THE GARDEN.

Mataura Ensign, 4 July 1914, Page 3

THE GARDEN.

t WINTER MANURING. i FOR HEAVY AMD LIGHT SOILS, s By Amateur, x f As -a general rule tta ruiinteur gar- 5 Vlener cultivates t.hc. land, for the picas- ? urn )m jjets OUt of the crops he grows. 1 This being so, it naturally follows that * the finer the crpps th-e more pleasure s he obtains from growing them. It is not everyone who realises what, ( ail advantage it is to apply manures in 1 winter or early soring, but that the c system _ is a success is beyond dispute, c for it is one followed by most of the 1 progressive horticulturists. The organic matter is, perhaps, the most important ingredient of soils. Tt ! is full of material wliieli yields plant 1 food when d.-ovoinposition is complete. 1 Vegetable acids are formed during do- 1 fay, which attack the rock fragments J in soils and render inert plant food active., 'Not'only does organic matter do 'this, but it also improves the nieebnm- '' eal conditions of all "litis 01' land, making th,em mellow and fertile. , 1 The jtre:.c value of a Si kinds of ani- ' inal manure is partly due to the fact v that they increase the organic coiif.fi- c tuent of soils. Leaf-mould does the K same thing. It should be applied to all heavy soils during tie autumn 'and- s early yiutoi' months, and du,g in when 1 tht> soil is dry er.ough to work. If put 1 on in a more or less new or fresh con- 1 dition it will do "more good than if de- ' composition has made the dung rotten, 1 I because the longer Hi an lire keeps the 1 soil open and allows the air, and water 1 to passj.more readily. The compost or rubbish heap may contain valuable material for the land, for when this is properly mild" .the material is almost as good as dung. By properly made \vc moan that only the softer kinds of vegetable refuse is put into the heap, all the harder and more woody material being burnt, and the ashes, together with a good i] amount of quick-lime, added from time i to time. A. turnover sometimes to mix 1 all together will make the compost i more suitable. ' 1 i/J LIME AX 'IMPORTANT FERTILISER 1 Everyone,w'ho wishes'io be a Lsutce.si;- i ful. cultivator .must, see, that, the. soil has a good supply of lime in it. With- < out an adequate amount of this mate- . rial the soil can never yield the crops it might. Disease and insects are of tdn troublesome, and when sonic fertilisers are applied they often do more harm than good. ' Soil lime is one of the ■! most important ingredients of all fertile land, and when cultivators' are in doubt-as to whether t'hoir soil needs lima or not, they should apply it in moderate .qiywntities, for given thus it can do no h'fu'm but can do good. POTASH IS NECESSARY.' An important element of plant food, and one which does not receive the consideration it should, is potash. For all ordinary purposes, the substance which may be used is kainit. This is a cheap and useful form, and may be applied at the rate of 71b per saltanrod. Scatter it evenly over the surface, and the rain will wash it in. For . all special purposes—that is, for rose, fruit, or flower borders, etc.—sulphato of potash should ,be used at the rate. ot< -loz; per square yard. Wood ashes contain a fair quantity of potash, and are valuable for all excent verv heavv soils. , j * * ' * ,PHOSPHATES. All crops remove a considerable amount of phosphates from the land. This is especially so /"it-hi fruit and flowers. Phosphates mliy-be given with advantage during tlio winter and spring months. 'The material to use will \jary according to the nature of the lantf. For heavy soils and very rich garden laud basic slag applied at the rate of 1-lLb per square rod is tile, thing to use. For soils of a liphi sandy nature bone-llour used at the rate of Tib per square rod is better. When the land is poor.and very little dung can be obtained, it would be advisable to use some nitrogen with the phosphates. We can either get this bv itself and mix with the pliosplmtie manures mentioned above, * or buy a fertiliser _ containing tho two. Basic slag contains no nitrogen. For poor light soils, fine ibonemeal could bo substituted for the bone-flour, using the same quantity. ■ NITROGEN. We do not advise" the use of nitrogenous manures, except on poor soils, as winter manures. There are exceptions to every rule, for when fruit, l'ociv or flotfer borders are being made., a slow-acting fertiliser, containing nitrogen, is very helpful. In preparing the laud for these crops it is usual to trench it, and so more manure is needed than is i- pessary for general I purposes. ~ Many manure merchants have taken a great deal of trouble and time m finding out the combination of fertilisers that may be relied upon to give excellent result?) on different kinds of soil. Some of them have compounded special manures for cqrtaiu crops, and if used according to the directions given they may be relied upon to give ■satisfaction. ABOUT DICOINC. ' Surely this is easy and • simple enough; and yet what a number fail to get the best! front the operation, although tlicv often work lunch harder than nie who t!!gs with a little mjre thought and method. A great deal of the benefit from digging depends upon the condition of the toil when oper-

on; If too wet, it will natrii'all# ( be cloddy and Itimpi' to handle, while Lite, mere fact of trending lip'"#, if; M, this condition rcbs the digging (,'f much o.f iti benefits* But it is not to .miieli fhhn When the groipd has been standing long enough to uecymJ l ' solid, provided it i.s not trodden upon after digging and while still wet; , .Any peci's>ar,r .'lddititm of manures ■akG&lcl ue got upon Ilie t-iilici grotind) and that which is not dug in : or put in at- tlie bottom trenches of poor soil, should be cast, upon the freshly dug surface from tho solid ground as the work proceeds. During the presence of frost; enough to .malie tljO surface quite firm is best fur any Wllel'ling or carting. In the few eases where this cannot, be managed, wheel tho barrow upon planks. Do not dig when very frosty, but a. slight cake on top will, not so much matter.. Above nil, n»ver dig iu snow; it is ruin to the best-natured soil to tlo this. In course of time the snow will thaw, but it always leaves something unsuitcd to root life and spoils the future working: of the ground. Take, care t:> pick out all pieces of root from Mich weeds as docks, .thistles, couch or "twitch'' grass, and dandelion. Where much of these are present it is better t-o dig with a strong fork, when the pieces of root will not .be cut up (so much, and ,are easier to pick out. 'J'o.o often the soil is cut up into too small pieces. F;ir better to leavo it •rough, and exposed to the weather as much as possible; for th is does far more good than most amateur gardeners would credit, it can be dressed down at any .suitable time for planting or sowing oi seeds, .r.tvi cnnie.s into a better condition in all respects.