THE GARDEN.

Otago Witness, Issue 2525, 6 August 1902, Page 10

THE GARDEN.

WORK FOR THE WEEK.

KITCHEN GARDEN.— The time is at hand for sowing the great majority of kitchen garden seeds. Sow parsley, peas, and beans to succeed former sowing's. Take the first opportunity after the middle of the month to get the onion crop sown— ntunely, as soon aa the condition of the ground jvill adroit of the work being done without the soil adhering to the feet It is a good practice to sow the onion crop on ground previously cropped with celery. After the celery has been taken up end Uid in the ground to the fame depth as it was before in a. suitable place, the ground is simply dug, trodden over, and made level with a, wooden, rake. Then a surface dressing of fresh soot, of sufficient thickness to cover the ground, is laid on, and the drills aye drawn about lin deep and 12in apart, into which the seeds are sown thinly. This dou-e, the soil is closed over the seed with the feet, trodden over, and aftsrward3 raked over with a inediumfiized iron rake in the same direction as the drills are running, the whole piece presenting a. fine, even, surface when finished. The annual use of Boot by strewing it over the ground before sowing such cropa as onions, carrots, parsnips, turnips, and the planting of breadths of yoiuig lettuce plants, results in perfect freedom from the attacks of the grub, wirewornis, etc. As a matter of fa«t, few insects are to bo found in giound annually dressed with soot, ■which -is net only a purifier, but also a good fertiliser of the soil

FRUIT GARDEN.- The work of planting trees should be pushed forward, and, if possible, all stone plants should be planted, within the next few weeks. Apples and pears may be planted much later with perfect safety, yet by no means should planting be delayed longer than, is absolutely necessary, as we have frequently pointed out the danger there is in late planting being succeeded by a, olry spring and summer. No manure need be added to the soil in planting the trees unless upon « cry light and sandy soils, in which case a few shovelfuls of thoroughly decayed stable manure should be well mixed with the soil, and not brought into immediate contact with the roots. Bonedust is an excellent manure for fruit tr?es, U easy of application, and is of great benefit to trees that show signs of exhaustion from over-crop-ping or other causes. Where it is intended to graft trees of established growth, but which s>re deemed unsuitable or unprofitable, with other varieties of known merit, the leading branches may be partially cut back, leaving such branches as -ire to receive the scions about 18m or 2ft longer than in-tended, which blanches should be finally cut o2 at the time of grafting in September. The scions of the various varieties should be taken off and healed in the soil very deeply in ordei to keep them as fresh as possible until they axe required for working.

FLOWER GARDEN.— Pume climbing and other hardy kinds of roses at ence, and a portion of tho stock of bjbrid pe.pctuals rany also be cut back, but leave the bulk until next ttionthj eai/scisUlt io, sold. skstuttU.. in *ei>

forming this operation it is necessary to flistinguish. between the \igorous, moderate, and ■weak-growing kinds. The first should only he thinned out and shortened to sound -wood to secure a maximum of bloom and healthy progress; the second have all the etrongest growths cut back to five or six buds or eye 3 only, and the last to not more than three, as a rule, all weak and dead growth being removed in all catea.