GARDEN NOTES.

Press, Volume LI, Issue 15453, 4 December 1915, Page 3

GARDEN NOTES.

WORK FOR THE WEEK

YEGETABLE^.

Gfrobe Artichokes. —The heads should ho cut. in season, whether required or not, as by allowing them to grow to a .-izo. nut only is the s'jeeessonal nop. which "will be found ?o useiul through tho summer month?, prevented front <<>nimc r to perfection, '»ut iho whole jilant i : - weakened for tho future : whereas, it they arn cut when about the size of a small teneup, and encouraged by soakings of manure water, ;i Ion *-5 succession may be exported. As a general rule, tho artichoke will show a number of It in succession 011 the same stem. The earliest and strongest of tai,- season's sucker--, if managed well, will produce a succession for tho autuntn months. Sweden.-—Towards tho beginning of this month a sowing of swede turnips should be made. They arc hardy in constitution, and do well in districts: where other turnips are not satisfactory. '.Choir greatest enemy is the cabbage 1110 th, but if tho plants are treijuently sprayed with arsenate ot lead that pest is kept in cheek somewhat. Swedes need a richer soil and more* room tu develop titan ordinary turnips, but otherwise, tiicir culture in simlar. C'aro should bo taken to procure good seed from a reliable seedsman, and Laing's Garden Swede is> far better than held swedes.

('arrots.— If these have not already been thinned this; season, this should be done now. and tho thinnings n.-ed whero suitable 1:1 salads, stews, and other ways. Water the rows before and after thinning, if possible, and hoi: between the rows afterwards. In some places the earliest .sowing is badly infested with greenfly, and some means should be. taken to keep the foliage clean. Spraying is the most effective, method, but it must be thorough, as tho tops being of a fernlike appearance, it is a difficult matter to wet the foliage all over, which, unless, done, simply chocks the liy for a short time.

Peas. —A row of late peas .should be sown 011 ground speeia'iv prepared by getting out a trench niter tho manner of a celery trench, and using manure with a free band in the bottom. This will enable tho plants ro withstand the drought of full summer. Tho .seeds can be sown a little more thinly and a little deeper than earlier sowings. General Work.—See to tho proper carthing-up of potatoes, otherwise the erons will suffer. Another sowing of both dwarf and runner beans can be put in this week for succession to the earlier rows, which if not spoiled by tho recent irost will probably be weakened. Marrows, too, will require attcnton. as they suffered severely. It is not too Into to make a sowing, but tho plants will require every attention as regards syringin;.:, watering, and feeding. FRUIT. Gooseberries. —"Whore there is a heavy crop of gooseberries, three-parts of tho berries should bo pulled green for tarts, jelly, and bottling. This gives tho remainder a better chance to develop into fine dessert fruits, and i.s more satisfactory than when all the fruit in left 011 tho bushes. When caterpillars eat tho leaves, anything dusty sprinkled—even the finest of ashes—bothers their swallowing and digestive organs, and is often the means of causing them to drop to the ground. Current "Work-. —Whether December is a quiet or a busy month in one's fruit garden will dooend. of course. 011 tho sizo and condition of that garden, but an urgent matter that should be attended to is tho root watering of newly-planted fruit trees. Generally . these' aro not so able to stand a drought so well as trees that are established in their position. The second spraying with arsenate of lead and Bordeaux mixture should l>e seen to soon. if not already done. It goes without saying that the first spraying is the most effectual, but there is 110 doubt that another ono or two goes a long way towards keeping tho trees and fruit clean. JJnrren frees should also be sprayed occasionally. It may appear a waste* of time to give attention to fruitless trees, but next season's crop will largely depend 011 proper attention being given to this and other small details during tho next few months. Neglect now may mean a poor crop a long time hence.

FLO WE HS. Chrysanthemums.—When tho plants have been in the six-inch pots six or seven weeks, the final potting is at hand, and tho timo may he determined by the state of the roots. Strong growers can be put into tiie lOin and the ordinary ones into i)in jjote. Drainage must be free and clean crocks used for the purpftso; a rough piceu over tho bottom hole and about an inch larger over the entire bottom, of pieccs broken .small. On this occasion rhe compost may comprise six parts of loam, 0110 j)art leaf ■soil, one part well-decayed manure, some lime rubble and mnd. Wood ashes, bone meal, and sooc can be added with advantage. Mix and chop up well together. This mixture is porous enough without sifting, and is rich in plant food. If tho soil is properly porous, an inch ■surface of drainage is all that k required. The pots, drainage, and plants l.eiijr ready, place a lew of the roughest pi"oes of ? oil over the drainage, set the ball nnon thi.s, and fill up to wit bin two inches of the top. Press down the soil, making if firm. Hold the plant down and upright, but ram only round the ixlges; ramming the centre breaks the roots, and it can be made just, as solid from tiie edges. The final potting being finished! 'Tivp the ' lants a sprinkle overhead. and let them Maud in the shade for a dav or two. As the plants gr;;w thev will be easily blown over by the wind, but this can be prevented by doing the following Fix securely in the ground, at a distairo of lift npa-u. a row of stakes about oft from '.he ground. I'un two lines of wire the entire length, one at the ion. rhe oth«-r midway down. Aiong the foot o/ tins fence place silted ashes. stard the pots upon these, and fasten tiie stalk--; -tdiii lv t<> the cross wire-. Two rows rf wire are needed, because of the shoot growers. Still keep °'i t' nf> shoot-? e\cent thv top growtiis, which arc intended to become stents. Water carefully until tiie pots are full of and even then only apply moisture when it i> reeded.

Tn!ii:.s. — varieties •d-.ould nnw lie lifted. dri.-d. and stored in dry sand until next March or April. !• is n mistake in leave the bulbs in tho ground fn.ni vcar t(i year. as Uiev arc tulni'd to discn-t: when treated finis, and pvenrnnWv die out altogether. Whereas 11y lifting ihom just. before tlio i'oiiap? hn-. £<>ne cnimil:tc!v, there i, i:r>t much danger of disiase.

Sweet JVas. —"Wh.cn liie sue et peas show their iioucr bnd>. it is time to begin itm tl». ■ ci-ni"' v.itli manuriai waterinc-. Manv urnu'iTt civo them this attention once a wevk rltiri»"" the v.mplo of the flowering period. Others feed them twice a week, using n fit) per cent, weaker sobuion. and r>«rhaps the latter is the hot-tor plan. Tht» nrinciple of little and often is a uspfnl one. no matter what the plant receiving the stimulant-, and it is a pood pia'i tn chnr.ee the diet frivuiertl'-. Rose.-. —Cold nights and cold winds have checked the growth cn the rose bushes considerably, and -opened o>;t the way for the pests to which the bus'-iea art? subjected. "Where fly

abounds, spray every v.'cek with nn approved insecticide, and roinovo nil maggot* as thov ar«> found. Mildew is following uiiDii Ihe <..'Dld weather. and it will* be ncee-ssary to spray with a fungicide: this in the only way to check the mildew nest. Pyrnthruvns.—AVheu these have finished flowering, i-ut oli the steins, and there will he « very likelihood ol j another crop of bloom, and more so j if a mill;'li i.~< alforded the pinnis. A , little feeding with liquid manure of j the plants from which another crop i.i ; being enticed will result in that second ! cron being almost. if not unite, as line' a-, fhe first; it will also mean a better display next season. | l'eronnir.l I'hlox. —-The cl'ira-v ol tlieso will l>e all the better ii llicv receive a .mulch of manure) jkjw, and if a little nfore thinning nut of tho shoots teems necessary, do that at oree. The experience;* eye will soon roeasuro thti : chances of the individual shoots of oroducirig fmo head- of bloom, and all the j think, weak-looking shoots may well ' bo taken away. The decorative worth j of these phloxes depends very much on j the >ii-c ui 'he heads of (lower;.