THE GARDEN

Manawatu Standard, Volume L, Issue 22, 21 December 1929, Page 13

THE GARDEN

Note* are published weekly under this heading, and readers interested in gardening are invited to send in questions relating to matters upon which they wish expert advice; answers will be published with the weekly notes.

THE HOLIDAYS. | To the true gardener the holiday | ■eason is one that is often looked to with mixed feelings, especially if the) owner is going to be away for a fortnight or more at the seaside or elsewhere. Those with small glasshouses will have to make arrangements with a kind neighbour or friend to come in daily and attend to the watering for them. Watering in the hot weather should be thoroughly done in the early morning and all the ventilators should be left open if it can be done. Watering a glasshouse in the heat of the day will cause more damage than if the work is left undone. All pot plants in the house should be moved to some shady spot in the garden or a special scrim shelter constructed and the pots sunk in the soil right up to their tops. If a jar of water is stood alongside each one, and a piece of string or wool put from the water to the soil, it will only be necessary to replenish the water occasionally. We have tried this plan out over a number of seasons and have found that a half-gallon jar of water will last quite a considerable time and that enough water has reached the plants to keep them quite healthy and moist. With the outside garden the position is different, but still no harm will be done even if the weeds do get a bit of a start while you are away. The most important thing to do is to go Over the whole garden with the hoe and to break up the surface of the ■oil to a depth of about three inches and pick off all the weeds, unless the day is very hot, when they will wilt «na die at once. Never use a rake lifter hoeing the soil as it will make it hard on the surface and the work of hoeing will be nullified. In many cases it will be impossible to water them while away. As long as the surface of the soil is left loose, it will stop the evaporation of water and there will not be much chance of weeds doing any harm, even if you are away for a fortnight or even three weeks. A correspondent. writing about this aspect of gardening, says: “I have never bad any qualms about taking my holidays at Christmas time since I have learn that plants of all kinds take very little harm as long as they aTe well hoed beforehand. In fact, my last minute’s work in the garden has been hoeing right up to the time I leave and I have often come back to a glorious display, which I have not watched daily. It adds another charm to one’s own garden to leave it in the process of growing and to come home and find it fully fledged.” Such is the case, and all those who try it will find that it answers well. GAILLARDIAS. There are two varieties of gaillardias which are looked upon as ideal garden and cut flowers. These are the annual and perennial species. They are flowers that continue to bloom for a long time, as ong as they are not allowed to develop seed heads. The annual varieties are nearly all garden hybrids and embrace a splendid range of colours. They are easily raised from peed. which can be sown now in the open ground or sown in boxes and transplanted where required. Lately there have been several new varieties put on the market of .which Indian Chief is one of the showiest which we have seen and will bloom in about two months from the time the seed is sown. The perennial gaillardias have muoh larger blooms, which are borne on long stiff stems which makes them of great value to florists and indoor decorators. The seed can be sown now, but the plants will not bloom until next spring. They must,be planted out early in the autumn so that they can get well rooted and strong before the cold and wet of winter comes on. They are lime loving plants and will grow well in any soil that suits scabiosa caucasica. That is to say that the ground must be light and well drained with a certain amount of well rotted manure worked into it. THE ART OF SEED RAISING. We believe that there is a future in ■tore for those who are willing to take up the work of seed production on proper lines. We have found that nearly all kinds of seeds raised in this country have a much higher percentage of germination than those that are imported, and not only that, but varieties of plants can be considerably improved by selection and care in raising the seed.. Many instances of improved stains could be quoted in support of this assertion, but at the present /time one will be quite enough to show what is meant. A lady imported some columbine seed from Scotland and was very thrilled with the resulting plants, but at the game time she thought that improvements could be made and selected ■even plants to experiment with. These were all different, But all had extra long spurs. These were crosspollinated and the resulting seed were ■own, and on her figures, ten per cent., were a decided improvement on the original plants. These were saved and seed from them was sent to the

original firm for a report which has come to hand lately. The firm in question wrote as follows: “We thank you for your packet of aquilegja seeds and are pleased to report that germination was first class >and that the plants were superior in every way to our own seed. We are sending you a packet of special colours which are much sought after by our customers and hope that you will be able to raise something further in the way of colours. Our firm will take all the seed you can supply in future.” Surely such a letter speaks for itself and shows that what can be done with one plant could be done with another. We believe that there are special strains of antirrhinums being raised in New Zealand at the present time and that a “great deal of secrecy is being maintained over them, but from some inside information we are sure that they will be put on the market shortly. It is common knowledge that there are growers of sweet pea seeds in New Zealand who are sending some of their sefeds home every year and that the results obtained from them are better than from the English raised seed: There are plenty of people here who are looking for part time occupations congenial to their tastes and who are good gardeners and such a work should appeal to them. We have the soil and climate that will ripen and produce seeds that are good. Then why not make use of our natural resources and try this part of the work. Good seeds will never be cheap and as long as we can produce nothing but the best there will be a steady mirket for it to be found somewhere. A great deal could be done by forming a seed raising association and getting the latest data on the subject.

HYBRIDISATION. The following paper on the subject of hybridisation has been sent to us and should prove useful to anyone interested in the work: “A hybrid is a plant produced from seed which has been impregnated with the pollen ot another species, variety, or even genus. This may be considered or thought to be. one of the higher branches of gardening, but I can assure you that such is not the case. Good new plants have been produced in many of the humblest cottage gardens in England, sometimes by accident certainly, but more often by design. The average British gardener is a very inquisitive person who knows a certain amount about species and so on, and it has been a source of wonderment to see what the effect of pollen from one plant to another would produce. This also goes to show that in the mere operation of crossbreeding plants there is no great skill required, but in order to ensure a greater probability of success I think it is time that some information was given on the subject, and it may also induce others to go ahead and acquire a complete knowledge of flower structure. The more that is known the better the possible results may be. The parts of the flower necessary to produce 'seeds are the pistil and the stamens. The pistil is the organ that occupies the centre of the flower and generally consists of three parts, namely, a swollen part at the base, called the ovary ; this part contains the unfertilised seeds. From the top of the ovary the style arises which is a long and slender tube; at the end of the style is the stigma. Around the pistil, which is the female organ of the flower, are arranged the stamens, which are the male organs. The stamens • consist of two parts, the filament which is generally slender and thread-like, and the anther on which grows the pollen which is discharged when ripe. Some species have the reproductive organs in different flowers and others on different plants. Hybridising is the fertilising of one species by pollen taken from another, in all cases when the anthers and stigmas are on the same flowers the one to be fertilised should have its anthers cut out before they discharge their-pollen, so as to prevent self-fertilisation, and flowers so treated should be marked in some way to assist identification. A short piece of red wool is the usual way. It may also be necessary to cover the de-anthered flowers so as -to stop pollen reaching them and this at times will bring forth the ingenuity of the operator. Many species are easily hybridised and this is why we have so many kindß of roses, gladioli, narcissi and so on. If some of those who go in for this work with pansies, pelargoniums and so on would give their experiences it would create a much greater interest in the work and would, I feel sure, be appreciated.” THE VEGETABLE GARDEN. With the advent of hot weather salad plants are always in request and gardeners have to make special efforts to produce enough to keep the house going. When lettuces are beginning to heart up they can be helped considerably by having a mulch put on the soil : between and around the plants. Hoe I the ground first and then if it is not j very moist give it a good drenching with water and sprinkle a little nitrate of soda on the surface. About an ounce to the square yard will be enough, but it must not be allowed to come in contact with the foliage or it will be burnt. The bed can then have the mulch applied as stated above. Tie up all tomato plants ‘and pinch out all the side shoots as soon as they form. If these side shoots are left they will rob the branches of fruit of much nourishment which should go to them. As soon as the first bunch of fruit has set, spray the plants with Bordeaux, using the summer formula. In conclusion, we wish all our readers a very Happy Christmas and may the holiday season be spent in a garden that is bright and gay.