OPERATIONS FOR THE WEEK.

Otago Witness, Issue 2524, 30 July 1902, Page 10

OPERATIONS FOR THE WEEK.

KITCHEN GARDEX.-Though we have now got over the worst of the v. inter, hard frosts and boiateious weather may still be looked for, as th? first half of August is often quite ks s-e\eie as any pait of wiutei. In situation wheie the ground is dry enough there will be need of working among growing crops of peas, beans, cabbages, etc., with the hoe, keeping the •-nrfpco soil open ai.d the weed* chucked, for if neglected at this season of the year the weeds would soon o\criun tho crop. Piuntings of potatoes &hou!d now be made, lading advantage of dry weather wheie the soil is in good working condition. For tho earliest planting a selection should be made of medium-sized sets that do not require cutting, particularly upon soils that are at all wet, as where "cuts" are planted if we have a wet season m^ny misses «ccur through the sets decaying. Continue to sow according to requirements onions, ' x>arsnips, peas, broad beans, radish, lettuce. Thin out those of earlier sowing',; it is better to havo the plants too thin than too thick in the drills. Tak» advantage of frosty mornings for wheeling out manure upon beds and borders that are to be cropped, as while the surface of the soil is hard the work is more easily performed, and with bolter results, as the soil is not cut up, as is frequently the case upon wet soils. Except in favoiuable situations it will be better to wait till the soil is drier before doing any digging, as any crop planted while the soil is at all sticky will not sucoeed so well as if planted during dry weather. Traps should be laid for slugs, which are very destructive among growing crops just now. Bags, palings, or, in fuct, anything affording shelter, if placed among the rows and examined regularly, will bo found useful, as numbers may thus lie gathered into a vessel containing salt and water and thus destroyed. But better than all traps is an occasional light dressing or dusting of quicklime after dusk on warm, quiet evenings, as it kills them wholesale when out on the surface.

GREENHOUSE AND FRAMES.-Durmg the cold weather great care must be exercised to avoid cold, cutting winds in the ventilating. It is better to allow the temperature of the house to rise considerably higher with the sunheat than expose plants to a cold, piercing wind. Frames containing cineraria and similar tender plants should be closed early in the afternoon, and covered with mats or bags at right during the hard fronts, as such plants are soon spoiled. Continue to pot off autumnstruck plants of pelargoniums, ver'ienas, petunias, etc., as scon as they axe well established. Chrysanthemums intended for pot culture should be selected from the others when potf-ed off. Those intended for pots should be stopped as Eoon as they are about sin high, to induce a dwarf compact giovrth.

FLOWER GARDEN. —In digging the borders, care should be taken to do s,o duruig dry weather, and in working the manure into the trench it should be well mixed with the EOilj as wheu carelessly allowed to remain w.

thick layers this becomes dry during a hot or dry summer, and the loots perish, as the manure cloe3 not decay -when in. this state. It is different when the manure is well mixed with the soil, as the plants then have a substantial mass for the roots to take hold of, and are better able to withstand the effects of a dry season. On lawns which have been newly laid down, as soon as the grass is high enough to mow the scylhe should be run over it, as if allowed to grow too long the finer g-.assas are smothered or killed and a coarse .turf is the result. When the ground becomes moderately dry, the vacant beds may be forked over pieviou3 to planting out autumn-sown annuals. A general sowing of the hardy kinds should be made in this month ; larkspurs, godetias, nemophiUa, and clarkias are all perfectly hardy, and will germinate quickly in sandy soil. Biennials may ba planted" in th& borders where they are to bloom. Petunias put in last month will have formed roots, and they may be potted in small pots-. The petunia is a rapid grower, and, once started, should be kept growing on without check. The points of the shoots may be pinched out when. Sin high. Veibenas suffering from, mildew must be dusted with sulphur; give them a light sandy soil and plenty of air. Remove the ashes or other covering material from hyacinths in pots, to prevent the stem from, being drawn. The nibs may be covered with small pots at night until they have become sufficiently hardened. Push forward alterations and finish planting as ramdly as the weather permits. FRUIT GARDEN.— The planting season now being' in full swing, it should be the aim of the planter to havo all the stone and bush fruifca completed first, as these start into growth much .earlier than the apples and pears. As far as possible all planting of fruit trees should bo completed by the end of August, after which there is great risk of losses unless ample means are at hand for watering during the dry season. Peach trees against walls or buildings should be overhauled, and any long, bare growths removed, and where overcrowding has been allowed surplus shoots should be cut away, always bearing in mind that the best fruits are produced upon the growth made during the previous season. As a selection of varieties for a small garden where only a few trees can be grown, the following embrace the earliest, mid-season, and late, in the order named. — Briggs's Red Mpv, Noblesse, Duke of Edinburgh, Eoyal George, Lady Palmerston, and Conklmg. If well-grown two-year-old trees are obtained, a few fruits may be expected during the ensuing season. When setting out a fruit tree, all roots that have been mutilated by the dull edge of a spade should be trimmed with a sharp cut underneath" and toward the end of the root; the cut will then press down on the earth, and will callous readily and heal over, 'emitting young roots instead of dying back to some point where it has begun to start. Tim is a very small matter, apparently, but it i 6 the trifles that go to make up tha difference between failure and success.