THE GARDEN.

Otago Witness, Issue 2663, 29 March 1905, Page 10

THE GARDEN.

•"' OPERATIONS FOR THE WEEK.

KITCHEN GARDEN.— A sowing of spinach should be made for early use; also a Email sowing of shorthorn carrot, which will prove valuable as a late crop. Where the late crop of celery has not yet been planted out, no -further time should be lost. The trenches should be prepared in tlie usual way, and have a thorough soaking of water given one or ftwb; hours before planting. The sunken trenches will retain the moisture miich longer than if on the surface with the now longer and cooler nights, and the plants will start J;o grow without nruch further trouble. A large sowing of turnip seed should be made without delay if not already done ; also the various winter cabbage crops as recently referred to. FRUIT GARDEN.— Most of the early and mid-season fruit will now be ready for picking and storing. This should be attended to, as we frequently get high, winds towards the end of this month, which will cause much of the finest fruit to fall and spoil. Where budding of peach or apricot trees was done early ii>. January, the ties should have been gradually loosened, and may now be dispensed with altogether. Where it is mended to plant out fruit trees during the coining season preparations should now be made so as to have all necessary trenching, levelling, and, where required, draining attended to, so that planting may be proceeded with as early as possible after Ist of June. It should always be remembered that early planting is much the best, as the trees have a chance to become established, and are a~ble to withstand the effects of a dry summer should one occur after planting. Strawberry runners should be planted out as soon as the state of the soil will permit. Old beds of these which have ceased to produce regular or profitable crops should be broken up and cropped with vegetables before replanting with strawberries. FLOWER GARDEN.— If the borders are to retain their beauty till frosts set in, some care will be necessary now in order to keep up a sufficient moisture at the roots of all such sis are flowering. Unless this can be accomplished, all the more tender annuals and herbaceous plants will cease at once to produce flowers, may be done towards keeping up the supply of flowers by having all faded flowers clo3ely cut off at least twice a week. If not already sown, no delay should occur in sowing a good breadth of pansy seed, together with many other half-hardy annuals, ■which, combine to make a good display in early spring. Avoid sowing the seed Ir-oo .thickly, so a3 to secure stout, hardy plants, as such pass through the winter well and flower much more freely than weak plants, which are the result of overcrowding in the seed beds. The finishing touches will have to be given to the plants of chrysanthemums •within the next week or two, and no neglect in watering with liquid manure should be permitted where the finest results are looked for. The shoots should be made secure from irfjury from winds, as the swelling buds are easily damaged by chafing against the foliage of adjoining plants. On the first appearance of mildew upon the foliage of the chrysanthemum, a. slight dusting of flowers of sulphur should be made on the parts affected •while the leaves are damp with dew. Pot •Roman hyacinths for early flowering. Place one bulb in a sin pot, and use a compost .of equal parts good soil or loam and decayed manure and one-sixth sand. After potting cover with cinder ashes or cocoanut fibre refuse. GREENHOUSE. — Use as little shade as possible now. The days are visibly shortening, and the sun is losing its power. Still powering plants may require a little shade in fche middle of the day a little longer — begonias, fuchsias, balsams, zonal pelargoniums, axid 'lilies, especially auratuna and speeiosum. petunias and the blue and white Campanula pyrainid&lis are very effective now. Cockscombs, when well grown, also attract attention. It being no longer safe to leave but plants of a tender nature, they should he housed as soon as possible. If climbers are grown on the roof, they should be thinned out previous to housing the* plants, as their rapid growth at this season often shuts out all .the light, to the injury of the plants. In arranging the pjant3 avoid overcrowding, which prevents a free circulation of air. Back lows may be elevated on inverted pots, which gives more room and renders the plants less liable to damp. Sliaw and fancj' pelargonixims

are especially liable to damp, and they should always be placed where they will get plenty of sun and a free circulation of air. The zonal section is not susceptible to damp, but it is ■well to get the wood -well ripened by a free exposure to sun and by keeping them rather dry.