GARDENING FOR THE WEEK

Evening Star, Issue 16993, 15 March 1919, Page 4

GARDENING FOR THE WEEK

Our contributor, a well-known gardener, vAll be glad to answer questions, which must he received not later than Tuesday of each tree'-.

I BULBS FOR AUTUMN PLANTING. { Of ali spring flowering b,ulbs the nar- ■ eisstr; commands attention for its graceful appearance. It is also used for bedding with superb effect. There are also hyacinth?, inlijs, ixias, berbianus, etc., all lovely in their way. 'The inircissi are very easily grown—in fact, it is hard to say where they will i not £tovr if the ground be fairly eultiI vated. But the point is not merely to get | them to grow, but to get tho best results. ! To obtain this means experience; but i with ordinary care and attention really good results may be obtained. The nar- , cisstts enjoys good toil and good cultiva- ; tion. Though they do not need fresh and ! rank manure, they ate grclitly benefited by ! a liberal supply of well-rotted old stable i manure; but "this should be put well j down below the surface, so as not to come j in direct contact with the bulbs'. They | will feed down into it as they require it. ! Where this class of manure cannot be | secured, artificial should be applied, such as bone meal and superphosphate. Both these arc good. Ground that has been well manured and cropped suits them first-rate. As to the depth to plant the bulbs, the advice given by one of the largest, cultivators of this bulb in Europe says three times the depth of each kind, whether it be large or small. This is good advice on light- soils or dry situations, but I am quite convinced that it is too deep on heavy and damp, cold soils, in which case 2m fcr small bulbs is enough, and the same in proportion for large bulbs. There are various ways of planting—in | rows, in open situations, in beas for effect, i in clumps in a mixed border, or planted ; out and naturalised in grass. Each of : these methods is good if properly carried I out. But the finest blooms and "the best j results are obtained by planting in rows, 6in apart, for small bulbs, and Tin or Biri j for large size. Pick sound bulbs and I plant the small ones by themselves to i come_in for ancther year." The best effect is gained by keeping each kind separate. ; Do not mix Poeticus and trumpets. ; Three years is lonic enough for the | bulbs to remain in one place. The be.t • results are from bulbs lifted each year. | As to varieties to plant, it must depend | on the length of one's purse whether to j go in for the latest novelties or be content | with tho.se of a moderately cheap price. Quite {i I'iunbiT of very fine varieties may be bad at- a reasonable price. I advise procuring'-a. reliable bulb catalogue. The hvc.einth is another gem 7 and one wh:ih. if v.el! e a ltivated. i< in some respects equal to the narcissus. It can never lie so popular, as it is not so easily grown : yet under good culture it is lovely both in scent and appearance. It may be grown in various ways—in water bottles, in (lower pots, or outside in the ilower bed if proper hyacinth glasses are used and a little care taken. They grow and flower : beautifully in rcom windows., greenhouses, ; frames, and such like places' similar to i those cultivated in fl.,ucv pots. I will touch upon, those for the garden first. Hyacinths like a rich, free, sandv loam, but they will do well in most well-culti-vated and enriched soil; in fact, it is hard to make the soil too rich. But no rank manure must be used. A good layer of well-rotted cow manure, dug in, the surfacemade free and open by" applying sand where none exists and burnt garden rubbish—this will grow them to" perfection. They should be given a warm and sunnv situation, away iron' the roots of trees. Avoid water at the roots. Though they are a moisture-loving plant, they' cannot endure water standing about their roofs in winter. It is a good plan to plant early in the autumn—the earlier the better, after the bulbs are up and well ripened. Do not be led away with big. fat bulbs to get the best blooms. They mav be large, providing they are hard and firm at the crown. Avoid soft, flat-topped bulbs. Those of a moderate size, hard and heavv, are sure to give fine flowers. Large flat ones are good to plant for breeding. They should be left two or three years in the one place. Late planting and deep plantnig both tend to late "blooming. Plant from 6in to 9in apart, and from Sin to 6in deep, according to the light or heavy state of the soil. ANSWERS. "H.F." asks, the name of tho enclosed plum.—Prince Tnglebert; a first-rate plum for all purposes. The sample forwarded is not quite up to typical size. " Cutten " sends two apples, and asks tneir names.—Roth are of one variety: Reinette du Canada, perhaps grown linger different conditions as to moisture and situation. Xo. 1 is decidedly not typical. " Bayfield " writes : " I enclose a"sample of potatoes lifted a week ago. Please let me know what is the cause"of their going ! bad. Last year I had the same results, j and it was then maiden ground and only j limed. The seeds were procured from a j local seedsman, and thoy "were all good as ] far as I could see. My early potatoes were j not affected. I tried a good one. On lift- j ing it I rubbed off some of the skin and exposed it for 48 hours to the sun, and it I went the same as those enclosed. Do you think 1 lifted them too early? Please name six plum trees suitable for the same place, situated on the south side of Bayfield."—The potatoes forwarded were undoubtedly lifted too soon, as the skin shows that they are very badly rubbed and skin broken. Soft, undeveloped potatoes such as these would never stand being exposed to the hot sun for 48 hours. I see no disease about them. The ground may be wet, ami the tubers treated as you de- | scribe would soon go wrong. The potato is all right inside. Leave them to ripen, and if the tubers begin to rot in the ground, then mow off all the tops, leave them for a week or so to ripen up a bit, then dig them carefully. Avoid breaking the skins, or they will not keep. Six really good plums are Grand Duke, Monarch, Pond's Seedling, Jefferson's Gage, Black Diamond, and Angelina Burdett. " A. H." writes : "I have a small flower border which 13 very stiff and little better than putty. I have limed it twice the last three or four years, but it is no better. I can put sand into it, but it is very fine; and besides I am told that though I lift the border and mix the sand with it it wijl just fall to the bottom and leave the top • as bad as ever."—To improve o* m-vke I good your border you should never work it wet. Dig it deeply now and put in a j good lot of fresh stable manure, leaving tho surface rough. Start a fire, and burn all the rubbish you can get, including hedge clippings, garden rubbish, soil, etc. Work in a good dressing of this and leave it for the frost to operate upon. A little sand will do it good. Do not le afraid of the sand going to the bottom. Work it just before it has time to dry hard. I think that with this treatment your border will be workable and grow good flow-el's. Use as much fresh stable manure as you can. " J.R." writes : " Would you kindly tell me the names of the pears and plums enclosed. If pickled now, would they be suitable for preserving! " —The pear is Jargonelle, an early pear. If pickled at' once it would be suitable for preserving,

but it is too soft when allowed to get lipe. The plums are covered with a skin as though they had been sprayed late and the formula used was too strong. I. cannot say for certain what it is. it is not a food sample for preserving. It would do or jam, "Health" asks: "Would you please tell nio the name of enclosed. Is it a heath? "—Yes. It is Errica Molanthcra, a fine free-flowering variety. H.C.