THE GARDEN.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LIV, Issue 210, 4 August 1934, Page 12

THE GARDEN.

Notes are published under this beading, and readers interested in gardening are invited to send in questions relating to matters upon which they wish expezt advice; answers will be published with the weekly notea.

THE FLOWER GARDEN,

The weather last month has not dealt at all kindly with gardeners who only have a limited time at their disposal. The ground has been more or less sodden the whole time, and nothing has been done in the way of taking up and replanting the herbaceous stuff, but still there is plenty of time for this if the weather clears up for a while now. Herbaceous plants as a rule are not very hard to manage as long as they are taken up each year, or eveiy two years in some cases, and good strong roots are put back in their place. Small outside pieces are much better than the large clumps that have formed, and a small piece will give a better succession of flowers than a large clump. In a severe winter it will always be found that there have been some casualties, and it is a good plan to take a look round and see what they are so that they can be replaced. If one has a glasshouse there are many seeds that can be sown in boxes for pricking out later on. Most of the hardy annuals can bo sown now and some that are slower to grow’, such as petunias, salvias, and so on. The main thing when sowing seeds is to sow thinly so that they will have a chance to grow before they are ready for priclung out. Seedlings that are grown too closely together are always liable to the disease of damping, which is very hard to check when it comes, and many a promising batch of seedlings has keen lost through not having taken proper precautions in this matter. The question of soil sterilisation is another thing that has to be considered in large gardens where many boxes of soil are wanted. In the past we have been able to go out and collect suitable soil, but the time is coming when the soil of the garden will be well polluted with spores of different diseases, and these have to be destroyed or they will destroy the plants we are trying to grow. A case in point—one gardener said he had found a bed of antirrhinums to bo diseased and had used some soil from the compost heap to make up the boxea with. The old plants had not been put on the compost heap, but soil and weeds from the bed had got there, and the result was trouble. Some qf the soil was sterilised by baking, with the result that the plants were quite clean and remained clean when planted out. Sweet peas have made some growth, but not as much as we would like to see. The soil must be well stirred around them and a dusting of soot and lime given to keep vermin away. If the tall sticks for them to climb have not been put in position, no time should be lost in getting this done, as they will soon begin to climb now and it never pays to allow them to lie on the ground whether they are being grown for bouse decoration or for show purposes. Any dahlias that are in the ground can be lifted now and put in a safe place where frosts cannot get to them but whore they can begin to shoot. It is never safe to divide them up until they have shown where they are going to shoot from. Another thing is that if old shoots are left in the ground they will send up far too many shoots and the flowers will deteriorate in consequence. One stem to a plant will give you all the flowers you require, and they will be better than from a lot of weak wood. ARBOR DAY. It would be very interesting to know how many trees were planted on Arbor Day, and it would bo still more interesting to know how many people had been wakened to a “tree sense by the wide publicity that has been given to this movement. It has been admitted on all sides that the necessity for such a thing is great and that trees must be planted if we are to save parts of our country from the devastating cold winds that sweep over it at times. When our forefathers arrived here they found the greater part of the country clothed in virgin bush of splendid quality. Much of this was cut to allow grasses to be sown to provide food for the stock and land for tilling, but in the majority of cases no provision was made for shelter. In some of those cases where provision was made the trees have matured ere this and have in their turn been cut down for different purposes, and in very few cases indeed have they been replaced. The natural aspects of this country make it one where trees are an absolute necessity, and we say to all who have a chance to plant not to neglect this work. The day need not be the one selected as Arbor Day; make an Arbor Day for yourselves, but do not neglect the chance to help this very worthy object. The schools are doing a great deal towards showing children how to plant, and, what is more, giving them a natural love for the beauties of nature and also teaching them to care for trees as they would for animal pets. Remember that every tree that is planted goes towards helping in the general scheme, and once a tree is put in the ground it should be given every encouragement to grow properly.

The growing of trees is called arboriculture and is in a way different to sylviculture, which is the name given to growing trees in plantations for the production of a forest and, in time, a timber crop, but for all that the name Arbor Day will cover the work under both heads. What constitutes a tree is not easy to explain in a short statement. A given species may assume a tree-like habit or remain shrubby according to the climatic or soil conditions. Usually a tree is defined as a woody plant rising from the ground with a single stem and rising to a certain height which has been fixed by some authorities at twenty feet; but here again one plant might be a tree in one soil and a shrub in another. We have seen a rhododendron over that height and yet there are few indeed who would call it otherwise than a shrub. As ornamental subjects trees can be planted on lawns, but they should be given plenty of room so that they require no trimming or pruning. Even with deciduous trees cut branches do not improve their appearance, but when they are growing on lawns and such places it is necessary to cut away some of the lower branches so that the grass can be mown or the leaves collected when they fall. Deciduous trees in a garden are an economic proposition because of the leaves they shed, which, when collected and dug into the soil, form that very necessary material, humus, which no garden or any other soil can be complete without. Evergreen trees also shed leaves, but they, by their evergreen nature, provide shelter from the wind at all seasons of the year.

ROSES. Rose pruning will be general this month and as soon as it has been done clear away all the old prunings and burn them. They are useless for any other purpose. When these have been cleaned up the beds can have a dressing of manure. The kind will have to be decided upon by what can be got, but where animal manure cannot be got artificial manures are the next

best thing, and will do very well. Bone-dust is a good lasting manure, but blood and bone is far too forcing and should never be used at this time of the year. Basic slag gives very good results in some soils, especially those of a very heavy nature. When the beds have been dug over and before the new shoots begin to appear, spray the bushes with lime sulphur using it at the strength recommended for dormant plants. As soon as the leaves appear the strength must be very much reduced. There is no doubt that these sprayings, together with keeping the flowers picked as they form, will increase the crop at least one hundred per cent., and the bushes will be better to look at. Last season some well-known varieties that were addicted to mildew wero chosen for an experiment, and it was found that those plants which had been sprayed before and shortly after pruning kept clean longer and flowered more freely than those which were looked upon as being partly immune from mildew. The work did not take up a great deal of time; neither was it expensive, as only one quart of lime sulphur was used on sixty plants. THE VEGETABLE GARDEN. When one aims at having a. well stocked vegetable garden it is necessary t,o consider two or three things. The first, and one of the most important things, is to have tho soil deeply dug and well drained. Few people know what a lot of damage is done to their soil by having it full of stagnant water for at least half the season, and in the other half it will be found to bo so dry that plants cannot get the moisture they require. But drain this land properly and it will be found to last longer and grow plants better than a naturally drained soil. One may ask why this is so; that can bo easily explained by showing that the lowering of the level of stagnant water allows tho soil bacteria to work at a greater depth, and also that although the surplus water is taken away by means of the drains that which is left is in the form of soil water, and is clinging to the earth particles, and as the water level has been lowered the surface dries sooner and can be worked up to form a surface mulch. Now a mulch will draw water up to it, but being dry in itself does not allow it to pass through. The plants that are growing in it get the benefit of this moisture, and consequently will do well. Another thing that helps drainage is deep digging or bastard trenching, and this should be done as deep as the drains are set, but not below them. The question of manuring vegetable gardens is one that is often overlooked until the plants are ready to be put in. Of course, such manuring will do a lot of good, but not as much as when the manure is put in some time before the planting is done and is thoroughly mixed up with the soil.

When this is done the soil bacteria get to work. It is not always the quantity of manure that is put into the soil that does no much good as the quality of it. Good well-rotted stuff is worth a good deal to a gardener and should never be wasted on any account. When spread lightly over the soil and worked in with a fork it will mix up with the soil in a very short time, and although it may not be visible to the eye, it is there all the same. The work that is done to the soil seems to be endless when we want to get on with planting, but the better it is done the better the results will be. Ground that has had green crops or rotted manure dug into it in the winter will be all the better for forking over now before any attempt is made to plant. In the case of green manure it will bring the soil into contact with the green stuff and will break up any of those pockets underneath which are so harmful to plant life. It will also mix the rotted stuff with the soil and give it a chance to work, or rather be worked, into serviceable food by the soil bacteria.. When rotted manure has been dug in, a shallow digging is all that is necessary to cover the surface weeds that may have germinated, and it will also mix soil and manure together and make it more productive. It is surprising the quantity of good vegetables that can be produced on a small backyard patch if a little care is taken in working the soil. Once the soil is in the right condition and the seeds are sown it requires very little attention to keep the garden going until the crops are ready to harvest. The following plants can be put in this month:

Onions from the autumn sowing can be planted out now. As long as the soil is clean and worked to a fine tilth all that is necessary is to oover the roots; even if the plants are lying over it will not hurt them until they are ready to root, when they will lift themselves to an upright position. Lettuce plants can be set out in wellmanured ground. Cover a bed with manure and then cover it over lightly with soil from the sides and the plants can be set out about a foot apart every way. They are quick growing and their roots will soon find the food they require. Almost a.ny other crop can be planted to follow lettuces, which are composed of about ninety per cent, of water. Cabbages and cauliflowers can he planted now, on ridges for preference. When well treated they will come away very quickly. There are a number of seeds which can also he sown. Peas, for instance; but the ground must be well limed either in the drills with the seeds or broadcast over the land. For an early crop it is better to choose one of tho dwarf growing varieties, but even with these it pays to stick them with nice twiggy hits of brushwood to keep them off the oround. Birds are inclined to take a heavy toll of the young plants as soon as they come through the soil, and steps will have to be taken to keep them away. The next important crop to sow now is turnips. A white-fleshed early maturing kind is the best. Sow the seed thinly, and if they come up too thick thin them out as soon as they can be handled. Nothing will be gained by growing them too close together.