THE GARDEN.

Otago Witness, Issue 2666, 19 April 1905, Page 10

THE GARDEN.

OPERATIONS FOR THE WEEK. KITCHEN GARDEN.— No time should be lo3t in clearing the ground of all exhausted crops of peas, French beans, and scarlet runners, and in removing the general crops of car-a-ota, beet, 'and potatoes. The importance of "Higging and trenching at this season is not fully recognised, these operations being generally deferred till spring. Where there is a depth of 20in of fertile soil, the whole of it may be turned up by trenching; but were there is only a foot of good soil with a substratum of clay, the top soil should ba turned over, breaking up the bottom of the trench, and mixing some wellarotted manure with the subsoil." By this" means the dead earth at the bottoir will in course oftime become fertile ,and can eventually be brought to the top and mixed with the surface soil by degrees. Double digging is also an excellent mode of tillage where it is not expedient to trench, being much better than the old system of merely digging or forking over the soil to the depth of one spit. Whichever plan 13 adopted, le^ the ground be left rough and loose at the surface, to enable frost and air to act.upon it freely. Plantations of rhubarb should be cleared of all decaying leaves, and seakale may have a top dressing of 3in of good manure. Continue planting cabbages, for one "thing, giving them good ground and a fairly open position, except perhaps a few foi a, very eariy crop on a sheltered border. Plant closely, s>s the plants help each other up in this way, and as soon as they begin to get crowded may l)e thinned out considerably, the thinnings being used as coleworts or "bunch greens." Lettuce also ought to be planted out in quantity ; in showery weather such as this the plants get iiold of the soil directly and grow away at once. Any spare frames, or a pit, should be filled with these always useful plants as well, as in case of severe winter they will pay well for their room. Cut away the»exhausted stems of globe artichokes, acoT lay a good depth of littery manure over each root. Turnips, at anyrate of such hardy kinds as the white stone, Chirk castle, black stone, and yellow Scotch, are not injured by a few degrees ."of frost, and if not ntore than half grown, will stand almost ■ «ny amount of cold. ' jFLOWER GARDEN.— The regulation of the plants in the herbaceous border is one of the matters which can be attended to at this season. With the spring bloomers it is absolutely necessary that the work should be done now, whilst the borders are in a, comparatively dry condition. As most of the herbaceous section of-'plants, like the rock arabis and Iberis senipervirens. spread from the centre outwards, faking up too much space, the treatment of these subjects is to cut out the centres. j&planting the portions from, the outside. Delphiniums, peonies, and other tuberous and semi-tuberous plants should not be disturbed till spring. Attend to lawns by relaying all bare patches and giving a good sprinkling of j bonedust over the whole. Attend to the pruning and training of climbers and also the staking and tying of any plants in need of art:- : ficial support. Renewed exertions should be \ made in keeping the flower garden and shrubberies as neat and orderly as possible, in order i to compensate in some measure for the gradu- > ally fading beauty of the season. As the leaves ' of the trees are now beginning to fall, it be- I comes daily more difficult to keep the grounds in order, thus necessitating the most industri- j ous perseverance to maintain everything in a i creditable condition. All the operations j jjeculiar to the season should be strenuously [ attended to. Delay for one day in putting in j cuttings diminishes the time for striking root j and for becoming strong before winter. Wher- | ever, therefore, this work has not been already ! completed, all the available force at the coin- j mand of the gardener should now be concen- ' trated in its execution. This is particularly j desirable, inasmuch as an early summer dis- ; play is largely dependent on the propagation of j half hajily plants io-^uijumn. j FRUIT GARDEN.— Gaifeer- and label the [ different kinSs of apples and pears as rapidly ' fas they ripen. The shelves on which "they are ! "laid should be quite clean and dry. The atmo- j sphere of the fruit room ought to be maintained ! in a perfectly sweet condition by allowing a free current of air to enter below and pass •through the -roof. This carries away the exhalations, which, if permitted to stagnate within the apartment, would materially impair the kesping properties of the fruit. The planting and root pruning of fruit trees, wherever necessary, should now be proceeded with to the ex-

clusion of all other work of secondary importance, as it is desirable that these operations should be completed before the approach of severe weather. Any planted prior to the end of May will have a decided advantage over those transferred at a later period ; their roots require only a very short season of repose, and are in action long before the tops display the slightest symptom of activity. As regards soil, the mistakes commonly fallen into are that it ia made. either too deep or too rich. For apples, pears, and all stone fruits good loam is all that is requisite; if the loam is too adhesive, it may be improved by the admixture of sand or burnt clay, or by charring the whole or a portion of it. When any additional stimulus is wanted, it can be suppled in liquid manure or mulching. The depth of the soil should never exceed 12in to 18in ; and ifc^the bottom is not naturally impervious, it must be made ao by artificial means. Where the situation is very damp, the border for the more choice fruit trees, as apricots, peaches, and nectarines, should be wholly made above the ordinary level. It is a good plan to make platforms of rubble 6in to 9in thick, and concrete the surface before depositing the soil. The impervious bottom thus formed prevents the roots from reaching the subsoil, and maintains the trees in a healthy and fruitful condition.

GREENHOUSE.— If the instructions given in previous notes have been followed, the stages should now be gay with salvias, browallias, fuchsias, tuberous begonias, geraniums, and the autumn-flowering cyclamen — C. EuropceUm. Chrysanthemums which have been properly prepared will also contribute masses of colour ; and if a few of the improved strains of single and double petunias were potted up early in the season, there ought to be no scarcity of bloom in the house. The early batch of calceolarias, cinerarias, and primulas must be closely watched in the cold frames, to see that they are not too dry, and that green fly lias not commenced its ravages on the under side of the leaves.

VINERIES. — In the vineries containing winter grapes every exertion must be made to prevent damp. Any imperfect patches on the roof which admit rain should be at once repaired, and all slopping of water carefully guarded against. Any grapes which are not yet fully ripe ought to be furnished -with increased neat during the day; the advance in the temperature will also promote the ripening of the wood. Constantly remove all growing laterals, so as to allow the«free admission of light. In cutting the fruit from the spurs, prune back at once to the most promising eye near the base. Fire-heat applied to drive damp out of houses where grapes are hanging must be accompanied by air. otherwise the object aimed at cannot be achieved; unless the heat is very moderate the grapes will soon begin to shrivel.