THE GARDEN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXI, Issue 9497, 28 April 1894, Page 4 (Supplement)

THE GARDEN.

Tiie weather during the autumn has been exceptionally favourable for making permanent improvements and alterations in the garden and grounds, such as the formation of new lawns, top-dressing and renovating those that have been previously laid down, re-levelling and filling up any depression and inequalities to produce a level surface, and finally re-sowing with fresh seed ; also for draining, trenching, and the general planning and laying out of new places. The soil having become very dry, all ground that; was dug up early in the autumn will have had ample time to sweeten, and should be in excellent condition for working, and if forked after a good soaking of rain all lumps will easily be broken down. The sowing of grass-seed on lawn and other portions that have been prepared for laying down in grass should be attended to at once, as the season is now getting late, and the young grass will not have time to get good hold before the cold weather sets in. Those portions, too, of the kitchen garden that have been manured or dug or trenched and are nob required for immediate cropping with vegetables should be sown down in oats. _ Stiff clay soils should always be treated in this manner, as the oats prevent the surface of the land from becoming beaten down by the heavy winter rains, besides keeping the weods down that would otherwise get hold and be difficult to eradicate when the ground is wanted for early spring planting. The roots of the oats keep the soil open, and the stubble lightens the land when it is dug in. Winter is fast approaching and will soon be upon us. The various deciduous trees, shrubs, and smaller plants are fast assuming their winter garb. Leaves are continually Jailing, and give the place an untidy appearance. It is impossible to keep the garden and grounds neat and tidy at this season of the year, as every gust of wind brings down a fresh batch of leaves, necessitating frequenb attention to raking up and removing them to the rubbish heap, where, they should be allowed to remain and decay to produce a valuable compost for future use. Never burn leaves unless badly infected with insects, as leaf mould is invaluable for mixing with potting soils and for digging in around rhododendrons, azaleas, and other plants with fine fibrous roots that require a rich porous soil. At the present season deciduous trees and shrubs form a pleasing contrast to evergreens and add greatly to the beauty of the landscape with their ever - varying appearance. Towards the end of the autumn and early in the winter when the leaves become matured previous to dropping, the gorgeous tints of foliage render many of the varieties most conspicuous objects; so much so that some of the varieties of rhus (or summach) have been mistaken in the distance for shrubs in full flower, owing to the brilliance of their autumn foliage. When tastefully arranged and planted amongst evergreens, trees and shrubs of this description relieve the monotony and greatly add to the appearance of the ground. Unfortunately the planting of deciduous trees and suitable evergreens with large shining leaves has been greatly neglected. A lamentable want of taste everywhere exists, and the stranger cannot but remark aboub the endless rows of dark sombre pines, cupressus, and others of the conifers that our plantations are composed of, draping the otherwise picturesque landscape in funeral garb, and detracting from the natural beauties of the land.

TRANSPLANTING CONTINUED. Having thoroughly prepared the soil, dig the holes and make all necessary preparations for planting the tree?. A careful selection of the best and most profitable varieties of fruit should be made. In doing this the planter needs some experience of the varieties that are known to succeed well in his district. In selecting young trees choose strong, healthy, well-rooted ones, having a clear stem of at least three feet from the ground. This will allow of the trees being cultivated without injury to the branches. In choosing the sites for the differed varieties of fruits, ib must be borne in mind that the peach succeeds best when planted in deep alluvial soil, thoroughly sheltered from the cold south-west winds. Plums, too, when worked upon this stock, thrive best in a similar soil. On the other hand, plums when worked upon the plum stock grow better when planted in

a deep stiff loam. . Apples succeed the best when planted in a deep stiff loam. Lemons succeed fairly well in most soils, but i?row best and last the longest when' planted in fairly light volcanic soils, and in soils of a sandstone formation. * After the planting of the orchard is completed, a plan of the orchard should be made in a book; each row and the position of each tree carefully marked down and numbered. The varieties of fruit should then be taken down with the nuraberi", thus showing the exact position of every variety planted. By this means, the names of every, kind is kept for future reference. As soon as the planting is completed, the trees should be securely staked. To prevent injury by the wind, drive two stake in the ground, one on each side of the tree, and fasten the tree between them, first placing a piece of cloth around the tree, to prevent the bark from being injured by the movements of the plants. Old orchards from which the fruit havo been stripped should now be attended to. A good large circle should be dug around each tree, and a good coating of manure applied where necessary. Kepos.