THE GARDEN.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVII, Issue 87, 11 April 1906, Page 9

THE GARDEN.

(BX HORTUS.)

(Hortus Is willing to answer any queries. Correspondents must give their real name* and addresses, though not for publication.)

TO CORRESPONDENTS.

Nitrate ot Soda.—(B.D.)—lt is powerful and quick in effect, hence should be sown thinly between the rows of vegetables at the rate of 2cwt per acre. It is best to hoe it into the ground as soon as sown.

HINTS.

Medlars, quinces and lata pears should all be gathered and stored in a cool place. Cacti should not he watered after this date, bnt should all be placed together on the driest shelves in the structure. Outdoor tomatoes must not be permitted to grow any more. By stopping all yonng shoots as they, appear 'the plants are kept from becoming overcrowded and it also assures to the fruit all the sunshine possible. I Vegetable marrows and kidney beans crop later If the extremities of their growing shoots are now pinched off and decaying leaves removed from the former, also by not letting the produce upon either become too large or old. Raxfezierbaeeous and rock plants may. in a general way, be now propagated from side root growths or cuttings dibbled out under frames, or Into pots, and placed in a close place for two or three weeks. Plant house shading not being necessary In future, roller blinds should be removed when qnlte dry and stored where they can-be-kept free from damp. -Where a permanent summer shading has been laid as a wash upon the glass. It, will be best removed.' " '" recently propagated, Sfcethtt existing ■taa&fte «B*U «Qt* or.

many together in store boxes, pansy; or | pots; rhiust.-not be incited -to undue growth by, too liberal.waterings.;;' The chief aim :shouid now :be to: maintain them'healthy and fairly inactive. ■■ '•' Cinerarias, and other soft-wooded plants, aire'' likely to contract aphis at: this .season. Examine the !'undersides'...of.. -the | leaves, and if any of the pests exist- therer on' have recourse to 'fumigating,! which should be done to a moderate on two or three successive evenings. Sow cauliflower, black-seeded brown cos. and cabbage lettuce to. produce seedlings for standing through the Winter. Though some of the, resultant seedlings should be transplanted (half to remain 1n the. bed), it is unwise to sow "thickly, because the more dwarf these seedlings continue to be the better will they -withstand future cold Weather. :■.■.:': ' Plants in glass structures, apart from bedding ones and such as are in flower, must have the temperature surrounding them so regulated and gradually decreased as to prepare them for duller .weather and an enforced season of rest, -r If now kept too warm they will continue to grow unduly, or what is Worse in regard to some, be forced to -make fresh growth, and thereby be constitutionally injured.. Whenever the sun shines give air freely. At the same time keep the atmosphere dry. Escballots and potato onions may be planted when conditions are favourable to give them an. early start. They may be planted in rows across sunny quarters, or, as regards the first; in beds, somewhat 'raised, three feet and a-half, wide in rows therein nine inches It Is best to foree~eaeh bulb down into the finely prepared soil firmly with the hand. Growers will do well to cultivate the large bulbed forms in preference--'to the smaller cluster rooted. The onions named require fixiug firmly in the ground In like manner eight inches asunder. Root-Pruning Fruit Trees.—Young fruit trees go-owing in a too luxuriant and unfruitful manner, will be benefited by being lifted and root-prunged. This is done by elenring the soil away from the roots carefully, and shortening the Toots to one and a-half feet from -the.stem. Large unfruitful apple trees should also be root pruned. If the trees have not been robtI pruned for some time Some of the. roots will have travelled a long Way. In. this case shorten the. tap root only. Globe artichoke stools should now have a certain amount of protection given them against future severe Weather. Healthy stools are at this time possessed of young shoots, clustering somewhat thickly together. The more robust and thickly grown these are the more likely they are to suffer from severe weather; hence it is necessary to well protect them with some such material as used-up stable straw. Push it in between the shoots, and lay it up close around them, so "•that only about j one-third of the upper part of the growth appears above it. Winter spinach has to he-sown in bulk in a general way iv April. It is advisable to make two sowings, one a few days earlier, along with the above iv the north and a few days later in the south. Prickly seeded is habitually used for this crop, though a, small sowing of round seeded made at the same date is likely to come in handy before the former is sufficiently advanced for picking. Sow in shallow drills, 10 inches or a foot apart. An open aspect and light ground are best for this crop, and if the ground is dry water well. -, Watering pot plants in glass structures must be vow done with circumspection and moderation. Whilst on the one hand the requirements of individuals, must be attended to, the slipshod use of the wateringpot must be discontinued. Hard-wooded subjects, such as azaleas and heaths, having their pots full of roots, will require more frequent waterings than their apparent resting condition may suggest as being necessary. This has to be determined by the appearance of soil, rapping the sides of the pots with the knuckles, and sometimes by lifting to determine their weight. Too little water may cause them to shed a third of their leaves, whilst an excess might kill them outright; in any case, their vigour, it not vitality, will suffer. In regard to camellias, any extreme of treatment will cause them to shed their bloom buds as a flrst signal of distress. " To treat all successfully growers must have intimate knowledge of the root conditions of each. Frames.—lt these are devoted ;to cuttings of any kind in process of being rooted they must be kept close while, the process is. yet incomplete. Direct sunlight' must be excluded by adequate, - but riot - 3over-denee, shading. Maintain geuial humtaity. iv the | atmosphere by lightly sprinkling, the shies of the frame twice a day in sunny,' dry weather. When rootins: Is well advanced admit a little air at night by tilting the upper end of the sash. Uegin with very little, half mn inch being sufficient at first. and gradually increase it as the plants show they endure It without hurt. ' Seedling plants in frames, cinerarias, China primroses, or others will not. after they have germinated, be suited with the close humid air required by cuttings. Freer exposure to light and air is necessary, and water must be given more sparingly, otherwise weak, flabby growth will be the result, aud many deaths will occur from damping off. Seedlings of every kind should be pricked off from the seedpot before they become crowded into other pots or boxes, giving two or three inches square of space to each plant. Shade from the sun's rays for a day or two after beiug pricked off is necessary.