GARDENING NOTES. Work for the Week.

Evening Post, Volume LIV, Issue 21, 24 July 1897, Page 4 (Supplement)

GARDENING NOTES. Work for the Week.

M I [By AasicoLA.] The Kitchen Gabdsn. Liming the Soil in Old Kitchen Gardens. —Usually the soil of a garden which has existed for a great number of years contains a great deal of undecayed vegetable matter, supplied by repeated dres*inga of manure, the roots of crops left in the soil, &0., whioh. in its inert state, is productive of many evils, and no better corrective exists than quicklime. The present season, and other times when the land is being turned over or has been dug already, is a good time to apply it with the manure or as a top-dressing. Its action is to render the vegetable niatter more suitable to serve , as the food of plants, to let air into the aoil, and destroy, by its caustic action, insects, their egga, and pupse. The rate at ■which lime fresh from the kiln may be applied is from 30owt on light gravelly soils to 2 tons for clay land per acre. Lime from the purifying-chests of the gas-house is often recommended as a dressing for foul land, but it should be afforded early in the 'Autumn and left on the surface for a few weeks before being dug-in. Renovating the Paths and Edgings.— Where box is used as an edging plant, the present is the proper time to carry out .-\ny mending or relaying that appears to be required. When relaying, the old edgings should be entirely taken up in the part to be operated upon, and the ground in the line of the edging deeply dug and freshened up by some soil being added from the adjacent quarters or borders ; and when dry it should be well trodden, levelled, and beaten to the proper level — i.e., a point level with the lower part of the walk, supposing that to bo of its proper level. Then pull the old box plants into pieces three to four inches long, trim the tops and roots, and relay it thinly and very evenly, making it very firm about the roots, taking care to preserve the true width of the path. Parsnips.— When the soil is sufficiently dry to bear being trodden upon, a few rows of parsnips may be got in in drills, less than 2in deep, drawn at lsft apart, the seeds being dropped in pinches of three or four, about lft apart. By sowing in this manner, thinning is more expeditiously performed. Do not sow seeds if the ground is sticky, bnt wait till it is sufficiently dry. For roots of medium size and of fine quality, nothing surpasses The Student or Hollow Crown. Parsley.— Some parsley seed may be nov/ sown, sowing it near a path, where, it may be gathered without daily treadiDg on the soil. A light dressing of salt and BO ot should be sown over the land before 'drawing the drills lin deep. Sow thinly, CO ver with fine soil, and thin as soon as tb c plants *re large enough to handle. The Floweb Gabdek.. Carnations.— Those of the Marguerite type usually raised from seed may now ba sown early if required to maky an out-door display in the month of February. The flowers of this variety arfj also admirable for cutting at a time wlien most of the other varieties have passed out of bloom. The seeds may be sowu in small shallow boxes or pans filled with sandy-loam, standing these on a mild hot-bed till the seeds germinate. Then removing to cooler quarters, and pricking them off into other boxes when two pair of leaves have been made. The seeds of the white variety may be relied upon to produce plants which come true, and the white, fringed blossoms are attractive arid useful in the Autumn •for a variety of purposes. Sweet Peas.— For the production of early Llosaoms seed should be sown forthwith. ,A> i: means of making the most of choice varieties, the seed of which is dear and ticarco, sowing in jjots and placing them in a cold .frame is to be recommended, and if aix or eight seeds are sown in a sin pot, the Kati.e pofful may be turned out in tbe Si ni,jc without check. Sweet peas look will ia the borders in clumps of three or Uior-i potfula, or they may be put oa f u in line* a.s usual Where space can be spared in the kitchen garden a long row or two should be sown for cutting from, and the uauaJy being richer than in \he flower garden, the production of the flowers is greater and longer continued : if the seedpods are kept picked off. The colouring of many of the newer varieties is rich and effective, and a dozen good onys will be found m the folio wing: -Blanche Burpee and JMnily Henderson, two good whites ; Her Majesty and Katherine Tracy, beautiful rose pinks , Miss Blanohe Ferry, red and white ; Orange Prince, one of the handaomest and Diost diptinct of all; Aurora a splendid ne-*r variety, flak&d and striped om a white ground with bright orange-Balm ora • Princess May, heliotrope blue, charraW colour ; Princess of Wales, shaded and striped with mauve on a light ground, lovely variety ; Que/jn of the Isles, scarlet mottled with white and purple; Lemon Que-an, cream with chamois; &ad Splendour, bright rose flushed with crimson, very handsome and free bloomer.