GARDENING NOTES

Evening Post, Volume CI, Issue 102, 30 April 1921, Page 11

GARDENING NOTES

(By "Exp»ri«nci.")

BREAKING UP OF NEW GROUND.

The general plan adopted for laying out a garden is very often, decided by circumstances. Thus in the hilly districts surrounding the City of Wellington there is in most cases very little choice of plan. 1 The first thing that must be considered is access to the dwelling-, and when this is provided for, more often than not the design of the garden is decided. _ I have no intention of talking about designs, and only mention them because the necessity for providing access paths very often makes it impossible to treat the soil in the best manner from a cultivation point of view. The steepness of sections in many cases makes' it almost impossible to lay them out except in terraces. This must be regarded as a misfortune. Terraces should bo avoided as much as possible. Where tho situation is such as to bo exposed to all conditions of weather, as most are, the necessarily narrow terrace is liable to. be alternately sodden with water, and parched with drought. Wherever it is possible the whole of the ground should be trenohed as one piece, and any paths that are to interseot it laid out afterwards. This enables water to' drain under a path' whereas if the path is on unbroken ground it dams the water on its upper side and creates a> bad state of soil. Many appear to think the path must be on a. solid foundation. It is not necessary, and is not the practice in lay. ing out good gardens. When breaking up new land it is very important to understand that the growth of plants is,dependent on minute organwms, termed bioberia, and that these are active only in soil that is aerated^ Air cannot pene trate far into solid ground, consequently only the first few inches of soil is at first fertile. If, then, the top soil be buried, it will be difficult to grow anything satisfactorily for the\£rst few years. Nor'will manuring supply the want, only the? influence of air can bring the soil to a fertile state. Trenching Bhould bo arranged 60 ■to keep_ the top soil in that position. Clay soil becomes solid by the pressure of water sinking into it. If clay soil be trenohed and nothing added-to keep it open, it will become solid again in about three years. Vegetable matter of any description is Useful, provided it bo of a kind that will decay rapidly. Nothing else is co good as stable manure, and this ahould be, as far as possible, mixed with the soil. Failing this, roadside parings, garden refuse, residue of rubbish fires, old mortar from dismantled chimneys, anything almost that cannot bind. Dry grass in large quantities, though sometimes used, is not to bo recommended, though a moderate) quantity is better than nothing. To get ffood from such stuff a fair amount of quicklime should bo added to assist decay. Trenching is done for several reasons. Loose soil holds wcter in suspension; it enables roots to penetrate in search of the moisture; it lowors the watertaible in %vinter,' and so makes the top soil wanner. During' summer water rises in the soil- by capillary action, which means that, when the soil particles near tho surfaco become drj, water from the moisture particles below is drawn up. There is, however, a limit to this power.- Water is not drawn up from a great depth unless there is l standing water below the trenched soil. I It is doubtful if water hold in suspension can rise much more than twelve inches, sometimes less. It all depends on the kind of soil, and the fineness of tho particles. This has an important bearing on soil preparation. Tho fact appears to be that, capillary attraction has less to do with the benefits .derived from trenched soil than do the facilities it affords plant roots to go down in search of moisture. ;It oxplains why industrious persons who have trenched four feet deep have experienced failure: water sinks too low for the roots of ordinary plants to find it, and it is not brought up by capillary attraction froiy that depth. Twenty to thirty inches is quite deep enough to trench. Where the land that is being broken up h under Si'ass, the turf should' be cut, chopped up, and placed between the top spit and the one below, or it may be stacked and kept for future use. Tho turf is the richest of the soil. All new land should be limed. Lime is a plant food, it sets free potash usually abundant in clay noil, but not available, and aids other beneficial bacteria; Old soil 1 also requires lime. ..If fgreen matter has been dug in, and even, stable manure, leaf-mould, or other forms of humus, lime is required to oorrect acidity, _ caused by humio acid. If artificial fertilisers have been used lime is even more necessary, as more of these are of an acid character. The clubrbot disease of cabbage, >tc., which is astonishingly prevalent, is entirely due to an acid state of soil, and has never been known in land properly supplied with lime. HEDGES. It is no uncommon' thing to see hedges twioe or more aB broad as they should be. In small places this is a sacrifice of space that can ill be spared. In large " places it is a waste of labour. The top of a hedge, when broad, takes a lot of' cutting, particularly if it is cut true, and the result is not pretty. The best way to treat such a hedge i» to cut it back as close to the main trunks as possible. Nearly all tho Bpecies that are used for hedges will bear this treatment, and very quiokly recover, making as good ai faoe as ever. The treatment may be. applied now, or »t any convenient time of year, except in the case of the Taupata, in places .subject to frost. The top shoots of this plant are affeoted by a, few degrees of frost, and if cut severely at this time, many of the cut branches might be killed. Leave the cutting till frosts are past. The exercise of a- 'little thought when, trimming would prevent hedges getting' so wide. The usual way of trimming is to cut back the lasfc-made shoots to a point that makes' for neatness. By this means the hedge becomes a few inches broader each year, the encroachment being hardly noticed for the first few years. The workman should be provided with a strong pair of secateurs, . carried in the hip pocket. At regular intervals, all over the face of the hedge, he should, with tho secateurs, cut /out stubs of shoots, cutting back several inches into the hedge. This ib easily done, takes very little' extra time, and does not show. If this is done .once a year the hedge oan be kept always at the same width.

ROSES. ' We' may reasonably expect plenty of rain in the near future. The /soil is very dry for the time of year, but the next good rain should put it right. As soon as this state is reaohed, roses may bf transplanted. The advantage of planting at this time is that the plants make new | roots almost immediately, and become well established before winter sets in. Bushes moved at this time should not be pruned back. Very long growths should be cut back to some extent, just sufficient to take off top-heaviness. The foliage is still holding, and this it is that makes the new roots. Roots that are damaged in lifting should ,be cut afresh above the point of injury. , Spread the I roofs out well, cover with clean soil, tread firm, and fill up with soil, leaving I/it loose. Do not bring manure in contact with the roots, neither artificial nor organio, and do not mulch the surface. A mulch would make the soil cold, and the reverse is wanted to start new roots. It oannot be too warm at this time of year. Manuring oan be left till after pruning. SMALL FRUIT.

Loganberries are becoming very popular, and deservedly so. Anyone who in a small way has a spare spmce on a. fence or outbuilding might find' both profit and pleasure by covering it with this plant. One plant would cover a space about ten feet each way. Anyone having the plant growing should cut out tho oW fruiting canes at once. I will 'say something more about this Inter. A warning: There was recently advertised (not in New Zealand) the Caringberry, with a wonderful description that has attracted much attention. Even the Repatriation authorities in England purchased them. This "new" plant has been exposed. It is merely the Loganberry, but has been fold at double the price of Loganberries. A late number of t.Ke International Nurseryman contains the trade advertisement, and also an official exposure. / GOOSEBERRIES.

The best authorities advise pruning theso early, holding that removal of stir, plus wuod btttiofiomlly oft'cott the fruiting bud*. I believe in eu'Jy pruning for. &U

fruits, for the same reason. Pruning gooseberries should mainly be thinning out surplus shoots. The shoote left should not bo -cut back much—just tho tips, except long, ones, which should be shortened according to judgment to bring them in line. Shoots in the centre should, if they are strong, be cut hard back to the old wood. Whole branches should be out .out if the bush is crowded, in preference^ to opening the bush by cutting back, whicn would only result in greater orowding next season. Get the bush into a state that will render it possible to gather the fruit with comfort. That will mean a comparatively open bush that will admit light ,to every part, and in that' condition it will give the best crops and best fruitß.