THE GARDEN

Evening Star, Issue 17928, 25 March 1922, Page 3

THE GARDEN

Work for the Week.

Out contributor, a well-known gardener, will be glad to answer questions, which must be received not later than Tuesday 0} each week. VEGETABLES. In showery weather plant cabbage and cauliflower plants from autumn-sown seed. They will como in in early spring, when vegetables are scarce. A good plan to fidonC at this season is to plant them thickly, a foot or so apart, and ns so oa as they arrive at a useful size cut every alternate one, and leave the rest to grow to maturity. Earth, up celery, but not before it has grown to nearly full size. Trench and prepare beds for autumnsown onions. They should bo sown now or during this month. Or they may bo sown later in boxes and placed in a cold frame for the winter and planted out early in the spring. In districts whore the weather is severe this method is much to be commended. Peas may bo sown now to stand the winter and to como in early, particularly in mild districts. Thin out early autumn-sown parsley. It is a mistake to leave the plants to grow too thickly. Plants 6in apart will be much superior and last longer than if crowded. Lift and store potatoes as they ripen. Avoid lifting when tho ground is wet, or the tubers will not lift clean. THE TOMATO HOUSE.

The weather for a long time has been very unfavorable for tomatoes. It will be advisable now to remove most of the foliage, eo that all or nearly all the fruit may ripen before winter sets in. Leave ventilators open day and night, except on wet days. Give no water to the plants. In cases where tho cropping is nearly past a good plan is to strip all the leaves off and hang up the stems with tho green fruit on them in the full light to ripen. Then the ground may be dug up, and a crop of lettuces taken off. This is not only a change for the soil, but gives a good paying crop, as the lettuces will OOme in at a season when they are scarce, Give them rich soil and plenty of moisture and fresh air, except during hard frosts and bad weather. ROSES. Commence preparations for new plantations. The first thing to bo considered in any attempt at rose growing is tho preparation of the soil. This should bo done quite six weeks before planting, so as to allow the soil to settle and innlsify witli the manure. There is then little or no danger of the roots being injured at planting through their coining into contact with manure. To have first-class blooms one must have good, strong, healthy bushes,' and to get these they must have suitable ground to grow in." Some may say their ground is not suitable. My answer is that any ground may be made suitable by the application of soils and materials to suit that particular kind of land. The most natural and best land for roses is a rich brown loam rostiag on clay; and they do worst

on. poor, dry, gravelly, or sandy soils resting on rock or shingle. These arc the two extremes. The conditions must necessarily bo considered'. Long beds are the best to grow roses in, both for growing them well and for the sake of convenience. Put not more than four rows of plants in them. Three rows would bo preferable, for in that case they may be attended to and the flowers cut without treading about on the ground. To grow roses really well the surface soil must be kept open and free. Beds sft 6in in width will carry three rows of plants. The centre row should be planted with strong and tall-growing kinds, with the smaller kinds around the outside. A row of plants 20in apart up the centre, and the two outside rows 16in from the centre row, will leave room for an edging of violas or pansies, and make a very attractive and showy bed. Assuming that the soil is of the ordinary garden brown or black loam, with a-clay subsoil, wo \vill discuss the method of trenching. Dig out the top spit off one end of the trench 2ft wide and wheel it to the other end of the bed to till up with at the finish. Dig the clay one or two more spades deep—2£t if "possible. Upon this clay put a good thick layer of manure (well rotted stable or farmyard manure preferable). Failing this, rotted vegetable garden rubbish and fowl manure mixed. Line off two more feet. Turn over the top foot of soil on top of the first trench. Dig up the bottom as with the first, then manure it, and repeat the process until the finish, and fill up with the soil wheeled from the other end.

These long beds, with grass walks between, are, I think, tho best and most attractive of any. Tho bed being completed, the surface dressing is tho next thing. Lime is of tho utmost"importance in any soils. It is surprising the action it has upon land. It has an opening tendency on clay soils and a binding effect on sandy or light, gravelly soils. ISilica, which represents sharp, sandy, flinty soil, is particularly benefited by the application of lime, and without lime no plant can derive the full benefit from the chemical or mineral foods which they require to build up a fully-developed plant. Lime should) be applied by dusting or spreading over the rough surface of newly-dug ground, and left to do its work undisturbed for » short time; then, before- planting, if the ground is at all of a stiff nature, spread over the surface a good dressing of burnt garden rubbish, and work this all well in on the surface when- tho soil is fairly dry; the ground is ready for planting. If the soil is of a sandy nature avoid using more wood ashes, but add some rather heavy loam and plenty of rich farmyard cow and pig manure put well down. Green garden vegetable manure is also excellent for sandy soils. Having completed tho trenching and preparing of tho ground, immediate attention should bo paid to the consideration of tho roses required for planting. No doubt there will bo plenty of roses in the market this season, but it is quite another thing when one wishes to secure certain up-to-date varieties. There are always a few varieties which stand out above the rest, and up to somewhere near tho descriptions given in the novelty catalogue. On tho other hand, there are many which fail lamentably when compared with tiro descriptions given by the raisers. 1 do not propose to denounce any variety, for the reason that certain kinds are never seen at their best under conditions that may suit another, and many have their peculiarities, being not good with one yet first-class with another. My advice as to selecting novelties is tp try and see by visiting nurseries and gardens, and make all inqvdries, then order early, not wailing until -planting time before sending in orders, or tno very ones most desired may bo all -booked. Tho following list of names will supply some of the finest and best and most 'reliable iroses I know—nc(t necessarily novelties, yet including some of the beet of them:—Colonel Oswald Fitzgerald, red (now); Lady Maureen Stewarl, red (new); Hawlmark Crimson, red (new); K. of K., red l ; Golden Emblem; Margaret Dickson Hamii, yellow; Mrs Wemyss Quin, yellow; Lieut. Chaure, red; George Dickson, red; Madam Abel Chatenay, pink; Mrs George Norwood, pink; Madame Edouard Herriot, salmon shaded); Queen Alexandra; Gorgeous; Chateau do Clos Vougoot; Cleveland; Lady Hillingdon; Fr.Vi Karl Druschki; Florence Forrester; fFiorenc© H, Voiteh; Mrs Franklin Dennison; Red Letter Day; Miss Stewart Clark; and C. V. Howarth. H.C.

SAYING ONION SEED. Cottage gardeners sometimes make a practice of growing their own supply of seeds, ihc reason probably being an eco-

nomical one mostly,, and also, perhaps, to save the bother of getting in fresh stocks yearly. But the results from this homesaved seed often turn out unsatisfactorily, especially in wot seasons, or the variety from which the seed w r as saved was of poor quality. When specially grown and well ripened seed of superior varieties became available at reasonable prices the habit of saving one’s own seed almost died out; but there are still many gardeners who, having grown specially line ■bulbs of a good variety, plant a few bulbs for the production of seed. The process is quite simple and easily carried out. It is necessary to select firm, well-ripened bulbs in autumn, when the crop is harvested'. Store them in a cool place until late winter or very early spring, and then plant them out. The position must be a warm one, exposed to the sun, yet sheltered from cold winds. Xo special soil is needed, simply a good medium, well-drained light one. If a number of bulbs arc to be grown draw drills 4in deep and oft apart. In these plant the bulbs at intervals of Ift, and tread the soil down firmly around them. W 7 hen growth begins put a stout stake 3ft to 4ft long to each bulb, and) as the stems grow secure them to the stakes so that wind and rain cannot bend or snap them off. Heads of bloom will form in due course, and, given a warm summer, the seed heads will attain maturity by the autumn, when the diems should be out off close to the ground and laid on a sheet of paper or cloth and exposed to the sun for a few days. Keep the heads dry and keep them under cover at night. Afterwards place the heads in a muslin bag and hang in a dry place for a couple of weeks or so, and then rub out the seeds.

WHEN TO GATHER FRUIT

On being asked this question one’s natural impulse is to answer “ When it is ripe”; and yet such is not always the case. The following remarks by an English authority, are worth noting: “ The best method by which to tell when fruit is ready to gather is, in the case of colored early dessert apples, by their color developing. “ It is a good plan to go over the trees on several occasions, picking the most highly-colored fruits each time. If the early fruit is to be sent away it should be gathered before it is quite ripe, otherwise it is finely to shrivel and go soft before it roaches its destination.

‘ ‘ A good general rule to adopt in the case of mid-season and late varieties of apples is to raise the fruits into a horizontal position, and if the stalks of the fruits part freely from the tree it.may be concluded that the fruit is ready for gathering. “The cause of apples shrivelling after being stored for a short time is often duo to gathering thorn before they are fit. The late varieties should be left on the trees ns late as possible; and tho same general rules apply to pears, though certain varieties, such as tho well-known 'Williams and Jargonelle, should be gathered a week or a fortnight before they are ripe, otherwise many of them will be’ mined by birds.” J