THE GARDEN.

Otago Witness, Issue 2685, 30 August 1905, Page 10

THE GARDEN.

- OPERATIONS FOE THE WEES. VEGF.T ABLEf " GARDEN.— Sept ember i 3 the _ busiest* month for all seod-jsowing pnrreeos, and as seeds can. only bo sown proikBbly when the ground is dry, a dusty day ,'s not without its charms in tho eye of *he> gardener. Small seeds of all kinds may bo sown now such as carrots, parsnips, leeks., eiitl spring onions, as also white and brovrn cos lettuce for pricking out later on. Salsify and scDrzonera both make good root crops for 'use as winter vegetables. Scorzonera is much cuteu in Germany, under the name of Bchwarzwursgl t (bi-a<*rcrofy ; and salsify, which is "not unlike it, has long been cultivated in the Home country, and eaten "tinker the naino of "vegetable oyster " Seeds of both the-se plants muy bo sown a'; the end of the month, in rows loin apart, on deeply- trenched ground, which. ha3~ no fresh j manure anywhere near the surface.^ All manure should be trenched in'"'to- a gdoil depth, otherwise il v.-iU cause tlie iuots to fork. Sowings of peas for num. crops may now be got in. Where a large supply is required, the sowings may be continued at snort intervals; but if only a smaller supply is desired, a considerable interval may be allowed lo elapse between August and September. 3owings, as the peas -fewn in August will not greatly precede those Bown in September in coming to maturity. Care should be taken to allow space between ithc rows, of paas in proportion to the height which they will attain when full grown, or the_ taller kinds will be too clo-se together when they are staked; in fact, it is better to plant a few rows of root vegetables between each row of peas. Spinach of the pricklj--eeeded kind should be got in r.s soon as possible, O3 it runs to se'sd early if sown later. It will not be a. profitable crop on light soil en this account. The richer the soil is tha better chances will there be of retarding its " flowering sea-son. Jerusalem artichokes s32onkl nlao he planted now in the same way ns potatoes, either in whole sets or cut into pieces with a few eyre to each. Sowings of green crops of all kinds may b? made in September. Brussels sprouts and broccoli, it eowii now on open ground, will be ready for U3e early in the autumn. Sow a little celery at the- beginning of the month in moderate lieat, if an early supply is d-csir-ed. Celeriac which is a turnip-rooted variety of celery which may be grown on flat ground, and has the advantage of needing no earthing-up, -i&hculd be sown in the same way zs ordinary celery in moderate heat. This is the best season for planting mint, tarragon, chives aiid all sorts of herbs. Sowings of tomatoes may be continued in September for fruiting out of doors. Sow >n pans of sandy soil, to encourage a strong development of roots, and. place them in a temperature not under 60deg. - jKeep the pans near the flight, so as not to allow the seedlings to become drawn, and as «oon as the first pair of true leaves apuear pot the seedlings singly in small pots. ShiftIng these seedlings is a delicate matter, as the young stems will not stand the least bruise. They should be potted with" the stem as short «ts possible: they stand bc&t when the leaves

coiee to the level of the rim of the pot, and they must bs kept s-haded and rnoisl in a clcsed frame after being moved. Ths main crop of potatoes ought to ha planted as soon r.3 pcosible, for, ?s a rule, the longer the season of growth the heavier the crop. Small, cr rather modtvrats sized, tubers planted whole

almost invariably afford the finest results ,

but the«e are not always obtainable, and if the seed run's large there is nothing gained by fearing to cut them up into moderatefci2ed pieces. In any case, a tuber, or cut set, remembering that the butt-end eyes are the poorest and least prolific, with one or two strong eyes- only, will yield a heavier crop, and of better-size-el roots as well, than ona with, a number of small, and consequently -weak, growths; and, if the time could be spared 'to ido so, it would pay to rub out all but one or two. of the strongest eyes in each set., A»great gaiD in time, and frequently in weight also, js effected by laying the .seed out in a light and rather warm place to sprout a little before planting, though if this is done greater care is, of course, necessary, both in removing the seed to the planting gi"ound and also hi placing them in the trenches. .FUUIT GARDEN.— AII pruning should now be finished, except perhaps in the case of newly-planted trees, the pruning of -which, it is safer to leave for some time after planting, to allow the roots to heal and the trees to become somewhat established; at least three or four weeks shovdd' be allowed to pass between the planting and pruning. Grafting should now be undertaken where it is contemplated to cut clown undesirable varieties and work approved kinds upon the -established s-tock3.

FI/OWER GAKDEtf AND SHRUBBERIES.—The planting of deciduous trees and «hrubs should be completed as early as possible. Ground that has been rough dug should be hoed and raked when moderately dry; but the borders of the shrubbery next the walki where flowers are to be planted out cr where annuals are to be sown, should be nicely worked and pointed over with the spade. Ln short, when the ground is in good ■working condition the earliest opportunity should be taken to dress beds and borders for the reception of the respective plants intended to be put into them. Many hardy

annuals, biennials, and perennials may bo

sown -provided' the ground is dry, but other- , wise the sowing had better be deferred till a. ,later period, for some kinds a<re apt to perish in cold, wet soil. Plant carnations, pansies hollyhocks, gladiolus, and ranunculus -roots. -Prune, <nail, and train wall roses and other climbing plants. Trim and straighten grass • edgings; gpavel and roll garden walks.' Holl, sweep, and mow grao-, and let perfect neatness be observed in every department of the garden. Eeceutly-planted subjects should be copiously watered in dry weather: morning is the best •time to water while the nights remain chilly. GREENHOUSE AND FRAMES.— A number of plants in the greenhouse will require uprooting within the- next few weeks, as all the usual summer flowering plants will require starting into growth, which should be done gradually at first, merely biinging forward to where the plants will get more light, warmth, and air than they have had during tlie winter, and giving water, with care, till the young growth has made a good start. Fuchsias should have a slight cutting back, i so as to form well-shaped plants, and as soon en the new shoots are half an inch Jong they should be shaken out of the old &oil, and ths rcots partly cut back and repotted into rather small pots using a light but rich candy soil, keeping them rather close an-d moist by syringing them overhead twice a day until they have started well into new roots and leaf growth, when more air should be given Ferns, begonias, gloxinias, palivi;, foliage plants, pelaxgoniiuas, peluxias. .etc.. will a! 1 need xeootting or top-dressing; with ferns a-, id palms the latter will suffice. Where the sc:l is sweet and not full of roots an inch or two of the top soil should be removed without disturbing the^ roo'l3, end replaced with a liglif, pe^a'ty soil. All 1 palms should be well sponged, as any dust or scaLe which is allowed to remain will interfere with their growth Pelargonium-? should have the points of all growths pinched out so as to induce further shoots to. form The plants should have ample ! acorn to extend — if crowded, they becoma i drawn and weak, and if this is permitted early j m the season they are unable to support a I good head of bloom. Azaleas should now be I advancing into blooni, and where thrip is troublesome the plants should be clipped m rather strong tobacco water before the buds arc far advanced ; -after dipping they should be laid oh their sidcra to drain, and then well , S3'ringed with tepid water to remove the j't>.I sects entirely. Grsonhoiioe climbers should have their growth" uriiiied, cleaned, and reg-u- ! lated before they start into fresh growth; any 1 requiring repotting should now receive it. Coleus cuttings, inserted in heat, will rapidly icot and make laigp plants early in the reason. Calceolaria plants should be potted into their flowering uotp, and on the first p-pnearapce of green fly the plants should be lightly fumigated with tobacco smolce two or three nights in succession. If this rjest is allowed to increase, the plants are ruined ii? . a short time.