THE GARDEN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17348, 20 December 1919, Page 14 (Supplement)

THE GARDEN.

!.'■- "' II hum ■*«■»—». 1I) I. I lUHj.WSffi., JLOWEB GABDEHV i - < r, '? The jKjtutnkWa or.Xmas-iree of New Zealand is again in full "lower, denoting .with its unerring accuracy ' the festive acaoon we are now about to celebrate.'and reminding us that the, holiday season is at hand. This happily happens at a time whan tho various departments of the garden are, or should be, replete with the various subjects pertaining to each, and when 'the operafor*should- have -£ - v J&tle lei-rare to enjoy the results of his past .labours, and endeavour to.have his garden felly stocked with, a plentiful supply of fruits, flowers and vegetables of every description, and were it not for the-con-servatory or greenhouse, vineries, and"Other structures where pot plants and fruits cultivated, and that must necessarily receivo daily attention to watering, airing and shading, the garden might well be left for at least a week or more to take care of itself. , - <■' Tie Dry Season. Horticulturists generally, notwithstanding the continuance of dry weather and cool temperature experienced throughout the" spring, and the present very dry ■ state of the land, are to be congratulated upon 5 the present healthy and flourishing con- "" dition and appearance of the' trees,-shrubs and other permanent plants : in" their gardens and. grounds, and those that adorn ... tho landscape, and for the ,wealth, of bloom that everywhere abounds. A favoured Land. Truly nature bestows'her gifts most lavishly upon us. FloweraTof^Sseryl'sbade" - and hue of colour are most abundant; not only, in our cultivated but-an.-the pastures and uncultivstsdU*3Blsls,:ienJßTOn- . ,ing the prospect and v adding acharm-jto the landscape as well as''contrasting -with the many tints of foliage and..verdure of • the grass. .-.••>, ~,» -» Seasonable' Work. "-'"_".'' General work in the" flower garden will! be of a routine character, such as the weekly stirring of. the surface soils, .which: is most important during dry "?weather and where artificial waterings are applied, i in order to break the crust that forms, as . - soon as. the surface . dries, and , .to allow . , further waterings to ..penetrate '._j.n| not run off. To pick off rose blooms that are upent thus prolongs the flowering and greatly enhances the appearance of the plants; to-"keep dahlias"-tjed to their stakes as the plants advance in growth, at the samKiSmeAthinning out a- few of the superfluous*shoots. Carnations also need attention "to" picking off spent blooms and keeping the; ftower . s,tems regulated and tied up. Chrysanthemums for show blooms require to. have-spine of the side-shoots nipped off, and those for ordinary garden decoration should-be S kept bushy by pinch' ing and regulating! the. growth. Mulching Flowers. Lilies that are■ m flower arid coming into flower should be|kept mulched with wellrotted manure, and receivev&beral waterings. Fuchsias may be treated similarly. The profuseness "with which they flower is _ a drain upon . the roots, . hence th*e ..;: for itrmulants r during 'ihai period. " Dahlias are . moisture-loving Slants requiring .regular wakings whetfc, owering and during dry weather. - * ') i:J j Filling Tip Beds and; Borders..,; 11 To fill any vacancies in the beds and borders scarlet salvias, phlox, petunias, S, .'yortnlacoas and zirmiasfam|the • 'able afc this season; also French""amf African marigolds, all of which, are good, ..... --—ory" weatirer -suojects, -antrhloonr through--out the summer and autumn. The planting of dahlias may also be continued. Good, healthy plants bedded out during the >; will come in well for late flowerings*'"; - i '"?*'■; ': Sowing' Stock Seed.-'**'- '-""'•. T Sowing Stock r~% "CheiranthtiB t , ' ; — seed'of stocks * to produce'•double flowers: Prior to the - war the gardeneS* of Erfurt and Zuedlin- .- «mrg, -in Germany, were the largest grower&:bf stock seeds, 'STheir' system to v i-^obtaih^the greatest proportion of doubles V* was to .cultivate, the plaps in pots, and . |P^^*i%#rt, T "'shelves "ph large .gseen** houses,-and giving water ; ;.tp, keep them alive. Soycultivatetfi -'loe.SsPfS^Xb?^ 1 ? 6 pods abort- ' ened - and - the seeds fewer and better ripened, -&nd7-of an abnormal shape, en- < abling - experienced growers to separate - »thbse producing double ffowers from the i. isSngles. ..' % Seeos r *thfis - produced may. ''■* seen catalogued as.;pot-grown, and; charged -higher. Th«- French method iJTmorfe simple,. time of flowering they nip off some of the'branches, leaving none but the principal and secondary flower ,-, -* branches' to produce the seeds,' which'-give .. x' a result from 60 to 80 per, cent, of double ;' i; flowers.'. Only ten or - twelve" seed'pods, .••vi arc. left on each of the secondary branches. ; '"'-' IpW this treatment the pods are thicker- »'."■ and- the maturation -mora perfect; -It is also proved'-that-the seeds in the-Sppeldf portion" of "the "pods give more single flowera than those in the lower, consequently,- when extracting the seeds they .. -should, be separated, and ; by this ' the means of securing 80 per cent, of doubles.The south of France around Nice ii now the greatest stock seed-producing district. Growers in Australia have developed excellent results, the grower in Tasmania being noted , t for his stock seeds. -Results here>have been: so unsatisfactory that the amatew should-not attempt his own seed- ? yu :.ef'» he experiments upon the above- lines. '...» VEGETABLE GARDEN. Little 'cafi be done in this department beyond hoeing, cleaning, and placing the whole garden in. ae neat and tidy - condition as possible for the holiday season. Every part of the garden has now a dry, parched appearance, and is sadly in need ?[*i4 fl 80 $" D S rain - Tho light showers , that fella* the end of last week certainly had .a refreshing though it did little mote than wash the dust from the foliage, but was by no means sufficient to penetrate to the roots. In„3uch weather it is almost impossible to maintain' healthy growth unless water is freely applied. In watering, however, sufficient must be givento penetrate well into the soil;- simply sprinkling only tends to produce surface roots, which at once suffer if watering is neglected. . . Supply of Salad Plants. To keep up a supply of salads, particrs--larly lettuce, which is one of the chief requirements during 'the hot . summer months, a deep-worked soil, well enriched with manure and plenty of water, is neces- j sary. These plants succeeds best particularly during hot dry weather, when allowed to develop when sown. . Light sowings should be made every three or four weeks and as soon as the plants are well above ground they should b e thinned out, allowing sufficient space for plante to form good heads. Retarded Growth. French and runner beans have made but tittle headway, and are latar tEan usual in coming into bearing, being kept in check 07 the cold and variable weather. With' the more favourable weather, however particularly if a goo d rainfall was experi- ■ weed, rapid growth is certain to result. ' Maoris *p to the present have made but -« Si ea ??' J* 3 " 1 * fcP* in .check by the » "3J^ Ts b^\ nch - WHh warmer weather r&« S' Jh 66aS0n / ln r fact - h »» been any-" '' «r b s&& rab ° f ° r any ° f the mo " ' f "-'-<: a»to Culture. '"'"'' ! m^o«^baokward than they . \** ; bcen n i BO "; e years; while diMasV , . : *»*.«• n«t Prevalent and destroyed ? of y oung plantg F . o »»P»d Mid ,I*. Krowth will be • .**««• will need plasty of Ife>i£ :i X" ; .- ; * ! '■ .. ■ ' - : : v ' -' ; '-'': •■

attention, What -with staking, tieing tip, stopping*- and thinning out sof lateral growths, as'wall asi protecting the fruits from th& ravages ,of ; the caterpillars, the growers will be kept fully employed. Spray the plants, too, in seasons each as the present; they should in no case be neglected, and should not be left undressed until the disease makes its appearance. PESTS ON FRUIT TREES. It is scarcely necessary .to remind those who have fruit trees that the leech, codlin moth, beetles, and numerous other pests that attack the fruit and foliage of the various fruit trees is now very active, ns thev naturally take every precaution to, protect their trees and. fruit from ftheitr ravages. • "How many - '' Amateurs, however, or growers of a few trees take any measures to keep their trees /free of these pests? A few may certainly Bpray- such trees as apples and pears to protect the fruit From the codlin moth, while other trees are practically being destroyed by leaf-eating pasta? ~ Objects of Spraying. The object of spraying is by no means confined to combating only fruit-eating insects, but is also the most effective means of destroying most of the pests that attack and quickly destroy the foliage if left unmolested. The leech, for instance, that attack the leaves of pears, plums, cherries, and quince increases so rapidly and are such voracious feeders as to so destroy the foliage that all growth is checked. One frequently sees trees in this condition with simmy brown skeleton foliage, all vitality being sapped" : out - by these destructive peris. When in this condition the growth is prematurely checked, with the result that the trees burst again into growth in autumn, in very, many instances developing flowering duo's,'.that should under ordinary conditions have remained dormant until theproper-flowering time in spring. Another „ destructive . pest is the brown beetle, or what is better known as the grass grobi These;; arejirow In the flying stag* and .play havoc'with the foliage of. many orchard trees. ' As this pest only worts they are seldom seen at their destructive work, though.the results are apparent upon large numbers of trees and plants as well as upon fruit-bearing trees. Using Arsenate of Lead. The only effectual means of dealing with this pest is to thoroughly spray the trees with arsenate of lead at the same strength as used for spraying codlin moth. Little can be done to eradicate or even lessen fo any appreciable extent this pest when in the grub state. As soon as the developed beetles have done their work they burrow deeply in the soil and deposit their eggs, which in time turn into- a light-brown grub. In this condition they feed upon the young fibrous roots of an innumerable variety of trees, shrubs, and plants; in many cases hundreds of young plants are lost through their depredations. Birds, particularly gulls, sparrows, and others, will eat any that are seen when the soil is turned over, But to every on seen there are large numbers covered with the so!?. ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. "Xmas,"—The holly and the Norway spruce; fir are the trees mostly used in Britain and on, the continent of Europe for Xmas trees. The red berries of the holly contrasting with the dark-green foliage have a most, pleasing effect. Both trees are specially adapted for growing, in large pots and" tubs, and being of bushy, sturdy habit, lend themselves to the hanging of a large assortment of toys and other Xmas "presents ■ on the branches. The branches of the holly are also in great request for decorations. " "Strawberry," Wairoa, H.B.—Name of shrub with fruit attacked is Benthamia raguera. Produces large globular fruits like,..a.strawberry.;. An- extremely hardy, desirabi© shrib v CT"smf" tree. The writer would not recommend your attempting .to JSJafeeSiamaof: - the !£S fruitS;*."i&rbutus ; nnedo (the Irish strawberry tree) is often confused with the preceding. It produces bunches of pendant red berries, resemb-. ling small strawberries, which could be made into jam, but would not be worth .while, being a poor substitute for the Seal, article? The:arbutus is a very desirable,; hardy ornamental tree. - "E.N.," Mercury —Name of grass is tho Cat's Tail, or Timothy grass (Phleum pratense). It is a prolific grass on moist, rich soils. Kepos. a«TOiiyATnra the PARSNIP. 7' ixegnently growers report the failure of parsnip seed to germinate. This may be accounted for by the failure of the seed to retain its vitality. In the Old Country two-year-old seed is considered fVejyj?unreliable and in* this country care Isfiould be taken to obtain' fresh seed. SojnjL amateur gardeners'take very little care in preparing a seed-bed to ensure tha necessary depth and a fine tilth. On a- rich' sandy soil it is easy to fulfil the conditions necessary to ensure the germination of the seed. Deep digging presets", curving or forking, and assures a' good; sample -of parsnip.. Then, as to manuring; a rule, should bet applied directly to^eKcrjpp,;;pi'forking, may result. If aj soil is poor, ' 2cwt 6f*_ farmyard manure per square rod square yards),; dug or ploughed in, will be advantageous..; As parsnips take a long time to grow, the object of manuring is to "supply a sufficiency of fertilising material available for the whole season of growth. A writer in the journal of the British Board of Agriculture says that during the working of "the land the following artificials should be ploughed or dug in :—4£lb of superphosphate and silb of basic slag per rod, or an equivalent in the form of a mixture of superphosphate and steamed bone-flour, or superphosphate and ground mineral phosphate. Just before sowing the seed, sulphate of ammonia at the rate of |lb per rod, should be _ worked into the top soil, and after "singling?! a further dressing of sulphate of ammonia at the same rate should be applied. Parsnips should be sown early in the season, at the rate of i 61b to 71b of seed per acre (loz per rod, or, say, 200 ft of drill), in rows of 15 inches to 18 inches apart, about 1 inch deep, and lightly covered. In aibout a month from sowing, when the | plants show the true leaf as well as the 'seed leaf,, they should be thinned out to [6 inches to 9 inches apart.

. THE DAPHNE. Perhaps the most popular of all our winter-flowering shrubs is the well-known and sweetly-scented daphne. Its dainty pink flowers, combined with the fine firm dark green foliage and its wonderful fragrance, all. combine to give us a grand winter plant. Daphne indica, as it is botanically called, is generally known onjy in its deep pink-flowered form; but there is a pure white-flowered variety, which is occasionally seen, and which is quite as fragrant as the type. It is grown either as a pot plant or as a low-growing shrub in gardens. In either situation very good drainage must be given to the plant, ior it resents excessive moisture at the roots. Usually as a result of this the foliage turns yellow, and then the plant dies. They do not care for a light or sandy soil. A good firm soil, either a good stiff loam or a loamy clay, is the best suitable. Then the aspect must be considered. The fragrant daphne does not like too much afternoon sun, especially in summer, so that a south-eastern or southern posi-tion-would be better. An abundant supply of; water should be given in the summer time. Daphnes'are reproduced by cuttings or by layers, the latter being the easier method for the amateur propagator. The layering is generally done in midsummer, about February; the plants are kept well drained throughout the winter, and the layers, which have rooted, are ready for .-transplanting or potting up in the spring. Sometimes a difficulty is experienced in the rooting of the layer; it may " callus " or harden at the cut. but produce no roots. If this be so the callus must be cut again, thua actually layering a second time.