Kitchen Garden.

Auckland Star, Volume XXIV, Issue 4310, 15 March 1884, Page 4 (Supplement)

Kitchen Garden.

Continue turning over every vacant piece Of ground whenever the crops come oft', putting in plenty of manure at the same time. Onions, as they become dry enough for storing, tie up in strings and hang them up to some dry airy loft. They will keep longer in this manner than if spread on a floor, and at the same time occupy less packing room. Celery : Give liquid manure, and when the stalks have attained about six inches in length, tie them loosely up. Then bring the earth into the trench about the stalks. Do the same with leeks which have been planted in trench. Strawberries : Whenever the runners are strong enough for transplanting, have them transplanted at once, even if they have to be watered once or twice. Plants that are got Out early soon got established before winter, and make splendid plants for fruiting next season. The littlo extra trouble in early planting will be repaid by the extra crop and quality next season. Tomatoes : Water with liquid manure, tie up, and pinch back. Thin out some of the foliage if the fruit is crowded with leaves. The3r will ripen better and quicker if exposed to the sun and air. Don't allow too much fruit; thin off superfluous flowers before they si;t. Keep vreeds down. Flower Garden. There ought to be now no delay in striking cuttings of the different bedding plants. X the propagating bad lias already been made up, as directed a week or so ago, cut the quantity of cuttings of any given variety, prick them out in the prepared bei, water, and cover tl>em over with peelings, scrim, or other matter, so as to keep away the fierce rays of the sun. Proceed thus till all the cutting? from different varieties have been taken. Every evening take the covering off, replacing such in the morning, giving a slight watering every evening, just keeping the soil moist. Keep continually stirring the soil in the mixed borders ; gather seeds of the various annuals as they ripen ; clearing away the haulm of those that are past flowering. Sow a few hardy ones for early spring flowering. Attend to the tieing up, staking, and pinching of dahlias. Give frequent applications of liquid manure. Bedding plants will still require constant attention to pegging, pinching, and watering. Chrysanthemums : Tie, stake, and give liquid manuro. Herbations will require attention, cutting out decayed stems, &c. Walks and lawn as directed last week. Greenhouse. Water, air, etc., as directed last week. Achiminpx and gloxinias which have done flowering water sparingly till the foliage decays, then place underneath the stage. A few rhrysantheinuins in pot might be introdti'-jd into the house. They will look very effective when in bloom. Look after insect*, keep them down. . The Auckland Horticultural Society hold their Autumn Show next Friday and Saturday. I would therefore like to say a few words to those who take a pleasure in horticultural matters. All who grow either fruit, flowers, or vegetables always want to grow the best kinds, and up to a certain mark of excellence. It is sometime.* a great puzzle to find out what are the test kinds. Now. by visiting the show and taking notes of the different exhibits, more will be learned in one day than could be taught in years by limited Individual practice. From all partenfthe surrounding Auckland district the icst produce of the gardens will be sta<pi. They will be judged and awarded prize* according to merit. The judging of the separate classes has been entrusted to cultivators noted for their proficiency in those classes. Therefore every award should be taken as a standard of its class. Amateurs and others interested can see what; that standard is here, and next season try and give sometliing better. These shows are held for the above purpose. Formo'l> only a few seemed to take any interest in them, but I hope they will receive moreattention in future. No districtcan progress in horticultural matters, unless greater iuterest istaken in horticultural exhibitions. Keeping Grapes. The system of keeping grapes during the winter I do notthink has yet obtained much attention from those who have vineries. It is no w practised in Great Britain and France with success. Some of our readers may have a few grapes, and for their benefit we will shortly detail the process. Cut the bunch of grapeß off with about ten inches of wood attached, then insert this piece of wood in a long, naked bottle, letting the bunch hang clear of tho bottle, tha bottie to be tilled with water in which animal charcoal has been steeped for some time, also patting in a small pinch of animal charcoal in each bottle. This charcoal entirely frees the water from any impurities from the deposit/ of any organic matter that may have been in it. Afterwards place the bottles with the grapes in a cool dark place with a dry atmosphoro, and when tho water evaporates to the extent of one or two inches add a littlo more. It is always necessary to keep tho base of the "wood covered with wato;-. A great number of the best grape-growers now in Britain r.nd France keep the late varioties of this fruit to May and Tuna the following season, and sometimes as late as July. Some growers have built elaborate houses for keeping their winter grapes in. In those houses they have a great number of appliances doing away with the bottle. The best of those for small growers is a V lube nv-fla of tin or nine, in which one bunch i inserted in each end of the tube an<! hung up to the house. This was in\ci;ted by Mr W. Dobbs. The varioties of grapes wltich seemf*most suited for keeping are Lady Downe's seedling (tho best), but the black Alicante, liarborossa, black Tripoli, Bue.khwdt's f*riuee, Royal Vineyard, G»o» Column, Syrian, White Vine, and Tfcobbians, succeed well when

cut perfectly ripe. The most important thing to.be observed is to cut the fruit perfectly ripe, nnd to leave the wood above the bunch perfectly intact—not to cut it off as shown in most illustrations describing this process. The water absorbed by the wood is then diverted from the fruit into the branch beyond, thus preventing deterioration in flavour. There is another method which is sometimes practiced, and that is to cut the grapes when ripe and pack them away in dry sawdust or powdered charcoal, which, in a measure, keeps them free from the diseased particles continually floating in the air ; but this method has its disadvantages : the fruit gets covered with dust, etc., which detracts from the appearance as well as the commercial value. Whereas in tho process formerly detailed, :hey can bo put on the table in a plump, fresh state as if cut from the vine. Value of an American Orange Grove. Thefollowingmoderatecalculationhasbeen made for orange culture in Florida, and is endorsed by the editor of the " Florida Agriculturist"' as a fair estimate. If the premises are correct, the conclusion is inevitable : 1, Twenty-one acres of land affords sufficient space for 1,000 orange trees, 30 feet apart ; 2, if well cultivated on high hammonck land, the product will be 500 fruit per tree in ten years ; 3, as fruit sells onthetree at one cent, the product for each tree would be 85 per annum ; 4, if thetreeproducesSCiper annum, the value of each tree my be placed at §50. Conclusion : If each tree is worth SSO, the whole grove of 1,000 trees would be worth $50,000. Laying Out a Flower Garden. It is a mistaketoiay out flowerbeds in exact geometrical forms, unless one has the means to adopt the geometric style of landscape gardening. This style has a bed in one part of the lawn balanced by a similiar bed in another corresponding part, has trues in straight and balanced rows, and walks with straight borders and acute, straight angles. It admits of few curves, and no irregularities. It calls for an exactness of detail which is expensive, and to most persons displeasing. This style of gardening is going out of date, to be superseded by the more free, graceful, and informal natural style. The natural style admits of long and beautiful curves, of irregularities in surface and positions of planting. Theleastneglect mars the beauty of the geometric style, but it may sometimes add to the charm of a natural landscape. Trees irregularly scattered in clumps and as single specimens give a much more pleasant effect than if planted in rows, where every specimen must look alive to preserve the symmetry. A vacant place or a smaller tree makes a 'row unsightly, while it adds to the charm of a natural arrangement. Some flowers will be surG to grow poorly or fail to come up. Such a failure spoil* the effect of a geometric design. Some plants will persist in growing higher or coarser than plants in a corresponding bed, and tha beauty of the whole design is lessened. It is better to scatter flowor beds wherever a suitable place occurs for locating them. It is poor taste to plant directly in frost of the house. A straight walk from the front gate directly to the front door isnot in good taste, and is still less so if it is bordered with flowers or shrub. Most individuals make the mistake of planting too many flowerbeds. The beauty of a clean lawn is enhanced by a few tasty beds, while it is spoilt by too many. Make the beds wide. If they are narrow, or have long, narrow points or appendages, the grass roots from each side will be sure to join feet under the bed and choke out the flowers. A sharp-cut sod is the neatest border for a flower bed. Stones, shells, bricks, and beer bottles do not make tasty borders. It is a mistake to plant too many kinds of plants. A bed with nothing but phlox is far better than one with a dozen species of plants.