THE GARDEN.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XCVI, Issue 14428, 19 July 1907, Page 9

THE GARDEN.

WORK FOR THE WEEK. Kitchen Garden.—Hot-bods musthave attention from this date. Materials should be collected and carefully mixed and prepared by constant turning to preserve a steady heat for a long time. The value of hot-beds for forcing early vegetables, striking cuttings or raising seeds is so well known that little need be said on the subject-._ Experience proves that seeds germinate much belter on a het-bed than in a glasshouse or in tho open ground, and cucumbers cannot be grown to perfection without their aid, unless _ in a heated cucumber house. A mistake often made when forming a hot-bed is to build the materials up and put the frame over the bed before thoroughly preparing the manure. Tho heap should bo turned every other day for nearly two- week®, and thoroughly (shaken at each turning. _ Should any part be dry sprinkle it with water to make tho whole damp. Throw the heap together as lightly as possible, and put the outside in the centre- at each successive turning, dust how many times cadi heap should be turned before it is ready for use depends on what proportion of manure there is to leaves and the quantity of ammonia there is in tho hulk. Experience- only can decide this matter, but as a rule seven or ni.no turnings are necessary before it is built up for use. If the bed ia covered with a frame before it has been carefully turned and prepared it will get extremely hot for a, few days, hut this excessive heat will soon go down, and tho bed prove of but little use, because at first the heat is so great that nothing can be put in, and when the temperature moderates it scon becomes exhausted and its usefulness is of but short duration. On the contrary, if the bulk is constantly and thoroughly turned tho heat will rise steadily and a

fairly oven temperature be secured for some weeks. Therefor© a little extra time spent in preparing the hot-bed will bo well repaid. Cucumbers for early use should be sown. Mak© up m small frame in which to raise th« plants, and while these are growing prepare a larger bed and put the plants m this when it is fit to receive them. Once this system is used and its ad vantages noted, no other will be follow-} cd in future. Asparagus may be forced with very little trouble. Lift somsj strong roots and put them on a stead* hotbed; with two or three inches of soil, and w’ell water them. The tenyperature must not be very high. Jk nice gentle heat from oOdeg to 65dog is high enough. Peas that were sown in the autumn are well out of the ground now, and if some protection ia giverj from the cutting winds they will growl much faster. Draw the soil toward# the row, forming a ridge along., both sides, say, about six inches from the plants. Another method is that or placing a board along the windward side and shifting it aa the wind changes. This means a little more work, but the peas will mature much earlier. Flower Garden. —Roses—With such grand weather for lifting roses and making new beds, there should be little more to do in. this direction. Seldom has their growth ripened bettor than during the past autumn; and it is rare to have such beautiful weather durina; May and Juno as has been experienced this season. There is no question about the popularity of the rose. No» other flowering shrub ia planted in suoH quantities, or will give the same returns, and as the culture of roses becomes better known these returns will bo better and more valuable. Rose* should have a bed to themselves. Clumps of narcissus between the bushc« will do no harm, but frequently strong growing summer bedding plants such as geraniums, petunias, verbenas, astern, etc., are planted quite close to the roses, robbing them of air, light and moisture. Under these condition* the roses cannot mature strong-flowering shoots for next season's display, but fall into a sick and weedy condition, and become very unsatisfactory. To secur* the best possible results, see that each, plant has a clear space to grow in.