THE GARDEN.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIII, Issue 214, 6 September 1912, Page 9

THE GARDEN.

(By HORTCS.) [H«rtH!> is willing to answer any queries. Correspondents must give their real names mid addresses, though not for publication.] TO COBRESPONDENTS. TREE-KILI.INC. (T.M.).— Yes. taking off 11 ring of bark completely round Hie truuk übout Iwo Inches deep, and cutting down to the wood, will cau.se nil above the rliit; to die, hut not the part lielow It. Shoots will »|>riug tip from the bust' of the tree, so It would be better to sunup the roots out nt once, otherwise it would look unsightly for a long time. Any tree of the pine fcraUly would die out entirely if treated as above, but :i blue gum will not. TOMATO PLANTS (Amateur).—You should not plum out your tomatoes till about 1 lie end of October or the beginning of November. us they will not do any jrood on your poor ("lily soil until the weather Is warmer. You could die manure and prepare yonr irruund now, so us to have it In Rood condition, when I lie proper time comes. U Is too early to |»int now, even in warm sheltered positions. OVBIWIKOWN I'IUVBT lIIvU(iK (W. 11.).— You may cut the liedß<- as fnr back as you wiHli at once. It will look unsightly for a time, lint will soon break lino growth. Tho hedge Khould have been severely cut had; early hi August. The plants are now starting to grow. DnpiitS the fuimmcr the growing shoots should be oec-awionally clipped to induce a thick growth. SOWING iJKEDS OF MANDKVILLA (P"Tuuklln).— You can sow the seeds about the end of next month, using a compost of turfy loaaiN a little leaf mould, and Kami. The plants can be propagated by cuttings made of small «titr side shoots, about three Inches long. I'ut these in a pot In lljjht sundy soil, and keep covered with, <> sheet of class until the cuttings show signs of growth. The pot should be placed In a warm position, hut not when; the direct rays of the sun can reach the glass, us Hie cuttings might be scotched. Keep the soil in the pot moderately moist. When the cuttings have struck repot singly ly<o small pots. When established and hardened off,, plant where they are to grow. CAMELLIA TREE AND TENUIS LAWN ((rleiifield).—You can cut back your camellia to any size that will snlt .th« position in which It Is growing. Now Ls the best time to do this, before the new growth starts. It would not be advisable to prune one side now and the other afterwards. Prune now and the tree will soon start new growth. Tennis lawn: You could sow yonr grass seed whenever yon have placed the good soil on the surface. By doing «o now, and if Uie .srmson be favourable, you will have a good chance of establishing the lawn this season at less cost than if you waited till next autumn. If the lawn does not come down quite level, next autumn you could give a top dressing of good soil to bring it level, nnd sow fresh seed. This plan would be less expensive than keeping your lawn free of weeds during the ensuing eight months.

KITCHEN' GARDEN. If the crop of spring onions is not already sown, sow at once. Autumn onions* should be lifted and dibbed out in rows fifteen inches apart, and from six to eight inches apart in the row, according to variety; onions like a rich moist soil.

Potatoes.—Plant dWew more of the intermediate varieties. Defer planting late varieties till the cud of this month, or the beginning of next. Peas.—Make another sowing of pe.os as soon as the last sown are above the ground, earth up and stake those tha/t are beginning to grow freely. Cabbage and cauliflower. —Plant for succession, fork between the rows, and earth up. Make successional sowings of all the tmall salad plants. Prjck oat seedling lettuce plants in rich Manure and dig vacant plots so as to have them ready for later planting and sowing. Use lime freely to keep eiugs under.

THE FLOWER GARDEN. Lf not already done, cut away old dead fronds from hardy frrns, that the new ones may be. able to develop freely. A light forking up of the earth, followed by a top dressing of good loamy soil and leaf nio«ld mixed, will alTord new food for the active roots. Plant out seedling carnations, unless grown in warmth, when harden off. in a frame for a. fortnight. The weakest seedlings are likely to yield the best-Jlowers, and should be ■specially looked after. Stake sweet peas, and plant out any raised in pots. Hardy bedding plants should lie got into position in the (lower garden—calceolarias, pcutstcnions, antirrhinums, violas, etc.

(.ireenhouse subjects—geraniums, fuchsias, lobelia, ageratum, etc. —.should be hardened oil' preparatory to planting out in two or three weeks' time. The digging planting and rearranging of Slower borders may be undertaken, though it is late to disturb large specimens or clumps, owing to the amount of young growth made; protect any lifted from sun and wind by a covering oi damp sacks, etc.

'J hi; sowing of hardy annuals in the open may now be undertaken whenever the soil is dry enough. Many of the hardy annuals give a better result if they are sown in boxes and then planted out. But mere are some that will not stand this treatment, nnd must be sown when , they are to flower, i'oppics are of this class, and indeed all those annuals which make a long tup root, such as cschchouzia.

Mignonette presents n difficulty to many people My experience is that when the foil is trodden linnly after sowing the. seed germinates splendidly. To give the best results these and all other annuals must be rigidly thinned. Many hesitate to do this. THE (UtEIiNHOUSE. Plants in .class structures should all, with the advent of spring, assume nctive growth. In structures which have enjoyed a growing warmth this fact is all the more pronounced. Seedlings and rooted cuttings will re iirire pricking out, or potting, young shoots upon limbers looping up and tying, and during line weather encouraged t>y overhead syringing morning or afternoon. Sundry plants which do not require, potting must hnve dressings of rich compostt and root waterings more frequently. Givo more fresh air in accordance with the advance of the outer temperature, and shade plants in flower during sunshine. At this busy time of seed sowing a few hints may be of use. For very small seeds swell as begonias it is well to prepare the soil Rpecinlly. A.s the germination of the seed may lie spread over a considerable time, and as the seedlings whets they appear are so delicate, care should be taken to ensure 'that no other seeds should spring thun those that have been sown.

If the soil that is to be used for this purpose is baked in an oven or raised in any way to a temperature of about 200 degrees Fahrenheit, not only the seeds of weeds, but all iusect life will be destroyed. One can safely then go on with the sowing. If a box is used the bottom should be covered with a layer of ashes, and then the soil placed upon that to the depth of an inch. To water the soil the hest way i> to place the box in a dish of water —not deep enough to flood the soil—but just at such a depth as will allow the moisture to soak up till every particle is permeated. The box should then be put in a place to drain for an hour or two.

To ensure that the seed is evenly spread over the surface it may be mixed with a quantity of fine sand and the whole, sprinkled with a pepper-caster over the surface.

There should be no covering of soil over the seeds. They should simply be pressed in. A sheet of glass is t'.icn placed over the box and brown paper over that. The glass helps to keep the soil moist: it should be turned every day. • Constant attention is necessary when tho soil is so shallow as this. Watering should always be done by immersing the box in the way previously described. Tho water given to all seedlings should never be below the temperature in which they arc being grown.