THE GARDEN.

Otago Witness, Issue 2055, 13 July 1893, Page 4

THE GARDEN.

JfabjJK/JOR THE WEEK. Fbuit, (Ja^djew.—^Planting and pruning should be vigorously qftfried on in July when opportunity offers. Of course it' la impossible to do anything immediately after $-wet spell such as we had last week.'bui?, advantage should be taken of the ground beifeg'dry at any time during the month to push ahead with work' in the orchard. Mosscovered trttea may he cleaned by a wash of fresh slaked liinej- which may be applied with an open syringe, or- the lime may be applied dry in the condition ';of 'fine 1 powder when the trees are moist from -.recentt rain or morning dew, for, if the latter pliiii'-be, adopted, the lime can be distributed from a.carbohc powder box, the operator standing with the .wind blowing from him. This tends to check : ied spider and American blight. Cuttings bf gooseberry and currant bußb.es may be made and^Tpla'nted,- treadjng them very fiim in the planting ." <C' , Kitchen. wAKDEN.-r-Plant early potatoes. &c, in a warca r dry border. Early peas and beans may: be 86%h'oncea fortnight or three weeks

from this time. Sow tho main crops of onions and carrots, also some radishes,' lettuces, spinach, and early cabbage. Sow parsnips , in . a deep richsoil. Propagate plants which are increased by rooted off-sets. Transplant" for s6ed, if not done in autumn, carrots^ turnips, beet, celery, parsnips, &c. " ■, ' Flower Garden.— The pruning of roses must now be taken in hand, more especially; in early situations, as in such the buds are pushing at the extremities of the shoots, and if pruning is delayed beyond the middle of the present month, it causes , the blooming period to be late. Cut away all light epray which has not strength to produce a good bloom. Cut all strong shoots back from two to four eyes, according to the- strength of the growth— climbing roses of course are an exception to this close pruning. In the case of jre-cently-planted roses, an eye should be had to the space to be covered by each plant, and the growths regulated accordingly. Thin out the shoots to prevent overcrowding, and shorten .the growths back to the well-ripened wood of last summer's growth. ■ , ":_, ' . Greenhouse. — Fuchsias that have shea their leaves should now be prepared for the, following season by cuttintr back and re-pottmg them. Geraniums that aro growing tall and thin- should have the ends of the shoots pinched off, which will make them more bushy and compact. . Repot cinerarias and calceolarias as soon- as the present pots are filled with roots. This rule applies to growing plants generally. • MISCELLANEOUS., Something About Carnations.— Since 1860 the carnation hatrbeen rapidly forcing .itself into an important place in the flower trade. Nearly 4000 florists are engaged eithet wholly or in part in growing this plant, and" it is -estimated that fully 200,000,000 bloom's were Bold last year, yielding over £200^000 tothegrowers. It is called "the flower of the multitude." It was originally found in' FrWoce, jtyaly, Austria, and North-west India. When intrctduced into England it was a single.' flower, having five petals of "a light pink shade pr flesh colour, which fact conferred the name carnation. Under the influence of English soil, climate, and culture the colour deepened and, the flower's were called pinks. . '^ - .',, . Food For Your Plants.— Give your 'plaints all the sunshine possible, most of theoxrevel in it, writf s Bben E. Rexford in the M.Ladieb' Home Journal." It is food for them and;'<]uite as' necessary as a rich soil. Ferns, '86me"of -the, begonias, and a few other' plants, prefer to remain in the shade, but they like a- good light,; such as comes from diffused , suns^ineu - Pup j your fuchsias where they will get, tjie^ sunshine of the forenoon, and give your heliotiropei' and geraniums a southern exposure .^Plants the Bermuda lily, azaleas, and oleanders should be kept out of strong sunlight ii/yp\x car&to have the flowers last well. Be,;sufe_:,to give them fresh air daily. ■ . -V Treatment of Heavy Soil.— There axe man j, ways of dealing with a heavy day foih/ but; all entail a good deal of labour. The,best treaty ment is to burn as much of the olay.as possible^ and trench the ground with the burjdf, residue; The clay will burn on a fire made up.of wood er small coal, and covered with turf. The clay, 'mixed with the coal, should be. heaped ■pP,fln,' the fire, as soon as it has burnt 'through, until a large heap is made. Trenching.the' ground deeply in autumn will benefit it greatly! - (T( Th AcA c addition of snbstancessuch as old,njortar, road scrapings, or river sand will make' the -,soil lighter. One of the best things for .-lightening, soil is Bifted rubbish from dust'ofts ;"f leaf; mould, sifted coal ashes, and stable manure' are all valuable. If preparing the grouhd^or fruit trees, as much calcareous matter', as possible, should be worked in. Fresh lime, or .-old. lime rubbish would do. Fruit trees will not do well | on a heavy soil. " - ■ Rhubarb Roots.— ln almost' every garden \ there exists a superfluous quantity of rhubarb roots, and much of the produce goes to' waste

every spring. This is bad, bat it is equally so to allow the roots to occupy valuable space when they ate really not wanted. They can be most profitably turned to account by tokiDg them up, forcing them, and then throwing them away. If the roots are dag up entire dow, and pat into any place where the roots will be under the influence of 80dejT. of heat, the growths will soon push forth. Where forcing pits are at command ttiese should be used, but in the many cases where these are not available a root may be pat in here and "there near a flue or some warm corner. ' If the roots are covered with soil and kept constantly moist, as well as in partial darkness, the produce will be both abundant and of good quality. It takes about four weeks to become ready for use. By putting in a root or two every fortnight any one may produce their own rhubarb all the winter through.— Leeds Mercury. Virtue in a Prolific Water Plant.— More than 50 years ago a Canadian water plaDt— Anacbaris alsinastrum — was taken to England and thence to Germany. It has spread with great rapidity and has long been regarded aB a great plague, which chokes up the rivers and is wholly useless. But Dr Brandes, of Hanover, has now called attention to an influence of great value that he believes is exerted by the vigorous new-comer. In the district in which he lives malaria and diarrhoea, formerly appeared yearly, but since this plant began to fill the neighbouring rivers and marshes these disorders have gradually diminished, and during the last four or five years have been altogether absent. The Anacharis feeds on decaying vegetable matter, thus destroying the disease germs. Dr Brandes would encourage the introduction of the plant into marshy districts, and mentions that, in addition to its effect in suppressing malaria and diarrhoea, it is useful ac a. protection to young fish and as a" fertiliser. — Colorado Springs Gazette. m Borders for Vines.— Grape vines delight in rich soil and good feeding, and unless they have a good border the produce will generally be deficient. I do not advise amateurs to start their vine into growth thus early in the season, but the borders should be examined at this time, and their deficiencies remedied. Where the roots are scaice on the surfape and the soil poor the whole should be removed down to the roots, then apply some good material to them. Turfy loam and bonedust or a little cow or horse manure will be found a good mixture, and the borders should always be well drained. If the border is in good condition do not dig into ib. There is an immense amount of harm done by this operation when it is not required. In soph cases only a layer of rich manure should be spread over the surface to a depth of 3in. This surface feeding has a tendenoy to draw the roots to the top, which is the proper place for them. Here they receive the full benefit of the suq and fertilisers. As the majority of small vineries have now been cleared of their contents, ths vines should be prun.edand cleared forthwith. When all has been finished, water the border, if dry, several times over, or until it is qujte saturated throughout. If the borders are poor use liquid manures ; this will stimulate and strengthen them from the first.— Exchange. How to Grow Camellias.— The moßt successful plan of growing camellias is undoubtedly in planting them out. When grown in pots, as is generally done, they fall a prey to many evils which they are heir to, and the most disastrous is "'the dropping of the buds either before or during the flowering period. The cause of the buds dropping prematurely is either over dryness at the roots or too much water at different tifcnes. The former is the more general, and growing as they do in a greenhouse heated artificially, associated with other subjects that require a little heat, the roots of camellias suffer inc onsequence, especially if they are pot bound.

On the other hand, if Camellias were planted out in prepared borders that difficulty is obviated, providing, of course, the roots do not in any way come in contact with the drying influences of hot water pipe's in their immediate vicinity underground. Again, growth is more rapid when they are planted out ; no interruption to the roots is caused by their removal from one pot to the other in times of necessity, and water can be supplied to them regularly with the assurance that everj thing is all right below. One of the most successful cultivators of the camelliaß states that when 'grown in borders water should be applied every three weeks during the growing season, and while they are in flower none will.be required, providing {hey get a good supply just before the buds expand.™ Horticultural Times. - ** Sweet-smelling Flowers. —A very charming idea, if well carried out, says a writer in €ottsge Gardening, would be that of forming a garden of sweet-smelling plants. One of the sweetest things in summer is the night-scented stock. It grows a foot high, and the flowers vary between white and pink. They are scentless in the day time, but in the evening and at night they are delightful. Mcotiana affinis is another sweet thing ; but, as it is tender, it will be better Eown under glass, and pricked out afterwards. It; grows about two feet high, and has white flowers. Sweet peas and mignonette are indispensable, and bo are the German ten- week and the Brompton stocks. The wallflowers, the blood-red and the yellow, are beautiful in spring. Carnations, picotees, and pinks are, or ought to be, everybody's flowers, and may be raised from seeds sown in spring, though the plants so raised will not flower until the following season. I like the old British plant, woodruff. It is common in cottage gardens, and has a pleasant smell of newmown hay when taken in the hand. Some people say that, if placed in rooms infested with moths, it will banish them. It has white flowers, and grows about a foot high. Musk, both the common and Harrison's, are indispensable in a garden of sweefc-Ecented flowers ; so also are the primrose. and violet in spring, and the hyacinth, daffodil, and lily of the valley. No garden of the kind would be complete without a collection of thymes and other sweet-smelling herbs, with 'lavender and rosemary, in large bashes; the sweet scabious, lilies of various kinds, the fraxinella, with its spice scent, and phloxes, in 'many varieties and colours; the winter heliotrope (Tuttilago fragrant), and the common heliotrope. A garden furnished with only those plants enumerated would be very sweet. Trees and shrubs, especially those which flower in spring, are, in many instances, very fragrant. The thorns, jaemines, honeysuckles, clematis, lilacs, philadelphus (mock orange), and the wistaria are familiar to all who visit gardens, and should help' to form the framework of the garden of scented flowers.