Pastoral-Agricultural

New Zealand Mail, Issue 745, 11 June 1886, Page 15

Pastoral-Agricultural

THE GARDEN. SEASONABLE WORK FOR THE ■ MONTH OF JUNE. The Fruit Garden. Pruning all kinds of fruit trees should be got on with as soon as possible, taking advantage of intervals between showers in stormy weather for the work. In this way an hour or two can often be given to pruning when other work on the ground could, not be satisfactorily performed. Apples and pears should be closely spurred in, except shoots required for extension, which may be left about 6 inches long, but as a . general thing if summer pruning was properly carried out there should belittle winterpruning to be done on all the large growing trees except it may he the removal of old worn-out branches, to make room for younger and more vigorous ones. Plum and cherry trees when properly in bearing need as a rule very little pruning, but if they are growing too freely they must Ise kept in due bounds by the use of the knife. Gooseberries and currants need an annual pruning. 1 5Vith gooseberries it will be necessary to thin out the growths where they are much crowded, and to shorten all the yo«ng shoots. If the bush is very thickly set with shoots they should he shortened to an inch or bo, but if otherwise they need only be tipped. •The differonce between the pruning of tb® black and red currant is, the former should only have tte spring shoots shortened by two or three inches’ as on those most of the fruit is borne, while the latter should have all the young shoots reduced to spurs about an inch long, as their fruit is borne on spurs formed in former years. Planting all kinds of fruit trees may be done now, always choosing fine weather for the work, as then only will the sod be in a good condition fit for planting in. When planting it will be a great help to the trees, both as helping their growth and promoting their fruit bearing capabilities if some good, half deoayed turf with a good sprinkling of coarse bone dust can be afforded to plant in. When fruit trees are to be planted in a kitchen garden, instead of being planted all round the paths as is usually;done, thereby spoiling iiie ground for vegetable crops, by shading a larg3 part of it, it would be better to plant either Pgainst tbo bounds ry fences, in rows 66 • ® -i. »»utb, or » better still, to running north and so. ltr b ’ , give them a patch to theni ,a to©9 at j.. end of the garden. The Vinery. The leaves will now be off the vines ana they may be pruned. The laterals should all be shortened back close to the rods, just leaving one or two prominent buds at each spur. After pruning strip off any loose bark there may be and paint the rods with a mixture of soft soap, sulphur and clay, or some such insect and mildew 'destroying composition. _

The Kitchen Garden. There is little to be done in the kitchen garden for the remainder of the month of June beyond digging and manuring the ground, trenchiug and draining wherever it is needed. The sowing of small seeds should be held over till July, but in dry, well-drained land a sowing of peas (Little Gem) may be made. If asparagus beds are not pruned, do so at once, cut the stems close down, loosen up the surface lightly, and give a good coat of well decayed manure. Never use sawdust manure as it will form a good harbor for woodlice. A good sprinkling of salt may also be given. Rhubarb may be planted m deeply trenched rich land ; let the plants stand 3 feet apart each way.