IN THE GARDEN.

Press, Volume LXV, Issue 19666, 9 July 1929, Page 4

IN THE GARDEN.

I WORK FOR THE WEEK. I i I (spsciaixy VRirrur fom th* raise.. 1 i [Bv J. T. SikcljUb.] 1 * 1 | ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. t Temuka.—The reason why lime and Bulphate j of ammonia should not be mixed to-gc-ther is that when they are brought J together the ammonia is jriven off, I escapes into the air, and is lost. The j same applies when lime is mixed with' j nitrate of soda. You can safeiy mix ; the sulphate of ammonia with super- | phosphates, and if yoa add sulphate of 1 potash to these you. have a good coni piete fertiliser. j Goose.—The time to prune gooseberry bushes is from the time the leaves fall till ] before growth begins in spring. The I earlier the better. Cut o& all growths which are near the ground, make the i centres open to admit light and air, and } cut back to two buds most ei the shoots j which were made last year; leave the. | leaderg about sis inches long. On your • large bushes there will probably be too many large branches. Some of these ' can be cut out. Prune so that when j you are picking the berries you can get I your hand freely among the branches. At next year's pruning you will be able I to leave rather more of the young I Ehoots; these always bear tha best fruit. VEGETABLES. Curly greens ought now to be in a good condition for gathering efter the recent frosts. They suffered ■&■ good deal from aphides this season; but will still make a "good standby. Instead of cutting off the entire heads of greens, as in the case of savoys, it is much better to select from time to time a few of the most crisp leaves from different heads. By adopting this plan the supply of greens will be maintained for a lengthened period, and the plants will be left in good condition for bearing a large number of sprouts fit for the table in September. A small sowing of peas made in pots or pieces of turf and placed in a. cold frame will, if planted out during early spring, produce a dishful of pods before it is possible to gather any from sowings made outside. The soil between peas and broad beans, which were sown early in May, should be stirred with the Dutch hoe whenever the weather and soil allow it. This will be very beneficial to the young plants.

FRUIT. Vine Borders. —The -vine is easily cultivated, but, as in many other things, there- are a few points which must be observed. In the first place, the consideration of the soil in which the vine is to be planted is all-im-portant. No amount of good culture afterwards will make up for a wrong start, as far as the border is con cerned. Get the soil right, and the drainage right, and you will indeed be a careless fellow if you cannot grow some very passable grapes. The size of the border will greatly depend upon the size of the house. It is wise, however, to make it as large as convenient, for it will then last for some years. If more than one vine is planted, a border six feet across should be made the whole width of the house, and the rods planted four feet apart. When the roots have traversed through this, a further four feet can be added. The vine roots are impatient of stagnant water in the soil, and some means must be devised by which surplus water can pass freely away. The border should be made with a good rich compost. Always the rougher portions of the compost should be put in first, and the finer portions kept for nearer tho surface. Not only will the new roots get about among the finer soil more quickly and easily, but the rougher parts will tend to give it a more free drainage, and it will be in a sufficiently mellow state when the roots actually reach down to it. The base of the compost should be loam. That which has been stacked a month or two is best, and it should be chopped down fairly rough. Some old lime rubble, wood ashes, and half-inch bones can be mixed with it. It is rather wasteful to put finer manures with the bulk of the soil, for in this case some is sure to be lost in the drainage. If put on towards the top the particles of plant food are sure to find their way downwards, and so reach the roots at varying periods. With regard to the quantity of manures, these should be regulated by the kind of soil available. The better the soil the less need there is of manure. Leaf-mould is also a very good thing to use towards the surface of the bed, for the new roots get hold of the mould quickly. The border must be made fairly firm as it is being filled in.

FLOWERS. I Carnations. —Those that -were planted j in their permanent quarters should be gone over several times during winter, and made firm about the roots, in case they were lifted by the action of frost. This, of course, should be done after a thaw. Chrysanthemums. —It is time the cuttings of chrysanthemums intended to produce large blooms were put in. Simple methods will be found the most successful. The cutting 3 root easily, and failures can often be traced to coddling. The best way is to put a single cutting in the centre of a small pot, but several may be placed round the edge of large pots, or may be dibbled three inches apart in shallow boxes. The soil should be largely composed of leaf-soil and sand, the cuttings inserted fairly firm, and placed in a propagating frame in a greenhouse or cold frame. If very little water be given before roots are formed failures will be rare. A mistake often made is the sprinkling of the leaves too often to prevent them flagging. Sometimes the leaves flag Blightly at first, especially when the sun is on them, but they pick up through the night, and soon become used to take care of themselves, as it were. Rockery.—Any small plants growing in the rockery should be freed from the accumulation of rubbish or they will damp off. If at all tender put a few twigs (thrust well into the ground) round tiny plants. Another good plan is to place four bricks around the plants, and on these put a squar© of glass. This is for the more tender plants only. Frames. —"We are afraid many axe apt to overlook the cuttings such as calceolarias, violas, pentstemona, and so on. True, a prolonged storm or frost or snow does damp the enthusiasm a trifle, just as does dull, foggy weather, but an effort should be made to get at the youngsters in their winter quarters, or they suffer. We have pointed out before that they suffer ouite as much from damp as from frost, and that most of them will stand a fair amount of cold if the surroundings are fairly dry. _ Whenever the weather permits, ventilate the frame thoroughly, and even remove the sashes entirely during a fine day. Notonly this, see that there are no dead leaves about the plants, or bits of straw or other rubbish. All encourage damp conditions, and should be removed without fail. General Remarks. —At this time of the year the gardener must be content to take his orders from the clerk of the weather, and get on with the job he advises. A misguided enthusiast may lead some amateurs to go on with whatever job they had in hand until it is finished, irrespective of rain or frost. This is sheer madness. When heavy rains prevail more nana than

is done by "getting about on the thTground. When frosts are hard, planting, and in some cases pruning, should be stopped until milder conditions prevail. It is not too much to ™v however, that there is always S om e Sul work to do in all weathers and ft is therefore, quite needless to defy Ihe werther. A little forethought and judgment and readiness to seize the suitable occasion will be a better plan. Tn verv wet weather it is usually best to keep off tbe land altogether, and find some work, such as repairing a trellis training a climbing plant, pathmakina, or cleaning and prepar- ™| stakes, making labels, cnoppL down stacked turf, and wix-n* soil ready for tne potting season The cleaning and reglaeing ->f 'sashes and frames not in use. which can be carried on under cover, the painting of watering cans and barrows, andli on, are all matters that invite attention.