THE GARDEN.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIII, Issue 17, 19 January 1912, Page 9

THE GARDEN.

(By HOaXFS.) IHortus is wAling to answer any qnertao. Correspondents must give their real names and addresses, though not for publication.! TO CORRESPONDENTS. Walnuts (J.C.).— They are propagated from nuts, sown as soon as ripe, or kept and sown in spring. Insert them not less than two inches deep. Superior varieties are iocreasea by -budding or grafting into ordinary seedlings. A Sloping Garden (AJJ.).—It is difficult to keep a sloping piece oi ground moist with the hose, as the water naturally runs from tne highest to the lowest level. One plan it. to get a number oi six inch pots, sink thcra in the ground to about live inches deep among the plants, and fill them frequently with water. This will save the water and lessen the labour, and the soil will be kept moist to a greater depth than is possible by using surface waterings. A correspondent writes to ask me if I have noticed the fact that pale pink sweet peas, and, notably, Enchantress and Countess Spencer, last longer in water aa cut Uowers than do other colours. Yes, I .have noticed this; they last fresh from .twelve to twenty-Hoar hours longer, I should say. My correspondent asks me to give a reason for this, but I can only say that, perhaps, Che reason lies in the colouring pigment. Can any of my readers give me information on fne subject? LETTUCE. It is possible, with a little Ordinary care, to have an abundant supply of this valuable salad all the year round. We have no lack of good summer lettuces; these have always been abundant, and especially commend themselves to all who require plenty of material for salads in hot weather. The cottager prides himself upon the size to which he can grow his lettuces, but successive growth is often attained at the expense of quality, as such lettuces, however crisp, generally lack flavour, and are by no mean 3 so welcome for the salad-bowl as smaller and more compact kinds. Although it is easy to have lettuce throughout the Sunny months, by sowing in succession, it is no small tax upon a gardener's energies to maintain an unbroken supply through the dreary period of the year, and this can only be accomplished where the means of cultivation and protection exist. For a winter supply sowing is usually commenced early in February, and- continued up to the end of May; the latter sowing, however, generally in protected

places, where the seedling plants may stand winter without harm. Winter lettuces consist of the brown cos and cabbage kinds; but of these, from a large number of eorts, the selection of really good ones is, after all, but small, and such are obtainable from any reliable seedsman. HXOTS. Rose budding must be done when the bark of the young shoots upon the stocks and the buds part freely from ihe wood, though young shots upon brier stocks intended for standards "should become of fairly good size before the work is done. These considerations may influence budding work as between this time and late in March. §p, mmple is the operation that another variety may be budded into any strong young shoot, be it standard, bush or climber; but the bud should be inserted into a young shoot of this season's growth, and for preference near to its base. As regards the actual operation, make a transverse incision in the stock, and from the middle of this make another longitudinal one; then raise the bark in such manner that a prepared bud yn be pushed down under this T-like slit and between the bark and the wood. Having previously taken a young shoot from the bush from which buds are to be worked, cut off the leaves at half the length of the petioles, then scoop out a bud somewhat boatshaped with a sharp knife, and remove the bud with the bark attached from the wood at its back, insert in the slit in stock, ricrht way up, and bind firmly •Uttder the bark of the stock, leaving only the tip of the bud exposed. Then take off two or three inches of the point of the shoot so budded. Outdoor Vines.—Persist in stopping, pinch back all young shoots down to. the lowermost leaf. This is necessary to direct the force of the roots to. the crop of fruit, developing buds upon existing laterals and preventing young leaves shading older ones. Fully expose to sunshine by removing leaves that shade the bunches. Vines carrying good crops should be given liberal manurial waterings. Removal of old flowers and seed beads from flowering plants is not attended to as generally as it should be, in view of securing more numerous and better successions! blooms. It has become well known aa regard sweet peas, the older blooms of which should be constantly removed, else the plants cease flowering.

The same holds good with annual poppies, cornflowers, canterbury bells, petunias, nasturtiums, and many other plants, though in somewhat less degree, AJSOUT WATERING. It is desirable that plants under glass should be watered with rain-water, but as this cannot always be done water from wells or pipes is used, but should never be given in a cold state When it can be arranged to have a tank inside the greenhouse to hold water the chill is thus taken off, and water stood in the hot sun is likewise wanned, but otherwise a quart of boiling water to a gallon and a half of cold will iu a great measure rectify matters, and save the cultivator the mortification of seeing the leaves turn yellow and rdop off. For syringing it may be as warm as one can comfortably bear the hand in. Syringing in a greenhouse will scarcely be required except while the general stock is making its principal growth; even then plants in flower must be passed over, but the object sought by syringing is not so nVueh to drench the plants as to create a soft growing atmosphere, which is best accomplished before tha sun is wholly off the house by throwing the water in the air and upon the floor and walls in dry weather. Any individnal plant or climber, however, which shows signs of red spider, at whatever season, should be soundly soused, and in the vase of pot plants this is best done by laying them down and playing the syringe well at the under sides of the leaves, and this must be repeated often until the spider is drowned. Watering at the root is an important matter. If plants fail to get as much as they require they do not attain to the perfection, either in stature or flower, of which they are capable, and are in consequence more subject to insect attacks. On the other hand, if supplied with more than needful, the soil turns sour, the leaves of the plant turn yellow, and the latter puts on :i sickly appearance. In order to avoid these two extremes observation must be used to give water whenever the soil seems to be approaching a state of dryness, and at no other time. This may happen twice a day or twice in a week; but give it then, and give it effectually, so that it passes, out at the bottom of pot. Plants that have filled their pots full of roots and plants in active growth will be found to require a great deal of water in hot weather, but less when it is dull or damp,

while others that have not so filled their pots, or that are not so vigorous, would only be injured by a like application. The same rule holds good in applying liquid manure.