THE GARDEN.

Otago Witness, Issue 2272, 16 September 1897, Page 8

THE GARDEN.

OPERATIONS FOR THE WEEK.

Kitchen Garden. — Jn districts w.here clay predominates in the soil great difficulty is experienced iv getting t>eecls to germinate and grow satisfactorily, owing to the caking cf the soil. "Wood ashe», sand, or grit are excellent materials for covering the teed?, and by using them a successful growth can be obtained in the most tenacious soil. The nuturrm dressing of manure on asparagus beds may novf be forked in lightly, so a* not to injuie the crowns. Ihe beds may be I lined on, and a couple of inches of soil from the ! alleys, thrown on, as the crowns have a tendency to work upwards. When the soil is d>y the beds jnay be raked over to make an even &m face, and if leaf mould fs available, a dressing of this may be put on. as it imp oves the quality of the "grass." Early peas will now require staking. This *hould be done when they are 2in high, as it forms a shelter from ccld winds. Sow early Milan and golden ball turnips, globe or James's „ keeping onions, parsnips, Jersey Wakelield cab- ' bngc, broccoli in variety for succession, and both cabbage and cos lettuce. FituiT -Garden*. -There is now a decided move upon all the various kinds of fruits, and if by any"" cbatce planting or pruning has been deferred it

should be at once completed,

The various trees

growing against a fence or wall should be properly trained and secured "before the buds burst into flower. After all primings have been picked up and burnt the spices between the trees and bullies should be well dug, aud, if required, manured also. Good fruit canpot be grown unless the soil is kept in the befet possible conditioß. If a crop of fruit is taken /off .the trees yearly, an application of manure should bo made each sea;on. Young trees which are not bearing freely, but arc grqwiDg vigorously, may not need the manure, as it is unwise to force them into too stroDg a growth. Still, such trees should be keptquite free from weeds by constant cultivation. Grafting of all kinds of trees should be completed by the middle of the month. Flower Garden. — Any dressing of lawns or turf should be applied at once, and rolling will be of more service now than at any other period of the year. Any grass seeds which have yet to' be sown should be got in immediately, and rolling must be repeated should frost occur, as the frost lifts the seed and prevents germination. If there are any gap 3i» the beds of herbaceous plants they should be made good by division of Qther plants, or by sowing or transplanting annuals. Beds of spring flowers should have the surface soil loosened to allow air and moisture to penetrate to the roots of the plants. Protect hyacinths from occasional frost and wind by sorays of evergreens placed as screens. The sowing of aster?, stock?, zinnias, everlastings, and ornamental grasses must be proceeded with, ou sheltered borders composed

of light, turfy soil ; tender subjects, Mich as balsams, thuabergias. and Fortulaci, being sown in boxes which can be placed on a hotbed. Giusenhouse. — J£or conservatory decoiaiion the varieties of the shrubby ca'ceolaria are well worth growing, as they are easily managed by the amateur, and are not so lir.ble to be attacked by the green fly as the herbaceous sorts. If old 'plants which have been wintered in a cold frame are shifted into rich soil they w ilt be full of flower early in November, when the spring flowers are beginning to fail. Of the yellows the old bedding sort, Aurea floribunda, is the best ; but there are many shades of brown and red which aie worth growing. Fuchsias should now be kept growing freely it good specimens aie de-iired ; want of pob room or too low » tempe ature will give a sufficient check to throw them into bloom, after which no further increase in size is possible. Cinerarias required for blooming in June must be sown new.

Vinery — Vines are commencing their growth now, and should be syringed daily to moisten ths atmosphere and thus induce growth.

MISCELLANEOUS. NEW ZEALAND SEEDS.

We (Journal of, Horticulture, London) are informed by- MeesL'3 W. G. Innes and Co. th*t her Majesty- has been graciously pleased to accept from Messrs Ninumo and Blair, of Dunediu, a collection of New Zealand native tree,.ehrub, and plant seeds. I „' «_ SOWING POPPY ANEMONES: !* The poppy nmmone, or wincfiower, is Anemone ,_ coroDaria, which has delightful flowers, bold iv form, and varied iv colour, from white through Boft purples to rose. A handful of a good selection of these is remarkably bright and interesting. This is tile season for seed sowing. Seed should be sown "out of doois or in a shallow pan placed in a cold frame. In both caees tho -soil mutt be carrfully prepared, and the surface made fine by pressing it down. Sow-tbinlj', and just cover the seed with fine soil ; then keep it dark by a covering of newspaper if in pan*, or pea sticks if in the open ground. - When all the seedlings appear remove the covering. The plants may be set out in the early autumn, where they are to flower, and will bkora the followiug spring. '

INCREASING CHTJBCH FUNDS.

It may interest njauy people to know that the restorat'oa of St. Bartholomew-the-Gieat Church, West Smithfielo", London, faas been promoted to the exttni of £120 by the sale during L-:-nt for the last few years of the pods of a kind of trefoil called Calvary clover at the price of 6d each pod. It is iv many ways an interesting plant (ss-yB a writer in a daily contemporary). The leaves *have a blotch at the base of each leaflet, bearing quite a striking resembUuea to a tpot of ftesh blood, which gradually dies away as the plant grows. The i:od is spirally wound into a ball bearing numerous interlacing thorns on its margin, and when unwound, which is easily done, is remarkably like a crown of plaited thcrus. It seetns to be the custom to sow the seeds on Good Friday. They are still to be had of the verger at the church in aid of the work going on in the church. — STournal of Horticulture.

DIVIDING HA.RDY PIANTS,

Thisjs a good tinfe to div.de hardy perennials, as growth is now commencing. Never split up a plant until it; is seen that replanting in fresh soil will be beneficial. When a clump begins to get bare in the centre and matted round the side?, then it is time to form a fresh colony. Prepare the site for the plants by adding welldecayed manure to the soil if this is poor, but in ordinary garden ground the majority of things will prosper. Plant as quickly as jostible, so as not to expose the roots unnecessarily to the atmosphere.

FOCHSIAS

Now that old plants of fuchsias are commencing to make growth freely,, numbers of sfceut,* "short- jointed cuttings may be secured. It is quite as well to root them thickly round the edgeß cf small potp, and afterwards divide them into smg'e plants, placiDg each in a small pot in good open soil. They also root freely in boxes, from which they may be transferred us readily as from pots. Soft young growths with -a heel attached form very suitable cuttings, obtaining them when about l^in to 2in long. Remove the bottom leaves, two pairs being sufficient for each cutting to carry. Insert in the soil to the bot'om pair. The compost must be a light sandy mixture of loam and leaf soil. Surface with a layer of sand, and I after insertion* gently water the cuttings. | Place in a moist, warm temperature, shading from strong sunshine. PRUNING HOSES.

This is the season for rose pruning, about which readers have been asking questions throughout the winter. Amateur gardeners havo odd notions as to how and when to perform this important work. Those living in cold, low-lying districts must remember that it is a big mistake to pruDe too early, although the plants may be forward. Late spring frosts in such localities are very treacherous. One geta, under such circumstance^ greater warmth dutiDg the day, but colder nights. Pruning, therefore, should be a little later so as to retard the lower buds. Climbers must be very carefully managed. Ooly remove weakly ill-placed growths. The golden rule as regards dwarf plants is to cut weakly growers hard back, and etrong kinds less severely. As a rule amateurs do exactly the opposite. Hoses «njoy manure

in the form of a top-dressing at this time. It is far better to give such a dreosing now than ;n the autumn, when the roots are not in a^couditioa to receive such stimulants. Now the roots aro active, growth is commencing in earnest, and the plants are in a condition to benefit by manurial assistance. — ExchaDgo.

JAPANESE BAMBOO,

Bamboo and bamboo wares constitute an important item in the mtfcel'aneous export commerce of Japan. Bfemboo for shipment abroad . is grown in several districts, the varioties differing somewhat according to localities. In Hiroshima the black and the spotted varieties grow ; the former it produced in Kochi. Bamboo grown in Yamaguthi, Oita, aud Bbime btlongs to the cheap varieties. The cultivation of black bamboo is carried on extensively in Kochi, where a tan (a quarter of an acre) of bamboo yields 30 to 60 yen per year. B*mboo is exported to most countries of Europe, and also to America and Australia. Tho bulk of the bamboo shipped from Kobe — from which place nine-tenths of the total are exported— goes to England, the varieties being bluck, spotted, and white. To Ft ance and Germany the black and white sorts of the bast quality are shipped ; wh'le long, bleached, angling bamboos are in demand in New York. Journal of the Society of Arts.

ATTIUCULAS IN TOTS

A charming flower for the amateur is the auricula, of which there are many forms, some with qu»intly-edged pttals — grey, green, and while— others richly-coloured «clfa— lustrous hues, as sumptuous as ia any race of plants known to me. As iegards the florists' or edged varieties, the grent point is to get a flue tress or " bunch," so to say, of perfect blooms, not a display of colour. The varieties in pots must receive attention Ibis month, by pinching off all fljwer spikes except the strongest. Wait, however, until they ara develop-.d sufficiently to discern the best. If the plants need potting, but not otherwise, see to this at once, using for a compost one-haif good tnrfy loam and onefourth part well-decayed manure mixed with sufficient eharp silver sand to keep it fairly open. A few nodules of cbarcoal will be of assistance, too. Unless the plants are in very po.r condition defer potting. If repotting is not coneideied essential, remove a littla of the surface soil and top-dress with the same conapost. In the case of the quaint-edged varieties, which can only be grown in pots in a cold frame, some thinning of tho flowers must be done, as they must not be crowded. Remove the roiddlo buds, which are the smallest, »n soon as they are formed to give spaca for full development of the remaiuder. Tho edged varieties of the auricula are very quaiot, but it is useless planting them out of doors where the farina or meal upou the flowers is a 1 ; once washed eff. Tbey are flowers to look fight into, as it were, under glass. But " coddling" treatment is fatal. Plenty of air mu*t at all times be given, and judicious watering. Neither too much, nor too little must be given.

Very often border auriculas get leggy, and they may be either transplanted or earthed up. To prevent any possible injury to this season's display it would bo'be'ter to earth up the stem? now and replant tbe clunop?, dividing if necessary, after flowerit>g is over. The auricula- is very free-growing and hardy ; the smallest piece should be planted, as it will be &ure,to gvcmv freely. Seeds may be sown cow in a shallow pan or pot placed in a cold franifv Prick out the seedlings when large enough, aud then trantfer to the open garden. If much space is to be filled with auriculas it would be wise to plant cut the seedlings on a reserve bed, so as to see (lie kind of flower that will appear. Poor, washed-out, or mauve-magenta tones are always best eradicated, aavitig only the clear, decided, rich shades — ruby, purplf, plum, and so forth. Much depend*, however, upou the source whence the seed comes. If from a thoroughly good strain, as nurses-men "ca!l a selection of a certain flower, there will be few indifferent varieties. Auriculas are so thoroughly h*rdy, fragrant, and pleasing in colour that amateur gardeners, and in fact everyone who cares for gardening, should plant them libecally.

SPIB33A THONBERGI.

This charming Chinese species is the earliest of the shrubby section to open its flowers out of doors. The flowers are pure white, about quarter of an inch across, fctar-ehaped, and produced thickly all along the previous year's growth. The hibit of the plant is all. that can be desired. The growths are long, twiggy, and somewhat pendulous, and in early spring are' thickly clothed with p*k-green leaves and pure white flower.", which make a striking contrast. When mature the bushes attain a height of 3ft, with a diameter of. 3ft to 4-ft.— W. D.

NON- PRODUCTIVE STRAWBERRY PLANTS

In April ot 1896 I planted out a bed oC President strawberry plants (runuer^). These grew e.maz"ngly in the fresh piece of ground prepared for them, and the plaut3 are now enormous for their age, but, alas ! not one in ten has a flower on it. On one side of them I planted Sbven rows of Royal Sovereign, and there is scarcely a plant which is not currjiog a good crop of fruit. On the other side of the Presidents I planted a number of Vicomlesfe H. do Thury from side crowns of old bearing plants ; every one of these is carrying a full crop. Next these were planted a bed of British Queen, aleo from side crowns of fruiting plants ; these also are covered with flowers and immature fruit. When I first began growing British Queen strawberries I planted runners in the autumn, and was troubled by having a number of unfruitful plants ; cow I never grow them from runners, but always fi-oro side crowns taken^from fruitful plaDt* in April, just when they are emitting fresh roots. This plan is far better than planting rannerp, unless you have early prepared runners, and it has the merit of having all fruitful plants instead of a proportion of nonfmitiDg ones.— F. Boyes, Bevefley, in the Journal of Horticulture.'