GARDEN NOTES.

Press, Volume LII, Issue 15488, 15 January 1916, Page 4

GARDEN NOTES.

WORK FOR THE WEEK, TEGETABLES. Turnips.—Vacant ground which has lately been cleared of crops of peas, beans, or early potatoes is very suitable for a present sowing of turnips. Late summer sowings call for fairly liberal manure if the roots are to be at their best, for too slow growth is apt to eucourago woodiuess. Caution in applying farmyard or stable manure is, however, necessary, for this must bo placed well below and out of the way of the young roots, or fanging will result. At this time of the year, unless well trodden down, newly-dug soil becomes very dry, sometimes as deep as the spade has reached; this must be guarded against, or a poor crop will invariably follow. Sowings of Orango Jelly or Early Snowball mav be made during the next six weeks, and in hot, dry soils germination is more regular by giving a thorough soaking of water before sowing. In preparing the ground for sowing, a dressing of sulphate of ammonia, or of nitrate of soda, is decidedly useful, sprinkling about threo pounds to a pcrch of ground, and treating smaller plants in proportion. Recently-cleared ground need on.v be pricked over to a depth of about six inches. Let the drills for this sowing be drawn twelve inches apart. Keen the hoe going wheu growth has well started, as the object of stimulating the young growth is greatly to be desired, for the quicker ilie development of root, tho sweeter, tenderer, and more generally palatable will the turnips be.

I'cas. —Tho last sowing of peas to produco pods this season must be made before tho middle of tho month. It is' useless to sow anything but an early variety, and although small in tho pods \vo find that English Wonder, everything considered, is about the best liind to put in. When wo got early frosts this sowing is often a,failure; but as late peas are always appreciated, it is worth the trouble and time to put a few in now. Thero need bo no special preparation of tho soil, but a good dusting of superphosphates can bo given before the drills ore drawn out, and, like all ground intended for late sowings, a good soaking must be given if at all dry

Dwarf Beans. —"What has been said about peas applies equally to dwarf beans, with the difference that as the foliage of the latter is very tender, the position chosen should be a sheltered, but not a shaded, one. The seed should not be set closer than six inches, and earthing up should be seen to as soon as the plants .arc fit. FRUIT. Strawberries. —Few growers arc careful enough to remove the runners from their strawberry plants, where these aro just forming, during and after the fruiting season. The beds aro usually more or less untidy by the time the crop has been cleared, and instead of leaving thorn thus until the winter, the first opportunity should be taken of clearing tliem up. It should be remembered that tlio runners cannot fail to exhaust the plant's energies when it requires the strength badly in other directions. So soon, therefore, as a sufficient number of runners have been layered for the purpose of propagation, tho remainder should be cut ruthlessly away: at tho same time remove all weeds and litter. The old leaves may also bo trimmed off. thus admitting light" and air to tho crowns, which cajinot fail to be of .benefit. All this refuse. the mulching and clipping, should be taken to one side and burned. By doing this, there are destroyed a vast number of insects. insect eggs, and disease germs of several sorts. Finally, hoe tho surface over; this is often neglected, on account of strawberries preferring firm ground; but loosening the surface soil does not interfere with tho root run, and will do much good in other ways, especially as regards aerating the soil. When the cleaning up is finished, and if the ground be dry, some water can be applied. If the ground is reasonably damp, there will soon bo a miracle of new growth, oven without rain. But a timely shower will greatly help. American growoi-s for market havo a drastic system of dealing frith their strawberry fields. They begin operations by mowing off with a horse machine all weeds and strau l>erry leaves aj close to the ground as possible. They next plough betwmi tho tows, harrow tho ground all over, and then rake tip and remove tho refuso that is brought to tho. surface. Fields wo have seon treated thus did not havo the appearanoo of strawberry patches. The stems of the cut leaves were sticking up, here, there, and everywhere, through the loose soil: but in a month's timo the ulants were covered with fresh, healthy foliage, and tho following year good ' ; rops were secured. Wo do not advocate this rough and ready stylo, although gcod returns aro to be had from such treatment. But whatever method of cleaning the beds is employed, tho work should be done early, be- | cause thero are but a few mouths left of the growing season, and it takes all that time for tho plants to develop and tho fruit, buds to pot ready for the next crop. Needless to sar, all weeds must bo kepi down, and runners rorroved as they form. FLOWERS. "Regal Pelargoniums.—Plants of those which have been flowering merrily in tho greenhouse for several months will now bo showing sigjs of exhaustion. 'As soon as the flowers begin to fade, the plants should be cut back rather hard, after the wood has ripoped somewhat. When the buds which will form from latent eyes begin to grow, water can. be applied more freely than when the plants aro restihg. With care they will grow into large • bushy plants Young plants, however, produce the finest flowers, and these can be obtained from the shoots taken off. They should bo cut off just below a joint, the lower leaves being femoved and inserted firmly in t>ots of sandy soil. If kept moist ;:nd shaded, they will soon root in a frame or greeiihouse. Four can be inserted round the edge of a. fourinch pot, and should be potted separately as soon as they begin to grow. Annuals.—One .of tho details that mako for the successful growing of annuals, is the prompt removal of seedpods. Many of these seed prodigiously —for instance, Iceland poppies— and the perfecting of so many seeds is a considerable strain on the plant's vitality, and if many seed pods are allowed to mature the plants soon become exhausted and cease flowering. Oncc a ■veok at least, the plants should bo pono over and ali dead flowers, withered spikes, or seed pods, removed. Dahlias. —The dahlia is essentially an early autumn flower, and autumn, one hopes, is still a long way off; but already the single varieties and some plants* from old stools of other kinds are producing their bright smiling faces in rich profusion, alid before many weeks have passed all will he in full flower. Had it not been for the frosts we had in November, all dahlias would have flowered earlier than usual, because of the hot weather we have had this summer. In the meantime, it would be well to give all tho plants a liberal mulch of strawy manure, and in addition to feed them with liquid

manuro once every nino days. -Of course, they will rcquiro water. and that in abundance, whenever the weather is'dry. Thin tho shoots a, little if that has not, been done, yet, and also practicc a -slight thinning of the buds. By feeding and watering them well and'removing all faded blooms, there is no reason why a. season begun thus early should not ho prolonged satisfactorily to its normal limit. Earwigs may bo trapped by tho common method of using inverted flower potb filled with hay and placed on tho top of the stakes, or by placing crumpled paper or cotton wool on the branches. Examine the traps every morning.