OPERATIONS FOR THIS WEEK.

Otago Witness, Issue 2299, 24 March 1898, Page 8

OPERATIONS FOR THIS WEEK.

Flowt.r. Garden. — At this time our gaulens are at their b^sc with autumnal bkom cf asters, dahlias, zinnias, bakam, phlox, petunias, etc. Petunias, antirrhinum", and phlox seem to stand the early frosts much better than the others. Attend to chrysanthemums, disbudding and wateiing occasionally with liquid manure if large, well-coloured blooms ore needed. The phloxes have he-n very effective this yea I',1 ', and fa many gardens theie are large clumps of them. These beautiful, hardy garden plants aie e»-ily propagated by division, and the method which is most readily adopted by the careless amateur is to dig the large clumps up &nd halve or quarter them with a sp»xde. 'llm is a cliin.sv way, and nevercan produce thsbe-it remits Tl.e b stwayto deal with them is this : In the Fprmc:. when the young shoots have grown 2in or Sin, they may he ihinkei out, laaving only from three to nx of the ?jest. The lhimiing,b may bs planted oui in a border of fine sandy sol f-s cuttings— they will form loots quite in the open— oi they may he planted in band glasse?, or over a hot bed. If a few of them are giown in pots, they make capital heads of bloom the &aniß season for the decoration of tho greanhou'-e ; but whether these young plants are grown in po:=; or planted out, they will fiowei with remarkable vigour if plan ted ofst in detp, rich soil the following season. If they arc plaatei ia beds, they should ue 2ft to 30iu

Frltt Garden.— Lo.k carefully over the peara and apples and gather those varieties that are npa. Oire mu3t.be taken not to gather befoie they are fir, as this wi'l be at the sacrifice of then 1 kctping properties and flivour, precautions brintt tak' nto handle the fruit as little as possible. All fruit that is to be kept for home consumption should be taken direct from the tve s into the storeio ni without casing, as einptjing from hatket into this cases tends to braise the soft kinds of apples and p ars. If rea'ly late fruit is waited the late &oits shouM he handled as cavefully as eg£-\ as they will net keep when carelessly hnniiled. Eirly is uot to ha commended, ah unless the fiuifc is fit for gathering it vill not keep, and f.liould be disposed of for immediate me or it will shrivel.

Kitchen Gahdbx. — Stvojs, if now planted, s'.ouid be placed much clo=er than is the rule when planted eaiher as they will only form small but uteful hears. Ulake a sowing of improved ISafiehl market or Jersey Wakefield cabbages for planting out. in .Tune. S.ow fcucce^ious of radish, tpinach, and lettuce of the hardy Con varieties. Tra nspfant lettuce durnisc the dull weather, waterine well both thtsa an.i cabbne. 8.-occoh a-id ciulido^ev Loay also bo transplanted. With longer, roolei, .ana more dewy nicht*, they r-t.irt into Kiovvth immediately. 'Continue io earth up celery as the growth advances; thin ous prowing ciops of bpinach at d turnips, which will neeu constant moisture at the roots to ciuse a rapid growth.

(!n.ni,NHOUSE. — The present is an excellent time for i crabbing an^ repainting the interior of tbc greenhouse, as plants may be placed outside duiinft the day without injury; indeed, it would prove beneficial f v hardeuias the yoang giov/th, which wi 1 then i>« better ab)e to withsfaivi the hc\eie wintpr. (Jineravias and piini'ilat that are l.ot already in their b'oomiug pot^ should have n further fchift, and be kept c'ohe to the glass and well shaded during bright weathe". Cimtllia-i will require looking over, as they are subject to attacks, of worm scala (live them a fapon^ing with soft soap, both top and bottom of each leaf. 11 is esseulUl to their health that no occumulition of dust ba allowed ou them. Old plants of cyclamen ihat flowei&l in the winter and npricg, aud have now been t,cme months in ;v more or less dormant state with the soil in a halfdry condition, will koou t.egia to glow, and if strong nod bcalthy will produce a strong turf or leaves on the top of each bulb that will soon expand. The appearance of thc^e han indicitiou that new roots arc also moving, and to encourage these extra, water shouhl be given to the .soil, co as to keep it in a mo'e moi&t condition tlwu wad advisable during tho time the buljbs were at rest. Ab thp tirft of the youns crop uf leaves besi'i to uccuil the pUnls f-hould ha turned out of the pot?, the old material shaken awjy, and the plants replaced ia new coil. If tho plants are large riots a sr/,3 or two larger .shoull ba given them." Tn pottin : be ciieful not toinjuielhe young fchoolf-, which should ba an inch or two long when the operation is performed. One of the causes of failure in the cyclamen is lepottibg too soon.

MISCELLANEOUS. WllsiOT." GARDEN". Pot such eaily-lloveridg baibs as Irtesias and Roman bycinths. These may bo grown very well in rooms. Scarborough lilies and cactuses niUßt soon be pk'.ced under rover, especially if there comes much rain. The lilies will now be throwing up their flower • spikes. Liliuoi gpeciosum are now flowering fiuely in pols, and are cbaiin'iDg things forautumu. si n, ion's 'jni:i:. Ie is gratif jing to learn, say 3 tho Estates

Gazette, that the venerable link with the pas* known as Milton's tree, at Stowmarket, is still flourishing. The tree is a mulberry, which tradition says is the sole survivor of several that r/ere pianttd by the poet Milton, either | dmiDg tho period when he wa^ ttudying under J the celebrated Puritan divine, Di 1 Thomas Young, or during flat gentleman* vicaiiats of ; the town, extending from March 27, 1628, to 1655. The old tree stauds at the bick of. Ipswich street, and is a few yards distant from the oldest part of the vicarage house. Although i much deciyed, the tree still shows signs of life, ! and ualil the present year has borne splendid ! crops of muiberries. The girth of the trunk before ife breaks icito branches is lOIt, and with the view of preserving it from the ravages of storm and tempest, the principal boughs j have been supported with stout, wooden posts, I and the crown of the trunk has been covered i with sheet lead. Milton's mulberry tree is a I memento of the past of which Sfcowmarkeb may well b'i proud. j : MIGNONETTE. ! Bow naignonetto for winter bloemiuf». The ! matchett is a good variety. ,Drain tha pots well, and fl 1 with a mixture of two-thirds best j loaiu and oue-third old cow manure, with a daah of paad and old plaster — '.ha whole to be well blended aud rammed firmly into the pots. The , pots may stand outside tor the preaent. i r I ANTS rOI! "WINDOWS. ! The bsst plauts to grow in windows for the I next two moulhs will be usual pelargoniums, j fuch&iae, musk, creeping jenny, petunias, helic- j trope, and lobelia. Fi-jm March to October ; small green and variegated shrubs in pots will j be suitable ; these being succeeded by hyacinths, j tulips, crccusep, and daffodils in apring ' USES OV TSE POPPY." The poppy is cultivated fur the sake of the | opium which it yields. Ttis ia one of the most I valuable of medicitws, gays an Irish contsmpo- j rury, and one which, as a cotrsmercal article, i exceeds in impirfcance every obhtr drug in use. ] Ooium is the dried juice of tho uoripe.capsu'es ■ of the whit-s poppy. The poppy is al«o of great ' value for its oil and ether purposes. The seeds, I wlrch contuiu no opium or other narcotic prin- j cipl", yield about 40 per ceab. of oil, »nd the j oiicika, whJc^ is znuca appreciated by fie unlives of ladia, 13 useful fur manure and calile feeding. Thtsa seeds \ytva well known to the ane'enis as a pleasant article of food, and some ! G- raa&h cakes have poppy seed? plentifully j tpriokled on the top. The oil txprossed from i t<Lem is pe rf°ct'y wholesome, and it iz supposed tbr.t one-half of tho oil u^e.l foe cooking *cd f.rherwiso for alim-jntaiy purpoees in France is ; o£ this kind. It is a valuable and much-used j medium for artistic oil painting. Tne inferior , qualities are consumad ia soap and VArnish j making and for bnrniog in lamps. Tha oil is ; alto very ext°nsively used io the valley of the j Ganges and o^htr opium regicn? for food and j domebtio purposes. , V^INTER VIOLMB. j If a fe-.v gooi jjiaisis are takon up some time | this month and planted iv a tratne, they will, if protected, produce flowtri duriug the greater part of the winter months. The plants should be put near to the glass in a soil consisting of I thtte parts soil and one part decayed manure, ! rressiof{ this fi my round tha plants, and when finished giva a good soaking of water. ' S: ringe the foliage during sunny weather, aad k-!cp the lights eff uignc «.nd day uuless there are signs of froaf. j MCSS A.~ST> I'l3 USES. j Many amateurs do not u«,e moss st all, pro- j bably because i1;i 1 ; is not always estsy for the town dweller to obtain it ; although niosi horticultural shofs ace now alive t j the fact th=s,t mesj is a i>eedtul ma.tfrta.l where thcrsughly good results aro t,xp°cl-ed iv the greenhouse. Ma.ng plants and castings, whi'ih r't r-,wty in ' autumn in thoir pots, wou'd have d.-»u s=d,ved if their draioagii had been covered with an inch of gicd 1803-J to keep the soil iton\ choking up the drainage. If two similar plants, potted afe j the same time, and in the same wey, excepb for J the addition of this moss over the tii-*uiag^, be j examined six months afterwards as to the state j ot their roits, the one with thorough drainage ; aud moss will be found ko have termed far j better and stronger roots than the otlur. B/»-n \ tiny seedlings prosper iv pots cr boxes iar bfttter | when allowed a bit of moss over the crocks to j keep bAck tho soil. j Rather largs wood-imss is the best for thi-3 { purpose, the beautiful kind with dalicite broad sprays like those on a R<\q mo3B-rose bi>d being the most useful of all ; bafc it must be abso:ut'ly clear from insects, and old dry ruosa of this kind which his been used for decorative yiutpof-e* answeis well. When mops is first; gathered from (he wood it cont%in» a surpiiitng umcunfc cf inatci life, both in mature insects and thfir ova, and it i 3 not very easy to cleanss it thorough y. It may ht dipped into hot water or spread out on paper in tho sun for a day or two, then looked over c%refu ! ly, ween ir,o>t ot" the insects w.ll be found to have disappeared. Auother plin is to place the moss ba'o-e a hen aud chick?, when the mother will pick out every live thing in it ior her brood ; but sometimes the moss is tco much toru abjut j in this way. For drawing-room use, to cover the foil and pet, when a plant is slipped iato a bowl, &c, the best tuft 3 should be first secured, and carefully laid brWc for examination ia a day cr t,wo ; the i.exb best pieces w.'ll be useful to pack rouad plants in baskets or in window b:xd3 — for tilde must have moss to protect them from the stiong suDsbine, and iUso to make them lock neat and finished — the odd p'ece* being reserved for draining pots aud hosts a» abjva ; and these can bo dipped into boiling water, as this will effectually kill the iustcts, though it may also kill the vitality of the mess. Theu sphagnum moss, which is a sine qua non in potting orchids, ia highly useful for many other plan's which may need constant moisture ! for their root?, for this moss retains the damp ler»ger than »d v ot h?r. Many beg pi wfcs — irises or t!.e splendid Kwapferi kind, spinets, aziieas, &3. — are much refreshed in hot, dry weather by a mulch of sphagnum moss j jst below th<3 surfac3 of their soil, which can easily be kept w^r. by au occasional ro:k'ng; in planting hardy orchids they .should bo well covered with fphagnum, and even in the greenhouse they will b3 the better for this mo>s to keep t'aom moisl;. A tray of mosß is an excellent thing in wnich <o stand room plants, for not only is ll decora- j live, bub ifc retains moistnre, and by givinpr it ! out gradually preveuls the plarjt3 from suffering from the dry air of the room. All room plants should be mulched with damp mose while used for decoration, for it uot oaly looks well, but it i revenis the moisture from leaving them tco quickly, and tempera the dry air to them ; a t-ay of moss, eyen under the pmall table on which they are placed, if kept wet, w'll help them by moistening the air. Heath?, jizakas, and ferun specially need th's easilji>ivea help.— l. L. R. in Amateur Gardening. The Forty-mile Bush echool committees hwe decided to form a country committees' association. 20,000 Blddino Plants, iucludiug Astevs, Phlox, Oosaios, Stocks, Goreopsi', ; Msrigclils, Dlauthus, Gaillardia — 1^ dcziu. Orders for 53 post free to country. — NiMMO akp Elaik, Uunedin,.