The Garden.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1037, 15 January 1892, Page 28

The Garden.

CORDON GOOSEBERRIES. Gooseberries grown in the form of cordons, and trailed either to walls or improvised trellises, are most easily managed and pro* ductive. What are known as gooseberry hedges are occasionally scon in gardens as marginal lines to borders, . and .wherever established and properly managed give much satisfaction. This method of goose- | berry culture is of the simplest, as both ! summer and winter pruning can bo easily I and expeditiously conducted, while the fruit |is readily gathered. It has beou found also that birds do not do half tho damage to the loads of the upright cordons than they do to the ordinary bushes, the comparative immunity in the former aaoe being probably the exposure of the depredators and the less convenient foothold tnan is found in the bushes. Be that as it may, the fact ii as stated. By this method of culture very large crops of fruit o.»n be had on narrow strips of laud, and the practice n worthy of extension in appropriate positions in gardens. For the first few years the young trees cart, if desired, be secured to neat stakes', aud cross supports of wire, or oven lathp, provided at convenience. In one instance where laths had been used for a few years, the cordons assumed a rigid habit and became ‘self-supporting.’ PEELING GLADIOLUS BULBLETS. Named varieties of gladiolus bulblets are increased true to kind from bulblets only and not from seeds ; division of the large corms, too, according to their eyes, is sometimes piactisod, but so seldom that we need not now refer to it. Well, says Mr Falconer, in the American Florist, hWo you ever wondered why it is that these hard bulblets make such >rregular and little growth for the first year after planting ? Tho truth is, their coating is too hard, tough, and tight. Our large gladiolus growers peel their balble-a before planting them ! This may appear incredible to many, but it is nevertheless a fact and the employees of these largo nurseries nob only peel bulblets by tho dozen in winter, but also bring them home, and they and their families peel them at night by conti act, thereby adding to their income. Peeled bulblets grow as much in one year as unpeeled ones grow in two years, and every one of them grows, which is not the case with unpeeled ones. Were it not for this system of peeling the bulblets to induce quick growth, hence quick mivtiplioation, our florists could never get up stock enough of the choice popular kinds to Rupply tbe demand.