KITCHEN GARDEN.

Auckland Star, Volume XXVIII, Issue 77, 3 April 1897, Page 3 (Supplement)

KITCHEN GARDEN.

This season has been one of the beab for carrying on all classes of garden work. From the firsb of February bill now the soil haa always been in auch a Btate that it could not only be laboured with oaeo but it was also moiab enough for either planting or sowing. The rama which we received lasb week and the heavy dews which we now receive will carry on ail vegetable crops now till we receive tho usual winter rains.

Strawberries : If all bhe young plants are nob already planted tbey should bo put oub at once so as bo geb them well established before the winter Beta in. See bhab plehby of manure is dug into the soil they aro planted in. • Cabbage and cauliflower: Still plant oub for eucceeeion. A large number ought to be pub out, aa those planted now should form the main crop for winter and early spring use. Earth up tho growiug cropa as they require it, and sow a email patch of seed for planting oub early in bhe winter. Celery : Tie and earbh up fche growing crop, taking care nob to pack tho soil too close aboub the foliage, co bhab ib may havo room bo develop. Late planted cropa water occaaionally wibh liquid manure. Leeka : Earbh up in much the same manner aa celery. Recollect thab whab ia required in good leeks i_ plenty of well bleached sbulk, and this may beat be obtained by drawing the loose soil up aboub the stem while it is growing. A little liquid manure applied occasionally to the roots will aaaisfc in giving large plauta. Tomatoes : Continue tying up and pinching back. I would nob allow any more flowers bo Beb now, aa it is getting lato in the aeason for tho plants to swell and mature fruib. Pick off all large foliage which may be covering clusters of fruib ao that the sun's rays may get at it and ripen

Onions oughb all bo be in bho bouse now. The best place bo keep bhem is a dry, airy loft. Sow a email patch to produce young plants for salad. Sow a few rows of turnips and carrots. The beab soil for them is a light, rich one which waa well manured Insb spring. A good breadth of winter spinach ought also bo be sown. Mustard cress and radishes: bow iortui"htly in warm, sunny situations. Lettuce : Prick oub another batch in very rich soil. Tio up bho leaves of bhe old plants, so tbab they may geb blanched quicker, and sow a Bmall patch of seed for fubure plantings. All bhe haulm of decayed vegetables should be cleared away to the rob heap, where it ehould be mixed with bhe leaves of shrubs, graaa from the lawns, and, if possible, fresh litter from tho stabler Thia during tho winter will rob quickly and will make a?capital manure for digging into the soil lor spring cropping. The soil between bhe rows of all young growing crops should be frequently broken up with the hoe so as to keep ib free and open, and ab the same bime keep seed weeds under. Well-robbed manure ahould now be wheeled over vacant pieces of ground and such should be dug in. Aa bbc soil ia burned over leave ib aa rough as poseible so thab the air may pass easily through ib. Later on, after exposure bo tho Bun's rays, ib will be easily broken up for later cropping. All vacant pieces of ground nob required for bhe ordinary garden crops should be sown in oats. The oabs will keep the heavy rains from boabing bho surface, while bhe roots will keep the soil free and open. Tho oats if nob required for green feed, will make ft capital green manure if dug inbo

the aoil whilo they are aboub a foot in hoighb. Flower G_vrdkn. Now ia tbe host time to lift etock plants of the different bedding plants. If lifted now and potted oil, or planbed iv boxes and placed in the greenhouse, they will grow and get well established before the winter. During tho winter and spring theso plante will supply a quantity of splendid cuttings for nexb season's planting oub. Cuttings also of hardy bedding plante, if taken oil' nov/, will do woll if dibbled in lighb, candy soil out in tha open. After tho cutting. are dibbled out, water aud shade every day for a few weeks till they becomo established. Hardy bodding plants struck in tho autumn and hardenod off during tho winter aro much bettor for planting out than those forced in the spring ; slugs, etc., aro nofc so liable to injure or destroy them. Dahlias ; Continue pinching out superfluous ahoois. Tie up floweiing ones, and give liquid manure. The plants should yofc give uomo -splendid blooms if properly attended to. Chrysanthemums: Sco thab thay are properly tied to their supports now, and give plenty of liquid manure, co as to help in expanding the now swelling blossoms. Now ia the bc.fc period of the year for planting out the main stock of spring flowering bulba and tuborß. Where fchey are to be planted en masse the soil should be woll dug, bufc no freah manure or litter should be placed in ib. Tbe bulbs and tubers will do better if planted in soil which was well manured lasb spring. Iv planting, place anemones about nine inches upart, ranunculi about the same disbance apart, tulips and the narcissi family aboub six inches apart. Ixias, eparixias, babanas, etc., are best planted in clumps, and about six to twelve bulbs io each clump. Cyclamens : Now ia also the best period for planting tbem. Where they aro to grow permanantly they should be planted in rich, loamy soil in which has been incorporated a good deal of well-rotted cow manure. Whoro tho plants are only put oub for the winter the pots in which they aro growing should be plunged slightly under the surface of tho ground. See thab all dead flotver stalks and other debris are cub away from plants past flowering. The surface of tko mixed flower borders should be hoed co as to check the growth of weeds and kill tho thousands of seed annuals which are now covering the ground.

Lawns : The grass has been vory troublesome this autumn ; ib grows almosb as quickly ac it is cut. Still, where it ie required to bo kept in good order it must be cub ab )i>aat once a fortnight. When bho lawns havo become broken and patchy, sow a little fresh grass seed and cover it over lightly with some good soil, raking it well about tho old {irasa. The »eed will soon grow and cover up bhe broken parts. GREENHOUSE. Give plenty of air during bhe day ; still water when closing up the houso in the evening. Cinerarias ,and culcoolarias : Skill continue pricking off as soon as the different batches _ire lit to handle. The caterpillar is now beginning bo attack the foliage of the cineraria. The be.t way to geb at them is to frequently go over the plants, pick off aad kill. They aio mo.tly to bo found under the foliage, Primulas : Pot inbo larger pots aa required. Coleus: Strike a new batch of cuttings so aa to provide plants to keep during the winter. Sow hardy annuals .and perennials under glass with the object of pricking into boxes aftorward, hardeuing oil beforo planting out in the opsn. Bulbs, tubers, etc., going to re.t, water more spsriugly, 800 fertilisation of fruib blossoms.— The Swiss apiarist, Mr Theiler, has made some experiments to ascertain positively whether the bees are useful or injurious to the fruit and vegetable Mowers in extracting tbo honey therefrom. Ho found thab the flowers visited by bee*, wherefrom tbey j extract their honey, will set fruit, while bhose which were covered up to prevent the bee from reaching them dropped thoir blo.soms becauso tbey were nob fertilised. Plants, he says, require fertilisation by the pollen being conveyed from one flower to another, thus insuring not only bhe complete fertilisation of the seed by the male pollen, improving the fruit, bub actually increasing its production, and this object ia accomplished by the bee. Ib, therefore, foliowa thab a well-attended apiary in an orchard will nob only give good returns of honey, bub ab the same timo insure a bountiful fruit crop ol superior quality. The Pear-mite (Phytopus pyri). In a leafleb for gardeners on tho above subieet, issued by the Department of Agriculture, Mr T. W. Kirk, Governmenb Biologist, writes :—' Leaves attacked by pear-mite are so very similar in appearance to those suffering from tho microscopic

fungus causing pear-scab (Fuaicladium pyrinum) that many persons mistake bbc une disease for tho othor, and thus the wrong treatment is applied. Tho diseased condition being due in ono instance to a fungus and the other to an insect, ib ia manifesb that differonb modes of combating them musb be adopted. 'The pear-mite ia very common in thia ■colony, a» also ia eomo parts of Australia. Its attacks may be firsb observed in the spring or early summer, when the leaves are seen to presenb a number of green and whitish-green blisters, which gradually increase both ia size aad quantity till there is sometimes scarcely any portion of the leal which is nob covered by these disfiguromenbs, which have now turned brown in colour, and look like ao many scabs. ' Tbe iueecb ia ao small as to bo almost invisible to the naked eye. With a lens, however, tbey are soon discovered on almost any leaf whoso surface ia covered with their blisters. 1 There ia good evidence thab the mitea hybernate in the buds, and in galleries on fche new wood, they having been discovered in tho bud. in the winter time; and, having boen seen to attack the leaves of the burating bud ia spring, vory likely the egga aro depoaibed in tho buda. These points, however, need further observations. ' The mites come from thoir galleries on the surface moro freoly in warm dry days than ab any obher time. ' Tho great; damage done by th«8o mites may nob ab firsb be apparent, but ib must be remembered thab the wholo of tho attacked foliage is rendered unhealthy and distorted, resulting in bhe premubure fall of the laaf, and this in turn causes unhealthy trees and a consequent short and imperfectly developed crop of fruit. ' Treatmdnt.—Rake up and burn all foliage from fruib trees. This will dispose of many ineecta beeides the mites, also myriads of fungus spores, thus preventing tbe spread of disease noxb season. After the loaves havo dropped, spray thoroughly with kerosene emulsion ; repeat just before tho buds bursb. 'Tho abovo I havo found usually quibe effectual, but, should another dressing be deemed necessary, spray again juab nicer tho petals fall.'