be well supplied with weak liquid manure, say, twice a week, and they should never be allowed to want for water. Search must be constantly made for caterpillars, which attack not only the leaves, but worse still the flower-buds. It will be necessary to tie up each plant, and perhaps its branches, to stakes, to prevent bending down to the ground, or may be breaking off altogether.

The flower-buds take a very long time before they open out into flowers, and whilst they are being anxiously watched it will seem that they will never attain the sizes and forms that they should. However, be patient, and follow out as well as you can these necessarily rather incomplete directions; and the chances are you will have your reward, and probably astonish your neighbours with something worth seeing. During the following months further directions will be given. Plants of good varieties can now be obtained at most reasonable prices. But they had better be obtained and planted without delay.

Every little garden should have plenty of flowers during this month, but there will be considerable work to do in keeping down weeds both in the garden and garden walks. Nothing gives a garden a more untidy appearance than badly kept, weed-infested walks; and nothing looks nicer than neatly laid gravel. It is not always possible to obtain gravel, indeed in most of the agricultural districts it is often impossible; but sometimes in the beds of the rivers and creeks good clean gravel and rounded stones can be had, and where this is the case, it would be worth while to get a load or two. Some may also be obtained from ant beds.

Carnations of the tree, or perpetual flowering varieties, should be bearing plenty of flowers. These plants should be kept tied up to stakes or wires, to keep them off the ground. If the ground is very dry, apply some water to them from time to time or else they may die suddenly.

No flower, perhaps, gives more satisfaction than the rose, and one good thing about it is that it will stand drought better than the majority of garden plants. The Tea-scented and Hybrid tea-scented varieties produce flowers almost continuously throughout the greater part of the year, especially if the seeds are cut off as soon as the flowers have dropped. Give the plants occasionally half a bucketful of liquid manure each. Draw away the soil for about eighteen inches or so from the stems, but not deep enough to expose the roots, and then pour in the manure, afterwards drawing back the soil. A heavy mulch should be spread about each plant, and for that matter it would be advisable to mulch the whole of the flower garden, and this may save many a plant from destruction during a hot and dry summer.

Orchard Notes for November.

DURING the first part of the month the fruit-growers of the coastal districts will do well to pay a little attention to an operation which, as a rule, they entirely neglect, viz., to thin their fruit. Apricots and peaches especially are prone to over-bear, the trees being often completely covered with fruit which they are quite unable to bring to anything like perfection. Trees that are allowed to over-bear only produce inferior fruit, which is hard to sell; whereas, trees that have been properly thinned out produce fruit of a large size and best quality, which will sell, no matter how dull the market, as a really choice article will always find buyers, and in no market that I know of is this so readily seen as in Sydney. The question of thinning fruit is a very important one, and it is one that every fruit-grower in the Colony who wishes to make fruit-growing pay will have to study and practice sooner or later, as the neglect of thinning is causing our markets to be flooded with a very large quantity of small and inferior apricots and peaches, which are practically unsaleable, because the rubbish-I cannot call it fruit-is fit for nothing. The question of whether it will pay to thin fruit has been conclusively proved over and over again in California, and there the wages are by no means low, being about 30s. a week and board for white men, and 30s. a week, without board, for Chinese. The general experience of thinning in California has been that trees thinned produce regular crops year after year; not a very heavy crop one year, which cripples the tree, and takes the next season resting to make up for it; also that trees bearing regular crops of large fruit require less manuring than trees that produce large numbers of pits and comparatively little flesh. It is the pits or stones, each of which in its kernel contains the germ of a tree, that take it out of the soil. The kernel contains a high percentage of nitrogen and phosphoric acid, the two most expensive plant foods which we have to supply in the form of manure, but the flesh of the fruit consists mainly of carbo-hydrates, which are obtained from the atmosphere and water. The main reason, however, that Californian fruit-growers thin their fruit is that there it does not pay to grow rubbish, which is of no value, and for which it is exceedingly difficult to find a market; whereas, large, even, good quality fruit is readily disposed of, no matter whether it is dried, canned, or consumed green.

In order to see that a judicious thinning will pay, choose a dozen trees of the same variety, of about the same size, and having about the same quantity of fruit on each. Leave six trees as they are, and thin the other six, so that every fruit that is left will have room to develop to its full size. Keep a full account of the cost of gathering and marketing the fruit from each lot of trees, and compare the net returns. I think many of our growers will be rather astonished at the result.

Apricots and peaches should be thinned just as soon as the second drop has taken place, or just as the stone begins to harden, as when thinned then there is no fear of any further drop, and the fruit taken off has not