IN THE GARDEN.

Press, Volume LIX, Issue 17811, 10 July 1923, Page 5

IN THE GARDEN.

WORK FOR THE WEEK. (BPICIiXLT 'WIITTIIr FOB "THB fBSOO.") (Bx J. T. ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS Waltham.—Very few vegetables prow well •when they do not get sufficient sunshine. Your ground being shaded will not get very warm till lute in the season. You can try a fc-w artichokes and a root or two of rhubarb. During summer sow lettuce's, spinach, and turnips; these grow well in partial shade, that is to say, thpy do hist during a hot slimmer when they do not set the full glare of the midday sun. You ca,n also try silver beet and leeks. Of course, all the vegetables named require the soil to be in first-class condition. If it is poor you wili have to manure well and dig it. MANURES. Probably fifty per cent, of the money sp-'nt by amateur gardeners on manures of various kinds is wasted; and much of tho outlay under this head might be saved if only the amateur would utilise the. household by-products to supply his ground with manure. Readers with fairly large anas of growing crops of .spring or winter green-stuff well-established, ought to make a point of not wasting a single bucket of slops: these should bo diluted with five or six times their own quantity of water and sup; lied liberally between the rows ai'icr hieing or forking. Thrown on to vacant ground intended for greens Liter on, slops are also of great benefit, and they cannot be beaten as a. fertiliser for lettuces, leeks, and many ether crops. If there is any cultural matter in which the gardener is behind tho farmer it is in the use of chemical fertilisers. This is only natural, because until lately the gardener lia.s been able to obtain nearly all the stable manure h© required for his limited area- of land, whereas the farmer too often runs short, and has to supplement thfc supply with chemical manures. It is true that, given unlimited supplies of stable manure, and an occasional dressing of lime, the gardener is rendered, practically, independent of artificials for crops growing in the open ground; but all are not in this fortunate position, and would be glad to treat their land more generously. Owing to the increase of mechanical traction, and the consequent elimination of the horse to «• largo extent, the supply of farmyard manure is decreasing, and the use cf substitutes is becoming a question of some moment with those who have to purchase this material. A certain amount of natural inamiTe is essential in the- culture of vegetables. One of its most important functions is to supply humus or organic matter. The provision of humus in the sod is just as essential to the welfare of the crop as the provision of the fertilising materials themselves. Without humus the coil becomes unkindly and difficult to work, and the crops suffer unduly from extremes of either wet or drought. The term farmyard manure embraces >i considerable variety of substances. It consists of the droppings of domestic animals—hordes, cattle, sheep, pigs, and so on—mixed with various kinds of litter. It varies, of course, in quality, not only according to tho kind of animal and the litter used, out also according to the various kinds of food on which the animals are fed, as well as to the degree of its decomposition. It appeal's to me that tho only way now of supplying humus is by adopting the old method of "gio n" manuring, which consists in sowing a quick-gr.iwing cicp like mustard or rape, towards the end of the season, .and turning the crop into the soil when it has reached a suffi'cient size. In this way the mineral matters in the soil are utilised to fcrm organic matter, which is returned to the soil and ultimately becomes humus, and the necessary fertilising ingredients can be supplied in the form of aJtificial manures. For light or medium soils, and even for heavy ones that are not in good condition, a complete dressing cf ft ltilisers, containing all three 'if the principal plant foods, is generally required. An excellent mixture can be made by blending three parts of superphosphate, one part- of sulphate of ammonia, aiid one part of sulphate of potash. This, is a good mixture for growing crops. It is not generally known that among artificial manures we have both slow- \ acting- and quick-acting kinds, and it is only those belonging to the former group that should be applied in winter. Bones, if ground very small, are a valuable manure, but it is difficult for the ordinary gardener to grind them. If lie lives in the country ho can put a layer of bones at the bottom of «i barrel and cover it with ashes: then put other layers of bones and ashes alternately and pour water on the whole. In this way he will reduce the bones to a powder very useful for fruit trees, potatoes, and garden crops generally. Or he may arrive at much tho same result by heaping the bones in some out-of-the-way corner and throwing bedroom slops or tlfo liquid drainings from a stable on the bones, and in due course dig them into the ground. But both processes are smelly, and in a suburb or town either of them would constitute an intolerable nuisance. Bones lose some of their virtues, but not nil, by burning. The most active form is steamed bone flour. This is derived from bones which have been steamed under high pressure, so as to rid them of their gelatine,-and then ground into flour. Apply at the rate of 4oz to the square yard. For heavy land in general basic slag is a valuable manure. This is sometimes called Thomas slag or Thomas phosphate. It is a. cheap -and very effective manure, and contains a large proportion of lime. It should be applied in autumn or winter, as it requires time for solution. The lime which it contains, for old mossy lawns, on heavy soil especially—and even more so if it is naturally moist—is invaluable. It can be used at the same rate as bone meal. Fertiliser suitable for application in the growing season will be referred to later on. i FLOWERS. Ea6t Lothian Stocks—These are favourites in every garden, the plants commencing to bloom early and continuing in flower until the autumn. They may be had in distinct colours, and are most effective when massed or grouped.in separate shades. Many sow the seed in the autumn, and Accommodate the plants in frames through the winter. If this practice has not been followed, seed should be sown now in pans or boxes. All 6eed should ba sown thinly, and this applies particularly to choice flower seeds, because not only is there a waste of seed, but the seedlings become drawn and weakly if this precaution is not taken. Cover the seeds lightly with finely-sifted loam, mixed with plenty of leaf-mould and sand. The seed pans should be stood in a warm part of the house until the seeds have geiminr.ted, but th> seedlings should be grown in a. cool place, and kept well up to the roof-glass Stock Plants—Bedding plants, such as iresine, ageratum, and heliotrope, should be kept growing actively in a suitable temperature. As the days lengthen, a start should be made with their propagation. An early start is a great advantage, > for a well-grown plant, properly hardened, is worth several inferior ones at planting time, and will give almost immediate effect. Spaces for Annuals —Anyone who is now filling up his herbaceous borders (Continued at foot of next column.)

6hould remember that it is advisable to leave a few spaces here and there for some of the best annuals, such a stocks, asters, and coreopsis. Such-like flowers mav be introduced into a herbaceous border with good effect. A few spaces can be left, for suoh-like flowers.