THE GARDEN.

Auckland Star, Volume XLI, Issue 142, 17 June 1910, Page 9

THE GARDEN.

HINTS.

(3j HOHTUSJ

(Horrus is willing to answer any qneries. ! Correspondents ninst give tlieir real names and addresses, though not for publication.) j TO CORRESPONDENTS. | I ■ Guavas (C>. — I have received a letter ( from a correspondent whose guavas are not flourishing. I have no similar experience. I print his letter hoping tnat some reader of the •'Garden" column will kindly supply the required information: — 1 have two kinds of guavas, the pnrple and the, possibly less known, j-ellow. This latter, in my experience, is much tne better bearer, but unfortunately in this volcanic soil, tie berries (1 to H'm diameter) drop when near maturity. become so weak that at very slight disturbance they fail off. I can scarcely think this can be quite all the fault of a healtby, vigorous, growing tree, and rcaybe they lack something not In the soil or my treatment. Can you kindly help mc? Planting Trees in Exposed Situations (Planter). — The trees you oug&t to procure from the nurseries should l>e the small, hardy-grown nees. not the large, generously-grown ones. The latter will only receive such a severe check in the situation you describe, th-vt it may take them some years to recover. Small trees will take sooner to the situation, get sooner established, and grow quicker. You .must plant very thjefcly. say stt feet apart. Use plenty of pines for nurses. I know that pines are tabooed by some, but where plantations are needed the pine must be used extensively for' nursing the othor trees for the first few years, then thin th<:m out.

Lawns should be attended to as promptly as possible, both in the matter of grass seed sowing and turf laying, where the latter has been delayed till so late. Turf laid at this date well beat down. Fresh-laid turf -upon lawns should be well rolled periodically, and not cut, or machined, before necessary in view of encouraging root growth. Moss growing upon fruit trees, more α-enera;! in damp than in the drier counties, should be effectu-ally destroyed during moist weather at this season. Dusting the trees with wood ashes, also with fresh-slaked lime, destroys such parasitical growths. There is, however, a better plan to follow, because, whilst it cleanses the bark, it has a tendency to destroy the eggs, or larvae, of insect pests. Dissolve one pound of potash in eight gallons of water, and spray the branches therewith.

Plants that Bear Crowding. — It may be interesting to note how singularly different it is with some kinds "of plants — plants that really seem to do best when thickly planted- Take rhododendrons, for instance; they grow away with so much more freedom when thick on the ground that, with, a view of quick furnishing, it really is worth while to plant thickly and thin out as soon as they are likely to get over-crowded. Hardy ferns are another notable example, for the more the roots get matted together with one another the greater the vigour of Tie plants. Hardy heaths and the Irish heaths (Menziesias) are the same, and even of some vegetables a greater aggregate weight can be had "when left thick tn-an if carefully thinned. Onions are, perhaps, the best example, for at least double tile weight of produce can be had from non-thinned beds than from carefully-thinned ones. Of course, I say nothing about size—a point that it is not necessary to consider when pickles are wanted." Early horn carrots are also a most striking exception to the general rule of improvement of produce by thinning; "jese should never be thinned, but, as a matter of course, it -would be unreasonable to sow very thickly. I am sorry not to 'be able to add what would probab]} t>e the most profitable bit of iiiformation on this subject—namely, the why of this divergence in plants that otherwise are so closely allied. SHAPING TREES. in an article on planting en orchard, a writer in -ihe "ililduia PultiYator"

makes the following observations on shaping trees:— When the young shoots get about two feet long, take off all but five, leaving those five well balanced around the tree to form the body branches at the point ■where you desire to make the top or head, which should be low. All the growth of the five limbs left on will make the body 'branches so much the better. Now, in order to have a properlygrown tree a systematic aiathod of pruning must be employed, and. must be followed from first year to fourth, inclusive, from planting. X-ow listen: Cut your five limbs off evenly at from loin to 20in irom body ot the tree, allow only two buds near the end to grow, which just doubles your wood each year. These buds should be left so as to grow upward, and never leave them on to grow towards the centre of tha tree nor straighten outward. If these rules are strictly observed your?"Sree wiil, at the -end'of four years, be properly formed, and balanced, and pruning in after 3'ears will be very light. In addition to the form and shape, he body branches will be all strong and stiff, and never lop down when loaded with fruit. You understand the reason; when the limbs each year are cut to 18in or 20in, and the wood is only doubled, they grow in size according to their length, which causes them to stand up properly. Such a thing as a saw in a commercial orchard should never be tolerated, and you will observe by employing these methods it -will never be necessary to do them wrong, and everyone growing a commercial orchard should strive to do his work in the proper manner and at the proper time, thereby securing the maximum results at a minimum cost. Roses require attention. Climbing may now he pruned and nailed definitely to walls, tied to arches, etc. \VheTe superior tea roses grow in the former positions, they also require this treatment prior to their early spring growth, because in snch positions they are protected from cold winds, so tliat they begin to grow early and do no! usually suffer after being pruned. Retain as far as practicable all strong shoots upon these said teas; not only do the finest flowers form upon these, but the plants are retained in health and vigour—owing to the root action they superinduce by their retention.

The propagation of bedding plants must be commenced by Till who would secure stocks of strong cuttings to successfully carry through the winter month;. Primarily, a plan should be drawn out for next year's bedding display, now that combinations nnd contrasts of bedding plants can be made, as a change and improvement ot existing beds, when they describe so well their true colours, characteristics, etc. Then a computation can be made of the numbers of each kind, or their varieties that' will be required. It is always necessary to propagate more than are supposed to be required to meet contingencies, provided individual sorts are not overdone; at the same time new varieties, supposed improvements on old ones, cannot be over-propagated, ensuring as they do a thange for the better. Some growers possess the means of setting aside on spare ground a certain number of plants for purposes of propagation; such favoured individuals will have no difficulty in procuring cuttings. By far the more numerous, bowever, are those who have to rely upon permanent beds for their cuttings. It is the more imperative, therefore, that they promptly take a cutting here and there in suoh manner as is possible, without disfiguring existing displays, and the sooner they do so the better. Gardeners usually take advantage of a tvet day to do this, when other work cannot be as comfortably advanced; in any case, it will be found best to begin propagating at once. Zonals will pxopagate readily, if prepared, laid in a dry place for a day or two, then dibbled into soil and placed out of doors in full sunshine. Other subjects propagate best from fiowerless young sboote dibbled into sandy soil as quickly as possible, watered to settle the soil about ■them, and placed in a shaded, close frame until they commence growing.