HINTS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXX, Issue 273, 17 November 1899, Page 3

HINTS.

Thinning fruit is of vital importance where trees are set too heavily, rhis Sk should be done just before the ggpSfp™ tSe receptacle ot the seed 3 waterinls as may be necessary. STSino? ones upou which female SweS do not occur-and remove any S of male flowers. Occasionally Strong vine may require stoppmgto tagKJroitlng laterals to form upon t The Bush marrow, which is somewhat extensively grown, tavmg but ■me main stem and devoid ot lateral obtained true to name ■?s prone to produce many male flowers Smmd its base; the gveater art o •he«e are best removed, as they tax tie growths of the plants unneces"(SLs, both autumn and spring sown, demand attention until all are out in a way to make vigorous growth Sd carry on future bulb formation, flprin- Swn, if at all in season, are how fo far advanced -that it xs absolutely necessary to thm them ouVas uo-ested a fortnight ago. The larger the seedlings are and the thicker they £ow the more care will be necessary la remove such as are not required without injuring those selected to remain, and from this point of view no plan is better than cutting out those that are to be removed with a sharppointed knife, as by this means such ■as are retained continue their firm hold of the ground-an important consideration in connection with the toimaSon of future large bulbs Once the rows are thinned ho e neatly between them periodically to keep the surface open and free, but not so close to'the plants as to loosen them oifliniure them with the tool. _ Out-door grape vines require a decisive stopping. As a rule these grape vines are permitted to form and retain far too much young wood, or too many young shoots. For this reason, if for no other, they do not succeed as well as they might do. If the young laterals which form in the spring were thinned out, as was then suggested, more than what they are, there would be better opportunity for large bunches of fruit to form—the said laterals as they became stronger, as they would do, receiving increased fruiting capacity in succeeding years. As it is, such bunches of fruit as showare retained and along with the laterals carrvin°- them far too many others that"are-worse.than useless. No two laterals should be permitted upon the main rods.;or canes to be nearer than a hand span to each other, and they should be secured on both sides of the canes at about this distance, alternating so that they spring at exact angles with each other. If any joint or spur has at this time more than one lateral or shoot springing from a common base, remove all but one, and that the fruit bearer. All existing fruit bearing laterals should be pinched back to within one leaf of the base of any shoot forming at their api ces —only one shoot being permitted at its extremity. Strong growths Bprino'ino- forth from the base of the vine or at the ends of the canes are to be retained as necessary for the extension of each plant. A very vigorous adventitious young shoot growing tip from the base, or its vicinity, if permitted to grow and eventually nailed in to take the. place of any weak old cane, will produce much finer fruit in the near future; but the old cane must not be cut out until the .vine is at rest in winter, or the wound caused may bleed, with very injurious consequences. Town Gardening.—There nre two distinct classes of celery—the tallgrowing sorts and the dwarf varieties. A few years ago the former class was grown generally; trenches were dug, and their bottoms were enriched to receive the plants. Now the dwarf kinds are proving their superiority by yielding a larger amount of crisp, tender heart than is found between long, coarse stalks of the tall sorts. Dwarf celery requires less labour also, for it can iie set on the surface and much closer together, the rows ihree feet apart, anil the plants six inches in the row.' Dig all the ground thoroughly, tten, beginning on one side of the plot, stretch a line along it, and fork under- a foot-wide strip of three or four inches of compost, not raw mamire. By this means the soil where tlie row is to be is made very rich and Mellow. Set out the plants at once while the "-round is fresh and moist. If the row i.s 10 feet long, you will want 20 plants; if 15, thirty plants, or }wo plants to every foot of row. Havin £ set out one row, move the line forward three feet, and prepare and setout another row in precisely the same fanner. Continue this process until tye jilot selected is occupied. If the Plants have been grown in your own garden, much is 'gained by soaking % ground around them in the events and removing them to the rows in .ttie'eool of the morning. This abundat|t'moisture ; will cause the soil to cl'i.S- to the roots if handled gently, *M the plants will scarcely know that have been moved. When setting J visually trim off the greater part of joe foliage. When all the leaves are roots, not established, cannct

keep pace with the evaporation. 2VI--vrays keep the roots moisfe and unshrivelled. and the liearb intact-, and the plants are safe. If no rain follows setting immediately, watsr the plants thoroughly—don't be satisfied with a mere sprinkling of the surface^and shade from the hot sun until the plants start io grow. One of the chief requisites in putting out a celery plant, and indeed almost any plant, is to press the soil firmly around, against, and over the roots. This excludes the air, and the new rootlets form rapidly. Neither bury the heart nor leave any part of' the root exposed.