THE GARDEN.

,>:•{ /;■ ■ ■ '"" ■ I* ■ ■* ' ,", Almighty God .first planted a gai'fflß ana ' indeed it is the purest of all htimiaf plea-sures."-rBACON. OPEBATIOIiB FOR THE MONTH. Flower garden.— Sow annuals and perennials, tender kinds m heat and hardy kinds m pots and boxes, or m warm situations m the open border. Put m cuttings of verbena -;and-. petunia etc. Tuberoses, Hyacinthus, 'caridicahs, Tigridias, and Gladioli, for early ': flowering, and other late flowering bulbs „ and conns may, now be planted. Kitchen garden.— Make good sowing of peas about three inches deep, two feet apart for :;.• dwarf varieties; two feet six inches for medium varieties; and three or four feet apart • for tall kinds. Sow cauliflower and cabbage at intervals for succession, also a little lettuce, radish, ■ onion, carrot and parsnip m light free soils; ana good sowings of broad beans and round spinach. y ...'; SPRING ; BLOOM. . • Yellow Crocus, Polyanthus, and other early flowers 'have made their appearance during the week, and beds and borders will soon be ; resplendent with spring bloom. Japonicas (red and white) and barberies are making an effective and pleasing show, and the perfume of the modesiviolet fills the air. We hail the lovely spang-time. THE HORTICUJDTUBAI. SOCIETV. The Blenheim Horticultural Society ia to be complimented on the progress it has made during the past year; Considerably imore enthusiasm has been shown by its 'members and friends, and as a result the Society is m a better position now, than at any other period of its history. It is indeed ;. gratifying that notwithstanding counter attractions, and dull times, the Society has been able to compete with and hold its own against all other societies m Blenheiffi; The practice of horticulture 13 one of 'the purest and healthiest occupations to be found on this fair earth, and those .who .take an interest m its pursuit andald do their best to further the .interests of the Society this year. ;J It will not do to be content with the laurels attained, butevery effort should be made to obtain new members ; to induce householders to cultivate their plots and grow flowers arid vegetables etc, for exhibition ; and generally to extend the operations of the Society. The Society does a good work m our midst, and it deserves the hearty support of the 'community. ' We wish it all success m its future operations. CARNATIONS. , Any plants of carnations that were not layered m Autumn may be propagated at this season by pulling off the shoots arid planting them under a hand glass or even m the open soil, shading them m the latter casei\And not allowing the soil to become dry. , ; • : ; ; ; SCALE BLIGHT. , In view of the spread of the American scale blight, etc., the Christchurch Horticultural. Society has decided to invite answers to the following questions from growers all over the colony : — Composition or name of the specific ; date on which ■applied; mode of application; result; cost per gallon the tree. Answers to be ■ sent m before October 9th. • NATIVE PLANTS. . In the twenty, first volume of the of the Now Zealand Institute" there are two articles devoted to the discovery of native plants. Those which most merit notice are Coprosma, Pendula, , and, Coprosma, Multiflora. C'oprosma, Peridula, is an erect shrub 6 feet to. 10 feet nigh, the leaves above are i green and dead white below, and of it Mr Colehso remarks :— " This is a highly .curious .species, presenting a very peculiar aspect, both when m foliage only, as well as when m flower. Its very long lithe 'pendulous arid strictly divaricate branches — their few, small orbicular and distant 'leaves with their two contrasting colours — and its large exposed flowers, gives it a unique appearance, to which may be added the novelty of the pure white fruit — rare m this genus." Coprosma, Multi-. flora atttains the dignity of a small tree 15 feet to 18 feet m height, and will undoubtedly prove an acquisition m shrubberies or other places where such trees are required. Of it Mr Colenso writes : — " Its striking character when m flower is the prodigious number of its female blossoms, cdvering ; the whole surface of the tree Irom top to bottom, which, from their being coloured and ■ visible from a distance, has, a most striking effect. When I first' saw it — looking down on if; from an open glade on the hill side— l could not conceiv^ what , plant it might possibly be, its ' whole outside being suffused with a' delicate pink:" ' The fruit ! of this species ; is' small, and fork purple m colour. r , '' " 'a marvellous flower. Writing ona plant of the Arum family — Conophallus titanum — the Gardener's Chronicle makes the following remarks : —"The probability that this vegetable giant would flower at Kew. this year has already been noted m these pages, and now, on the plarit's further development, we are glad to be able to state that a fine inflorescence is rapidjy. ( approaching maturity. • Probably no plant, except the Victoria regia before it flowered for the first time, has been watched with greater interest than this, arid if the dimensions given it by Beccari and others be rivalled, we may hope soon to see at Kew a truly marvellous flower. The tuber, of this _plant two months ago weighed exactly 57 lb. It may be seen m the Victoria- house." . : SAWD.UST, AS A ATANORE. i Sawdust m gardens and on farms is used to a considerable extent m some parts, of America. Writing m the New York Tribune on manure for fruit trees, and the beneficial effects of sawdust, a professional gardener says :-r-" I have annually put on a good covering m early winter of. leaves, tan, or sawdust, most of the latter. And the results have been most satisfying." Before' summer this dressing is all brown, and before the next winter it seems blended with the surface mould, excepting where laid on two or three inches thick, as sometimes under gooseberrj "bushes and about raspberry hills. On strawberry beds we put it on at an average thickness of about a quarter of an inch. The sawdust contains no weed seeds m itself, and it seems to choke most young seedlings that may come up from wind- brought seeds; or, if any escape, the slightest rub breaks their tender elongated necks while they are m their infant state. It retains moisture m parching weather, and, as it decays, it makes that surface coating of vegetable mould which seems to be the surest security for free and healthy growth next to the first essentials of soil and moisture. I have learned that this surfacing, which is so easily and cheaply, and m so many ways beneficially, laid on, answers : so far — for all my berrybearing plants at least, and on my clayey loam much given to surface hardening— all the purpose of expensive manure, and the difference is of itself a handsome item of profit. But the saving is not alone m relief from the cost ofunneeded manures, for there is as great a saving, perhaps, m the cost of working the ground. As the surface remains open to the air, even after heavy showers, and as seedling weeds are mostly choked down m their earliest infancy, there is very much less hoeing necessary, and the hoeing is easier, and one can walk and kneel on strawberry beds so carpeted, without any adherence of mud, and with little packing of. the surface." Amateuj:.