THE GARDEN.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume VIII, Issue 1373, 31 July 1886, Page 4

THE GARDEN.

OPERATIONS FOR AUGUST.

Floweb Garden. This is a welcome month : it brings with it the return of spring ; and hyacinths anemones, srowdrops, narcissus, and other flowering bulbs, help to cheer and break the monotony that has hitherto prevailed. Hyacinths in pots should receive either liquid or powdered artificial manure, to give them strength and color. Lifting and planting shrubs should be done this month, so that their roots may be established before dry weather sets in. Tie up climbing plants. Do not defer planting roses after thi3 month. Tea roses may be pruned now. The following seeds may be sewn -. — mignonette, < Nemophilas, collinsias, larkspur, Candytuft, and a few other hardy annuals, and cover lightly at this time of year. Fbuit Garden. Plant apples, pears, plums, cherries, quinces, medlars mulberries, chestnuts, walnuts, filberts, goosberries, currants, peaches, apricots, and nectarines, if required. Prune all the kinds above mentioned, if required. I may here mention that this pruning is a stumbling block to very many who are even anxious to know the art, and the benefits that accrue, and the consequences of not pruning at all. There are two classes : the timid, who are agraid to tonch their trees ; and the over sanguine, who butcher the brandies off. The old proverb is : A man should never prune his own trees, because he never takes off enough. This is a mistaken idea, and yet indulged by many •at the present time. I cannot go into long details here ; but to be brief : In the first place you take what is termed a maiden plant, that is a one-year-old tree, and cut it off to about two feet or thirty inches of the ground (which is generally high enough for this coast). The following year it will send out two and generally three shoots. The three shoots are best for forming the base of the head. The tree now is two years old, and these three shoots should be now cut back to within six inches of the base of the shoots, if it is to be kept as a dwarf tree ; if a large head is the object desired, the shoots may be left to stand longer, say ten inches to one foot from the base. Always keep in mind to prune, so that the topmost bud may be left to staud on the outer side of the shoots. The object of this will be readily seen when they start into growth, as they will, if thus pruned, all start to grow outward and leave the tree open in the centre. Suppose now the tree is three years old. Ihe base at this time should be well formed with many equalised shoots, or it may have happened that there are one or more shoots of very strong growth ; if so, these shoots must be pruned well back, as a base for other shoots to stars from, Any cross shoots, or shoots directly inwards should be taken off; and if the roots were not pruned the previous summer, it may be clone now, to arrest a too luxuriant growth of wood, and cause the development of fruit buds. Eoot pruning consists of cutting any large naked or fibreless roots that are directing downwards in the subsoil. Not a single top fibre or surface root should be cut, as these are the principal {ruit torniiag rooi*. TLe aA of pruning after this consists of pinching out during summer any shoots that may be taking an inward or cross direction, or any that may be showing a too robust growth. It is a fallacy to keep on pruning year after year in order to produce crops of fruit. The secret is to regulate the growth by judicious root pruning, and the frnit-oearing checks the woodproducing so much that the trees as a rule continue to bear crops of fruit and make but little wood for years afterwards, The ground for the planting of fruit trees should be prepared in autumn, for these trees are best planted after the fall of the leaf ; but if circumstances have prevented the preparation of the ground, this should be carried out now without delay. Cut back the limbs of old treeintended to be grafted in tho early p;u-| of tlie month, for if left till the saji is tlowbig, the bark uiesbacfc \o a ronuiiSmWr extent below the wound, and Ihr graft fails. Also cut off the henil.s of slocks, especially the quince, in the earl}* part of the month. If grafts were not taken oft" last month off apples, pears, &c, it s-hould be done without delay, and their ends put in soil, where the sun's rays w ill not fall on them, and sheltered from drying winds. Commence root grafting from the middle of the month. Kitchen Gahukx. Peas and broad beans require the ground well trenched; their root* being of a tapering habit, they go deep for moi.sture. Owing to their coni]x>sition consisting chiefly of phosphoric acid, polash, and lime, they should receive a liberal dressing of either superphosphate of lime, bone dust, wood ashes, or a little lime. The aim should be to supply, as far as possible, elements that are deficient in t he soil. Old garden soil, long culti\ ated and manured with organic manures, is in man}* instances reduced to a mass chiefly c insisting of inert humus, the mineral constituents of plants being deficient t) a great extent. As our soil is deficient in lime, we shoukl supply that need by the application of bone dust or quick lime. Tnc most prolific peas I have found yet is the American little wonder, a dwarf variety; and Stratagem, a tall variety, growing about two feet siv inches. Sow main crop of onions. Cauliflower, Early York cabbage seed, and various other vegetable seeds, may be sown now, choosing dry weather for sowing. Silverskin onions for pickling should be sown on rather poor, hard soil, so as to get small, hard bulbs. Plant rhubarb that has been taken up; it likes a rich, deep soil, and not, as is too often done, holes dug and raw manure put in, and the roots put in the manure, with the result that they too often decay. Make small sowings of turnips about every three weeks, as they have a tendency to run to seed in this and next month. Sow early horn carrot, summer spinach, radish, lettuce, leeks, parsley, parsnips, and cress. Dig up all vacant ground, and let it lie rough, to expose it to frost until required for cropping. All rubbish should be gathered up and carried to a heap, either to be charred or rotted down. All vegetables require a liberal supply of manure to bring them on quick to perfection.