THE GARDEN.

Otago Witness, Issue 2202, 14 May 1896, Page 8

THE GARDEN.

OPERATIONS FOR THE WEEK.

Kitchen Gabden.— The lifting and storing !he prop of late potatoes is one of the chief items of work now. After beiog dug the iubsra should be allowed to dry, and the sooner they are bagged up the batter, as the mn io yet BuffiC'ently jowerfulto'injutethem for culinary purposes if they aie exposed too long. Thtre are varioui modts of stoiirg them, all of whioh bave for tibeir object the exclusion of light and frcst, but the clamp is, perh»p*, the most convenient. Select a dry place, and having t«k«n cnt a trench to the depth of a foot, place some straw at the bottom, upon which the tubers may ba piled iv a moderately sized heap. The heap should then be thickly covered with str*w, upon wh'Ch tbe soil can be thrown to the depth of lOin, and made fitm with the back of the spade. The clamp fhou'd not exceed 2yds in width, as large heaps have a tendency to heat ; the length will be dependent upon the quantity. It is a good plan to place a wisp of straw at v intervals along tbe top of the cl*mp, and leave ib uncovered with soi!, to allow -moislure to escape. Cultural operations are mainly a repetition of those given in previous notes.

Flower Garden. — The ehryeantheruum ti now the cbief floral attractiqr>, and where a good collection is grown there will be no lack of bloom until it is destroyed by frost. After the chrysanthemums ' are orer there will be a scarcity of flowers, unless those varieties which bloom in the winter months have been procured. Among bulbous plants there is >'chizoßty'is ccccines, which, in i<h'elteted positions, will bloom to tbe end of May ; and in the varieties of bard cyclamen, such as Europceum and hedercefolium, we have both attractive flowers and foilsge in the open border: The atamasco lily (Zevjijrantbes Candida) is aluo another ■ useful winter bloomer, producing its snow-white flowers in abuiidance ; and to the li«t may be added one or two late-blooming varieties of oxalis. Following these, the Christmas roses — lielltbores — will commence to bloom in the middle of June, and carry on tho display uufcil the aconite and early spring bulbs come in.

Fruit Garden. — The planting season has now commenced, and the selection of suitable i varieties of fruit trees is now a serious cobfiideration. The many excellent catalogues issued by local seedsmen afford considerable assistance, but the great number of names are somewhat confusing. At the fruit conference Mr Lorie, who has studied the matter, from a market point of view says that in the case of apples it is only necessary to grow five varieties — viz., etnne pippin, v sturme'r pippin, New York pippin, French crab', »nd ec^rlet pearatain. Ah the Hobart conference, when the question of ' the bent kinds for export came up, a Tasmanian grower on a large scale stated thnt 'when he was in England the verdict was in favour of stunner pippin first, npxt scarlet nonpareil, then cleopatra, ribston pippin, French crab, king Of the pippins, and Dutch mignonne. Mr Thomas Wslker, a London expert, representing Messrs Jacobs and Sons, Covent Garden, to whom the New Zealand collection was shown, said that there were many large, showy apples wiich colonists thought Buit*blo for export that w*re not in reality adapted for the London trade, which required a medium-sized applo of nice appearance end, fUvour, the flf«h, if possible, orisp and juicy. Standard well-known apples^ in the London market, which he recommended, were Cox's orange pipp'n, ribston pippin, scarlet nonpareil, stunner pippin, Adams's pearmain, king of' the pippins, stone pippin, Poud's pippin, Welling-, ton pippin, MuDroe's favourite, and Dutch mignonne.

Grenhousb.— The leading plants in bloom now are zonal pelargoniums which have been prepared for winter blooming. The white Vesuvius is a mo t prolific bloomer during the winter, but it requires a little more warmth than en unbeale^ bouse affords to do it justice— in fact, to have these zonals' in perfection the temperature should not* be allowed to sink below 45deg at night, aud plenty of ventilation should be given during the ctay. Cyclamens also enjoy ft little bottom heat, but it should not be given them until the pots ate well filled with roots. Keep ealvias and libonias exposed in open frames as long as possible, to harden the wood and to induce the formation of flower buds. Heaths are more happy in the cold frame than in the day air of the house, and should be introduced only ai they come into bloom. Begonias outride should ba lifted at once, aud put away on a dry floor until the stems drop the tubere, and then store awa.y in dry otwdasb until September next. With this simple treatment there is no neces«ity to lose one from dry-rot or any other disease. In September they are, spread on a tray, and lightly sprinkled with water to induce them to sprout, and in October they are planted as potatoes would be. Growth soon commences, and is of a very vigorous character, bloißom coming about the middle of December, and continuing until the first sharp night beheads them. Begonias are becoming the leading bedding plants of the day, easy of culture and brilliant in colour.