OPERATIONS FOR THE WEEK.

Otago Witness, Issue 2250, 15 April 1897, Page 8

OPERATIONS FOR THE WEEK.

Kitchen Garden.—As the weather and condition of the soil arc very favourable to the growth of all kinds of vegeiablep, varieties tbat are iv short supply should bow be got in without delay. If delayed for even a few weeks the soil will be getting much colder, and consequently growth will be much slower. Onions should be sown without delay, as previously advised. If sown now the youug plants will have siu'ncient time to bc-co me established before sharp frosts set in, as they are very tender when in a youug state. GVI.-ry should now be growictc freely; any requiring further earthing up should toceiveattention. Alt celery that is well advanced ingrowth and earthed up will not now require any further artificial watering, as if the soil becomes too wet about the stalks they are liable to damp off. Asparagus beds should now have the tops cut down close to the soil. The beds should have a dressing of thoroughly decayed manure pointed lightly in with a fork, burying the manure about CHu. The • alley bitween the beds sh ou Id be cleaned out, ao that the surface water can drain away during the wet eeasoD. Where ib is intended to form new beds of this fine vegetable a site should now be selected— a rich loam tienched to a depth of 2ft, well enriched with decayed manure. The trenching should be done as early as convenient now, as it ■will work up better before it becomes too wet and heavy. The surface should bo left rough for a further breaking up and raanuririg at the time of planting' later on, as this plant requires rich and liberal treatment to obtain the b:st results. Hhubarb roots may now be planted. Prickly spinach should be sown now upon tho light, rich, but clean soil, as this vegetable requires to bo grown rapidly. Golden ball or orange jelly turnips should be sown now upon auy rich open soil. These varieties are Ihe best for present sowing, as they stand longer before running to seed than most of the white varieties. The sowing and transplanting of lettuce, endive, and other salads should be attended to according to the demand ; sowing will be required at longer intervals now, as two or three plantings can be made from the Game seed bed at this season of the jvar. Flower Garden.—Where it is intended to plant out thrubs, roses, &c, or form new beds, the necessary preparatory work should Le kept well in hand, to as to be ready for planting early next mouth, when all kinds of haidy evergreen and deciduous shrubs may be planted out. Where the plants are procured in pots, they may at once be planted out, watering them well, and they will receive scarcely any oheck to their growth. If the fly appears upon ohrysanthemum, buds that are just about to break, they should be cprayed with soft soap and tobacco water, but if the flowers are showing colour they must be remove 1 with a dry brush or the finger and thumb, as there is danger of discolouring the petals, if nny insecticides are used. As the diffeient varieties expand in tha various gardenß, amateurs who are desirous of growing ouly the best should make notes of the most strikiug kinds with a view of improving their collection. Ihe planting of bulbs should be_ continued, but the carlieet should have been got in ere this, especially the early narcissus, ranunculi, anemones, and hyacinths. Anemones and ranunculi which have beeu in the ground since last floweriDg ara now well up above ground. A later batch cm be planted towards the end of May. All half-hardy annuals th.it have been sown in boxes should be planted out as soon as large euough to handle, so aa to get them as forward as possible. Cuttings of verbenas and petunias, if made of young wood that has not flowered, should now be tnken off and insered in light sandy soil, and kept in a clo^e frame and shaded. They will strike freely now, as will other soft-wood plant*. As sqoii ss they have made roots they should have air gradually given, so as to harden them cff. Box edging or violets for borders may be planted out now with safety. Watering the plants at the time of plauting will be all the attention they will require for some time. Greenhouse. —In cases of frames where hyacinths, tulips, and narcissus, etc., are being grown iv pots for early flowering, after potting they are best plunged under the stages or in the open air in ashes, which phonld cover them up entirely to a depth of from 4in to Gin. They should ba left iv this 6tate for six or eight weeks, when they should be uncovered for examination, and all those showing good growth, say From lin out of the pot, should be cleaned up and stood in the greenhouse, and the others returned to the ashes for a few weeks longer. By this treatment the roots make a good start before they are exposed to the light and ordinary treatment, and such plants always produce much better Bpike3 and trusses of flower than when treated as they generally are in the colonies. Nearly all varieties of lilies that are grown in pots should now be potted up and started gradually into growth.