THE GARDEN.

Auckland Star, Volume XLI, Issue 66, 18 March 1910, Page 9

THE GARDEN.

(By HOKTOB.) (Hertns Is willing to.answer any queries. Correspondents mast give their real names ad addresses, though not for publication.) NOTICES TO CORRESPONDENTS. •umpkins CEteUono). — I have frequently seen more male than female flowers; but I have never known such a marked case as in your, plants. 1 am unable to give you any reason. inlphate of Ammonia (X.Y~Z.). — It is a powerful artificial manure, to be used sparingly. Apply it to the surface of the ground as a dusting thinly and evenly, at the rate of lcwt per acre, or an ounce per square yard only, and hoe it Into the ground. For pot plants, etc.. in liquid form, from half to three-Quarters of an ounce to a gallon of water will be ample. So applied, It is good for all crops. ?lan*s in Hall (K.P-ET-). . — With, plants growing in a nail or room, the leaves get covered with dust, completely filling up the pores, soon bringing them into an unhealthy condition. Pot plants in the above situations should have their leaves sponged with a wet sponge two or three times a week, or better, take them into the yard, tilt them on one side, and give the foliage a thorough syringing once a week. If the above treatment Is continued plants in the above situations would ktep in a healthy condition much longer than they usually do. Plants or trees out in the open, along dusty roads, especially in tbe city, usually suffer a good deal from the same cause during the summer. Frequent syringing in the evening would also modify the evil, and keep them more. healthy. HINTS. To keep lettuce crisp a day or longer; if necessary, follow this plan: Half fill a: shallow basin with clear -water, and set' the lettuce, stems down, in this, patting them sufficiently apart so that they can- j not touch each other. No moTe water { than just enough to cover the stems j should be used. Change the water daily. SPINACH. Varieties.—The round spinach is chief- I ly used for summer crops, while the: prickly, or Flandres, is the more suitable for winter. Winter Culture.— the month of March, and more largely in | April, prepare any good friable soil, and I sow thinly, in drills, drawn twenty to j twenty-four inches apart, by two inches j deep. Thin out tbe young plants to twelve inches apart, using the thinning for culinary purposes. After the leaves j of the plants become well developed, all | the outside ones should be gathered as j required for use. Continue going over ■ the crop in this way as it grows, until i the plants become exhausted or show | their flower stalks. ■ Although round' spinach will also stand the. winter in ■ this climate, yet the winter, or prickly varieties continue yielding for a much longer period without running to seed. window plants. Window plants which are too generally maintained in the self-same windows year in and year out will be greatly benefited if now placed out; of doors for three or four weeks. Such exposure to direct fresh air and all-round light will re-invigorate and harden them preparatory to rehousing for the winter. Any that have not been repotted recently may have an inch of the old surface soil removed from above the roots and an equal quantity of new, rich soil placed | firmly in lieu of it, room being allowed i for waterings. The best positions in which to place all removed from shady j aspect windows are due east or west,' such as have occupied aspect windows and have not been unduly shaded byi blinds place out in full sunshine. , A piece" of elate', or board should be placed under each pot, and root waterings will have to be given more frequently during fine, rainless periods. Zorials I known commonly as geraniums—^whieh ' have exhausted themselves in blooming may have the longest branches removed-! and these, divided up. into cuttings, plac- j ed to dry for a day or two, then fixed firmly in sandy soil in pots over a good drainage will root freely if placed on a sunny site out of doors, whereby young plants will be secured, capable of passing through the winter, and be ready for spring potting and subsequent blooming in dwarf form. By thus exposing cacti, the long-leaved phyllocactus in particular, they are likely, eirentuaJly, to bloom better; and campanulas, etc., grown in hanging pots or baskets, will also have their young overdrawn shoots made stronger, and become better hardened. Young shoots of fuchsias, inserted in sandy soil, placed in a cool, moist place, root readily at this season, and may be usefully wintered in the manner suggested above. liAiWN.. April is the oesi month of the year to renovate lawns which have got into a bad state. No lawn can .he mown for a. number of years without getting into a poor condition. Year after year the grass 'taken away withdraws the substance from the soil. When a lawn gets into this condition the grass becomes thin, poor, and feathery, weeds and rub* bish get a bold, and instead of a nice carpet of grass, an unsightly conglomeration of rubbish springs up. Now, it is easy to remedy this, at a slight cost of la&o'ur and money.' The first proceeding is to get the surface of the lawn skinned; only a slight paring—sufficient to clear away weeds and ruibbiah—-not deep enough to kill or lift any of the good grasses which may still toe in the ground. Take ail the skimmings and wheel away to a convenient place to rot. Next get a. few barrow-loads of turf •with good grass in it. For instance, .Kentucky blue grass and Indian Daub answer capitally here. Cut the turfs up into small squares about three inches square, or smaller wall do. Take, and dibble these under tihe surface on all places winch , axe bare of grass, about' a foot apart. Then got a few loads of the best soil that you can procuregood kitchen sodden soil will spread this all over the surface, working it up fine with the rake; then sow some fresh grass seed all over "the surface—rake and roll. The grass seed will make a good lawn by next spring, and the' sets which have been dibbled in will, spread over the surface in time and make a good lawn if attended * to. The above is only for lawns' which have got into a very 'bad state. Where lawns are only throwing a poof crop of grass, it will be only necessary to give them a sligfrfc top-dressing of very rich soil, working it well about'the roots of the grass, raking and roiling it heavily. This by next season will make the grass grow thicker, and will give a far better carpet of grass. To keep lawn£ in first class condition here,' they should receive a slight top-dressing every year. The necessary soil should be got and stacked in a heap during iihe stun' meT, along ■with some good, well-rotted stable manure. If such were done, the mould would ibe in splendid condition for spreading every autumn.