WORK FOR FEBRUARY

Dominion, Volume 34, Issue 109, 1 February 1941, Page 14

WORK FOR FEBRUARY

The Flower Garden

Lawns sown in autumn generally give Hie best results. The working of the soil should be commenced at once in preparation for sowing the seed before winter seis in. A deep, rich loam, worked up to a very fine tilth is ihe best soil, hut before finally preparing ihe plot, make sure that drainage has been provided for, as without adequate drainage no lawn can be a success.

Layer and take cuttings of carnations', propagate soft-wooded plants by means of cuttings. Sow seeds of hardy perennials. During dry weather take care to provide ample supplies of water for your dahlias. It does more harm than good to merely sprinkle (lie soil—.saturate it once a week. A mulch of well-rotted cow manure helps dahlias to produce large blooms freely and, to a very large extent, overcomes the need for fretiuent watering. Prune evergreen shrubs and trim hedges. (lerberas respond to liquid manure at this season, and sweet peas need fretiuent watering and feeding if their season of bloom is to be prolonged. Remove Howers as they fade, as the setting of seed shortens Hie flowering season. Start the planting of spring-flowering bulbs. In addition to narcissi and crocuses. hyaeinths, Spanish and Dutch irises .should be planted now. ITepare the ground for your tulips. The Kitchen Garden Plant out cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli seedlings. Sow spinaeli for winter cutting. In suitable localities fresh sowings of lettuce and radishes should be made at intervals of three weeks. During summer these vegetables do l>esf when pkinted in a fairly moist and shady situation. Sow turnips, onions, and shorthorn carrots. Celery should receive frequent waterings. otherwise it will ‘’bolt,” i.e., run to seed. As a matter of fact, it is the absence of moisture that generally causes plants to throw up seed-heads prematurely ; the plant apparently realizes that the span of life is likely to be very’ brief and, in common with all living tilings, puts forward every effort to reproduce its kind. Tomatoes often stiffer from blight at this period. Spray with Bordeaux mixture (4-4-40). In the orchard, spray apple trees for ctidlin moth and red spider. Keep down the stickers of raspberry canes which flourish just now. They rob the main shoots and should be ruthlessly eradicated. . STORING OF FRUIT When To Pick Apples And Pears Apples and pears for storing must be left on the tree till fully matured, otherwise they will not keep till their proper season, states the journal of the Uoyffl Horticultural Society. To test whether apple or i>ear is ready for gathering, lift a fruit'to a horizontal [wsitiou, when if ready it will part easily and cleanly from the spur with the slightest leverage. Colour of the fruit, and the colour of the pips, are often used as tests for maturity, but they are not so reliable as rhe method mentioned. The tree will not mature all its fruit at once, and it is necessary to make successive pickings. The exception to the foregoing are the very late keeping apples such as Alfriston. The fruits of these and other such varieties which mature later in the season are left on the tree as long it's possible and then taken off all at once. Only sound and unblemished fruits are retained for storing. Fruita which have been attacked by pests or injured in some other way are placed to one side so that they can bp used in the kitchen straight away. Get the fiuits on trays or in shallow boxes and then stand them in a dark, cool, airy room or shed. CORRESPONDENCE Answers To Inquiries Slaters and Earwigs: Slaters (woodlice) and earwigs are both nocturnal and can be kept in check by the constant removal of till garden refuse and oilier material which affords them cover. Woodliee may l>e trapjted by plating scooped-out apples or potatoes near plants they attack. Each morning the pests can be collected and destroyed. A bran and parts green poison bait, is also effective, but must be handled with great care. Earwigs can be collected in considerable numbers by the old practice of loosely filling a flower pot with straw or paper and suspending it, upside down, ff few inches from the ground on a stake. Paris green and bran is also an effective poison for this best. ("Amateur," Masterton. t Grafting Fruit Trees, etc.: Replied to by mail ( B. Orr.)