GARDEN NOTES.

Manawatu Times, Volume LXV, Issue 1344, 16 June 1911, Page 3

GARDEN NOTES.

(Continued from page 2.)

heavy soil it keeps it open and makes it appear lifcht. To make a smoulder fire is a very simple matter i£ a little oare is taken at the first, A couple of rough logs Bliaald be put together over a small hole in the ground and a good fire lit underneath. In a short time the logs will catch and will bnrn merrily. When this happens stack turf or any old rubbish np over tho hole till the logs nro covered ta about six inches in depth. All that will bo necessary after this is to keep some ftuft' handy to oover up the liolos the fire will bnru through the earth. A fire of this sort may . be kept going night aud day for weeks without any more wood being required aud will give you a heap o( tlio most useful material for Dearly all parden work. Alter the first day or so rake the borut earth to ace fido and stank up fresh. If you have a very dirty pieca of ground that is always a source of annoyance because of weeds growing in it,it would pay to burn tho whole let. Olay is just as good us the loam ou top and will burn just as readily. It will never go back again ta the snma conglomerate mas?, but will always be easy to dip. There is nothing to equal this stuff to put in below dahlias when they ara planted out. A shovel full to each hole is about enough and when mteed with the lower soil the root! will go down much deoper. ROSES. AND THE JOYS OF LIFE. None.but true gardeners recognise the joys and the pleasures of opening up a bundle of roses just arrived from the nursery. Those beautifs that were ordered in the flush of the saason, when the flowers were in their prime! How we have counted the days that wra to go before the bundlfl of beauties arrived to be unpaoked. And wlieu tliey same what haste to open them and sae tlio fine spooimens that have been ssnt. The tnrills cf pleasure that ran through' one as each is taken cut and laid on one side,' how carefully each root, eaoli brauoli, eaoh name is ootid. I ssy none but Irue gardeners know these feelings of pleasure, and agaiu when t!ie day's work is done and we draw a oliair up to the fire with a rose catalogue or Rose Annual in hand to study eaoh one over again as we have done so many times before, to read what the raisei tr, perhaps, someone better qualified to speak about them, has to say. _ What pleasure it gives one to think that we are now on the verge of planting that particular specimen in their garden to watoh it send ont tiny bods at fiist, and tlien watoh tliesa tiuy buds, expand until behold one morning we go ont and there is a beantifcl op-cimen of Manian Ooohet or Hcgh Dickson to look at and admire, lu the gaiden there are many such pleasures as this, but to my mind the "Queen of Flowers" tikes first place. The package has arrived and lias been undone, the next thing ib to get the roots oovered as soon as possible to stop the sun and air from drying them too much. Make a shallow trench to cover the roots till tha holes are ready fir planting. Then dig holes deip enough to oover the roots and the place where the rose was budded on to fchft stock. The next thing is to sift a barrowfol of compost (which should be fairly dry) to cover the loots with. It is always beet to make a rough plan of the bed and to put down the name cf eanb rose on the different spots they are to oocupv. Have this laid out flat in a handy phoe "when planting is taking place. The reason why this ia done is «o that tl;o differeut oolours will ba well distributed over the bed and two of the same colour will mt be next to ono another. Tafee the firet rose ou your plan and look at the roots to see that they are not either broken or damaged in auy waj. It they are they most bo cut off with a sharp knife or pair of secatuerc. Place it upright in the hole it is to oooopv and spread the rorti out to their fnll'St extent, then take a shovelful of the sifted earth from the bairow and sprintl) pveniy over them, lifting the plant about half an incli or so t) let the eait i settle down round them. When the roots are all oovered widi this stuff the earth that was tikeu out of tlie hole may be replaced and pressed into plaoe with the foor. l f resh niauure most not be allowed to ooine in cootact with the rotes, but old, wellrottid stuff will do no harm. This being finished tlm next tinner is to place tlio label or tally in prsitiou with the name or number written ou it plainly. Alwajs fix this in position as each varioty is phpted to avoid auy possible mistakes, Do nit pruue the top growth while placing—thera will be plenty of tine for August w'ien ri §t of the pruJog . lips bo