AUTUMN WORK.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20217, 30 March 1929, Page 5 (Supplement)

AUTUMN WORK.

keeping down weeds. From this time onward there will be no lack of work in the vegetable garden demanding attention if anything like satisfactory crops are to be obtained. What with sowing, planting, thinning out of seedling crops as they grow, and in keeping weeds under control the operator will be kept fully employed. After such a long spell of dry weather weeds spring up apace and frequent hoeing or digging will be necessary to .re vent them from checking the growth of the crops. In this respect they are, in some cases, an advantage as they compel the cultivation of the soil that might otherwise remain unstirred. VALUE OF MANURING. To keep up a supply of vegetables during the autumn and winter months the ground requires to be .well manure! so as to induce as rapid growth as possible after the seedlings are raised. Humus is what many soils aro deficient in, as constant cropping without returning any vegetation to tho soil extracts this essential material from tho soil. It is true that considerable success is attained by the judicious use of artificial manures, but even with these manures greater success results when applied to land that is occasionally renewed with animal manures or other vegetable matter. CULTIVATING WASTE GROUND. Conditions are still favourable for treating any land that has been cleared of their crops. Any ground that has become at all impoverished by successive cropping should be well manured and deeply dug or trenched. If stable or other animal manures are not obtainable an effort should be made to replenish the soil with vegetable matter. By a little forethought the crops can be so arranged that a portion of the ground can be sown down in green crop early each autumn so as io bo ready for turning under in time for early spring crops. CROPS FOR HUMUS. For this purpose mustard, pease, vetches and the common blue lupin are each useful for restoring humus to the soil, though tha lupin is the more rapid grower and more quickly decays alter being turn;d under. With land that is of a stiff retentive nature a good dressing of lime will do much to sweeten and pulverise the soil and render it more easily workable. GARDEN ALTERATIONS. In gardens where any alterations of a permanent character are required to he made, such as the formation of new paths or the rearrangement of the plots, now is the best time to deal with the work, carrying out the alterations in such a way as not to interfere with any of the growing crop, but with the view of improving present conditions.

THE GROWING OF FERNS. METHODS OF CULTURE. The cultivation of adiantums and other ferns, particularly of maidenhair, and similar varieties foi table and other floral decorations is a necessity. For this purpose special varieties of adiantums or maidenhair ferns are grown; the variety gracillimum is the most graceful and beautiful of the fine-leaved section and is most sought after. The difficulty in growing adiantums is not as great as so many infer, the chief requirements being a compost of fibrous loam, peat or leaf mould and sand; or they will succeed in good loam with a little leaf mould and sufficient sand to keep the soil open. Good drainage is necessary, and a cool temperature with a moderate amount of shading. Plenty of pot room is essential, and a larger proportion of loam for the strongergrowing varieties. Ferns must never be allowed to suffer for want of proper watering, arid must be kept free from scale and other pests, including slugs, which destroy the undeveloped young fronds. 'J hey are specially adapted for growing in hanging baskets, a useful system where a supply of fronds is required for cutting. The whole beauty of all ferns consists in the fully-developed fronds, which should bo kept intact until the new fronds ap pear. Propagation of adiantums is chiefly effected from seeds, tho seedlings, when very small, being picked off into seed pans or plant trays, and afterwards into small pots, and repotted as they advance in growth. Good seedlings are often obtained from the spores that drop from the old plants and come up in different places in the house. OTHER POPULAR FERNSThe different and numerous varieties of nephrolepis arc exceeding beautiiul and varied in their habit of growth. They are of easy cultivation, either in pots or hanging baskets; propagation is also easily effected by the runners that throw up young shoots. Pteris tremula and its sub-varieties is a. common and easily-grown fern and icquires a stronger soil; when well furnished this is a most beautiful variety. Mistakes are often made in subjecting hardy ferns to a too heated, dry atmos phere. where they invariably become invested with thrips, red spider and scale insects and lose their beauty. A damp atmosphere and partial shade is necessary for most ferns, consequently, when in full growth during tho summer season an occasional syringing overhead and damping down the walks before closing tho house in the afternoon provides a genial moist atmosphere.