GARDENING CALENDAR FOR MARCH.

Otago Witness, Issue 148, 18 March 1854, Page 2

GARDENING CALENDAR FOR MARCH.

-•Gejtbral 'Remarks.— lt has been frequently asserted that Pears- will not do in this settlement, and. that they are but an uncertain crop in any part of N«w Zealand ; but I was delighted the other day to see a good crop of beautiful Pears on a fine young trained- tree in Mr. Robert Chapman's garden in " Dunedin ; and, "with proper maaagement, I doubt . . not but even the finer sorts of French Pears can be successfully grown^here. ■ Frtjit Trees, &c— ; For this department of gardening thej-veather 1 still con-tinnes extremely favourable, and no time should be lost in having all trained - trees fastened: to facilitate the ripening of fruit buds t and p&tato-'tops or other rubbishrretnoved to allow the sun and-air to act freely on every part^f both standard #nd trained trees, &c. Pinch the topso&r . Grape^Vines to rheck,growth and encourage ripefiing. ,Tljat orchard pest, mealy bng, has made its appearance on Apple trees in sotne gardens,, and, if allowed to increase, will do' considerable- injiiry"t<K ' trees, and be difficult to gp£rid of. f "Brnsfi"crat car^- ■ fully every crevice infested, and «pp!y sortte- gpß'i* • clay, which should be.preuously prepared-fike paint, -„ over tl>e parts infested. Let trees in exposed.place?^" be well secured to stakes before they are injured by' strong winds, which may soon be expected. Vegetables. I—Th,e1 — Th,e dry state of the "weather for * the last.'tfri'Pe-months has'provedratlier unfiuaaurA^lefor vegeta'Ules ; and .unless vacanfc>sp»ces~-ate<;\vell, ■ n^nujred-fand thickly set jtvifh .CurJfld Grf^i^/ anAjVK Cabbage, our supply of vegetables. fox the jjvintec - and spring' months will, be short. .'Turnipsrsowß' last mbtfth have made but little progress,' aniTsiiottkf'" be encouraged by a good drenching "of -ssrat** fi^jinI the rose?of a.watermgpan. Early Turnips may still. > j be sovnj'but not without taannre-being placgd^fgH|i' I under the seed. Thin sowings to fojjr car i five inches apart in the rows, and stir the ground between the rows of growing crops after rain. Thin Parsley to eight or nine inches plant from plant, and carefully gather and dry all vegetable seeds as they ripen. - Onion seed may still be sown. (For direct-ions see the Calendar for last month,) The present is a good £ime v for preparing Early, Potatoes, for next season's planting by greening them' well previous to their being stowed away for the winter ; and the importance of changing seed Potatoes frequently, and the raising- of new varieties, cannot -be too strongly impressed upon' all in- | terested in the culture of the Potatoe. Seeds of j Cabbage, Pauliflower,, and Curled Greens may be I sown now, for winter and spring planting. FtowERiNG SnRTJBS, &c. — When the ground, is sufficiently moistened with rain, evergreen shrubs and trees niay be transplanted nowT with~>more safety* than in spring ; and, if a good soaking of water be applied to their roots immediately after planting, success will be more .certain. Cuttings of Hoses, and many ornamental evergreens, &c, put. in now in soft deep, soil will root freely. Flowers, &c— lncrease Verbenas, Scarlet Gjwa- . niums, Petuneas, Penstemons, and other Tare and showy flowering plants' for next season. Secure Dahlias and Holyhocks from the effects of win<J, and water often with liquid manure. . Save flowe^ |e?ds' as they- ripen, and many hardy annuals and (jjjfier showy flowers may be sown now. Gardens should be thoroughly cleared, of weeds, whilst the weather - continues dry: • [We iave to apologise, to our readers for the Calendar appearing so late in the month.' Our, columns' were so fully occupied last wees, that we were tern- ' . pelled to.lvaye it over to. the present number. — Exi.J

Bunedin, Sa,ttt:ri)ay, March 18, 185 p. „

We have to congratulate- our fellow-colonists on the fact of the General Assembly being at last summoned. We confess it is a piece of good fortune which bas,tak,en us a little.by surprise,- the continuous delay having' almost led us to believe that we were not to see the meeting of the JNew .Zealand Parliament until the report of the dissatisfaction of the colonists had reached hqme and brought forth imperative instructions an the subject;. It is singular with, what correctness the 'people of" Otago: Vead the

"cWicter of Sir G'ebrge"^j^y, i wliehi some two. years since, in . petitioning for a Constitution, tfiey prayed that no power to suspend any such measure should be left to His Excellency the Governor.' "But -Sif George Grey has left the colony, and his successor in office immediately called , the" Assembly together — a fact which augurs well .for the fujtjjre integrity of Colonel Wynyard in carrying out -the Constitution. * The u oonvening ofthe Assembly at Auckland.will subject th« ; members for the Southern Provinces,, to an^exjtreme ir convenience, especially th!pse fcom this~^Pr<lvincex But Represmtatftif Institutions" K *<3t) nYjd must call for sacrifices oil; thei'part "of the public ; and, in prbpbttr-dnas individuals are found wjHirig to make!sud^Bacrific l^s, does a ; community itecome pt for s Seif :^blffi^h'aient!', , But, notwithstanding these Writes, it is a waiter Jbr iS^ngrathat the Assembly/ has ;bejTn convened, and tbat'we,shall haVe theGd'rtsiittftion erected in all its eift&rfet? ; ttmi itAVift %ipur own faults if we d^'E'ot^kp if lwq"r.W to^'e entire satisfac4io^»"^)f^fß^§tSfi^dft colonists of New Zea-lan^^-^i^^pd^saying, that every evil has- a counterJbHl^fiinlf advantage ; and thus it may. tje wit^^e^Selay which has occurred, in makingTxiH,'^J"eciate more fully the advantages, no#"'tj£jjiiTO&' Avished-for .object is attained,—r attairte^at a time when it was becoming more obvious ."every day thnt so much of the Constitution which" had been erected was in a most unworkable condition. The proceedings of our Provincial Council have, ever since its sitting^ been dejtfon&trajing tlm fact more clearly every day. - Scarcely a measure has been proposed in that Coun&ilj^o'wever wise in principle or ne* ceSsary'tn 'practice, but has^ raised doubts and ■difficulties?^' to the_ extent of the powers' of the Provincial Government, until the feeling, was becoming -general,' that if any work was to be done, and if the evils of the irresponsible.ru le of the'Gerteral Government were to -be- cheeked j it could • only he done by disregarding-" legal ■diniculiies, 'by tjpjlosing local legislation, on the broad of the'baiia fide construction, of the Constitution Aef -to the illegal.,, and irxesponsible t-acts-oft -acts -of His Excellency Sir- George Grey. """We" may illustrate these remarks" by referring 1 '•toihe'Koads Bill, the Ferries and the 3)unedin Reserves Ordinances — all of which stand just on, -the verge of the law, and to the Terms- pr Purchase Bill, which clearly oversjep-, ped iti- When,3tnd to what end-, such a- course,if hol&jy-eaßried % ««t, niight have^led us,4t-is <lifficulf','and'no\i' for'tunafefy needless, to'spe-" cuiate. The. i»f eting of t Jie penef al has Wt.the. Gor-dian knot; and whether that, body^nftvancreaseor diminish our local powers,* andtheloeai «hare of the revenue,- it will at' least -defilM? "the extent of those powers, and'fixtbat_ssu»re,unon such a footing as will leave" no doufctslo be .entertained, and thus remove one <$f the- greatest of -all evils in legislation — uncertainty — and enable the Provincial Council to proceed -with actual business without the^constantiy^recurrioa; debates on legal questions so destructive of time, and so unsatisfactory to all parties. We have every confidence in the soundness of the General Assembly — a confidence increased by the knowledge of the facts we have lately ascertained. The whole of the members for the Southern Provinces are at one on the main question, — namely, to give as much local power as possible to each Province compatibly with- the general welfare of New Zealand;