THE GARDEN.

Otago Witness, Issue 1856, 17 June 1887, Page 8

THE GARDEN.

OPERATIONS FOR THE MONTH. [June corresponds to December at Home. — Average mean temperature, 41*8.] SEEDS TO BE SOWN. Peas Broad Beans Radish HOOTS, ETC., TO BE PLANTED. Cabbage Cauliflower Seakale Rhubarb Hardy Herbs, &o. FLOWER GAHDEV. Crocus Narcissus Hyacinth Jonquil Tulip &c. BUSHES AND TREES. Rhododendron Lauristinus Laurel Pyrus Japonica Cypress CcJar Pines, &c, and all fruit trees and bushes and native shrubs and trees, CALENDAR FOR THE WEEK. Flower Garden.— Now that deciduous trees have shed their leaves, the lawns, walks, and other parts of the garden should be swept clean, and both lawns and walks well rolled. The leaves are the very best material that can be used for making hotbeds, keeping as they do a moderate and more equable heat over a longer space of time than does any other material that can be used for the purpose. When thoroughly decomposed they form a soil which is to gardens invaluable for propagating and potting purposes, and the best that can be used for lightening heavy flower beds, &c. Flower beds in front of shrubberies are invariably run through and matted with the fibrous roots of the shrubs, which greatly impoverish the soil. Trench and cut off all roots found in the border, which should be enriched with a heavy dressing of manure. Conifers or shrubs on lawns which are not doing well in consequence of being in poor soil should have a wide trench, 2ft or more in depth, taken out round them near to the extremity of their roots. This should be filled with rich loam, mixed with well-rotted manure. If rhododendrons are operated upon, peat should be used instead of manure.

Vegetable Garden.— Where the land is light peas and beans may now be sown ; they come in a little earlier than when sown in spring, and yield better and longer. For winter the hardy Hammersmith lettuce is

the best; it stands severe weather better than any other variety. It is always a good plan to go over the rows of winter spinach and partly thin it out, leaving the plants so that they will not become what is termed drawn.- Ultimately those left should stand about 6in asunder. Partial thinning admits of securing a supply both for present and. future use. When the land is dry, hoe amongst growing crops, in order to destroy weeds ; this saves much labour by preventing the seeding of such annuals as groundsel and chickweed, which will otherwise keep on flowering and maturing seed, even in winter. It has also the best possible influence on the crops and upon the land by keeping it open. Cut out decayed lower stems of globe artichokes, if any, as they only serve to exhaust the plant. All vacant .ground should now be dug or trenched and thrown up roughly into ridges for the winter, and any materials that it maybe desirable to incorporate with the soil should be brought together in readiness for use when the time arrives for sowing and planting. Burnt earth, charcoal, wood ashes, leaf mould, and river sand are all excellent for the purpose, and if anything like a coat of 4in to 6in of these ingredients can be applied, not only will the fertility of the soil be much increased, but it will lose a great deal of its retentive character, and will be brought into and remain in a friable and workable state. Celery must now receive its final earthing up. Blanching takes from five to seven weeks after earthing. Before commencing to earth, all small leaves and any suckers or secondary shoots which may have grown from the base of the plants should bo removed ; tie the leaves carefully with some pieces ot bast, which will give way as the plants swell. Tubes may be used for blanching, such as drain pipes placed over the plants. Some use paper collars as the earthing proceeds, or stiff paper may be used, bound round the plants, which keep the earth from getting into the hearts as the earthing is being performed, raising the paper, or the collars may be left on the plants. Care must be taken to choose dry weather for earthing. Where tubes or collars are not used the soil must be banked up in the usual way, being careful to keep the leaves close together, so that the head may be straight and compact after being blanched. Before earthine up scatter a little lime round each plant ; it will destroy all slugs, which are often very destructive to celery during winter in. damp soils. A sprinkling may be used when the earthing is performed. When the earthing is finished, and before severe frost sets in, cover the tops of the ridges with straw, or better, if at hand, some dry bracken, which prevents the frost from injuring the tops of the leaves and keeps the hearts of the plants dry.

Fruit Garden.— Old fruit trees that may be in a weak state may be improved by having their roots laid bare, carefully preserving all the fibrous ones in doing so, and mixing some fresh compost or well-decomposed manure with the old soil in covering them up again. In doing such work, let as many roots as can be got hold of be brought to the surface and spread out within lin or sin of it before finishing the refilling up with the fresh compost. Many old trees that are in a weak condition me be improved in tjhis way, but they should not be lifted entirely, except it is suspected that their roots have penetrated into bad subsoil. Apples that are affected with Aphis should be carefully cleaned at this season. The cracks and scars in the bark, which form the nests of the insects, must be carefully scraped almost to the quick, and rubbed over with soft soap moistened with paraffin. Two wine glassf uls of the latter to lib of the former is the proportion in which they should be used. This will destroy the eggs and any of the developed insects that remain after the scraping, and reduce summer attacks to limits that will be very easily coped with if attended to in time. Wall trees should be pruned and trained in open weather. All fruit-tree boarders dress with a coating of old manure or partially-decayed leaves— anything, in fact, that\viil enrich the surface and protect therootsnear.it. Everything should be done to encourage the abundant production of roots near the surface, because on them, more than deep-lying roots, depends the fruitfulness of the trees and the quality of the fruit.