GARDENING NOTES.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXV, Issue 21, 25 January 1913, Page 14

GARDENING NOTES.

m (By, "Experienc*.") THE VEGETABLE GARDEN. Dry weather and wind make vegetable gardening somewhat trying, and Failures are sure to be experienced where the soil is not properly cultivated and supplied with the essentials to plant life. I nave many times stressed the importance of deep cultivation, and of working in a good supply of Btich substances as will form humus. Where this has been done, plants will be in a satisfactory state, for tho roots run down into the lower strata of soil, where they find moisture and cooler conditiohs. By these means only can satisfactory gardening be carried on; no amount of watering will have the desired effect unless the soil in deeply cultivated. The surface soil should be always kept loose ; this reduces lobb by evaporation to a, minimum, allows a proper absorption of air with its fertilising properties, and onables rain when it falh to penetrate evenly and soak down. Give a mulch whenever convenient to such things as peas, beans, Cauliflowers, and such like. Things to Sow—French beans, radish, lettuce, endive, turnip. To Plant—Cabbage, broccoli, savoys, lettuce. When planting lettuces at this time of year it is & good plan to draw a broad and shallow drill with a hoe; this draws aside the dry crumbs on the surface, and gives comparatively moist soil to plant in. There ifl rhore in this advice than, may at first sight appear, The loos© lumps on the surfaceylo not lay closely about the roots, and even with water abundant it may not be ea»x to start th© plants. A little below thei surface, the soil, havihg more moisture, is firm, and therefore closes properly about the roots, a very great thing in dry weather, for. the quicker new rootlets are formed the greater the chance of success. When planting cabbages and all such plants, this is an important point. Brush aside the dry lumps on the surface where each plant is to go! the toots will then -go into fine and' moderately moist soil, and provided the plants^vero stood for awhile with their roots in water, they will not require further watering. The extra trouble in planting is not worth mentioning, as must be understood when I say that a few days ago I, myself, planted five hundred broccoli in rough ground inside an hour. Shallots and garlic require watching now. As soon as the foliage falls down, they should be taken up. Leave them spread on the surface until the foliage is quite dead and parts readily from the bulbs; they are then ready to be stored in a dry place. Shallots are not in very great request by Colonial cooks; they* would be better valued if more geherally used for pickling, for which they are superior to onions, and more easily grown. Onions are in some parts a difficult crop to grow. About this time frequently sees the end of their healthy appearance, mildew attacks them and turns the foliage yellow. v Spraying is of little use unless a beginning is made before th© mildew appears, or at the latest as soon as it is visible. Really good onions ,cannot be grown unless the foliage remains in good condition throughout the whole period Of growth ; when growth is finished, the tops will dry and wither up of 'their own ac« cord, and should only rarely be assisted in this by bending the necks. Sometimes it happens that just about the time growth is completed, or nearly so, and tops tire beginning to wither, rain may set in after a spell of dry <v6athef. This 1 may have the effect of exciting the bulbs into new growth— they may throw out a-^Jiew set of roots. t This should be stopped; on such occasions it may be wise to twist the neoks, «,nd r in, 'case of those with pro> bounced thick necks the bending proGesi may.be adopted; but it must be understood that thick-necked plants never do make good bulbs; it is an abnormal condition; and requires unnatural treatment. Tho best and largest bulbs are always those that develop naturally, and in or. dinary circumstances they require no help; a little patience will see them wither without banding ■tthem L do.wttf ' v H % THE FRUIT GARDEN. Plum, pear, and cherry trees are 1 sure to be attacked by the leech, which eats the" foliage; "it is later appearing than usual this year. For some years we have seen it in Deoember, and in full force early in January. It ia of the greatest importance to, check the work of those pests, for if left alone they Will defoliate the trees, and the result of that is that as soon as moist weather sets in th© trees will break out into growth, the buds that should provide fruit and growth next spring will start into growth ahd make a lot of tinmatured shoots, and there can be no fruit on such trees the following season. Fortunately the remedy ,18 simple and sure; it is the easiest dealt with of all the peste. In the case of pears it ig usual to spray for codlin moth, and the arsenate of lead employed for that purpose also destroys the leech, so that no special spraying is necessary. The arsenate of lead will also answer for cherries, but there is danger of burning foliage in some cases, and plums are often much ihjured by it. Therefore it is best not to übo arsenate on plums or cherries, for hellebore powder is equally efficacious, and is not harmful to foliage, but it is not of Use against codlin moth. Hellebore powder should bo either soaked for several days in cold water or boiled for half an hour; if either is dohe, Aoz to 1 gallon water is sufficient. Slaked lime, either alone or mixed with dry earth or sand, is quite effectual against the leech, and this may be employed where there are only a few trees, but it would be wasteful to attempt it on a large scale, particularly as the lime is only a temporary measure, while the Bpraying mixtures hold on to the foliage for some time and destroy BUcces> sive hatchings of insects. Because the raspberry canes have ceased bearing there is no warrahffor neglecting them ; they have yet to finish off the canes for next season. Keep the surface soil loose and free from weeds and suckers, and if possible give a mulch of manure, game' remarks are applicable to gooseberries and currants; neglect too often -follows the end of. the fruit, and the joil may be left trampled hard. This i« bad for the bushes that have yet Work to do before their leaves are dono with. THE GREENHOUSE. Cinerarias should be sown, now as the latest advisable time for sowing. Earlier sowings provide plants for specimens or small plants for flowering early in winter. For whichever purpose they are intehded they should by now be in theiv first poia. I always consider it best to grow on in boxes till the plants are large enough for good 4in pota. The sou in th© younger Btages of the plants should be of a light character— plenty of leaf-mould or very old manure; old cow manure is perhaps best of all. The plants require to be kept as cool m possible, even if they have to b© shaded rather more than usual— it would be better than too much heat s but give all th© light possible at all times, and expose th© plants completely to the open air whenever possible. This may be done by pushing th© lights off when the sun has gone or the weather is dull; or_if that cannot be done,, open up when the h©at of the sun declines, instead of closing, as is done for most things, for it should be recognised that a comparatively close house may be less trying; to soft plants than plenty of ventilation. The temperature would be higher, but it would be easier to maintain moisture, and extra air after sundown would serve to harden the plants. Freesias and other bulbs should be, got into pots without delay. Freesias after pottihg should nob be allowed to get dry. It is a good plan, if o, batch of them are grown, to put them in a frame by themselves after potting ; give a thorough watering, and then cover the frame with sacks to keep it down until the bulbs begin to show through the soil. Chrysanthemums will require much water at this time. The soil should be getting well filled with roots, and they will absorb # considerable quantities. It may sometimes be necessary to give water three times a day;, the plants should never suffer want of it. Frequent watering leeches all the manurial properties out of the coil, and this joss must be mad© up by frequent applications of liquid manure; about every third time of watering liquid manure may be given. It is best to vary iho kind— sheep manure, cow manure, and horse manure, using all iv turn, and occasionally coot water.