THE GARDEN.

Otago Witness, Issue 2014, 29 September 1892, Page 5

THE GARDEN.

WORK FOR THE WEEK.

Kitchen Garden.— lt is seldom that the land has been in such good condition for seed sowing, or indeed for all operations connected with vegetable culture. Early and second early potatoes should be planted in drills bin deep, placing the sets on the manure in the old-fashioned way. 'lhe condition and quality of the manure is an important consideration. It should be neither too dry nor too wet. If it is green the chances are that in light lands it will remain unchanged during the season and will act as a drain to deprive the sets of moisture ; if too wet and greasy it will rot the set. For potato culture the soil cannot be too fine, and there should be plenty of depth to enable the tuber to resist the effects of dry weatherin November and December. Moderately sized sets, not exceeding 2in in diameter, yield better results than those which have been cut. As to varieties the old ashtop kidney and the sort known a* kidneys are hard to beat for the earliest crop. To succeed these ruby and schoolmaster are pood varieties of round. Where the soil is light the main crop of late potatoes should also be planted, in order in catch the first growing weather while there is moisture in the ground, as such lands dry up quickly in November. Sow carrots for main crop ; also a small breadth of turnips, as the slightest touch of frost is sufficient to cause them to bolt.

Flower Garden.— The general work consists of hedge cutting, shrub pruning, edging walks, mowing lawns, and the destruction of weeds, which are easily destroyed in the seeding stage. As occasional frosts and sharp sou- westers may_be expected it is necessary to protect any pl^nt which is more than usually tender iv the young growth. If any beds are vacant and the summer arrangements have been determined, the ground work and edgings, which are usually composed of hardy plants, may be got out. The cerastiums, erysimun», sedumß, thymes, violas, pansies, and Semper virums should be planted in their allotted positions within the next 10 days. Cuttings which are being cramped in pots should be potted off, and as increased space is required for the protection of these and tender seedlings, everything which will stand a few degrees of frost should be placed in turf pots or sheltered spots. Calceolarias, verbenas, and lobelias are after a few days' hardening quite safe at the foot of north walls. Salonums, daturas, and single dahlias should be ready to pot off. The castor oil plant should be sown singly in pots, ns the roots are very brittle and the plants are difficult to repot without in juryj ury when many are grown together. Greenhouse.— The soft wooded winter flowerine heaths if cut back after blooming will be now ready to repot. The ball should, uot De di&turbed,

and the new compost should be rammed hard round it, or the water will pa?s through the new soil at the sides of the pot leaving the ball dry. It is a good plan to soak the ball in water before repotting. The plants should for two or three weeks be stood in a close pit, with a little air at the back till the roots begin to move in the new compost. The free-growing heaths of the ventricosa section should be potted in peat which contains a large proportion of vegetable fibre and sand. It is time that moat of the hard wooded greenhouse plants, Buch asbaronias, eriostemons, Ac, were potted, but it should be borne in mind that they will not bear shaking out of the old soil like a fuschsia. Vallotas are now making growth, and they should be put into larger pots when necesiary. These bulbs, and all the amaraHias generally, should not be over-potted, as it has a tendency to prevent their blooming.

Dwarf Shrubs for Pots,

It does not appear to strike the generality of practitioners in the art of plant decoration, that] there are so many attractive Objects amongst the smaller evergreens, which are admirably adapted for growing in pots, and which would go far to supply the place of flowers, or at least, set them off where introduced, beiDg at the same time perfectly hardy, and involving little trouble in cultivation. Moreover, there is a cheerfulness and suggestive character about evergreens 'certainly more in keeping with the winter season than the most recherche of forced flowers, nor are they less useful at all other times of the year. When done with for interior purposes, they may be set out of doors, used for the window sills, where they are never out of place, or turned out into the borders, from which they may be lifted and potted again whenTequired, so long as they have not grown too large, which is the only limit to their utility indoors. It would surprise those unacquainted with the numerous tribes of shrubs, how many different contours and colours, and what a variety of foliage is to be found amongst them, producing when tastefully contrasted the happiebt effects. Many of them likewise are charming for table decoration, sunk in ornamental pots, and surrounded with such bright coloured spring flowers as can be obtained. It will be well, however, without further preface to give the names of some of the choicest and best suited for such purposes as the generality of amateurs will desire to employ them. As a general principle, all shrubs with resinous leaves are undesirable for smoky localities, and will require frequent ablutions to keep them fresh and green. Many kinds also of slow growth, though properly only fit for the shrubbery or garden, may be used as dwarfs in wots, particularly if first obtained only a few inches in height. At all the large nurseries such are kept in pots, and at a trifling cost. . Of the Arbor Vitae there, are two races, the Chinese Biota and the America Thuia or Thuja. The first named are more compactand of a more vivid green than the latter. They are of a more compact and rounder form. Biota orientalis and aurea (the golden form) are charming dwarf shrubs; also Cinerea (ash coloured), very compact and pretty, forming a dwarf silvery bush ; and Compacta (the compact), a very pretty dwarf kind, elonder branches of vivid green, growing close together ; very charming contrast to the conical forms. Of the Thujas (under which comes the American Occidentalis), which are large growers and only fit for pots when young, though showy in the shrubbery, O. wareana, compacta and minima, are very compact and slow growing, and are fit for rockeries as well as for pots. There is a variegated form of Occidentnlis, some branches golden yellow. Thujopsis dolabrata (hatchet leaved) is a very pretty pot shrub, flattened leaves, bright

green above, silvery white below, almost like a lycopod,' which are admirable for backs to bouquets .and such like uses. "Thuja" is derived from "Thyon," sacrifice, its resin being formerly used for sacrifices instead of incense, and dolabrata means broad or hatchet leaved. ' " . The Retfnosporas, or Japan cypress, from rhetipe— resin, spore — seed, because their seeds are coated with resin, are a numerous section of small growing conifers, very charming and refined in appearance, and small pyramidal growth, and for the most part delicate foliage. Ericoides, obtusa, and varieties ; Pisiftra, and Pisjfera aurea, bright and golden yellow ; Pmiposa, glaucovfl foliage ; ditto vartegata, are all Very elegant. Purchasers should see a collection of these charming gems for miniature pbtf plants.. These given are some of the best. Ta'xus, baccata, the common yew, is a welllmo^n'treo of very slow growth, that for some time may be used in a pot on account of its ' coiiimnar growth for contrast with other forms. Bafccata J fa6tigiata (the Irish yew) is one of the darkett green foliages we have, of upright, -almost spindular shape — one of the best evergreens. There is also a striped variety fvariegata) veryCornamental. Baccata erecta, the upright yew,- has also very small close foliage, very ornamental ; and B. ericoides, heath -like, slo^pr growing, and peculiar, well suited to any kind of miniature gardening. The dwarf evergreen oak may be made an ornament" for a suitable pot or box, and the leaves are very useful as backings to button holes, &c. Sow some of the acorns in a window box ; they will for the mo6t part come up, and be plants with three or four leaves the firs| year.' At' the end of the second they may be turned out in the ground or be potted as very pretty ornaments for the sill. . It is to be noted the' above all belong to the coniferous tribes.— W.D.P., in the Field.

MISCELLANEOUS.

The Japanese cite 269 colour varieties of the chrysanthemum, of which 63 are yellow, 87 whktf, 3? purple, 30 red, 31 pale pink, 12 russet, and 14- of mixed colours. 1 4 -single rose bush in California contained 200^000; roses and buds not long ago. The name' of 'tbe variety is "the gold of Ophir, an'dj-the owner is a returned missionary, who counted .the roses. . ,ducumbers from old seeds fruit better, and melon plants are shorter jointed and flower at thV,thitd and fourth joint, when from fresh sefed they*, would not give a flower until the tenth joint. ' This improvement of soch seeds •'by ago can be' explained on scientific principals. Wfceh fresh they are fleshy and contain pabu-lum,-.which gives vigour to the young plant, but with age they get rid of the surplus food. 'Jfnrit whdh in its natural state on the tree or vineMjj always kept at a comparatively cool temperature in ever so hot weather. This resultis brought about by evaporation, not only from the surface of the fruit, but from the I'eaC surface to which the moist«re comes from. the roots. As soon as the fruit leaves the tr'eeror vine, or as soon as it is dead ripe, it no ' longer receives this supply, but takes the temperature of the atmosphere, and ripens or decays according to its condition, at once. ,',' Mr G. F. Lyndon, at his nursery gardens at 'Birmingham, possesses a phenomenal camellia. Thfchuge plant occupies an entire greenhouse f*iyay itself, and entirely fills it. In February 1^2 y although 2000 buds had been cut fram thfs^xtraordinary plant, it had still 6000 buds ]to open. , The largest camellia in Europe grows at Pilnitz, near, Dresden, and forms one of the sights of that district. It was imported from 1 Japan,, about 150 years ago, is about 17yds -high, 1 and has an annual average of 40,000'blossom8.