THE GARDEN.

Cromwell Argus, Volume XI, Issue 574, 9 November 1880, Page 7

THE GARDEN.

November. Kitchen Garden. —Early-sown vegetable crops will now be advancing rapidy, and will require close attention as to hoeing, landing-up, and staking ; and any of the main crops of vegetables not yet put in should be attended to immediately. Finish planting potatoes, and make sowings of peas, broad and French beans, runners, tomatoes, and nasturtiums. Sow cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, savoys, and curled kail, on rich, well-prepared ground, to induce rapid growth, which is the best preventive of blight on these crops yet discovered. Finish the sowing of carrots, beet, and parsnips—taking care to cover the seeds properly, otherwise, owing to dryness of the ground at this season, the best seeds may not grow. Sow turnip, lettuce, and radish; also pumpkin, vegetable marrow, squash, cucumber, and melon seeds. Celery may still be sown in a shaded place, and early sowings pricked out on beds formed of welhdecomposed manure, and well watered. Fruit Garden.— In dry and exposed gardens, all newly-planted fruit trees will be benefitted by a mulching of stable manure being placed over their roots, to extend about three feet from the stems of the trees. See that shelter from the prevailing winds is provided. Attend early to the disbudding of trained peach and apricot trees, removing but a few at a time, so as to prevent a too sudden check to the growth of the trees. Thin the fruit of peaches and apricots, when about the size of peas, to seven or eight inches apart. This, to the inexperienced, may appear a great sacrifice, but if carried out will certainly benefit the trees, and will tend to the growth of large and well-flavored fruit. Mulch strawberry plants with short litter or grass, to prevent the fruit from being soiled by heavy rain. As the American blight is showing itself on the apple trees, the affected parts should be dressed with kerosene and water applied with a painter's brush, and all newly planted trees should be carefully looked over, and much may be done at once towards the formation of the trees, by taking, off buds, which are likely to produce misplaced shoots, only to be cut away aftewards as useless wood. Young trees are generally allowed to branch too near the ground, but this can be prevented by rubbing the buds off now. Flower Garden. —Dahlias may now be planted out with safety. To grow the dahlia succeesfully, it requires a rich, deep soil, and the plants set four feet apart each way. Hollyhocks will now require stakes. Plant out verbenas, scarlet geraniums, fuchsius, and Heliotrope. Transplant stocks, asters, marigolds ; also thin and plant annual and other flowers. Keep down green fly on roses by frequently syringing, and encourage growth by watering with manure water. Pansies, pinks, and carnations should have the soil stirred frequently about them ; and if growth be languid, water with weak guanowater.

CULTIVATION OF THE ORANGE. Probably no cultivated fruit surpasses the orange as a remunerative crop. Certain orange grounds in New South Wales are known to afford an animal return of over LSOO per acre. It is stated that one tree has yielded 300 dozen per annum for over 20 years. No better proof of its remunerative character can be required than the fact of its culture extending every year. In this colony good oranges and lemons have been produced for many years in the Auckland district, although no attention has been paid to the selection of sorts or to special culture. The best soil for the orange is that produced by the decomposition of basaltic rocks, although a friable, rather sandy loam is almost as good. The ground should be carefully prepared, and, if necessary, thoroughly drained. Shelter from high winds is absolutely necessary. This could be secured by planting evergreen trees round the enclosure. There are several kinds, native and introduced, which could be produced at low rates and in any quantity. An essential point is the selection of suitable kinds ; these should be worked on stocks of the Seville orange—one year old, if they can be procured. They should be kept in beds for one or two years before planting out, the surface of the soil being covered with moss in dry weather. After permanent planting, all the cultivation required is to keep the surface free from weeds, and mulch with loose stable manure or some substitute, which should be forked in after the fruit is gathered, and to remove superfluous shoots, so as to admit a free circulation of air to the centre of the tree. Should the black blight make its appearance, the plant should be dressed with a mixture of soft soap and kerosene, or with some other prepartion used for that purpose. There are numerous localities where not only the orange but also the lemon, lime, citron and shaddock could be advantageously cultivated. An orange orchard would come into bearing eight or ten years after planting ; the trees should not be allowed to bear when too young. After the tenth year each tree is supposed to bear from 1,000 to 1,600 oranges. About 100 trees may be planted to the acre, but the number would vary according to the mode of.grovvth adopted, and in. a lesser degre to the kind selected. Estimating the annual value of the produce at the low rate of 10s would give a return of LSO an acre. But as we have said that 1,000 oranges per tree would be a low return, the annual value per acre may be simply estimated at LI 00.