IN THE GARDEN.

Press, Volume LIII, Issue 16043, 27 October 1917, Page 13

IN THE GARDEN.

(arrcuLLT wnirrix foe "the mus.")

(By J. T. Sinclair.)

AXSXVERS TO CORRESPONDENTS,

C'over.—lf your bod w dry try petunias, or the intermediate antirrhinums edged with dwarf sort. If you want pleasing effect fill it with pifk geraniums and edge it with blue lobelia: keep the latter well watered. In a formal bed colour in mass shows up better thsn a mixture. If you ■want a patriotic desieru make a red eross of geraniums. Rev. F. I'\ Atkinson, fill up the comei-3 with Swanley White, and edge with viola, Queen of Blues. This design is nice, but your bed is on the 6mall side for it. If you liltc ivy-lcafed geraniums fill your bed with the pink Charles Turner and edge v.ith Jeanne d'Arc (white;. See below re bedding out.

| WORK FOR THE WEEK, VEGETABLES Parsnips.—As soon as the seedlings aro well above ground the first thinning should take place. This will consist of removing all the weakest. As growth proceeds this operation will ho continued, until at length the plants arc standing a loot apart, or at least nine inches. The larger distance is certainly recommended for cxiiibition purposes. Constant hoeing between tiic plants is advised in oruer to koep ttie crop lrce from weeds and in a ijeaitny state generally. Celery.—As soon as tno seedlings are large enough to. bo" handled tnev should Do pricked utf into boxes or trames. borne well-rotted dung can bo put in tno bottom of the boxes and tnen u lew munes ot soil put over the cuing. Water well wncu the plants are in place, and shade Irom aright siinsnmc tor a few days nntsl the roots have taKen to the new soil, then give all light and air possible, as lanky plants never <lo well. iieetroot.—'this crop has its peculiar value, and should never be left out of the garden curriculum. Very few people use the roots as a vegetble are very good when used in this way, however), but. as a salad with cold meat. During the next two weeks is the time for sowing the seed of the main crop. Do noc _ trouble if you have no manure. You will find the plants do bettor on land which lias not been freshly manured, just as carrots do. It is essential, however, that the land he in good heart, and if ifc was manured well last year and has since been deeply stirred with the spade or fork, it will be in admirable condition for the beetroot crop. Superphosphates and common salt are two of the best artificials for the roots. The best roots are those with a single tap root, whether they aro of the long variety or the stumprooted kind, and these can only be had on deeply-worked soil, which is in good condition. On inferior soils it is better to sow seeds of the stump-rooted variety, Egyptian turniprooted, for the long tapering rootsu of tho other varieties cannot penetrate shallow soils, and so become "forked." Sow thinly in shallow drills twelve inchcs apart. It is very important to get a fine tilth on tho surface previous to sowing the seed. Cheltenham green • top, Sutton's Pine- | apple, Dell's dark red, and Nutting's red, aro all good kinds of tho I long-rooted type. j Now Zealand Spinach.—Sonic peoplo I do not like ordinary spinach, because I tho flavour is too strong —too "sooty" 'or "irony." They should grow tho New Zealand spinach, which can bo sown now; the tender tons of the growing plants aro pinched out and boiled, and make a most delicate dish. As growth is vigorous a distance ot at least two feet should be allowed from plant to plant. ! Frame Cucumbers. —Nowadays thero ! 3ro many amateur gardeners who possess a cold frame of some description. It may not he a finished article, as turned out hy a first-class builder, but if it serves its purpose, what matter if it bo somewhat rough and crude. It is always useful, and can be made of service all the year round. During spring it is' usually full of bedding plants, hut when theso aro turned out it can ho used for cucumbers. If the frame is resting on tho ground a good-sized hole can be dug out and a barrowi'ul of good manure placed therein and tramped firm. A lavcr of soil can next :>e; spread in the hole, and several seeds, a few inches apart, and an inch deep, can be planted. If it is possible to purchase plants, a lot of timo is saved. Keep tho frame close and moist for a few days until tho plants appear. As they grow, 95 degrees during sunshine will not bo too much provided the plants havo air and are not allowed to got dry at tho roots. Two or three times a day tho plants and sides of the framo should be syringed, hut the mistake of allowing the bed to become dry below, while kept moist above by tho use. of the syringe, must not bo made. Abundant moisture abovo and below is necessary, though overwatering, which produces anything like stagnation, is deadly. Nip the point out of the seedling plant irlien they have made four Tough loaves, and again when the side shoots have made four rough leaves. Peg the growths out to cover the ground regularly, and remove _ supeifiuous shoots when fruit forming. FRUIT. Raspberries.—ln many gardens, owing to the ravages of the raspberry jzrub,- there is going to bo anything but a good crop. When the canes aro showine very littlo lateral growth it is idfKt tLm down to tw BOOJJ f the crop will hardly be worth picking. Between, tho stools _ and between the rows many suckers will be s J the most of these should be removed, leaving, of course, sufficient for next year's crop. The strongest and bestplaced should bo retained. FLOWERS.

Bedding Out- —Tins torm, frequently on the lips of garctenors is used to doseribo the temporary planting of greenhouse and other tender P • in open bordore for the eummcr mo . With tho closing days of October tho moment has arrived when mo& g - doners bccome preoccupied with tno problem of summer bedding. Indavs of our grandfathers tho t°rm "summer bedding" had a very definite meaning. It suggestod formal flowerbeds in which only a few subjects were employed, and in which the changes •were rung with monotonous iteralio . This was at a timo when the red or pink or white geraniums, tho calceolaria, and the blue lobelia undisputed sway. This sty' o 01 ing was formerly in far greater fa o than it is "now; it has gone on favour, perhaps partly lie «\" s ® J 1 often means a fresh expense ea . > and paitly because, although if;-is possible to make a bed a mass of colour for a considerable time, the u" „ each individual plant canno v to sack r »t -lv«ng f « bedding-plants have tneir place and es pecially if one has a g^ _i' t -„ able to propagate one s own p »ot be to,- J I X, mediately afterv.-ards if _ j all dry/ A slight hollow left round cnch plaiit. and [- has subsided

As this prevents rapid evaporation U is ;% much better plan tban filling in all tho soil and watering afterward?. Antirrhinums, p.orauiuni&, and petunias lirow well in dry situations when they have a good hold. Most other subjects require good soil to get them to flower their best. Fuchsias and violas ilower well during summer in a little shade. Water till plants in pots and boxes on the evening before they arc planted, so as to facilitate their" ensy romoval from their present receptaclcs. Weeds in Lawns.—"When sulphate of ammonia or lawn sand is anplied to lawns it destroys the broad flat leaves of such weeds as plantain.Sj dandelions, and daisies, .but does not kill tho roots of mpst of them. Though weakened, the others will grow again, and several applications may be necessary to complete the work. As this has a tendency to coarsen the grass, it is better, after the first or second application, io stab the survivors with a pointed rod dipped in weed-killer, or cot them off below surface level with ,a knife, and place a little salt on the wound.