GARDENING NOTES.

Evening Post, Volume LXXX, Issue 20, 23 July 1910, Page 12

GARDENING NOTES.

(By "ExDerience.") THE VEGETABLE GARDEN. At this time of tho year toil is apt to be more or leee sour, and in soil constantly cropped there is often a considerable number of wire- worms; these are most prevalent whpro much vegetable mat- 1 ter is dug in. In either of these cases the use | of soot is a groat benefit. After sowing a row of peas, and before covering thorn with soil, 6cattor tsoot freely over thorn; not enough to oover them, of course, but enough to slightly cover the surface of tho drills and dust the seed; this will keep wire-worms away, and save them from, slugs till the plants are well above ground. It will also be a powerful manure; tbo effect will be seen in the drap-green colour of the plante. 'JHie same treatment if given to onions will act in liko manner to them; and also potatoes. Soot is a valuable manure and soil fumigant; it probably will not kill any insect, but it will do quite as much good if it prevents them destroying plants. A mixture of eootand lime is better than lime alone for dusting plants to protect them from slugs; the lime will kill any it touches, and the 6oot will render them distasteful to insects. The time for sowing seeds depends largely on the purpose the produce is intended to fill in many cases. Onion seed cannot be got in too early if the soil ie fit, because they must be well on the way before dry weather sets in, and harvested before wet weather in autumn. Fmn, clean, and sweet roil, and seed thinly sown in shallow drilte, usually ensures a successful start. When onion, seed fails to grow, it ie most frequently because the seed is sown too deep, or the soil is too loose, and not because the seed is bad. Lettuce should be sown frequently, and only a little at a time, a few plante always coming on ; this is, of course, comparative with quantity required. Radish, also, should be sown in very small lots, and much more thinly than is usual, little and often. Carrot seed can be sown at any time now, and a supply for the whole season oan be put in at one sowing, for they keep fit for U6e till the following spring j but some like them only when quite young, when tbcf are most tender and milckst in flavour. In that case only sow a little at a time, and make a sowing now, another in about three months' time, and still another about the end of April. Leeks I regard as a winter and early spring vegetable. Ibeir great value lies in the fact that they remain in use farther into the spring than any other vegetable, with the exception of broccoli, lo get them at that time, andi of proper size, the plante should be ready to put out about the end' ol December, or a week or two later. The tuno for cowing- varies with tho natural conditions of ditterent places. About Welhngton the middle of September is the time, but in flat piaceß, where the sun shmos on. the ground irom soon after 4 in the morning; titl past 7 in the evening, a month later is early enough If sown too cany they go to eeed too soon, and thus loso their greatest value. Parsnips are usually sown too early. There should be no use for parsnips till winter When all the summer stuff has gone they are valuable; they are also better flavoured in cold' weather, and besides that, if sown, too ear,iy they get large and ooaree. Ihe same remarks apply as to date as those referring to leeks. . The beginning of August is as soon, as it is sale to sow turnips ; if sown earlier they usually go to seed without bulbing. Small sowings should be made every four or five weeks till the middle of March, when the Winter supply may be put in. I like tf£ I i^f 11 f ° r the fin * -owing, because the bulto form at once as soon as the seed is up. 1 hey take on perfect form, though no larger than radishes at first; in fact having very small leaves, they are frequently mistaken for radisheß. Any white variety ,s suitable to follow; the yellow? fleshed sorts are only good for winter usethey are best flavoured' at that season i'eas must be eowft at intervale of two weeks to maintain the supply ah^uT* int :° nded for Panting asparagus should be got ready. Trench in plenty of manure, wood «.h*s, garden rofuse-in lot? 1 .T h ' ng •^ tends to CMicb tte roil and keep it open. Few people now plant on the oldj-fashioned beds some, however still adhere to the practice. Where it is m beds it is usual to draw some of the surface soil into th© alleys and put a layer of manure on the. beds This is done at hh« time the tops are out soil, putting it on over the manure If the plan-ts are in rows on the flat, according to modern practice, and a top coat of manure was given, it will now be best to rako off any strawy remnants of tho manure, amd,' if convenient, give a light dreeing of sand and wood ashes, with a T^^tol ? boned »'* *<> each barrowload. Whatever way they are planted give a dressing of ralt-Soz per equare yard wxH not bo too much— or in lieu of salt ha-lf that quantity of nitrate of soda. Jerusalem Artichokes may now be planted ; use medium-sized; not large, tubers of good shape, put them in rows at least 3ft asunder, the sofs 15in apart in the rows. Large 'sets should be avoided, because they make too many 'shoota and produce a large number of badily-shaped tubers. A good place to plant artichokes is in a position where the stems will afford shelter from the wind to other crops A single row is enough for that purpose, and if the row is not long enough to furnish the required, quantity of tubers, hut in others in similar positions. This crop does best in ground that was welJ manured for a- previous crop, but without any additional frpih manure. Plant shallots and garlic in rows lOin or 12in apart, the sets Bin apart, just covered with soil. Onions for transplanting may be ready to put out; it is well to get them out before they get tall; still, they had better be left to get fairly strong. It is important not to plant them deeply; the less the neck of the plant is covered tho better; if put in deep they become' thick necked, and never make good bulbs. If very large bulbs are desired, the giant kinds should, be put out 12in apart each way; the smaller sorts, such as brown Spanish, may be sin or 6in apart in the rows, with rows lOin or 12in asunder. THE FRUIT GARDEN. Planting fruit trees is in full swing now in various parts. Though most people manage to plant fairly well, very | few amateurs can be got to cut the j young trees back hard enough. -There is the prevailing idea that it is ridiculous to cut away a lot of growth, it appears to be such waste. As a matter of fact, the branches on a young tree as purchased are useless for any other purpose than to make a foundation, and provide a means for increasing the number of branches, which can be done only by I shortening back. A young apple, pear, j or plum tree should not have more than throe or four branches to start with; if it has more they should be cut out entirely. The branches left should be evenly placed about the tree, and should be . shortened to about Bin, pruning so as to leave an outward bud at the top. These branches will each produce about three strong shoots, of which two will be selected for extension, thus doublingthe previous number; all others are to be shortened for fruit spurs. There are many ways of training trees, that mentioned is for bush trees. Trees with open centres are started in the same way, but are shortened more — sin or oin is quite enough to leave, and all side shoots are shortened back to little more than lin, the shoots resulting being rigidly summer pruned. Unless this is done the open tree will be a failure. In tho great Canadian orchards they follow another plan ; they secure a shoot in the centre to^ start with and about four on the outside. The outside ones are pruned a 9 described abovo, the centre one lOin or more higher ; as this grows up it is annually shortened to make it branch, and nil other branches spring from that. That is tho most common English plan for pears, and is the way I believe in for the pear.