THE GARDEN.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18601, 8 July 1922, Page 3

THE GARDEN.

JSOTES BY D. TANNOCK, F.It.H.S. WORK FOR TEE WEEK. THE GREENHOUSE AND NURSERY. A start can now be made with the sowing of both flower and vegetable seeds, to get early plants fit to put out as soon as weather conditions are favourable in the w- spring. * _ Seeds of hardy perennials and alpines, if not sown in autumn, should be sown now', and if germination is at all rapid and the after growth encouraged, plants will be ready to put out in early spring, and they will flower before the season is over. Whether or not, there is no advantage in keeping seeds of hardy plants out ot the ground any longer. If imported thev are gradually losing_ their germinating power, and by sowing in a little heat the process of germination is stimulated, and many seeds which would fail altogether when sown outside will germinate /ill right when sown inside.. It is also desirable to bring on such bedding plants as antirrhinum, pentstemons, and East Lothian stocks,_ so that they may be got through all their stages before the rush of bedding plants comes on, and, being perfectly hardy, they can be stood out in the frames or planted out altogether if space is available, long before it is desirable to place the half-hardy kinds outside at all. Alpines au better sown in 4in pots, but all the other seeds, both flowers and vegetables, can be sown in boxes. In the first place the soil should be a light mixture, which,, while encouraging root growth, so that transplanting can be done with ease and safety, but not rich enough to push the stem growth, which, if soft and flabby, will wilt readily when transplanting takes place.. One part nice, light,-turfy loam, one part leafmould, and half a part kf sand, with a little bone meal if the loam is poor. This mixture should be passed through a half-inch sieve, the rough parts being thrown on one side to form crocking material for the boxes. A small portion of this mixture should be 5 passed through a fine sieve for topping and covering the seeds. Should there be too ' much animal life in the soil it can be destroyed by mixing with apterite and covering the heap with socks to keep in the fumes for a few days, Ordinary boxes •about four inches deep will do. Openings will be required in the bottoms for drainage, and an inch of the rough riddlings can pe put in to prevent the fine soil from washing level and smooth an top. Next put on two and a-half inches of the soil when pressed down fairly firm, and make it quite level and smooth on top. Nevt put on about a quarter ot an inch of the fine topping soil, just enough to provide a fine smooth surface so. that all Jjie seeds will be covered to the right depth, and firm It down with a piece of hoard. Mark off the box into sections according to the quantities of each kind of seed to be sown, open the seed packets carefnlly. and sow a portion of the seed thinly and evenly over the surface, label with neat wooden labels, putting on the date ot sowing as well as the name of the variety, and just cover with the fine soil, which is firmed and levelled with the piece of board. _ The depth of covering will vary according to the size of the seed, but in no case should it exceed the diameter of the seeds when all the conditions are under control, either in the greenhouse or a hot frame. Water after sowing, and shfide the boxes with a piece of paper until the. seedlings appear, when it should be removed at once to prevent the seedlings from becoming - drawn and spindly. Vegetable seeds to sow will be cabbage (Early York), cauliflower (Early I-ondon), lettuce (All the Year Round), Leek (Musselburgh). Onion (Ailsa Craig), cucumber fßoehford’s Improved or Tender and True). Though we would hardly consider the melon as a vegetable, it can be sown now to get early crops, Sutton’s Scarlet, Hero of Lookinge, and Blenheim Orange being suitable varieties. Mustard and cress can be sownfrom time to time to provide material for salads, and rhubarb, asparagus, and seakale can be put inside for forcing. Where frames are available they can bo utilised for bringing on early crops of potatoes. carrots, radish, and lettuce. Make up a mild hot-bed about half thedepth recommended for seed-sowing, and on it place from 8 to 12 inches of fine soil. Old potting soil will do, and on this bow 'the seeds broadcast, a small sowing at intervals being better than one or two large sowings. French Horn carrot, French Breakfast radish, and All tho Year Round lettuce will do. Any first early potato will do for forcing, such as Jersey Bennos, Askleaf Kidney, or Epicure. THE FLOWER GARDEN. Leaves can be raked up from under trees and shrubs, and they should also be cleaned away from violas, pansiee, and rock plants for they shelter slugs, and often cause damping off. Bulbs are coming through the ground now, and it is an advantage to weed them and fork up the soil when it is sufficiently dry for working. Continue to plant out trees, shrubs, and hedge plants when the weather is favourable, and trench or dig new beds and borders. Lawns should receive attention, and any parts which require draining will lie easy to find. The draining ot lawns is most important if they are to be of the greatest use either during summer or winter, and most mossy and unsatisfactory lawns would be much improved if a few pipe, stone, or scrub drams were put in at a distance of about 12 feet apart. Mossy lawns can bo raked over Tvith an iron rake to conib out the moss and break up the surface, and then top-dressed with fine soil to which has been added two 6m potfuls of bone meal, basic slag, or basic superphosphate to every barrowload. Rake in tho top-dressing, filling up all depression?: but if seed-sowing is necessary this should be loft till later on. Bare patches on the lawns which have been worn away with constant tramping are better turfed, and this can be done; degressions can aiso be filled up by first

, lifting and rolling back the turf, filling in • to the level with soil, which can be firmed, i and replacing the turf, beating it down > with the back of the spade. / 5 When lawns are very weedy and uneven • they can bo dug up, the surface being ’> left rough to expose it to iho disintegrating f' influences of frost, and later on it fan bo 8 levelled, limed, and sown down again. !’ THE VEGETABLE AND FRUIT GARDEN. ’ The pruning of all fruit trees except poaches should be completed as soon as ! possible now, and after collecting the twigs, : . leaves, and fallen fruits, the trees can be . sprayed. It is true that the pests, both . insect and fungoid, are at rest now and are hiding in the cracks and crevices in the 1 bark, etc., and are more difficult to roach 1 and destroy, but we are also able to use 1 more powerful sprays than when growth has commenced, or when the leaves are on the trees, and by spraying with care and [ force much good can be done. ; There are severad proprietary sprays on the market, most of which have been proved,. ’ to be satisfactory when applied as directed ' on the package, and for those who have ' only a few trees to do it is certainly better to get a spray ready made than to get the , ingredients and mix them up. Some of the commoner diseases or blights i are as follow'American blight or woolly , aphis. This is" a very common blight on apple trees, and unless kept in cheek it I causes the branches to develop into .warty--1 looking malformations due to the tree trying to heal up the damage done by the 1 insects. It is fairly easily controlled by i spraying with an oil spray or Woburn winter wash, which should be applied with fore© to penetrate the waxy covering of the insects. Another spray is made by dissolv--1 ing 21b caustic soda (98 per cent) in 10 gallons of water. When very bad, the affected parts can be _ painted with methy--1 lated spirits or a mixture of 4oz carbolic soap, dissolved in one gallon of water, with • a wineglassful of kerosene added. A halfworn brush is_ the most suitable. Scale attacks most fruit trees, and though it is stationary just now, when the young scales hatch out they move on a bit,' then attach themselves to the bark, start to suck and stay there for the rest of their days. It is controlled by _ both winter and summer sprays, but winter sprays of- red oil, Woburn wash, and lime, ■ salt, and sulphur are useful. For fungoid pests, such as mildew and leafcurl, spray with . Bordeaux mixture winter formula or soap-Burgundy mixture. This is made by grinding 41b of copper sulphate (98 per cent.) and 51b of sodium carbonate (washing soda) to a fine powder, when they will dissolve easily. Dissolve them separately m_ wooden vessels, using cold water. Then mix the two solutions thoroughly together, when a precipitate will form of copper carbonate, and the solution will be gelatinous. Add IRb of soap dissolved in water, and make up to 40 gallons. Keep the whole 'mixture well stirred when spraying, and thoroughly cover all the wood of the trees sprayed. Moss and lichens are usually an indication of too much moisture in the soil or the air, and for the former drainage is the remedy; for the latter, to open up the orchard so that the sun can get in without admitting the cold south-west winds. Spraying with the caustic wash already described will be effective, and great care has to be taken to protect the hands and face from splashes. ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. ‘‘O.K.’,,- Buketiro.-—Rhubarb can be forced in a greenhouse or heated frame, when the , roots should be packed in deep boxes of light soil, and covered over with other boxes to keep out the_ light. If the frame is prepared as described in the present week’s notes for seed-sowing, the roots can be planted in the soil and covered over with some rough leaves. It can also be forced where it is growing in the beds, and I intend to describe this method for both rhubarb and sea-kale in next week’s notes. GARDENING CLUB Mr B.fcG. Goodwin, orchard instructor to the Department of Agriculture, will be the lecturer at the fortnightly meeting of the Dunedin Gardening Club on Tuesday evening. His subject will be “Pruning Fruit Trees and Small Fruits.”