THE GARDEN

Evening Star, Issue 18785, 8 November 1924, Page 19

THE GARDEN

WORK FOR THE WEEK

VEGETABLES. The principal work now in this department is attending to young growing crops —thinning, booing, and raking. These jobs are of great importance if _ good quality vegetables is the object. Thinning out young seedlings allows room lor full development. Hoeing has two objects—keeping down weeds and maintaining a hose and friable soil to admit air to the roots of'plants and sweeten the ground. Celery trenches should bo prepared some days before planting. Open out the trenches 12in wide and 12in or more deep. Dig in Sin or 3in thick of wellrotted manure in the bottom of the trench. Leave it for a few days to settle and mulsify. Then rake down and plant out bin apart. The recent rainy weather has been ideal for the work of planting. Keep celery ground or trenches moist. This is one of the principal points in growing good celery. Dryness at the roots for any length of period will cause the plants to go to seed. Asparagus should be cut regularly. Do not allow some to grow beyond its usefulness until the time to cease cutting for tho season. Newly-planted beds should be allowed to make all the growth possible to buikl up strong crowns for nextcreason. Prepare trendies for leeks in readiness for them as soon as they are sufficiently strong. They are planted in a Hire manner to celery,' except that they require less moisture and a less distance apart both ways. Cut off tho ends of the plants before planting out. Plant deeply, as the object is to gain length and strength of stem. There is still time to make another sowing of onions for winter use. Pit HIT. Watch recently grafted fruit trees to see that tho wax and coverings are kept secure. Look over apple trees. Thin out overcrowded fruit to ono or at most two on each spur. A little later on, when one or two young shoots are growing away too strong in comparison to tho rest of the shoots, pinch out the points to check tho flow of sap in that direction, and to turn it into other and weaker growth, and thus give a more regular and even head or set up branches. This is very important in tho formation of young trees. Summer spraying for mildew and other fungoid diseases should now he carried on to a finish. For silver blight on the plum there is really no cure. Cut out tho affected brandies and spray with Bordeaux to keep it in check. Shot hole fungus must be kept in check by similar means. Now is a good time to spray the fruit of’apples to check the ravages of codling moth, black spot, and bitter pit. When spraying see that tho upper and under sides oi the leaves are reached as well as the wood and fruit. Black spot and scab on pears may bo treated in a like manner. Do not allow weeds and grass to grow around the base of fruit trees. Such growths are a groat drawback to tho successful culture of all kinds of fruit, and a harbor for diseases. Bordeaux mixture may be purchased at most seedsmen’s ready lor mixing iu the water, or it may bo made in the following manner {summer formula) .-—Four pounds sulphate of copper, 41b fresh rock or shale lime to forty _ gallons of water. Dissolve tho sulphate of copper in twenty gallons of water. Slake the lime slowly, and make up to twenty gallons of water. Strain this milk of lime into the solution of sulphate of copper. St:r briskly whilst adding the ono to the other. Sulphate of copper is easily dissolved in hot water. Where only a small quantity is required it may he easily made in two kerosene tins. Great care must he taken to use the proper proportion, as in the bigger amount. Badly affected trees may require two or three .sprayings during the season, THE HARDY FERNEBY.

NOTES

It has often occurred to mo strange that there are not more hardy ferneries about this fair city of ours. A hardy fernery is one of the most delightful featmes ‘to bo had in a garden. True, ive do not always find a garden provided with a. shady nook. Yet tncre are- lots of such places which could bo very profitably utilised for such a charming object. It is useless attempting a hardy fernery hi an unsuitable spot. Ferns are essentially shade lovers, and shade they must have if they are to be grown successfully. If one has not got a shady wood, a snug corner where partial or complete shade is afforded by wall, buildings, or trees will be suitable for the cultivation of ferns. Vvo have an abundance of suitable ferns in our neighborhood. Some of the good old hardly British ferns, such as I/ifteria filix mas and L. filix limimi, Osmondo Regales, and others, could be added. There used to be many of these beautiful British and other European ferns in Dunedin, but most of these seem to have disappeared years ago. The lorn exhibits alone at our shows used to be a show in themselves. Many a grand fight for the coveted honors I have had with my old friends Mr P. Stewart, the late Mrs Purdy, and others. Where are all those beautiful collections gone to? How in foresting they would bo at our shows now. But few countries can boast of a finer or more varied collection of ferns than New Zealand. Unfortunately most of our most beautiful ferns in and around Dunedin are becoming exceedingly rare. I think it a pity that some means cannot bo taken to conserve the remainder before they become extinct. What more interesting subject could bo. taken up to attract visitors (o our botanical gardens than a real representative and well-got-up f.crnery of Kcw Zealand ferns? FLOWERS. ■Summer bedding will now ho in full swing. Before planting, clean and prepare the beds. Avoid doing this whilst the ground is wet, or it will go together quite stiff and hard when the soil dries. When planting geraniums, whether ivy or zonal, plant them deeply, firm, and somewhat leaning. Plant out dahlias, chrysanthemums, and all kinds of annuals such as stocks, asters, phlox, ami zinnias; also biennials and perennials such as aquilegias, pcntstcmoiis, antirrhinums, dianthns, and others. Stake and tie dahlias, chrysanthemums, and all such plants that require support. Mow and roll lawns regularly. Clip verges of paths and- ilowor beds. AX SAVERS. “Olearia.”—The shoots of olearia forwarded are affected with gall midge. As stated frequently, this pest is becoming a serious menace to olearia hedges. The only thing to be done is to clip off the affected parts and burn them, then spray the hedge with tar water to keep off the fly which is the parent of the grub. On a" fine day at this season great numbers of a. very small black fly may lie seen flying about badly-affected olearia hedges. Take about, a quart of tar ami put it into a kerosene tin of water, preferably hot. Stir well ami let it settle and clear. Skim off the top and spray with the clear water. The same tar will, do for the two or more sprayings during the summer month?. “ J.G.Tj.” asks how to make tar water to spray cinerarias. The previous answer will serve. “ F.P.”—The spray of flower from your laburnum is a pink sport. This kind of sport is almost like a parasite. It forms in bunches very like the formation of clusters of mistletoe. 1 have seen many similar bunches form on the common laburnum. “Apple.”—The apple twig forwarded is affected with woolley aphis (American blight). For your two or three small, trees I advise you to paint the affected parts with common castor oil or strong Gishurst compound. It is best dealt with when the trees are bare;, strong sprays may then be used. M.C.

Our contributor, a well-known gardener, will be glad to answer questions, which must be received not later than Tuesday of each week. Advertisements for this column must be handed in to the office before 2 p.m. on Friday,

A writer in ‘ The Florists’ Review,’ who grows peonies largely and markets the flowers, says “ A number of years ago I made a test planting of about fifty or sixty varieties that were generally recommended for florists’ use. Later on, I cut my main planting down to the following varieties ;—Festiva maxima, Mme Do Verneville, Due Do Wellington, Albatre, Conronne d’Or, and Baroness fichroeder. To these I expect to add Marie Lemoine, valuable for its extreme lateness. Here are seven distinct forms which give a succession of bloom. All are beautiful. All have enough substance in the petals to permit them to keep well if sent to neighboring towns.” Messrs M‘Hutchison and Co. give some interesting details of raffia, of which they are large importers, in the ‘ Seed Trade News.’ They say that its origin was for years a trade secret, the importers calling it a “ grass,” to put others seeking for the source off the scent. They describe it as the dried inside cuticle of a palm, Doha arabica, growing in Madagascar. Brazil and the Philippines produce a similar article, hut of inferior quality; and there is a distinct difference between the raffia produced on the east and west coasts of Madagascar, the latter producing the longest and whitest fibre. The number of articles made from this fibre is very considerable, in addition to its use for tying. The name should, of course, be “ rofia,” but the corrupt form has now had too long a run to he easily displaced. In the English gardening journals for August the death is reported of Mr Anthony Waferer, whose name is well known to horticulturists all over the world. One of the most prominent successes associated with him is in connection with the raising of many hardy hybrid rhododendrons, which have added much richness of color to our gardens. Latterly, Mr Waterer devoted more attention to hardy azaleas than to the evergreen rhododendrons, and he produced some very fine hybrids, especially in brilliant rods and yellows, which when they get into general commerce will add much to the beauty of the azalea season. So near were they to his heart that he did not care to part with them, except to specially favorite customers. He was the second of the name: the elder Anthony acquired and left his son a very considerable fortune. Both were keen sportsmen, lovers of horses and cattle, interested in racing and cricket. Sometimes the best new rhododendron cf the year was named after the winner of the Derby. Mr Waterer was in Ids seventy-fourth year when he died. It is generally recognised that the chief physical properties of a soil affecting plant growth are moisture, aeration, temperature, texture, and tilth. The moisture content is affected by drainage in wet soils and hy keeping a loose surface free from weeds in the dry season. Since the free air space in a soil is that space not occupied hy water, it follows that aeration is dependent on moisture control. The factor most under control is tilth. RAMBLER ROSES. Few plants aro mom easy to manage, considering their size, if right pruning and training are started from the. very first (slates Mrs Fanny Bennett, the wellknown English horticulturist). But if this is neglected for even a few seasons things come to a pretty pass. The other day 1 was attracted hy five delightful cottages on a country road. An Albedo Bai'bier rose had been planted in. the garden of the central cottage, and it had reached the windows of all five cottages, so rampant is the growth of this variety of rambler. Now, it would be very difficult for the. owners of that rose to prune the entire plant, although their own portion had evidently been well thinned out and branches trained wide apart for all flowers to give a good effect. If one has this rampant type of climbing rose in one’s own garden the only way to keep it within bounds is to bo constantly clipping it back and removing weaker growth. The former job I do with tho shears and the latter with secateurs. Rambler roses over a house or fence should bo so pruned that only half a dozen or so of the newest and strongest shoots are trained wide apart so that lateral growths, on which the flowers arc formed, have ample space to develop. But if ramblers aro covering arches or trellis standing free from wall or fence more growth may he allowed, although even then growth should not bo left uupmned year after year. I do wish I could drive it homo more emphatically how foolish it is to keep useless growth on a plant of any sort, because it all has to be fed at the expense of growth that will yield flowers and fruits. Take this to heart when ramblers aro on the wane and have a drastic clear out of all old wood and much of the new growth that is spindly and weak. Often as many as a dozen new shoots are thrown up from tho base of ramblers, and they vary in length and strength. If five or six of tho best aro selected this will bo sufficient to carry’ on, cutting away all weaker growths from the very bottom of the plants. Many climbers throw out strong lateral growth from old wood, and one should carry one’s eye right along an old growth before cutting it out, in case of valuahlo new wood being removed with it. Tho older the wood tho darker it Ls in tone, very old growth being more brown than green. Very old thick kid gloves should be worn for pruning roses of all sorts, hut especially for climbers, as one’s hand often has to be thrust into massed growth. As soon as tho plants aro free from useless growth they should bo immediately trained into position.