OPERATIONS FOR THE WEEK.

Otago Witness, Issue 2199, 23 April 1896, Page 8

OPERATIONS FOR THE WEEK.

Kitchen GARDBN.—The; general crops of notatoes, carrots, peas, French feeans, and scarlet runners large plots of ground are ready for digging and trenching. The mode in which these operations are carried out will be governed by the character of the soil. If it is deep and of good quality throughout, the< trenching can be carried on to a depth of 3ft in the usual manner ; but if there is but a foot of good soil resting on a hard subsoil, semi-trench-ing or double-digging must be resorted to. By this- method the subsoil is merely 'broken up and left at the bottom, the top spit being limply turned over. If there is any material rat hand which will improve the quality of the j ,«übtoij, it m&y be .incorporated with it as the -work goes on, so-that in course of time a portion i may be brought np to the surface and mixed with the fertile coil. When scarlet runners and French beiLi are required for seed, they ' should be gathered at once, as they are liable to be injured by frost. Fruit Gaud en.— The removal of old, badlyblighted, or unsuitable varieties of fruit treef, should be determined upon and carried out without delay, supplying their places with * young trees. A list of good and proved sorts of fruit trees is subjoined : — Culinary apples— ■ ■ Northern greening, Keswick codlio, Dutch migt nonne, Lord Suffield, Hawthonidf n, ' and Stirling Castle. These m»y be anpplemented by j 'Warner's king, Mere de Menage, French crab, Oravenstein, Emperor Alexander, Reinette dv Canada, &c. Of dessert kinds there are— ■Early harvest, Irish peach, old nonpareil, Devonshire Quarrenden, Baron Ward, kiDg of pippins, rib&ton pippin, and Cox's orange pippin. Fears — Jargonelle, Louise Bonne of Jeisey, Williams's bon cretien, Marie Louite, Bsurre de Capidiuaont, Beurre Hardy, G!ou Morceau, Ne Pins aleuris, Beurre Clairgeau, Pitmagton, duchess, and Van Mons Leon le Clerc, the finest of all. Six good plums are green g»g/0, Orleans, Victoria, magnum bonum, Coe's golden drop, and Rfine Claude de Bavay. ~ The eew Jipaneie plums, however, " should receive some attention, as they are said to come into bearing to much earlier than the old torts. Peachei and nectarines are best represented by Crawford's early, early grooie, mignonne, Stirling Cutle, Waiburton, admirable, and Princess of Wales ; (the latter is a noble fruit, and seems to succeed anywhere.) Violet Hative, Eirugo, and Pitmaston orauge are trustworthy varieties of nectarines, being moderate growers, usually ripening their wood well under ordinary favourable conditions. Flower Garden. —All plants in the border* which require protection from froit should be attended to at once. Salvias, fuchsia's,) and hydrangeas which are not intended to be taken np should save th« oroirns protected by 6m or Bin of dry peat, leaf mould, sand, or sifted *flhet. } Mapy of the tea roses will alio require limilar protection, especially in localities where , ~ frosts are severe, and of seme duration. _ Gbebnhouse.— This structure is now' probably filled with .plants, and unavoidable v crowding takes place where there are no cold frames, which should always be available as auxilarh sto the glass house. . No plant should . receive more water than is absolutely necessary, and it ii better to keep plants too dry rather • than too wet, whioh is fatal to a plant in a dormant condition.

When scarlet runners