Purchasing Trees or Plants.

Auckland Star, Volume XXVII, Issue 108, 9 May 1896, Page 3 (Supplement)

Purchasing Trees or Plants.

Those who may want to purchase a tew trees or plants from any of our nurserymen should send in bheir orders early, as tha sootier your order ia sent in Ibho better chance you will have of getting the best plants. When purchasing trees always get such an have been hardy or thrifty grown, never purchase those which have been drawn up while in the nursery rows ; such generally have their wood only half ripened, and ib will take a few years to bring them into a good state of cultivation again. Always purchase your trees from some nurseryman who line got a reputation to lose, as ib will be to his interest to sell only a firsb-class article true to name. Planting SeasonAs the planting season has again coma round a few lines on the subject may be of come value. Before begieningto plant see thab the hole tor each tree or plant ia properly dug to a good depth. Tho depth to which each is dug should be at least eighteen inches. When planting see that the coil is only laboured while ib is in a comparatively dry state. If the soil is in a wet, sloppy condition ib will act in a very injurious manner to tho roots of the young trees. The best way to ascertain when the soil is in a fib condition to handle ib to handle a little of ib. If ib is in so web a condition that ib sticks to the feeb, hands or spade, defer planting till ib gets less adhesive. Soil ib in the best condition for planting when it breaks up easily and leaves the spade dry and clean. Autumn - planted cabbages growing freely should be attended to during the ensuing week, or as soon as weather permits. Hoe between them and give them an additional moulding to Bare them aa ranch as possible from injury should cutting, frosty winds prevail. Such winds are capable of boating them againsb the ground, doing them great injury, unleaa they are made firm by liberal mouldings. Meantime make up all vacancies that occur in plantations. During such a Bsaeon as the preaonb rutnmn-sown seedling plants are prone to bolt, hence it will be well to examine all closely, pull up any running to seed, and planb others in lieu. Grnwore who omitted planting out eeedlingß in autumn may now do bo with qualified success. Plants are procurable from the usual growers if reserve beds of home-grown seedlings are nob at command. Potato onions, garlic nnd shallot? may bo planted ; desp, woll-worked, rich soil and moderately light, is most suitable for all.' The former, whon divided, ought to be planted seven inches apart both ways. Press tho bulbs down quite firmly into the ground, co as to nearly, bub not quite, bury thoir apices. Shallots require to be Bevon inches and garlic five or six inchea aparb. It is well to divide the latter into separate cloves for planting a day or two beforehand, and stir a little dry ash among them to heal and dry the wounds. Holes for both are generally made with a sizeable blunt dibble, and the cloves are pressed down into them with the hand, holding each firmly ao as to fix its base firmly in the ground. Where the ground is sufficiently worked and fin* the better plan is to push each clove into ie with the finger and thumb. To assist in keeping them free from weeds, etc., during the growing eeaßon, there ia a decided advantage in planting upon slightly elevated beds, round in shape, and three and a-half feet wide. Winter Plants.—Bulbousflowering plants such as daffodils and hyacinths, may be grown perfectly without using earth to plant them in. And nob only bulbs will grow well in this way ; a number of plants thab do nob have to make all their feeding Btrength by fine root action are quite amenable to this culture. A bulb is a complete floral organisation in embryo. Its organs and function* are all there folded up in the heart of the over-laying folds of the bulb. Bulbs have only a need of moisture by which to sustain thomselvea whilst their florescence is coming to perfection. They have nob a new life to begin, as ib were, like a seedling plant, and they may bo treated accordingly. Some years ago, fertilising juoaa was a popular medium for bulbs, and it really grew them perfectly, Ab ono exhibition ab the Westminster Aquariam a large table full of miscellaneous plants grown in this substance was shown. The plan ia with such plants as this—and with bulbs such ns lily of tha valley, spireaa, dielytras, Christmas roses and such like—to pack the roots very firmly into damp mass, jueb eliabfcly damp, thab is—into small pote, and to lob thorn stand somewhere in the dark till the growth appeara at the part of the root ib should epring from. Tho lit&le ball of moss in the pob should by this time have become well perorated with roots. Ib may thon be taken oui and bo repacked in moss into a larger pot, in which it can go on and bloom. The only care ia to pack fresh green sphagnum or some other moss firmly about tho root, and to ccc thab ie is alwayskepfcdamp. Acompleto dippingovarhead isan easy way to water plantsso grown, and there is no fear of them becoming eoddened or water-logged. To manufacture fertilising moss ib needa thab the elements of fertility—nitrates, phosphates, potashea.and other ealbe—should be present in a soluble form, bub nob co freely solved as would be likely to pass away with water the tirflb time a solution of them i» made, by coming in contact with tho water supplied to the plant. Herein lies the great acid seemingly insurmountable difficulty oi retaining the soluble chemicals. — ' The Yokel. 1 OkCHARDS—PI-ANT IN AUTUMN. There ia much difference of opinion as fco the relative merits of aufeumn and spring planting. My ovvu opinion if thab autumn planting is generally preferable to spring planting upon thoroughly drained eoile, particularly for the hardy tree fruits, like apples, pears and plums; and if the ground is in good condition and tho Btock well matured, peaches, pears and plums can sometimes be set in May with success. The advantages of autumn planting are several. The trees become established daring the open weather of winter, and they usually make a start m spring before the ground is dry enongh to allow of spring planting. This early start not only means a better growth the first season, hat whab iamore important, trees which geb a very 3&rly hold upon the soil endure the drongbfes

of midsummer much bettor than trees planted in spring;. Planting is nearly always better done in the settled weather and workable soilof autumn than in the capricious daya and in the hurry of spring-time; and the orchardtsb is fraa to begin cultivation at a time when he would otherwise bo planting his trees. Again, ifc is generally better to buy trees in the autumn when the stock of varieties is fall and 'vhen the besb treeß are yet unsold ; these trees must be kepb until planting time, and it ia about as cheap and fully as cafe to plant them directly as to heel them in until spring. In autumn planting, however, ifc is importanb to insisb bhab the trees should be thoroughly well matured. In order to move etock quickly, ib is the practice of some nurserymen to ' strip' the trees before the growth is compl«bed-; fchab is, the leaves are stripped off, the growth stopped, and the trees are pub upon the markeb for earlier delivori«». This process weakens the trees, and I am satisfied thab many failures which I have seen in young plantations are attributable to this causo. Such trees may die outrighb, especially if set in the autumn and a wet winter follows ; or they may live to make a dwindling growth for the first few years. Like early-weaned calves, they lack vitality and push. Gbeenhouse. Camellias and other hardy flowering plants kepb in pots so as to get oarly flowers: Remove from their summer quarters into the house, so as to starb the bude into oarly growth. Water them occasionally with liquid manure: Hardy annuals such as summer chryanthemuma, helichricums, etc., sow under glass so as to geb Btrong plants for pricking out. Perennials, auch me pansiea, antirrhinum?, dianthua, wallflowers, etc.,treat in the same manner. All these if sown under izhim and pricked out) into boxes can be easily grown and transplanted wibh success, whereas if sown oub" in bhe open the slugs would b<> almost sure to get most of them if they were nob carefully watched.

Cinerarias : Still conbinue pricking oub into boxes, so as to geb plenty of plants for late flowering. Thoao which were pricked out a few weeks ago should be well enough to be placed oub inbo fche open, whore they will coon become hardy enough for planting oub in the open borders.

Stock plants : See that the outside of the pots is kept quite clean ; clear off all plants all dead or decaying foliage.