THE GARDEN.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVII, Issue 17329, 18 November 1916, Page 4

THE GARDEN.

■WORK FOR THE WEEK. kitoheFgarden. Seeds to Sow.—Beans, beet, broccoli, cabbage. carrot, capsicum, cauliflower, celery, cucumber, leek, lott-uco, melon, onion, parsnip parsley, peas, savoy, spinach, turnip and vegotablo marrow. What, to Plant.—Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, leek, lettuce and potatoes. Although gardeners would welcome a good, steady rain, vegetables aro making a good growth. Encourage this by keeping down tho weeds and by frequently stirring tho surface soil to keep it open. Insect posts aro much in evidence, and stern war against those plant foes should he waged by everyone who owns or rents a garden. Spring is a better time than summer or autumn for dealing with this pest, because there aro fewer to deal with now than there will be Inter on. Ono of the beat methods of keeping these pests down is to destroy every' vestige of rubbish and remains of exhausted crops, because it is on these that the insects breed and then spread- to the young plants. If all rubbish were destroyed immediately there would be much fewer insects to destroy later on, and t-lio crops would do better and give greater returns. Winter stuff should- be planted according to requirements; in fact, the best advice wo can give is to plant as many winter and spring vegetables as possible. Every spare piece of ground should he broken up and planted. If the ground will not exhaust the crops there aro plenty of means to dispose of them. The Red Cross shop will turn your surplus into money for tho benefit of our bravo lacls who are risking their all that wo may enjoy our freedom and security. We cannot shut, our eyes to the gradual hardening of tho cost of nil foodstuffs, and knowing this, let us produce as many vegetables as possible, especially those tliat como in for use during tho winter and spring, when the weather is cold and people need more food.

A correspondent writes:--” Can you toll me why my melons drop off when about the sizo of a walnut ?” 'Without examination it is hardly possible to say definitely why tho fruits fall off. hut probably there are one or two fruits “swelling.” and if so no others will ’mature. Tho main point with setting melons is to got the frame well covered with growth by pinching and regulating tho shoots to get as many flowers as possible open at ono time, and “set” them all at the same time, Then they will swell, and develop together, hut, if one or two are set. ami begin to swell it. is fare that, any other fruits will develop. They sot and begin to swell and then suddenly fall off. These fruits deserve more attention than they receivo, and when their cultivation is better understood many more will bo grown. HARDY FRUITS. Spraying should not bo neglected. Every tree should be examined, and if there is any sign of Wight spray immediately. Remember tho insects are. now just on tho move, and while young the spray fluid will have more effect on them than it. would later on. Strawberries aro flowering well, and give promise of a good crop. Unfortunately many beds have not been moulded, consequently the fruit lroni them will he more or less gritty. Raiu will splash small particles of soil on to the fruit, and owing to their sticky surface it is difficult to removo them. FLOWER. GARDEN. Push on with bedding out, as the sooner this is completed the liet-tcr. In tho stress of this work, do not forget to save seeds of spring flowering plants, which should be got in soon, so tliatthe seedling plants will have a good long growing season. The great art of offectivo sprang budding is to prepare strong plauts t-o set out immediately after tho. summer plants are oyer. If small plants are- set out late in the autumn, it is spring before they havo re-established themselves, with tho rcBult of lato blossoms and poor quality. GREENHOUSE. Fast-growing plants such as begonias and fuchsias should bo potted on before t-lio roots receive a cheok in tho small pots. ■ The earlier these plauts are in their final pots tho better. Give all seedling plants plenty of room, light and air, as if the tiny plants are kopt close many will damp off and die. All hardy subjects that can with safety bo put outside should be turned out at once. Nearly all winter and spring flowering subjects will thrive better out in the frame ground during the next four months. Prick off seedlings as soon as they are ready by taking a few out of the seed pan, say once a week. The smaller plants will have more room and light. If all aro left for a time, tho largest got bigger, and tire smalL perish for want of light and air. Water all seedlings sparingly. A moist atmosphere is better for them than a sodden soil. It is strange how few succeed in growing gloxinias really well. A long experience with men and methodsproves that the most frequont cause of failure is overcrowding, especially in the early stages of growth. There is a general idea among gardeners that these plants need coddling, hence they are kept in the warm house 'during the early stages of their growth, and many go sick for want of light ana air. Dur-. ing spring and early summer every glass-house is crowded, no matter if there is only ono or a dozen in the garden, everyone will Ibe overcrowded. The fact is, we all want to grow about three times as many plants in the glass-house as there is room for, with the result that two-thirds of them aro more or less profit. To avoid this, we should put ns many as possible out in tho cold frames to avoid this overcrowding. Gloxinia seed should bo raised in heat, but as soon as the plants have several leaves they should have plenty of light and fresh air, and with a little care splendid plants can be grown in a cold frame if every plant is given ample space. These plants love a light, fairly rich compost, which should be put through, a half-incli sieve to break all hard lumps, because a lumpy soil is not suitable foe the fine, hair-like roots of these plants. Water sparingly, b ( ut damp Hie leaves once each day, as they absorb a lot of moisture through their foliage.