THE GARDEN.

Otago Witness, Issue 2200, 30 April 1896, Page 8

THE GARDEN.

OPERATIONS FOR THB WEEK.

Kitchen Garden. — Preparations for forcing should be made where supplies of rhubarb, seafeale, and asparagus are wanted early. Where frames are available they can be filled with Bteble manure, leaves, and other light vegetable refuse which has been thrown into a heap for fermentation. When this baß become sweet it can be placed in the frames and left for a few days bo allow the heat to rise. By placing roots «f asparagus, seakale, and rhubarb upon this, with a little soil among them, root fibres will soon be thrown out and the crowes will begin to start in a few days. In the absence of frames the fermenting material can be formed into a bed and the roots placed upon it, some rough being used to defend them from the Weather and light.

f lower Gabden.— -The planting of trees and tfhrubs may be safely proceeded with ; roses can be transplanted, and they will establish themselves better than by being deferred till spring. .The surface protection of half hardy plants must not be delayed, the best material for the purpose being cocosnut fibre refuse or old tan. Such things a« Salvla patens, cannip, and the border fuchsias, will winter safe'y if treated in this way, though they would otherwise be lost. M any of the tender tea roses will also bs benefited by .similar treatment and survive runny degrees of frost. Dahlias should be stored away in sand out of the reach of frost and damp. As fehe beds are oleared of their summer occupants they oan be dug and hardy shrubs planted. Nothing is more effectual in relieving the bare appearance of the beds in winter than «mall plants of the neat retinosporas, oupressns, junipers, golden yews, variegated hollies, enonysuu, berberii, cofcaneasters, yuccas, &o,

Gkiehhoosb.— The period when ferns go to rest is not far off, and to' get them into the condition to remain dormant dor ma tha winter and

to start again vigorously in spring the abundan supplies of water in which they have delighted during summer mast be gradually .reduced until they are witheld altogether. No syringing overhead must be allowed, as in the event of a low temperature the fronds will be injured. Pelargoniums of the aonale section must be kept moderately dry, and the dead leaves must be pioked off. Let them have plenty of air in fine days to dry up the damp, which is always destructive to plants in a semi-dor-mant state. Fuchsias should not be dried off, as is generally done ; if they are turned out of the pots and plunged in the greenhouse border they will keep growing all winter and retain their leaves.