Kitchen Garden.

Auckland Star, Volume XXIV, Issue 4353, 26 April 1884, Page 6

Kitchen Garden.

Whenever colory is sufficiently far advanced, givo a good Boaking with liquid manure ; tio and earth up ; give the same treatment to leeks, Continue digging, manuring, and trenching all vacant pieces of ground. Sow the same down in green crop if not wanted for vegetables in the winter. Though no green feed is wanted, the green stuff can easily be dug into the ground in the spring ;it will be as good as another doso of manure. Oats or winter vetches ore about the best for this purpose, and they give the ground a good change from the ordinary crops. Make another sowing of turnips and carrots ; thin out those previously sown. Also sow another patch of prickly spinage for winter use. In clearing away all debris, when putting it on the neap to rot, give plenty of salt and lime, so as to kill the lavre of the different insects, especially tomato, cabbage, and cauliflower debris. All the insects that infest those now simply lay their eggs on the debris, and if material is not put in to kill them, in using this material afterwards for manuro you simply help to increase their numbers in the garden. It would be better to burn such refuse unless effectual means are taken to kill insect life. Flower Garden. Preparations must now be made for renovating the lawns next month. Have the heap of soil turned over so that it may be better sweetened. At the same time add what bones and lime are required to the heap. As you turn it, keep the grass on the lawn short, and eradicate as many of tho weeds as possible Continue making and finishing all improvements, as the wet season will be on by the end of next month, and it is better to have all new work done before the heavy wot sets in. Grass seed sown-early will do much better when sown while tho soil is in a moderately dry state than after heavy rains. The soil gots cold, and the seed does not germinate so well. All now flowerborders should also be finished as soon as possible. When made while the soil is dry, the flowers will succeed better than if made while m a wet state. Walks should also be gravelled ; while dry tho labour will bo less O!d walks which are beginning to got worn should also receive a new coat of gravel, and be well rolled. About the ond of next month make arrangements for getting tho gravel. Greenhouse. Dispense with shading now. Bulbs and tubers going to rest, water sparingly. Most of the plants will also need liss wSter now. Keep up a good circulation of air. This is the best time of the year to lay in a fresh stock of potting soils. Get, if possible, some good fibrous loam, and only skim two or three inches deep of tho surface, stacking this in a heap to rot during the winter. : When root crops are placed away, dry sand may be mixed with them, as it tends

to keep them longer and in better condition. A sprinklo of lime is said to prevent rot. .<? When you burn brush or rubbish in the garden, spread the ashes as far as they will co and not leave them to be leached into the earth on the spot where the brush was burnt.

Root pruning of such tree 3as require a cheek to their vigour should be commenced without delay. The simplest method is to open a trench on one side of the trees, and out back the roots to within two or three feet of the stems (according to the size of the trees) half round each tree. Next year open trenches and cut back the roots on the othor half round, and so on year after year. This will prevent a rank growth and increase their fruitfulness. Watering Crops.—The best way to do this is to pour the water on the ground between tho rows in tho eveninc; after the power of the sun is past for the day ; and, when applying the water, always give sufficient to penetrate down to the roots. Small driblets aro worse than useless, as they only encourage the small feeding fibres to come to the surface, where the fierce rays of the sun soon scorch them. When watering, occasionally mix a little manure water with the bulk, so as to compensate for the waste of'manure matters in the soil from so much water being so rapidly passed through it to be almost as rapidly evaporated by the heat of tho sun's rays. Crops should receive, if possible, a heavy drenching every week during tho dry weather. Few realise the immense benefit derivable from frequently stirring the surface soil in dry weather as means of retaining the moisture in tho soil and keeping the roots cool.