Improving Old and Making New Gardens.

Auckland Star, Volume XX, Issue 58, 9 March 1889, Page 3 (Supplement)

Improving Old and Making New Gardens.

irovmrv parden thab ha 3 been esWSfoiaVv years there will always * H new improvements required in be SO f ™ make them more attractive. Nonorder t? sometimes puzzled as to Pfffthe best season of the year for i• i thee improvements. Now I have Pjmnreor less to do with gardens in New X / for about 20 year.-, and I have ea Sat; the cheapeeb and best period of l? un" n f o r making extensive miproveifoiD the formation of the soil is during ffSSa. of March, April, and May. Si "these months the soil is generally •very dry state, is lighter and more "..iff handled than ab any other other • A Ab the same time, breaking up P<!S' fflovin"1 tho soil. from place to place wn it a £ood cbance °f getting lb well gXd while if) is in this dry state, which "%he much better for anything thab ff' be planted or sown thereon afterwards. r' y improvements are left till the web lather sets in, the soil, in a number of int rices will get puddled about and soured, hicli 'in the case of Etiff retenfcive soils ' id o a laptje amount of injury. There is Lther advantage in having the alter* Sons made early, and thab is being able to lorass, plant trees, or fill up the flower hordera with a new stock of flowers so ?ts to pet them established before the winter sets

In the making of entirely new places the cams reasons as given above will apply if he work is undertaken at once. Where draining is to be done, now is the best time to do it. Of course in draining at this period of the year it will cost a little more per chain, but tke extra cost will be more than repaid by tho extra utility of the drains. If drains are opened now and left f or a week or so, the air will got into the trenches and cause large fissures to break in the sides of the trenches, and these fissures will never entirely close again, thus riving much easier access to all superfluous water as it falls. Terraces and other made lank 3 will also have time to come to their level before they are sown down in grass. Transplanting Evergreen Siirubs.

In nioafc places there will always be a few large evergreen shrubs which are too crowded, and it is judicious to move them to some other situation. They can in most cases be moved with perfect safety if a few necessary precautions are taken some time before they are to be moved. Say some of my readers have one or two such shrubs that they want to move this autumn. Sometime during the next week or so they should di£f a trench all round the plant, cutting all the roots outside the ball of earth "to b6 moved with the plant. See that you make v fair estimate of tho size of ball you can move ; rather leave tho ball tinder than over size. Do not at present cat any of the roots going straight down into the soil; thoss will for the next two months supply further nourishment to the plants. After all the spreading roots are cntround the'plant, cover up at once with the soil and give a thorough soaking with water; see that the ball-is thoroughly saturated. The cheek on cutting the roots will at once cause all sap to come down the limbs and almost at once pu.4i out numerous fibrous roots all round the ball. These loots should bo kept pretty moist till the plants are moved. If the cutting of roots is done now the new roots will have formed sufficiently to allow the plant to be moved daring the latter portion of April, which I consider the best time for moving large evergreen plants. About tho latter portion ot that month the trench should again be op?ned out, taking care not to interfere with the mass of little fibres which should lave formed all round the ball. The under roots should now be cut so as to lift the plant, taking care not to allow the root 3to be long exposed to the action of the air or the sun's rays. Plant at once in tlenew position, placing good soil in immediate contact with the young fibres. Afterwards stake aud tie well so that the plant may be held firmly in its position. Water should be given copiously to thoroughly saturate the ball and surrounding loose earth. Large evergreen shrubs, ujd also deciduous trees, can be moved Ith perfect safety if the above precautions are taken. For years I have been in the habit of moving large camellia and other tombs during the autumn as above, and I we^jiob lost one of them when care was token. Again, where the transplanter will ate the necessary care to shade and water tae plants, they can be moved at once ; but to ball of earth must be of a larger size ™an if not moved till the end of April. Moreover, if moved now care must be taken Hot to allow the roots to get moist till we ftceive the usual rains about the end of % The best materials that I have found ™ shading early-planted shruba or trees J«large branches of ti-tree, the thick ends pointed and pushed into the ground, the "!% part covering the foliage of the pant moved—three, four, or more branches wti-tree to each plant. The3e should be °J«1 so that they will keep their position, (S shading will allow a free current of air °g&t about the foliuge, at the same time fnading from the strongest rays of the sun. V^ possible the foliage of the plant TOldbe occasionally syringed with water '"the evening ; this will greatly assist in ""King the transplanting a success.

Willows for Fence Posts, r "c knee post question 13 one of much ™P«tanceto the American farmer, owing "wedifficulty of procuring suitable wood " m purpose. A correspondent oi an ex"wige advocates the use of willows for this f P°Be> the trees being readily obtained say "SF la- nfcing and easily Brown- He Ji!»l: t *8 frequently recommended to P trees along the lino of the fences, that lhei\ trees liave attained sufficient size «r trunks may be used as posts. Thus 'Posts that will not rot are had, already j Dr% set, at the cost of setting out the «sonly. Bub to this there is the objec|L,.f, the swaying of the trees loosens . "ails holding the boards or the staples ltanl g wires» whefcher the nails or Pie™ /"? driven into fche tree or infco a «our w ber fastened t0 the tree. One "iat 7esfcern subscribers has discovered eetin • n fche willow- is planted this obcau ? 18 voided;, for the top of the willow 'rant -?, pfc cut down s0 cl°sely that the 'fee A1 be swayed lifcfcle> if any. The fte t,° U, nofc .be used as a posb until inches , obfca, ins a diameter of six 6v en * foofc from the ground; and fte t, n ib haß' reached this size, the L! 6 T y be cufc off tive feet trom tei4 .', maldn S a poat of the desired cottini T hoat killine the tree. Such "ntLn ivould be fabal fco any ofcher tree billow -n U6od for fchiß Plu'PO«e 5 but the Which Z\ aend oub a thick bunch of 8"oofcs, '"dm [ soon become respectable branches Uav h 8 cufc off in their turn. Thus we Ul-M a th. ick> stocky trunk five foeb "otlonll ?° lib.ble tOP that the wind will cat o g. B" nails orsbaples. The branches good bean "Poles. or Bummer tesilv w i, o lJar -excellence. They oub very ;.""««>green, dry out rapidly, and when

dry make a quick, hob fire that dies down ao once—just the fire the housewife wishes a?" nS th-e summer. Other points in favour ot the willow for live fence-posts are the ease with which it can be gob to grow and the rapidity of its growth. If slips are stuck into the ground in the spring, when the ground 13 moist, they will at once root and grow. Where fence-posts are scarce this use ot the willow can be confidently recommended; and likely it will pay to so use the willow even where posts are cheap. ±ne willow is .slow to dis and will make a arm post for many years. — American press.