THE GARDEN.

Otago Witness, Issue 2456, 17 April 1901, Page 8

THE GARDEN.

OPERATIONS FOR THE WEEK. GARDEN.— As the weather and condition of the soil are very favourable to the Biowth of all kinds of vegetables, varieties that are in short supply should now be got ip 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 bs sown without delay, as previously advised. If sown now, the young plants [•will have sufficient time to become established [ibefore sharp frosts set in, as they aie veiy itender when in a young state. Celery should now be growing freely; any requiring fuither earthing-up should receive attention. All celery jthat is well advanced in growth and earthedU? will not now require any further artificial vTatering, as if the soil becomes too wet about the stalks they are liable to damp oS. Asparagus beds should now have tha tops cut down plose to the. soil. The beds should have a- dressing of thoroughly decayed manure pointed lightly in with a fork, burying the manure nbout Sin. The alley between the beds should be cleaned out, so that the surface water can dram away during the wet seaeoa. Wheie it is intended to form new beds of this fine vegetable, a Bite should now be selected — a rich loam trenched to a depth of 2ft, -well enriched with decayed manure. The tienchmg should •be done as early as convenient now, as it will ■work up better before it becomes too wet and heavy. The surface should be left rough for a further breaking up and manuring at the time of planting later on, as this plant requires rich and liberal treatment to obtain the best results. Ehubarb roots may now be planted. Prickly spinach should be sown now upon Sight, rich, but clean soil, as this vegetable refjuires to be grown rapidly. G-oldcn ball or orange jelly turnips should be sovra now uuon any rich, open soil. These varieties are the (West for present sowing, as they stantf longer ibefore running to Beed than mo3t of the white Varieties. The sowing and transplanting of letfarce, 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 ba made from the same eeed bed at this season of the ye<vr. FLOWER GARDEN.— Where it is intended 'rto plant out shrubs, roses, etc., or form new (beds, the necessary preparatory work should {he kept well in hand, so as to be Testdy for .action eaily next month, when all kinds of <hardy evergreen and deciduous shrubs may be (planted out. Whete the plants are procured m pots, they may at- once be- planted out, vvaterang them well, and they will receive scarcely any check to their growth . If the fly appears njpon chrysanthemum bud 3 that are just about (to break, they should be sprayed with soft «oap and tobacco water, but if the floweis aie (showing colour they must i>e removed with a fcTry brush oi the finger and thumb, as there is \dangex of discolouring the petals if any insecticides are vised. As the different varieties expand ill the various gardens, amateurs who are desirous of growing only the best should make alotes of the most striking kinds with a view 5o improving their collection. The plantug of bulbs should be continued, but the earliest should ihave been got m ere this, especially the early narcissi, ranunculi, anemones, and hyacinths. Anemones and ranunculi which have been m the ground since last flowering are now well up above ground. A Hater batch can be planted towards the end of IMay. All half-hardy annuals that have been eown in boxes should be planted out as soon as large enough to handle, so as to get them as forward as possible. Cuttings of verbenas and ■jpettmias, if made oi young wood that has not jflowered, should now be taken off and inserted rm light, sandy soil, and kept m a close frame and shaded. They will strike freely now, as •nvill otluer soft-veood plants. As soon as they Jhave made roots they should have air gradually given, so as to harden them off. Box edging or violets for borders may be planted out now with safety. Watering the plants at the tune of planting will be all th.c attention they will acquire for some time. This month is a good rtinie for sowing sweet peas in the open giound Sf fairly sheltered and dry, or m boxes to plant out about August and Septembei. If in HDoxes, place old turf upside down in the botJiom, and only plant the peas one and a-half inches apart. Say for a plumb case divided in Jour — 12 to 15 peas only in each compartment. In /rthe sprang dig a hole with a spade, put three or four inches of rich manure at bottom ; fill .up and plant out the block of plants without iehvidmg. The secret of growing good sweet ipeas (or table peas) lies in sowing thinly and Iheavily manuring, deep down. GREENHOUSE.— In cases of frames where hyacinths, tulips, and narcissi, etc., are bejing grown in pots for early flowering, after potSting they are best plunged under the stages or £n the open air m ashes, which should cover Ithem up entiiely to a depth of from 4in to 6m. *They thould be left in this state for six or eight weeks, when they should be uncovered for examination, and all those showing good growth, Bay fiom 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 loi ger. 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 spikes and trusses of flower than when treated as they generally aie in tho 'colonies. Nearly all varieties of hlie& that are grown in pots should now be potted up and started gradually into growth.

with a view to assist those who may be contemplating fruit-growing, and who may not hayi 3 much practical acquaintance with the subject, rather than for the experienced orchardist. People begin fruit-growing under so many different circumstances that it is very difficult to give instructions applicable to all. Therefore, the task is to give somewhat briefly practical hints on the general requirements and operations. First, we would point out that the climatic conditions and soils of the various portions of New Zealand vary very considerably. Many other things must also be taken into consideration before planting an orchard. Success can only be achieved by making a right start. You may begin on a small scale. A small oichard. if the planter is inexperienced, is safer to begin with than a larger one. It is best to confine operations to an area which i-> sufficiently within the means and ability of the planter to lay out, culttvate, and care for properly. Do not be led away with the idea that any class of soil, no matter how poor, will do for the purpose of growing fruit. If you plant in a good situation, on fairly good soil, with adequate drainage, there is no reed, if the orchard is well tended and thorough eultixation given, for the application of manure until after several heavy crops of fruit have been fecuied. Therefore, if you intend growing fruit for commercial purposes, do not throw away your time either in a district unsuitcd for piofitablc fruit-growing or on poor soil, even if the land can be procured cheaply. Let the foil be at least moderately feitile. and adapted to the purpose intended. Before proceeding with the work, no matter how limited the aiea to be planted, study well Ihe best mPthods of procedure. If the orchard is well planted from the first, and -well tended afterward", the planter will be rewarded by success in exact proportion to the foresight and care which hay c been exereijed. SELECTION OF SFTE. The first step is the selection of the site. In this respect care should be taken to secure the most suitable exposure. If the country is undulating, take advantage of the natural shatter which may exist ; the orchard should be sheltered, if possible, from bleak and outtrog winds. The cultivator is often ■ limited in his choice of a cite. In such cs.ses, when there is no natural shelter, or only a partial shelter, an artificial one must be planted to break the force of the prevailiug winds, or those which are found to do . tho most damage in the district. If shelteitrees have to be provided, then the selection ot such trees requires more care than is usually given to this matter. It should be remembered that too much shelter is highly injurious, for sunshine and air are absolutely necessary. Select, then, for shelter purposes trees^ that grow to a sufficient height to break the force of the pre\ailing winds, but not tall enough to overshadow tho fru-.t trees, and not dense enough to prevent a moderate circulation of air through the orchard. Decichious trees are, on the whole, preferable to evergreen 0 . There are many trees suited for the purpose, which should be selected in accordance with their adaptability to the particular district to be planted. In many instances trees valued for thoir fruit may be used, such as j the olive, cherry, plum, strong-growing dam- | eons, loquat?, and various nuts. Tiiese stand ! the wind, and scieen the other trees, and i often fruit heavily, thus giving a profitable return. In small orchards several of our naI five trees make excellent breakwinds — for i instance, several varieties of the Matipo or Pittosporum. Among deciduous trees for 1 small orchards, the English silver birch is I excellent. If plinted closely it will stand i cutting well, and its roots are kept easily ! under control. Several of the willows, if kept well trimmed, make excellent shelter. For larger -ereliard?, if planted at sufficient distances from the fruit trees, the Wych elm | and Lombardy poplar are excellent. These in time requue to be headed down to a reasonable height. Such trees a* the Pinus insignis, unless planted a considerable dis- , tance from the fruit trees, are most unsuitable. Where fruit trees are planted near a river or stream it is a good plan, as a pre- ! tcctioii from the effects of frost, to plant i next the stream a belt of alder or -willow, to screen Ihe fruit trees from the water. CHOICE OF LOCAXITI. ! In connection with fruit-growing, the lo eality is an important consideration, espec - ally "if it is intended to grow fresh fiuit fo.~ supplying the large markets when carriage is a very important conßideration. A site must be selected that is adjacent to the maikets, or that is close to some cheap system of water or railway cairiage connecting j with them. Regarding carnage by lailvays, tho New Zealand frail-grower has the advantage of being able to send lcv\t of fruit by rail, irrespective of distance, for the sum of Is. Only very late or very choice fruit will pay when be^ end water freights and wharf charges, in addition to railage and commission, have to be paid. Tl.ese le1 marks aio especially applicable io i.-'olattd I districts, wheie fruit is g>.-<jwn only in f-mall quantities and not as an adjunct to other crops. When fruit is produced in laige mar ketable lines arrangements can generally be made for special cheap methods of handling and low rates of freight. SOILS SUITED TO FItUIT TEEES. The sod on which fruit trees may be profitably grown is more varied than is often supposed. Nevertheless, some soils arc better suited for particular kinds of fiuil tree-> than others, and these peculiarities should be utilised as far as piacticable. Still, each ! khul of fruit will adapt itself to a compalatively wide range of intermediate c'a?ses of soil, provided that in the first place, according to their special needs, due attention is paid to the noces-ary preparation of the land, drainage, etc. Then, again, there are means of adapting kinds of fruit* to soils which art; uncongenial to them lay working on adaptive stock*-. Tims tLe peach

will thrive on hca\.er than bints its own loots- bj- vvoikmg it on plum stock, and eevcial of the eh^inos will, if worked on Cera-us mahaleb, do better on stronger and heavier soil.* thai) if worked on common chewy stock. It nuiv be noted that when a soil is congenial for any kind of fruit the growth of tlie tree will be moderate, th* shoots shoit and sturdy, and the fruit well nper.ed. Of the various classes of soil these coi^-idered most suited for the production of temperate-c l'mat" 1 fruits are those known a~ t'laj ey loam, loamy, ■-andy-loamy, marly, or calcareous DIUIX\GE. In connection with the preparation of tile soil for the reception of fruit trees the first oons-ideiation is that of drainage. This is frequently ignored, and consequently various e\il« ari*e. The great object of drainage is to remove excess of water from the soil by promoting fiee percolation, thereby securing proper aeration, which is essential in the ruocess of oxidation constantly going on in the soil. The general effect of drainage is highly beneficial m many ways; among others., it pievents the formation ot carbonic acid in the soil, which i« detrimental to vegetation. It also raises the temperature, and, in fact, land well drained actually retains moisture for a longer period than when undrainrd. When soils are clo-e and compact the fiee passage of the water through them is obstiucted, and in consequence the soil becomes water logged and destitute of air. Nothing could be vvoiee for fruit tiees than to be planted on land in such an luicongemal condition. The only satisfactory way by which suoh land can be got fit to be utilised for fruit-growing i-= by drawing off the water underneath the soil by under drainage. It is a common opiniou t pt only fiat Knd lcquiros draining, and that where water does not lodge on the surface of a Foil it is dry enough. This is a fa 1 so notion when applied to land intended for planting fiuit tices. Lpnd sloping in its nature or undulating in character, if the soil is stiff and retentive, lequhes chaining to promote aeration and percolation of the water through it. rather than evaporation, which reduces its ternperatme. Theio are soils occasionally to be met with that do not require draining, and such lands, which enjoy perfect natuial drainage, are on the whole most desirable for orchard purposes. When, however, perfect natural drainage does not exist, judicious drainage for the purpose of carrying off superfluous v.ater must be resorted to, at the same time exercising particular oare m the levelling, filling up, and thoroughly draining the low spots which may exist. The various modes usually adopted in tliaining land ure well understood, therefore theie- is no need to describe them hcia, further than to note that the system must vary according to the local conditions and the means at command. Wl.en convenient to obtain, and for those who can afford the outlay, tile drains are most effective and desirable. As to the distances apart for the chains, much will depend on the nature of the giound, its conformition, and local conditions. Care should be taken, accoiding to the lay of the land, that the tiles are laid in such a manner as to carry off the- w?ter in the mo-t effective way, and paitirularly- to- secure a good fall and proper oiitTet for the water. SCBrfOILIKG. Practical experieure teaches that the exceas of water in soils must be got lid of before crops cm be successfully grown. 1 herefore, when land is selected for an orchard where either the surface 01 tubsoil is too compact in texture to allow the ia>n water to percolate through it, something mu'-t be dore to modify the natural character of the toil. The best means of accomplishing this must bo considered, and determined actoidlnpc to the extent and local condition of the soil to be dealt with. After under-diaining, which should be done in the first place, further improvement may Le brought about by ploughing and oubsoding to a uniform depth, and also, when available, by the introduction of other materials. For instance, heavy, close, and compact land may be improved by dressings of burnt clay, sand, peat, or stable manuip. In land which has become acid or Four in consequence of insufficient drainage the acidity may be corrected by the addition of lime, its application acting as a corrective by uniting with and neutralising the vegetable acid, as well as assisting to change the mechanical condition of the soil. In dealing with the subsoil, if the aiea is small it may be best to break up the ground to a sufficient depth by.^^ikhat 19 known as bastard trenching. But if the area is large and open it can be done by hoise labour, at much less expense. In the preparation of the land by ploughing and subsoiling two teams are employed, the -first one ploughing a deep ordinary furrow, followed by the second team with the subsoil plough. The latter should break up the subsoil to an even depth, thus leaving it in a loose and open condition. Bastard trenching is breaking up the land two spits deep by the spade. In doing this, on no account must the subsoil be brought to the surface, but merely broken up and turned over, turning over the next spit of surface soil on to the top of the subsoil broken up. (To be continued.)