GARDEN NOTES

Press, Volume LVII, Issue 9010, 24 January 1895, Page 2

GARDEN NOTES

"Weekly Press.** The time has arrived when sowings of Cabbage for spring and early summer supply should be made, the exact date deptndliigupoutheearliuessorotherwiseof the district. As a rale, if seeds be sown very . earlv'the plants make too much growth before the winter sets in, stod are liable to bolt. Sow on well-expose ' ground that has not grown any of the Cabbage tribe for some years—the longer the better. If it be well dug and is *ufficien'ly rich, no manure heed be afforded, otherwise, & light dres»ing of rotten manure ,is necessary, the land being well pulveiised and mingled with the dung in the course of digging it. It should be trodden evenly all over, made level and smooth, and shallow drills at xtx inches apart drawn, in which the seeds should be scattered thinly if the seed be new. Thick seeding when seed ia fresh, unless the plants are pricked out at a very early age, is sure to produce spindly plants that seldom do much good. The seed-beds should bo treated as advised for salad plants, and the beds shaded till germination has taken place, when the shading Stuff should be taken off instantly. Give growing celery supplies of liquid manure, care being taken to keep the liquid at the bottom of the trench and not over the foliage of the plants. Where moulding Up is commenced care should be taken that the work is nob done before the roots are thoroughly moistened, and that all 9uckers and superfluous leave* are removed. Thin out Salsafy and Scorzonera leaving about 9ln between each plant- Give liquid manure. Lettuces should be sown where the plants can remain aud heart. By sowing thinly rapid growth results. At this date there is often room on the flat portion of soil thrown out of the Celery treuches, and iv this position the plants do grandly. If the drills are at all patchy, it is an easy matter to lift a few seedlings aud make the blanks good. Plants raised in this way do not run so ouickly in dry, hot weather, less water is'needed, and the heads are of fine flavour.

Tho principal Work of this department is to remove all faded flowers and leaves and weeds, giving water at the roots where found necessary. Pinch the points out of exira strong growths and peg down the shoots of trailing plants as occasion may arise so aa to promote and maintain a symmetrical surface in the floral display. In mixed beds care must be taken not to allow the stronger flowers to smother the weaker ones, but to give each ample space to develop and appear to advantage. Where stakes are necessary these ought always to be given before the flower stems are far advanced, and before the plants have a chance of falliug about the ground. If stakingiis loug delayed it is scarcely possible to support the plants in a manner to bvoid a bundled-up appearance, whereas every stem should be early supported, and the branches, if any, be allowed to spread out naturally. There ought to be no making a single 3take, and one, or at the most two, ties answer for a mass of growths, more especially in the case of herbaceous plants; but there should be divisions made, and three or more stakes used, and in.any.case avoid drawing"the stems together, only C(v_b'ulgs out above and below. ' See,that the tie* do not prevent'ihe flower spikes of Gladioli growing up straightly, and let the Dahlia stakes be both tall enough and stout enough to do good service. Rose budding is an operation which will require attention in warm dull, weather.' Before commencing to bud, go over the stocks, and reduce the shoots to three— the strongest and best placed. Having done t>o, choose well-developed, plump buds of the required varieties, putting the rose shoots iv a covered watering-can. Place the buds well'down in the angle formed by the shoot with the stem of the stock, and tie securely with soft worsted or bast. If the bark of stocks or Rosea does not ran readily, water the plants heavily, and waita few days before commencing the job. Remove at short intervals faded flowers, pinch off the seed-pods; syringe with an insecticide all bushes &c, infested with green : fly. Keep the heads of .Htandard K<»t»e trees fairly thin by removing thin, blind, misplaced, or crowded shoots, rubbing oi? all shoots on the stocks, and removing stickers. The flowering of climbing Roses having approached its end, cut out all the weak and worthless shoots, and dressi be plants with : an insecticide, thus preparing some of them "for a good supply of bloom ia ■'-.••■' /' 1

Rosa multiflora.—-Although the of this Rose are themselves small, they are borne iv such-grace and profusion, that no species when in blossom produces a more delightful effect. A nines of plants in the collection of Roses at Kew (which is close to the pagoda) presented a'most beautiful picture. This gronp covered' a piece of ground 30ft or more square, each plant, with its long, slender, arching branches laden with bloom, making, a veritable fountain' ot flowers. The blossoms are borne on compound panicles, and are pure white and fragrant, measuring under ltd in diameter: Varieties are in cultivation with double flowers and of various shades of red. The finest of the single whites is the variety grandiflora.— Garden.. Rosa Lutescens.—This is a very pretty and charming Rose which flowers during early summer, and Is nearly related to the Scotch Roses (R. spinosissima and vars.). It grows to a height of 4ft, ta more, the leaves being larger than 'those of any of the Scotch Roses, and consisting of-seven or nine leaflets. ' The stems are covered with short slender pines. The flowers are single, and measure 2_rln in diameter, the colour being a beautiful pale creamy yellow, making as to colour a connecting link between R. ' spinosissima- and the Austrian Briers (R. lutea). It is probably, a native of Siberia. It is figured in the Botanical Magazine for 1813 under the name of R. hiapida.— Garden, The Perennial Phlox.—Most people will agree with the American Agriculturist that no herbaceous plant can excel the perennial Phlox in its rich show of great masses of colour. Clumps three and four years old form a bunch as many feet across, containing scores, if not hundreds, of stalks, each one bearing a great head of flowers. The shades of red and rose are very rich and delicate. A few plants of the white varieties should be used to furnish contrast. To grow this flower well the. ground must be made rich in spring, and kept free from weeds. Not infrequently we' notice that some horticultural writers advise staking the plants. Do not do so. If -you do you make them look so stiff and prim that you spoil them. It is not at -all necessary to give tbem support, as the stalks are strong and quite able to take care of themselves. Those on the outside will be drowded by those in the centre, and quite naturally bend downward when in oloom, but they will not break, and tbey give the plant a charming effect, making it appear.a rounded mass of colour from the ground, an effect impossible to obtain when stakes and strings are used. The great value of this flower for planting amid groups of {shrub, bery, and especially among evergreens, is just beginning to be understood. The Odour and Use of Onions.—The' odour of this vegetable, which is what makes it so unpleasant, is due to a volatile oil, which is the same as that in Garlic, though in the Onion it is milder and nat jrally does not last so long. There are, besides, easy ways of removing at once all unpleasantness from the breath. A little Parsley or.a few grains of Coffee, or even a swallow or two of milk, if taken after eating, proves ao effective remedy. Boiled Onions are the least .objectionable in regard to odour, and are as easily digested as any. The oil in the Onion passes off into the water in which the vegetables are boiled, and if the kettle be kept closely covered and the water changed after they hare boiled five minutes, and then again ten minutes later, there will be no odour through the house, and the Onions will be white instead of grey, as they so often are. Besides being rich -In flesh-forming elements raw Onions are especially good in breaking up a heavy cold; they are also stimnl ting to fatigued persons, and are otherwise beneficial.— Scientific American. Sanitary Qualities .of Watercress.—The Watercress Is a plant containing-very sanitary qualities. A curious characteristic of it is that, if grown in n ferruginous stream, it absorbs into itself five times the amount of iron that any other plant does. For all ansemio con-tltutlons (says.the Scientific American) it is therefore specially of value.' But it also contains proportions of garlic Lnd sulphur, of iodine and phosphates, and is a blood purifier, while abroad it is thougbt a most useful condiment with meat roast or grilled. The cultivated plant is rather more easy of digestion than the wild one.