THE GARDEN.

Auckland Star, Volume XL, Issue 270, 12 November 1909, Page 9

THE GARDEN.

(By HORTUS.) Slugs (C.L.). — You might scatter s(»ot or lime over the surface of the ground, let it lie a couple of days, then slightly fork it in before sped sowing. Also, when the seedlings appear, and at Intervals thereafter, slightly dust the surface of the ground towards evening. Grape Vines, etc. (W.). — Young shoots niny be snapped off or stopped without the least dauger from bleeding, but if older, yellow wood Is cut bleeding Is likely to ensue. Young shoots (laterals) nfcve to be retained the whole lengths of ce.ues, to ensure that'the latter are properly furnished therewith year by year. Such as carry bloom are always retained — or the best amongst tueiu. If very proliflc. Tnese are pinched back at one, two, or three leaves beyond that which has bloom at Its axil, and any sub-later-als which subsequently form beyond the frnit are pinched back to one leaf, no young growth to be permitted below the bloom truss. Fruitless laterals should be pinched back beyond the fourth or fifth leaf, and all subsequent sub-laterals stopped, .ns previously suggested. In instances where dual or too many shoots form, break the unnecessary ones off at their base. HINTS. Spring Flowering Bulbs.—Those taken up to make room for summer flowering plants should be forked up. Remove old flower stalks and such dead scales as attach to them; then thoroughly dry and store them until October. Dahlia tubers, started in moist soil and a comparatively warm place, will be pushing up their young shoots, which, if increase of stock is necessary, should be divided. With a. sharp knife so divide the roots as to ensure that each young shoct has a goodly portion of tuber attached, then for preference, place each into a separate pot where they will form a mass of roots, which can be turned out without injury at the time of planting. Young shoots, placed in sandy soil, will root and form plants quickly with a little artificial warmth.

Dahlia roots which have been safely wintered may now be planted in the open ground, provided their collars, or upper parts, are buried two inches below the surface. Before planting them the ground should be liberally manured and turned up deeply.

Plant out seedlings with the utmost dispatch into prepared ground during or immediately after rainy weather, in view of getting all vacant ground occupied and giving each subject as long a season for growth as possible.

Runner Beans.—Mould up well and definitely immediately they start making their second period of growth beyond the seed lobes, and promptly pole or stick them. Upon somewhat deep rich grounds, seven or eight feet poles; around which the plants can climb, are necessary. If an attempt is made to support them with short, weakly sticks, they will be likely to fall over, when both growth and cropping will receive a check. Excellent crops can be grown without poles by cutting off the points of all young shoots as they appenv throughout the season. This cnus'-s them to form dense ground bushes, only about a foot or fourteen inches in height, which pod freely. Market Beans are thus grown, and the plants are periodically stopped in the simplest way possible— i.e., women walk along the rows and, with sharp knives, lop off the points of all shoots.

Grapes in early houses, when they have finished their first swelling, commence the formation of seeds. This beimr a trying time for them, if deficient in root vigour, it is desirable to ease the tax by maintaining for two or three weeks, or until the berries show first signs of colouring, a more moderate temperature. At the same time some of the pinched-back laterals should be permitted to grow somewhat. Later grapes, from the time the fruit is set and the thinning performed, will be benefited by an advance of temperature up to 70 or 80 degrees by day and some five or eight degrees less by night, after which the conditions noted above should be observed. Sec that all vines having their roots within or under glass structures are liberally watered occasionally up to the time the berries begin to colour. Strawberries from Seed.—lt is so easy to propagate strawberries by means of runners that few ever think of raising a crop from seed. This, however, is by no means- difficult, and those fond of horticultural experiments will find the

work interesting. To obtain the teed take a fine, well developad strawberry, peel a thin slice from the outside, and place it on a sheet of paper in the sun, where it will not be disturbed. In a few hours the pulp will all be dried up and the seeds may be collected. Sow these at once in a pot of fine soil, and when the seedlings appear prick them off into pots, as is done with tender seedlings, and later place them singly in small pots, keeping them in a frame or in the greenhouse throughout the winter. Treated thus, a large percentage will fruit next Season, and the whole the following year. If the fruit from which the seed is taken was grown in a garden where bees abound the chances are that there will be a great variety of Borts, and there may be one or two of exceptional quality. At any rate, the work is interesting, and there is always more satisfaction in growing fruit or flowers of one's own raising than in merely growing those raised by others.

Dissolve one quart of softsoap in two quarts of boiling soft water. Remove from the fire; while still boiling hot add one pint of paraffin oil, and immediately churn the mixture with a small hand syringe, and in three to five minutes a perfect emulsion is made. This always remains permanent and is very easily diluted with hard or soft water, but the latter and hot is preferable; indeed, the hotter the dilution consistent with its safety to the plant the more effective the insecticide. For soft-bodied insects dilute from fifteen to twenty times; for hard-bodied insects use one part emulsion to ten parts of water.

Grafted Trees.—lf the grafts are growing freely remove the clay covering, and if the ties appear too tight they may be loosened to permit of stock and graft swelling freely, but they should be again tied more loosely to protect the joined parts and insure them from injury during windy weather. With the latter object in view, rods should be so placed for tying the young shoots to as they increase in height.

There are some things in which the floriculturist would do well to imitate the fruit-grower, for the care bestowed on some kinds of fruit trees and the skill exhibited in their management Is quite remarkable when contrasted with tho indifference shown to such expedients by the agents of floriculture. Every experienced grower of peach, apricot, and nectarine trees is an advocate of the process of disbudding, going over them at Btated periods, according to the lateness or earliness of the season, and removing carefully all those pushing buds that would apepar to furnish unnecessary branches, or, in fact, such as, if left to perfect themselves, would only have to be cut away in winter. Now, the reason for this is obvious. By preventing the tree from developing superfluous shoots its strength is clearly husbanded and thrown Into those branches that remain, and which are thereby rendered better capable of bearing fine fruit, and equally vigorous new branches in the succeeding summer. Although the advantage of stopping the young shoots of exotics while in a progressing state is admitted in order to make them additionally bushy, in the case of plants that branch freely when so stopped I have noticed the principle carried to an extreme. A better way of accomplishing the reduction of shoots that are, from pruning and other causes, forming too numerously is by disbudding, a practice so often applied to peach trees and others * ''' ' r~• * "