THE GARDEN.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXV, Issue 16493, 7 March 1914, Page 4

THE GARDEN.

WORK. FOR THE WEEK. Tv'IICITEX GARDEN. Sec-cjr, to Sow.—-Cabbage, lettuce, onion radish spinach and turnips. What to' Plant. Cabbage, cauliflower, celery, endive, lettuce, savoy and' winter greens. March is not. a very busy month :n the kitchen garden, although it brings much work of a light character. Loaves begin to fall from trees, and these should be gathered up from the seedling crops, ns if they are left between the* young plants they prevent a free circulation of air between the small, plants, and in wet weather they keep the plants very damp, and afford good cover for slugs, woodlice, etc. Cabbage should bo planted out : n dull weather. They may be put fairly dose to each other, and late in the winter every other one pulled up and used ns greens. Early sown carrots have about finished their growth, and should' bo carefully taken up and stored in damp ashes or sand. Some recommend leaving carrots in the ground until they are wanted, but this is a mistake, especially with the ‘‘.stump’ (or horn) varieties, as onco these attain their full size, if left where they have grown they begin to get tough and lose their delicate flavour. Then in wet weather the roots split , and much of it has to be. thrown away when it. is prepared for cooking. These facts should prove that the best method is. to lift and store them in n cool place. Celery .should he moulded up carefully. ” Its growth is frequently retarded by moulding it up too soon. Earthing up retards growth, and its object is to blanch the stems. It takes about fivo weeks to blanch after tho soil is packed around the stems. Unfortunately, many plants arc infested with green aphis, and this pest hinders growth, and as sooner or later will destroy the plants, spray with niquas or one of the many insecticides that are prepared for the purpose. Several sprayings will be necessary to thoroughly clean the plains. VINERY. Late grapes must be pushed forward to ripen the crop as soon as possible. Take full advantage of sunny days to clo.se the house early, but give a. littio ventilation late at, night. Remove all sub-laterals, and, if necessary, a few big leaves, to let sunlight into the house. Make sure that, the roots are moist, as if they want for water at this season it affects both this and next season's crop. Early vines that aro forced every season need a. lot of feeding, especially if the roots are inside. It is a good practice to remove as much soil as possible- from the roots and replace with somo good heavy loam, bone manure and rotted turf. This work should he done as soon as possible, to enable the Toots to get a. good hold of it before tho vines are pruned. If the border is' dry, give .it. a good soaking before the new soil is put on. Syringe the vines* on every bright day, as this will keep them fresh and help to plump up the fruit, buds. It, would be a good thing if one could remove the roof and expose the vines to the weather day and night. FLOWER- GARDEN. One. of the most important items for ibis month is to secure enough cuttings of the various bedding plants. A start should have been made last month and tho work finished by the end of March. Cuttings will strike in April, but not as well as now. neither w\ll tbc same proportion survive the winter, because they have fewer roots and their stems arc softer. Tho planting of bulbs will need attention. Although these can ho planted with every success for another eight weeks, the sooner they arc in the ground the better. With a littio care the flowering season can be lengthened by selecting the very early varieties aiid planting a number in the warmest situation that can bo found in the garden. also by selecting a quantity of late varieties and setting these in a very cool position. There aro plenty of flowers available in mid-season; it is the early, and lute supplies that we should increase. _ j Two good varieties for earlv use are Prin ceps and Henry Irving. These are good and inexpensive, and are two of the most popular among tho early varieties. Where smaller flowers aro wanted in large quantities, Poeticus ornatus and the rush-leaved Jonquilla should be planted. One must not forget moisture when planting narcissi for early use, Nearly all the warmest positions aro very dry. and if we put the early flowering bulbs in this dry soil they will not send out roots until the soil is wet, and if left until tho winter rains fall our early bullrs will bloom later than wc expected them. The. best way to make the soil wet is to take off the top three, inches and thoroughly soak the soil. A little water is useless. Quito a lot is needed to saturate the soil. Nbxt plant tho narcissi. Put them quite, close to each other, and cover thorn with the dry soil. With these conditions the bulbs’ send out roots at once, and soon begin to grow in earnest.

Crocuses, anemones, tulips, etc., may' be planted ibis month, and ranunculus)! later. If these are. planted too early frosts destroy the first loaves, and this less seriously affects both the size and quantity of flowers. Of course, in districts that are free from frosty this precaution is unnecessary, and the bulbs may be planted- at once. Anemones and ranunculi need more room than other bulbs. In fairly good soil tho roots should be planted toil or twelve inches apart. This is the minimum. Very strong roots should have fifteen inches to give the foliage room to develop. When these plants are crowded they cannot develop largo flowers or continue flowering lor several months.

GREKNIiOUSI

With longer nights and heavy dews the blossoms and foliage of summerflowering plants will fade faster than during last month. These fallen flowers and decaying leaves should bo removed every day to keep the plants as fresh as possible during this month.

One or two decaying fronds of ferns soon affect, all the young ones they touch. To prevent this loss, go over tho plants once a week and remove all decaying fronds. These plants will need less water as the days get. shorten. Avoid over-watering ferns in tlip autumn, as it is safer to have them a littio on the drv sido than over-wet.

Pelargoniums that were cut down early last month should be shaken out and repotted: It is a mistake to allow the new shoots to make green leaves before the plants arc shaken out. This work should be done just as the buds are about to burst into leaf. Turn the plants out. and shako every particle of soil from them, then cut the roots back fairly hard • and repot the plants into pots just large enough to take the roots. As a rule two sizes smaller than those they are now in are suitable. The liew compost should bo good, with plenty of fibre in it. and sharp sand to keep it own. Press the. soil firmly about the roots, and water sparingly. Too much water at this stage is fatal, especially with plants more than a year old. Spraying overhead will keen them fresh for several days, and is quite enough until the leaves begin to develop. llulbs for house decoration should be potted. Use pots that are suitable for the rases ,tho plants will have to stand in when they are in flower, although pots are not really necessary, as the bulbs will grow in any receptacle. Put tho bulbs quite close together and water thorn to settle the soil, or moss fibre, about them. A few pots of narcissi arc very useful in every house early in the spring. TO COR RESPONDENT?.

E.H. writes:—ln your lost garden notes you say that the blight on the- cabbages. etc., should be killed, but you do net give any remedy. For greenfly I use kerosene emulsion (kerosene and Sunlight scap), which I consider as good ns anything 1 have used, but for this greyish blight it, is of no use. J would bo much obliged if you would reply what you think tile best. I bare a spray pump.’ There are a few small green caterpillars on the. cabbages. Are they harmful, or would tbc spray for blight do for them? I was recommended to ui-e arsenate of lead.

Ts this any good?--Effective remedies arc.Tey'os's Horticultural Wash and

Niquas. Yes. Arsenate of lead is an. effective spraying material for all kinds of caterpillar's.