A gardener of long experience in the Colony has favored us with the following remarks on the culture of the cabbage:  “Although cabbage seed may be here sown with advantage at several times of the year, yet I have of late years confined myself to two sowings only; namely, in January, and as near the middle of May as I could find the weather most favorable, for two general crops.  That sown in January comes well in for a winter supply; but must be taken great care of, or will come to nothing; for as January is one of our hottest months, they will require to be shaded from the sun’s excessive heat by boughs, which if closely twined together will continue their shelter even after the leaves are withered; and also, to be watered at least once in every two or three days, until they get pretty strong in the ground.  The other crop, sown in May, will come into use early in summer; and do not require any care more than they usually receive.”

Turnips

The ground should be prepared in February; and at the latter end of the month some may be planted; for which purpose gentle showery weather is most favourable.

Turnips for a general crop should be sown early in March, and they will be ready for food for sheep in the beginning of May.  During their growth they require hoeing once or twice, to thin and keep them clean, if the land be foul.

Turnips for table use may be sown at any time between March and September, or the beginning of November, when absolutely necessary.

Turnips for Sheep.—­The ground should be prepared in January and February, by the plough or hoe, harrowing, manuring, and totally cleansing it from all weeds whatever, so that it be brought into the best state possible.

The Seed.—­To raise turnip seed properly is an object worthy of the strictest attention.  To do this, the bed should be examined carefully when the turnips have attained about a third of their size, and the largest, smoothest, and most healthy taken up and transplanted into a richer bed, in rows a foot wide, and about six inches between the plants that are in the same row.—­The seed will be fit to cut the latter end of November.

Cauliflower.

The seed may be sown at any time between November and February; but best in December.  Some sow about the middle of May for a summer crop, and this practice is found to answer.

Asparagus.

The seed should be sown in October, in drills, four drills in a bed four feet wide, the ground being first well prepared, and richly manured.  At the latter end of April, or beginning of May, the haulm should be cut down within two inches of the bed (though some cut it nearly level), and constantly kept from weeds.  The ground should be dug with a three pronged fork, and not with a spade, as the latter will cut the crown of the roots, and destroy the plants.  A professed gardener of twenty-three years practice in the colony assures us, that he has now a bed of twenty years standing, which constantly yielded a good crop until the year before last, the failure of which he attributed to the ground being worn out, and therefore set out a fresh bed.  In this country it requires a cool soil, and that the beds should not be laid too high, four or five inches being a sufficient height.