THE GARDEN. WORK FOR THE WEEK.

Otago Witness, Issue 2424, 30 August 1900, Page 8

THE GARDEN. WORK FOR THE WEEK.

JRUIT GARDEN.— Where strawberries still remain implanted they should be put out at once. When such late planiing is adopted no fruit can be expected the nrst year, but a good growth is generally made such as forms strong fruiting crowns for the following season, which is a distinct gain of time over deferring to another season. All planting of bush and other fruits should be completed as early as possible. Such young trees as were planted early should lcceive what pruning i 3 required; the shoots should be cut well back so as to secure a. strong break from well-de-veloped buds. Grafting of all kinds of stone fruits should now be in a forward condition, as the growth on these will soon, be very xapid. Apple trees or stocks which are to be grafted should be worked during the month of September. Only such varieties should be grafted as have proved to be suited to the district, as very many apples which prodiice excellent crops of fruit in one locality are useless in another far distant. FLOWER GARDEN.— AII the early flowering bulbs are now pushing through the soil, which should be lightly hoed over, and from this time kept quite free from weeds, which offer such shelter for slugs as frequently to lead to the destitution of many of the earlier spikes of bloom. Resort should be had to hand-picking late at night where slugs are numerous ; this, together with frequently moving the surface of the soil, will soon reduce the i numbers. Another very good plan for killing isluge, wholesale, is to throw fresh-slaked lime all over the ground after dark on a warm evening, it does no harm, to the vegetation, but catches the slugs when on the surface, and the '.more they travel the quicker. they get lulled. Strong plants of wallflower, sweetwilliam, pansy, and ofiher hardy animals and perennials should now be planted oiit into the borders where they are to flower. The pruning of roses should now be- general. KITCHEN GARDEN.— As soon as the former sowings of peas are well above the soil, say about 3in or 4in, successional sowings should be made in rather larger quantities than for the earlier sowings. Stratagem. Yorkshire hero, and pride of the market are still the best for sowing. In sowing small seeds of various kinds of salads or cabbage and cauliflower seed, a raised bed of soil should be formed ■well above the ordinary level of the surrounding^soil so as to make a dry seed bed, which at this season is important, as young seedlings make no progress in a water-logged soil. Where golden ball turnip seed was sown late the plants should be well thinned out and kept free from weeds. This variety is one of the best for keeping late on into the spring, as it is not so early in throwing up for seed as many of the white kinds, which show an inclination to bolt in August. While golden ball" will keep into September. In planting out the early rows of potatoes medium-sized sets only should be used, or there will be many losses from decay. Where seakale is grown, a portion should now be covered up for the earliest supply.' The cultivation of this excellent vegetable is not so general as its merits deserve in this colony ; a small bed once planted out, with ordinary care, will last for many years. The stems should be blanched in the same manner as celery, as they should be perfectly white to be fit to cook. This can be secured by inserting a large flowerpot or box over the crown, so as to exclude all light and air until the seakale is out, when the covers should be at once removed. The crowns can foe forced in the same manner as rlmbarb. There -is still time for the planting out of rhubarb and asparagus. If the land has not been deeply worked and well manured this should be done as soon as possible. Planting out the asparß-gus may be deferred until next month if other work is pressing, but the rhubarb should be planted without delay. A small sowing of celery seed should be made in/ a box, and placed in a frame or under some other shelter to bring on into growth early, thinning out and transplanting as soon as the plants are strong .enough to handle, and exposing to the sun and air. When well established by this treatment, largo celery may be had very early in the season. As the weather improves more frequent sowings of salads should be made, and those which require transplanting should be attended to and not permitted to become over-crowded in the seedbed or the plants will become weak and drawn, and such are difficult to establish early in the season. A small sowing of carrot seed, either shorthorn or intermediate, should now be put in. VINERIES.— The plants in the early house j are now moving nicely, and the shoots should { be thinned as soon ns "the strong growths can ' fee distinguished from the weak ones. As a anile, one shoot to each spur is» sufficient, though if these are lather farther apart than .■usual, or the vines are weak and require^encouragement — and to do this there -is noiliing j like permitting plenty of foliage — two or even three breaks to -each spur may be allowed ; Tbxit in this case only one, as a rule, should be allowed to bear fruit, the others being pinched •beyond the second or third leaf. As soon 9S the bloom can be seen, stop the beaiing shoots j at one joint beyond this. Maintain a mode- ( rately moist atmosphere, and ventilate very > teautiously; at this stage, a temperature or ; about 60deg at night, or, certainly, not less i than 55deg, will suit Hamburgs, etc., though 1 Muscats, and some other delicate kinds, re- j 'quire sdeg to lOdeg more. Take care that the j ■plants do not get dry at the roots, and if ' planted outside, that both the borders and the exposed portion of the stems are thoroughly .protected by means of a good depth of mildlyfermenting manure, with plenty of haybands or sacking wrapped round the stems. Canes -for all but the latest crops should now be ( pruned and, started. '