MISCELLANEOUS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2173, 17 October 1895, Page 8

MISCELLANEOUS.

[ a NEW VEGETABLES. lfc Two new vcgi:fca.Wes (s-iy» a French contemporary) Ihvj come to lig'it— both Amecire can p'aut3. The first, the Lacfcuci caua'sr denMS, came origioally from Canada, but grows rs freely in the plains of Nord. It ia a wild n lettuco, tha leaves of whioh are slightly bitter, >3 as ia endive, ia very prosperous when wild, and ?, will improve much with cultivation. The y Lnctuca ludovfeiana is of the eama family, and ;o it will make a u*-ful change when reqaired. )f The second vegetable ia the A?trag ilus casaip carpus, » strong phut, whoa* ftuio alter cookd ing Been»s to unite th 6 taste of. the La;icofc, *, silsify, and asp*r*gua>. Tfcia utited tasde 11 eeemi certainly made to draw the attention of :e counoiseourp, who are always in queet of new :a dishep. Both plan's conao in the spring-, beg fore tho firsi crop of spinafh and ofijor green o veg^abUs. Oar contemporary expv. ses the v- wish that Frcm-h " hoiticu t'iri-jfes and gartfc dorters did nob neglect the cultivation of young d haricot bcana, Imperieasocos lefctuoo, curled enh divf, and lsfc-inc-it, and that thi-y will try fche it two Americm vegeiablef." y VIOLETS FOE WINTEH. ;s; s Lose no time now in making preparation for l | nex'; winter's supply of these lovely flowers, for °- by no other plan can they bo produced so fine 13 or in such aband*nco a i » by annually growing n them f com young side shoots. Now that tho 3 b'oam is over, take up the plants and pu'l thorn fl aJlto piccis, and reloct the short, stout eid<s8 shoots that hava plenty of root, bub reject the * Io«g, wiry pipcoa, as t'aay never m*ke good r plants. Tho noil for their summer quarters '■ should be deeply cultivated and w»-ll enrichod with manure, and in a position shaded fc from tha full jrlara of tho mid-day sun, i- bnt not under (ha deep s^iade of oveej hanging trees. The best way to plant them 0 is to stretch a lina across tho piece of land pra- ;- pared for them, and have the rows lft apart, a ml the plants the same diVance ia the row. 1 Pab five row* in a bed, and between ouih pair a of beds leave an alley 2ft wile for c >riv.:nience f of cultivation and for gathering the blooms. - Having the plants ready, make holea with tho 1 dibber, let the roots ia a goal depth, and press 5 the soil flrmly about them, for not'oiog checks j growth S3 much as leaving tha soil so loose ' about the roots a3 to ond/vngc-r.bho plants being , dried up before the new roota can get hold of I tho soil. Keep the surface soil free from weeda, I *n<l in dry weather water freely, and as soon as i young runners begin to puch ou% cut them off i with a p-iir of sc"sws so as to concentrate tho ' strength of the plant ia the crown. ' WINDOW 80X143. Fill window doxes with summer planls. ; Lobelia, zonal and ivy "pelargoniums, marguerites, petunias, and heliotrope are bost suited for sunny position*, and yellow and dark calec-oUriat, fuchsias, musk, and nasturtiums for thidy ones. Bulbs khat have flowered in windowboxis may be planted out in rows in a spare corner of the garden, or in shallow boxes filled with ordinary mould and kept moist until growth i« completed. When the foliage dies remove the bulbs, dry bhem, and store them away in a cool place untl autumn. TIIINMNO ANNUALS. A moat important duty at this time is thinning annual flowera. We wero recently in a small garden where a lot of seeds bid been sown. The seedlings had appeared, but so thickly that they were I'ko mustard and cress. Success under such conditions was impossible ; the yeung plants were in process of suffooation, »ad if allowed to remain in this plight scarcely one would arrive at a flowering stage. Wo wish we could impress upon amateur g&rdeners how necessary it is always to cow seeds thinly. Gardening- is not Vexatious if a little reacon&ble care be taken, and, pardon m=) for sajiog it, a little intelligence brought to bear on ene of the most delightful and health-gWing pursuits man can fullow in leisure hoars. Moab annual plants need a 6pac3 of 6ia in whioh to form thab flower-laden Unh, fcr suoh it is, that one admirc3. QKEIINROUSE WORK. Pub in cuttiDgi of all kinds of bedding and soft wooded grcenhouso plant j, including chrysanthcmucHs. Propagate dahlias from cuttings, or cut up the old root* into single eyes, and po 1 ; each pieco saparatoly. Repot any plants which require moio root space. Bow tender aauuals. Fam'gate to kill gecea fly and i other insects. j I > DSDDIXO PLANTS, ( p ..^ £iEiiai©oj;tdnt to giro these. &a muolj ftiß 59

possible conßisttut with safety from frosts. Uuless thoroughly hardened when put out tltey never succeed. Cold winds aud varying temnorafcures soou play havoc with the grow'.h, and hinder iho production of flowers. Keep annuais and c-U'jh things neur the lighi. to prevtut fcho S'cms g- tting drawn, and thereforo weakly. s EFFECTS OP OVERWATBHIKO. Many amateurs err too much on the tide of over watering. Ib is bad enough for a plant to get duct-dry and fl»g, but qut.j a» much go, or even more, for it to si.ft' r fn m a sodd» ned condition of the soil in wLich tho roita aro fasb rotting aw^y from exct>sive mois'.uro. We lately saw a number of sickly plants in a greenhouse. The house was sh-id<id, but tho heat nevertheless strong — not sufficient;, howeverji to dry up the soil every day in tho pots. Y«t they were regularly watered, tha owners thinkiog that bec.-tupe tho weather in hot the plants muac neccs >rily get dry Th>B do^s not at aH follow, as in sum 3 c\6es there is nn;ru foilago thau ia others. It; is vtry easy to Ascertain whether a plaut is dry or uo by rapping tho pob with the kuuekk-s. If it gives out a c.'cur riufjiug sound, water irt rcquirsvl ; if dull and heavy, bo uure the soil id sufficiently moiHfc. POTTINO PLANTS. In potting all kinds of pUntf, avoid filling the pot too fall with soil. Alwuyn leuvo a spneo of at least -^in bilow t*be lira for the reception of water. When tho soil comes up to the lim the water when applied runs over aud fai's to reaoh the roofs— ia watted, in faofc. James C. Wilkin, of Chrintohurch, has resigned his op|iO''ntment as juntice of the pence. Beujumin Wiijitk* in gnxofcted inopeotji 1 sw>d grader under •' The Dairy Factories Act 189*." Tho Clutha Loader records the death of William Sutherland of Wa.fc^p^ka, who arrived ia Ot»go with his young wifo by the Strutlnuoro in October 1855. For two yeai - 3 he wai in the employ of thu late John Gillies, of Milton. Ho then pmcuuscd 55 uctxs of (tuid dt U'*.i(o- | l)»ka, and wsidftd buero till his deuth on tho | 3rd in&fc. j