GARDENING FOR THE WEEK.

Evening Star, Issue 14185, 9 October 1909, Page 11

GARDENING FOR THE WEEK.

[We have completed arrangements with a well-known gardener to conduct a weekly letter. Our contributor will be glad to answer questions, which must be received not later than Tuesday of each week.] —The Vegetable Garden- — Asparagus aro making rapid advance nonin most place?, and will soon be in full growth. Cutting must be regularly and carefully done. All young stalks must ha cut an they become fit. None should be left to grow so long as to be unfit for use. It is a grave mistake to merely cut what yon want .and leave the rest to grow. All should ho cut regularly, as they appear, right up to about the New Year ; then they should be left to grow at will to build up strong crowns for another year. Be very careful when cutting that you do not cut the young heads that are growing under the surface. The best way to cut is to send the blade of the knife down alongside the young head, and give it a half cut, and twist at the same time. By this means you are not so likely to cut the young ones. It is too late now to make a’plantation, but good asparagus may still bo got from seed, where the staple is sandy or a light loam. Asparagus may be reckoned on to thrive if well prepared by digging in come good well-rotted manure, anil plentv of it, this being done carefully. The seeds should be sown in drills 21t‘ apart. Care must be itaken to sow thinly, and in due time to thin out the young plants to 15in apart. A crowded bed will not supply good fat sticks. All kinds of potatoes should be got in now, if this has not already been done. Plant cabbage, cauliflower, and lettuce. Brussels sprouts should bo sown now, as hard and large sprouts cannot bo got from late sowings. They should hare rich soil and plenty of room. Scarlet runner beans should be sown now in double drills. Lay the line down and draw a drill on each side of the line 4in deep, placing the 'seed 4in to 6in apart in theao drills, or they may be dibbled in. I always think they do better in doable rows, as they come in close contact with the stakes for them to climb up. Sow the main crop of large or intermediate carrots; sow also for succession peas, French beans, lettuce, and such things as are not of a lasting nature. ° —The Greenhouse.— As the heat of the sun is strengthening care must oe taken to shade the glass to keep the direct rays off the plants, or they will be severely injured. A good shading for this purpose consists of turpentine and white lead, with the slightest shading of blue colouring, made to about the thickness of milk, and painted on the glass. If you would like it to have the appearance of frosted glass, and you have not got a fiteppling, it is easily done by placing a big handful of some soft woolly material inside of a piece of soft cotton or linen rag. dabbing this quickly all over the freshlvpainted glass. This gives a nice soft, healthy light to the plants, as well as a nice appearance. By using this shading and attending to watering and keeping the hone© moist by clamping down the Score in the morning and spraymg overhead in the evenings. On warm days you will almost see vonr plants grow. Care must be taken not to splash the water over those plants that are in full flower, but just give plenty of water and damp down a little around them. Remove all dead leaves as they appear. Calceolarias that are showing their flowering specks will require feeding with liqmd manure twice a week until they are in flower; then the liquid manure should bo discontinued, and water with clear water only. Young polargonius should be got into their flowering pots at once, if that has not already been dono. Two parts turf, one of leaf mould, hall part of vorv old ma^. ure !„ part of clean, sharp oand will grow these to perfection. Oldeefcablifihed plants that have been potted up and treated as advised in my previous notes will be in that forward condition that their flowering stems, or trusses will be showing. Immediately vou can see signs of these flower trusses and the pots are full of roots, they should have, watering with liquid manure once or twice a week. Begonias.—The old tubers that have been dried off and rested during the winter will bo found starting off nva-in. Immediately they are seen to start°jmo growth, by tho appearance of littlo reddiah spots on the top of their tuber, they should be potted up in small pots, or perhaps better, where there are a number of them, is to get a shallow box Sin or 4in P ]aco some half-rotted leaves on the bottom; then over this some wellrotted leaf mould; on this place vour tubers: then work in around them level with the top, but do not cover them Mix some leaf mould, some very old manw^bT 1 V ltU ! cloan f»*l; then sprinkle with tepid water and place them in a warm and moist part of the greenhouse. Leave them in this box until they have made nice growth and lots of roots; then they should be lifted and potted. —Answers.— 1nH J ' A '’'7T Y ° llr . r ote . too late for last weeks publication, as notes must reach me by Tuesday of each week. You ask if it does a toodedendron bush harm to cut off pieces with bloom attached. Undoubtedly yes You should never cut off wood parts that is, the end of shootewith bloom attached. If v on do, you will have to wait two yetire before you will ge. bloom again on that part. If a tree t . Md ver T sometimes it is benefited by a good cutting back all over tho bush. It will then break out and become a better shape. But it means waitfor two or three years for bloom, and after they have done bloom,ing all seed poda should be carefully picked off. Bv domg this they grow and flower much better. Tomato.”—You have evidently mistaken my notes on the tomato by mixing the outside distances apart to plant with the made. A week or two ago I wrote on outside-grown tomatoes, and then advjsed planting 3ft apart, but further back again,_ when writing on than under class, I advised planting 15in in the row and 2ft f ' ,n from row to row. I think if you look bade you will find this correct. You should have a- first-rat© crop if you have made your ground nice and firijij to the trouble you have. R-T- I am afraid vou are killing your apple tree with kind-new. Youn* trees like that should never have liquid manure poured on to the roots like that A little manure put around them on tho surface will do no harm, but even this is not required, unless they are planted on a vefy dry spot and the soil of a light nature. ; Then it would prove beneficial No liquid manure should be given newlyplanted trees or young trees. Your trees planted on made-up ground should not require anything for years. Adam’s Pearmain is naturally a weak grower, and would resent over-feeding more quickly than a more vigorous kind would do. “ South Dunedin.”—You wish a cure for that troublesome pest the slater, or woodlie©. Trap them by patting the half of a

boiled tomato undo? flowerpots, with a littlo old wool or hay ip with it; then lift them and shat© them into a tin' of boiling water. Or poison them with oatmeal and arsenic, or oatmeal and hellebore powder, placed in position© where they can get it. _ They are easily killed with K.S. fluid, ii you can get at them. Put a cupful in a water-can. of water, and water with roes on wherever you see them, but bo sure not to let it touch tho plants, or it will kill them too. . “Inquirer.”—The term “border plants’-’ is so indefinite that it should not be put into a horticultural society’s schedule. Either have annuals, perennials, and biennials, or herbaceous collections, or combine them. Any plant may be called a border plant if it can be grown and flowered successfully outside, free from protection. The begonia can scarcely be called a border flower, yet if it be grown outside you cannot stop anyone from showing it in a collection of cut border flowers. This is one of the inconsistencies. H.C.