THE GARDEN.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVI, Issue 16912, 19 July 1915, Page 3

THE GARDEN.

WORK FOR THE WEEK

KITCHEN GARDEN.

Seeds to Sow.—Beans, cabbage, peas, radish, spinach, tomatoes (in heat). What to Plant.—Cabbage, cauliflower, horso radish and sea-ka!e. "When the surface soi is fairly dry run the hoe through all seeding crops of onions, spinach, etc., as frequent hqeings keep the surface loose and stimulate growth. Spring cabbage and' early rows of peas should be moulded up a little. Draw the soil in a neat ridge along both sides of the plants, not quite close, however, leaving about three inches between the looso soil and the plants. These ridges %\v& a little shelter from cold, cutting winds. All sea-kale that is to be forced should be covered at once, as if the crowns are any longer exposed to daylight they will turn quite purple, and tho forced heads will not be quite whito. Do not cover them with a lot of fresh stable manure, as this would ferment fiercely and ram a strong heat for a few days and then soon cool. This strong heat would make the kale sick and snindly, and it would bo of little use for the table. Lc n res are safer than fresh manure, but if one mint use fresh staVe material turn it every day for a week before the kalo is covered.

Any rhubarb that has to be transplanted should receive this attention at once. As the plants begin to grow at once, tho sooner they are in-their final quarters thp better. To obtain large >talks of tender rhuSarb. dig deep and mix plenty of decayed manure with the soil and olant early in an open position. This plant is not a success when grown in tho shade.

HARDY FRUITS. Young trees that have been transplanted dur.ng the past winter should be pruned very hard. It is a mistake to leave over much of last season's growth on these newly-planted trees, as the less one cuts off the greater the strain on the stem, and' the greater loss from "shrivelling." It is difficult to make many planters understand this, but it is correct, and if one would experiment with one or two young trees he would soon prove its correctness. There is another reasou for severe pruning—to obtain the number of shoots required to form a well-balanced head. Where the trees arc in a very exposed position put a strong stake to oach to prevent the strong winds blowing them ibout. Pub the stakes o:> the opposite s'de from where the prevailing winds come, as if they are on the windward side there is only the ties to hold tho tree but if on the other side and the ties break the stake wid support the tree.. FLOWER GARDEN. Tho bright sunshine' has made the grass grow on lawns, but do not cut it off tco short. Take up the machine, and only cut tho 10.. g euus, to make the surface even. We will have severe frosts later, and if the grass ia shorn off too closely the young blades will turn yellow. Tnis is a gocd time to top-dress lawns—a point of management that is sadly neglected in many gardens, and this despite the fact that the latvn is one of the principal features of any garden, and as it is a psrmanent one it ought to be kept in the best possible condition.

That it is necessary to top-dress (or feed) tho lawn goes without saying when we remember the large quantities of grass taken from it during the summer. If we go on dci~g tn-s wmioiu returning something some of the grasses will' die out and their place wi.l be taken by weed 3. Some ma ntain that artificial manure will give all that is necessary; but this is a. mistake. manure is gocd, and should be us:d once or twice efery s.ason, but good soil is the bsst subitance for the annual top-dressing. Take care to get soi: as free from weed seed as possib.a. Of course all soil contains a cert.:ij. number of weed seeds, but there are places where many weeds are allowed to seed, season after season, and tie soil from such a place is not suitablefor top-dressing a. lawn. After spreading the soil over the surface work it between the blades of grass by pushing the back of a rake to and fro. Do not roll the lawn for two or three weeks 'after the soil has been put on- Give the young t-Jiocts of the grass plants' time to pusi through tho fresh scil, and they w'l do thi3 much qu rk.?r if the soil is lcii-' loose on the surface. GEEI'L\TIOTJ?K.

With lengthening days the temperature may b;? increased a little, but do not have too great a difference between the day and night temperature. This can be" regulated by giving mora ventilation when the smi is yrrv warm. Water sparingly, ar.d early in the day, but keep most plants on the dry side for another month. Put a few fuchsia plants in heat to provide a batch of cuttings. The earlier cuttings are rooted the better plants they will make for .summer decorations. Old pelargonium p'ants should he put in their dowering pats. i.'se n fairly heavy comport, and only moderate sized pots. You Jig plants that were struck last autumn should be potted on. These can have more liberal shifts to encourage a free growth. Pot firmly, and give plenty of drainage. Zonales require similar attention as regards size of pots, but the- compost should be rather heavier. Give verylittle water after potting—a slight

spray overhead on bright mornings will be sufficient for several weeks. Pots and boxes of cuttings should be potted off into small po.s for bedding out. The earlier they are put in small pots the better, as they make strong plants and begin to make a show in the beds carlv in November, but if they arc left in the store pots or boxes too' long they do not make any display before January, If possible, n'l bedding geraniums should be grown in small po.s. This gives a litt e mere work, but the plants are more uniform, come into flower earlier and do not lose any leaves when bedded out, but begin to flower at once. PETUNIAS. Take cuttings of double petunias as soon as possible, as the earlier these half-hardy plants are struck the soner they can be put out- in cold frames and relieve the glasshouse at a time when ihcro are such great demands on its ip ice. # . Irisene and alteaanthera, two 'itd:spi'iisabla bedding p ants, should be propTgated early ia the. spring. Both like a brisk* temperature and plenty of moisture. Given the e conditions, they grow very fast, ard make a lot of cuttings. They strike readily in sand. Lobolia and antirrhinum s-rds should be put in at once. A medium tempsrature is best for these seeds. Sow sparingly, as the seed, geminate freely and the young plants should not be crowded. "W.G." writes:—ln a recent issue of your oap?r, a statement was made in the Garden Notes that if spraying of apple trees with _ emulsified on sprays was continued, it would eventually ru n the trees. Since reading that statement I have been present at a pruning and spraying demonstrat on given by Mr Courtier, the Government expert, and he strongly recommends the oil spray. In tha past I have rand your Garden Notes with a great d-il of interest, as they are a coniderablo guide to amat-urs generally, but I am beginning to think now that bo h tha experts be right, and to wonder wh'ch is.—This statement needs qualifbttion. It is quite true that by an overdose, or continual «nray>g with an "o'l spray." trees may be killed, and have been, therefore it should be tmd with great care, and only when are insect p sts to destroy. Probiblv the snfss+ spvav flu'd to use is th» "" Wohnrn Wash." This will not harm the tree.