THE GARDEN

Evening Star, Issue 20374, 4 January 1930, Page 18

THE GARDEN

WOI*K FWR THE WEEK,

SEASONABLE Wflßl ' 'TO VEGETABLE GARDEN The work advised in last week’s notes will do very well for this. THE ROSE GARDEN The season for budding roses is during the month of January and February. Provided the stocks are ready the best time to bud is when the buds are in the right condition, and often particularly with new or rare kinds, and when buds are scarce, one has to do the budding when the buds are available. It is no use waiting until the buds have pushed away into growth and have ■ passed the budding stage. The proper time to bud is when the buds are nice and plump. Success or failure almost entirely deEends on the proper condition of the ud. Presuming both the stocks and the buds are ready and in the right condition, the sooner the budding is done the greater the chances of success. First provide yourself with a very sharp budding-knife. Strips of raffia and labels. Then cut off the desired pieces of wood with suitable buds attached, and carefully name and label them. As each lot-is named put them into a roll of damp cloth or wet sack. This will keep them fresh until they arc safely budded into the stock. Cut off all leaves from the eyes of each piece of wood containing the -buds as they are taken from the bush, leaving only a short portion of the stem for the convenience of handling. Insert the blade of a very sharp knife, about less ■ than an inch above the bud, giving a sloping cut, bringing out the blade about ..the s me distance below the bud. Turn the bud bottom up between the thumb and finger of the left hand. Then with the point of the knife and the thumb of the right hand draw out with a jerk the wood from the bud. If it has came away properly it will have the appearance of a grain of sand lying in the hollow of the bud. Then shorten back the heel of the bud to about Sin, and make a clean cut up the stem of the stock near the ground, , about Sin in length, and a cross cut at the top like the letter T.. Insert the handle ■of the budding knife, raising the bark slightly. Insert the end of the bud at the top of the cross cut at the top, and -push ‘ down -the bud under the bark and carefully tie in the bud with raffia or worsted. The operation is then complete. If the season after budding should ,b a dry one the stocks should have a good watering, to keep the sap flowing freely until the buds have teken and are well established. Which will take three or four weeks. In about a fortnight look -over them. You will then be able to tell if the buds have taken.' If they have failed insert another bud on the other side of\the stock and before the budding season :abput four, of■ five weeks examine the stocks and remove the raffia or there may be a danger of the raffia cutting into the stem. If the buds are full and forward and the budding is done early they will most likely push away into growth dnd flower this-autumn. In such case the > stocks . should be headed . down to give'light and room for the expansion of the young rose. ■ Whilst roses are still at their best it is advjsablio to look over and take note of their colours, _ especially new varieties,’ and also their good or bad qualities. Then one is better a'bio to judge the qualities or condemn any that may be considered not worthy of special cultivation. It is not wise to discard too readily for some roses do well one season and badly another. This has been a trying season for some, and many of fine early promise were unable to open or develop their ..bloom,. but rotted in, the bud. If we had bad more sun and- heat no doubt there would havo been many more fine blooms.

The host advice Ican give, now is to assist the roses to give a fine autumn display of bloom. Should tho weather be favourable during that period wo' may look for a : very fine autumn display, as growth is strong and vigorous. What is required to achieve that end is to cut off all faded flowers and seed heads and give the bushes some assistance with either liquid or artificial manure. ; THE FRUIT GARDEN All wall fruit trees should have their final looking over for the season by way of nailing or tying into place young leading - shoots and discovering any vacancies. Once they become hard and the wood fairly ripe they may break or snap off in the process. After the tying in is completed cut back all breastwood.

Leaf curl or blister on peaches has been bad this season. If spraying has been attended to as previously advised, and there are still affected leaves, 1 pick them off and burn them. Both peaches and nectarines should havo the final thinning of their fruit if not already done. Some prefer them to become largo enough to use for pies, etc., before doing so, but the sooner the surplus fruit is taken off the finer and better will be the crop. Very often standard trees are at this season left to take care of themselves, hut good gardeners and growers look after _ them by judicious pruning or thinning out the surplus growth and stopping- and removing surplus fruit. The spraying of apples and pears for black spot and apple scab may still he done, but it must be carried out at once, or it will be too late.

Strawberries.—This is the best month of the whole year to plant strawberries or make new plantations, particularly when a little extra care in the preparation of the ground is taken, and also .a little thought given to the selection of first early runners. It is a wel-known fact that where the first early runners are taken, and the end of each runner is removed after tho first young plant has rooted, success is likely to result. A second plant on each rtmner should not be thought of where a sufficiency of plants can bo secured from the first. In my young days these first runner plants were pegged down into small flower pots full of soil. They undoubtedly make fine plants, both for planting out into beds or potting up for fruiting under glass in Gin pots. Another method which is well known is to fill a bucket of good rich, gritty soil and drop a small handful at tho back of each of the first runners. They quickly, root and make fine plants, which are then lifted with a little soil attached and planted in the usual way. The’ best soil for strawberries is a rich, moist, sandy loam, but almost any soil may bo made to grow good strawberries by the application of well-rotted manure dug in deeply, with in the case of heavy soils a liberal supply of charred or burnt garden rubbish well worked in to lighten and make the soil porous. It is not wise to make the surface soil too rich, or the plants will make too .much- and too rank leafage. Tho distance apart to plant must be deter.mined by, the vigour of the variety used. As a rule plants should’be put in 2ft from row to row and. 18in in the row. It is a good plan to make a 3ft row or space between two or a third row for the necessary traffic for attending the plants and picking the fruit. ANSWERS “ Plum.”—Tho twig or small branch of plum forwarded is covered with silver blight. I think you will find that only one or two branches of your tree are like this at present. Very rarely a whole tree is affected with silver blight at tho one time. The best advice I can give yon now is to saw out the affected branch close down to tho

Oar a, gardener, wS! be glad t» answer question, which mat bo neoehted not . later than Tuesday of oad> week. Affiwtetiappmrtn fbr thia eoJmna jnnst bo banded in to the office before 2 sue- ® Friday.

fork. Pare off the saw marks with a sharp knifo, and rub over with a little wet clay. The other part of the tree may in future escape this blight. H.C. MISTAKES MADE WITH NITRATE OF SODA The nitrogen in nitrate of soda exists in a very convenient degree of concentration; but mistakes are sometimes made by inexperienced users:— (1) By applying it in too large quantities. Several small applications at intervals are always more effective than one large dose. (2) By sprinkling it on the foliage of the crops. This should always be avoided, as strong solutions of nitrate may damage the leaves, particularly of young,plants. (3) By using too strong solutions when applying as a liquid manure. (4) By using nitrate of soda, and nitrate of soda only, without any phosphates or potash, year after year. This stupid mistake has given some people the false impression that nitrate of soda exhausts the soil, whereas it is the heavy crops which have probably removed all the available phosphoric acid or potash, none or insufficient quantities of which have been supplied. The use of nitrate 6f soda alone is never recommended for many consecutive years or crops. On special occasions it may be used alone, but then only at the rate of from lewt to 2cwt per acre. For example, a crop may receive nitrate of soda alone when the soil is known to be rich in phosphates and potash, or when the crop immediately preceding it has received a real good dressing of manures containing phosphates and potash.

SWEET PEAS

The sweet pea is one of the most exacting subjects in the garden kingdom. Especially is this the case where the summer conditions are somewhat trying to the delicate foliage and flowers of this very popular annual. If deep rooting soil range has been provided, everything' is right, provided they are watered copiously when needing it, and always provided that at rho first appearance or seed pods forming these are removed. Another necessity is to feed with manure water, or an application of fertiliser watered in, at least once a week. After watering and manuring, loosen the soil all round, and stake and train all strong runners. WHEN THE CROPS WILL BE READY The following table is useful when it is wished to know how soon after sowing or planting a crop will be ready for gathering:— Beans, broad—l 3 to 14 weeks. Beans, French—ll to 12 weeks. Beans, runner—l2 weeks. Beet, turnip—l2 to 14 weeks. Beet, long—lß to 20 weeks, j Broccoli—s to 9 months. • • Brussels sprouts—6 to 8 months. 1 Cabbage—l 6 to 18 weeks. i Carrots —18 to 24 weeks. ! Cauliflowers —ls to 1,8 weeks. > ! Celery—s to 6 months, j Endive—lo to 12 weeks. Kale or borecole—7 to 9 months, i Leeks—6 to 8 months. 1 Lettuce—9 to 10 weeks. Onions—l 6 to 18 weeks. Parsnips—lß to 20 weeks. Peas—l 3 to 15 weeks. Potatoes, early—l 4 to 15 weeks. Potatoes, main crop—lß to 20 weeks, • Radishes—4 to 5 weeks. Savoys—6 months. Shallots—ls to 16 weeks. Spinach—lo to 14 weeks. Turnips—B to 9 weeks. Vegetable marrows—ls to 18 weeks.

HELPING CARNATIONS Carnations will appreciate a little help now that they are in full growth, especially if the plants are two or three years old and have exhausted the soil around them. A _ moderate sprinkling of a complete artificial fertileser, such as market garden manure or plain superphosphate, is one of the best dressings for these lime-loving plants, but care should be taken not to sprinkle the fertiliser upon the leaves, as it has a tendency to scorch them. It is of the greatest importance to keep the soil sweet for carnations, and the best aid to this is an occasional dusting with lime and a frequent stirring with the hoe. Avoid too much overhead watering, as this destroys the natural bloom on the leaves, and renders the plants subject to attack by carnation rust, a fungoid disease which if allowed to become established will quickly affect all the adjoining plants. VALUE OF CABBAGE STOMPS The owners of small gardens who are not overstocked with vegetables would do well to remember that the stumps from which cabbages have been cut will throw up a number of shoots which will furnish some good dishes. If the stumps al'e to be left for this purpose the heart of the cabbage only should be cut out, leaving as many of the large leaves as possible. Make a cross-cut in, the top of the stem. After the main crop of cabbages has been cut, fork over the ground between the plants, give a sprinkling of nitrate of soda or sulphate of ammonia, and a good watering if the weather is dry OLD AND NEW ROSES INFLUENCE OF FASHION No new rose of outstanding beauty seems to have made a public appearance this year, and rosarians may console themselves for the lack of novelty by a review of the position of old and new favourites (writes a correspondent in the London ‘Times’). Happily the process is made easier by the timely publication of the National Rose Solast issued in 1925, has been revised ciety’s ‘Select List’ of roses which, and brought up to date. To those who take more than a perfunctory interest in garden roses the. varying fortunes of popular _ favourites are a constant source of interest; and if sometimes they seem inexplicable, that is only because popularity is not always based on lasting qualities. Were it otherwise, each edition of the ‘ Select List ’ would be merely a reissue of the last with the addition of the latest favourites.

In these times of change, when new roses are turned out annually by the dozen, it is surely a sign of excellence and not merely or conservative taste or sentiment that many old roses are so firmly rooted in the ground that they are not drowned in the flood of new varieties. Competition is fierce and fashion in roses has changed of late years; colour, too, has reached a point undreamed of in the more sober times of even twenty years ago; but certain qualities seem proof against fashion and change, and so Caroline Testout, General Jacqueminot, Frau Karl Druschki—almost an infant among the ancients—Gruss an Teplitz, Mme Abel Chatenay, Mrs John Laing, and Viscountess Folkestone, with a few more of the old guard, still figure in the list. The veteran, Zephirine Drouhin, too, can hardly be displaced, for there are few roses of equal beauty for a hedge; and that is no disparagement of the rugosa group, which seems to be less often planted than of old, because, while they stand up of themselves, Zephirine needs something in the way of a fence for support. Of the rugosa roses, it seems unthinkable that Conrad F. Meyer, a variety with thirty years to, its credit, can he supplanted. It has the vigour of the rugosa roses, and fragrant blooms of silvery pink—a colour all seem to like. It boasts still _ another merit, for after a wonderful display in the summer it has .lately covered itself again with glory. Although at _ one time much used as a pillar rose, it is only at its best there _ when pruned against legginess, to which, like many good roses, it is prone, and it is usually most satisfactory as a six or sevenstemmed bush ’ about the height of a man. The snow-white-flowered Blanc Double de Coubert is another good rugosa, and, though not so tall as Conrad F. Meyer, makes a capital hedge, i

provided pruning is not neglected and suckers are suppressed. Hodge roses, however, are for the few, climbing and bedding roses for the many, and for bedding the colouring of the newer roses has meant the ousting of several old favourites, as well as, in a measure, the displacement of self-coloured blooms by parti-coloured. Of the latter Betty Uprichard, Angelo Fernet, and Shot Silk bask in the sun of popular favour at the moment, but already their reign is threatened by, Dame Edith Helen, a rather bright pink self, and Mrs A. R. , Barraclough, of another shade of pink with a touch of yellow about it. airs Beatty, which repeate the pleasant yellow of Marechal Niel, is working its way to the front, and Dainty Bess has made a host of new friends since its merits were first urged in ‘The Times’ three years ago. That will o’ the wisp, the rose of perfect shape with dusky red, velvety blooms innocent of any suspicion of blue, married to a perfect habit of constitution, still exercises its potent spell over raisers of new roses. Aspirants come and go, and rose catalogues are an index to the potency of its lure, for those of to-day bristle with new “dark red velvety 5 ’ roses and those of yesterday mark the graves of scores of more or less similar things. It is twenty years since Chateau de Clos Vougeot burst upon the rose world as the supreme red rose of the century. and, though still in the ‘ Select List and wonderful in certain hands, it has no place in the 1 Rose Analysis for last year ,which includes all the favourites. To-day Etoile de Hollande seems the popular red rose; to-morrow it will be another. Among climbing roses Mermaid is gradually reaching pride of place, and assuredly no rose over had more right to it.