THE GARDEN.

Auckland Star, Volume XXII, Issue 145, 20 June 1891, Page 2 (Supplement)

THE GARDEN.

By Hoetus

' [Ilortus is willing to answer any questions. Correspondents must ffivo their real names ana addresses, though not for publication.]

TO CORHS3POMDBHTS.

Cutting Back Laurel Busiiks (Amateur). —You can cut laurel bad;: as far as you like either only tho shoots or half iho plant, and. if circumstances clomnnd it you can cut bacK ciown lo the-ground, only leaving a few inches on ho stump above the ground. Fresh shoots will again spring from the parts lett on the ground. Tho beat time to cut back is during the latter portion of August, or beginning ot September. At that period growth is just beginning to start, and if out back at that time iho plaiiU will, in a fow weeks, bo iurnisned with a multitude o£ fresh shoots; if cut back now it will take a much longer period betore they can bucovcred with new growl b. You can also transplant thy old plants. Now is the best time to lift and transplant. Lilt with a niodrrate-sb'.od ball of earth to the roots, iou can also cut back the limbs as you transplant. The laurel makes a lirst-i-atu evergreen lence, and will grow well wherever the soil is moderately good. Japanese Ptosis (Planter).—There aro, I think, throe or four Auckland nurserymen advertising these for bale. You had better t?et their catalogues and inspect their stock, as 1 cannot recommend you which to go to. i'roni what r saw ot the so plums last autumn, no orchard should be without them, as 1 bolievo in the. future that they will be one of tho most profitable soft fruiia in the orchard.

Drainage (Continued).

List us observe still another condition of soil. In this instance, as far as water is con corned tho soil is in Ita healthy condition. Ib is moist, but not wot, the pores alone being rilled with water. But where are the canals ? Wo ace them in a few places, but in by far the greater part of tho soil none are to be perceived. This is owing to the particles of soil having adhered together, and thus so far obliterated tho interstitial canals that they appear only like pores. This is the state of matters in every clod of earth, and you will perceive, on comparing it with a stone, that it divers o»ly from it in possessing a few pore;!, which latter, while they may form a reservoir for moisture, can never act as vehicles for the food of plants, as the roots aro not capable of extending their fibres into the interior of a clod, but aro at all times confined to the interstitial canals. With these four conditions beforo us, let us endeavour to apply them practically to ascertain when they occur in our Holds, and how those which are injurious may be obviated.

The first of them we perceive ia a state of too great dryness, n, condition generally seen to occur in sandy soils, which are chiefly made up of pure sand, and particles of a round or angular form, containing comparatively many fewor poree, and from the large size of the individual particles, assisted by their irregularity, wider canals. Hence the circulation of air ia freer, and consequently tho whole is much more easily dried. Tho same conditions will be seen to exist in stony volcanic lands. When this state of matters exists, the best treatment ia to leave all the stones which occur on the surface of tho field, as they cast shades, and thereby prevent or retard tho evaporation of water. We will not, however, make any further observations on this very rare caso, bub will rather proceed to a much more frequent, and, in every respect, more important condition of soil —an excess of water.

When water is added to perfectly dry soil, ifj of course, iiP the first instance, fills the interstitial canals, and from these enters tho pores of each particle; and if the supply of water be nob too great, the canals speedily become empty, bo that the whole of tho fluid is taken up by the pores; this, we have already Been, is tho healthy condition of soil. If, however, tho supply of water be too groat, as ia the caso when a spring gains admission into the soil, or when the sinking of the fluid through the canals to a sufficient depth bolow the surface is prevented, it is clear that these also musb get filled with water so soon as the pores have become saturated. This, then, is the condition of itndriihicd ■•soil.

Not only are the pores filled, but tho interstitial canals are likewise full; and the oonsequonce is, that the whole process of the germination and growth of vegetables is materially interfered with. AVo shall hero, therefore, briefly state the injurious effects of an excess of water, for the purpose of impressing more strongly on your minda the necessity of thorough draining, as tho first and most essential step towards the improvement of your soil. Tho limt great effeeb of an excess of water is, that it produces a correeponding diminution of the amount of air beneath the surface, which air is of the greatest possible consequence in the nutrition of plants ; in fact, if entirely excluded, germination could not take place, and the soed sown would, of course, either decay or lio dormant, Tlio Orchard. Fruit requires less expense, lose labour and lees trouble than wheat to raise, while the crop is surer and the profits greater and moro certain. The time to plant orchards is at hand, and landowners should bear well in mind that every treo set out is money invested, with but little riHk and tho almost absolute certainty of handsome profit?. Select that land for orchard growing which has naturally a proper sufficiency of moisture. In selecting fruit trees to plant, choose those only which are the best varieties of the mo3t marketable kinds. In commencing tho business of fruit growing, if you are not thoroughly conversant with it, plant at the start those varieties only of which you know something, or which are the most easily grown. Always folect those trees which have plenty of librile roob,growth ; the moro the better. Trees which have a long tap root with a paucity of fibrile growth, or have only a few long straggling roots, are nob apt to grow, or if ("hey do will make a tree of stunted growth and foeble powers. It is not necessary that a young tree for planting should be as straight as an arrow or have a large trunk growth. Plant thopo trees which have a sound, firm and fresh-looking bark and hard, strong roots, with plenty of small branch rootlets on them. Tho treo one year old is the best to set out. It cost 3 less, requires less trouble to plant, is sure of making a healthy vigorous and permanent growth. Chnngfns Seed. Many farmers of our acquaintance, observes a Maine paper, are accustomed to change -iho seed of their small grains, corn, and potatoes accasionally, more particularly thao of grain and potatoes. We think it a good plan. Whether from careless habits of selection, or from being grown ye.ir after year upon the same soil and location, causss their deterioration, is nob clear ; nevertheless a change of seed of the various grains and roots upon the farm is most always attended with beneficial results. Growing the same crop in one locality from tho same seed, year after year, often tends to deterioration. It is said that tho oat grown in the cool atmosphere and soil of Maino and New Hampshire is found to grow more luxuriantly when sown in the middle or western State?, and uniformly turns out heavier weight to the bushel. If the same seed is sown year after year in the latter States, without new importations, the produce per acre and weight per bushel gradually deteriorate. The same rule is applicable to this grain, and also to rye imported from further South to the colder Korth, as we know from experience. The farmers of Bermuda always grow their potatoes from American seed, a-id in many sections of the

South Maine potatoes do duty as seed, by which our city markets are supplied with the early vegetables in advance of ouj own crops. The farmers of England, who raise excellent cereals, roots and grasses, are very particular in the selection of seed, procuring , it from a foreign country, if possible. In the north of Ireland, whero flax is grown extensively, a country renowned for its beautiful Irish linen, the farmers prefer seed brought from Russia or Holland to that grown by themselves, as they find the change very beneficial. Those conversant with the vasb business of our seedsmen and florists know that the finest bulbous and tuberous rooted plants are annually imported to this country from Holland and Germany. While this is the existing state of things, and in view of all these facts, we are not prepared to say that if sufficient care was taken by our farmers in the growingand selecting of the grains and grasses to propagate from, far better results might be attained than are at present. Take corn, for instance. If.the same system was pursued with that as with our small grains, the game fault of deterioration would, we doubt not, be apparent; but no one thinks of going to his crib to shovel up a basket of corn indiscriminately and shell it for seed. The farmer carefully selects the best ears at husking time and saves them by themselves for which to procure his seed the following season ; and co the best seed is selected year after year, and instead of deteriorating the corn crop is improved in earliness, productiveness and quality.—" Chicago Times."