OPERATIONS FOR THE WEEK.

Otago Witness, Issue 2762, 20 February 1907, Page 10

OPERATIONS FOR THE WEEK.

KITCHEN GARDEN.— CeIery should now .le growing freely, and must be kept well earthed up *s growth proceeds, and succesficnal trenches of this esteemed vegetable jpay still be planted out in tho manner previously advised. Vegetable marrows tand .pumpkins, •as soon as the skin is hard and shows signs of being ripe, shculd be ci»t and stored in a dry shed or cellar for winter use. Early summer beans will now be past their best, and should be pulled up and the stakes stored in a dry position on their ends, as with cate -these should last several year 3 As the season advances it will be necessity lo anticipate the probable demands likely 10 T>s made upon the various kinds of vegelab'es generally grown for winter use, as it should T» tho aim of the grower to have the necessary quantities of what "are likely to r© iequired planted or sown in good time. If Ytiorcr plants of cabbage, cauliflower, aid brocu)li are planted out immediately after raia they will start to grow rapidly; while if planting is deferred till late in the autumn this will not be the case. The earlier supplies -of the above vegetables should now be earthed lip or hoed, according to the condition of <their growth. Onions should now all be ripe enough to admit of their being stored, as exposure to the- weather any longer is very risky, and ' in case of rain i$ sure to affect their keeping qualities. A further sowing of -cabbage seed shculd be mj.de to provide a succession of plants for winter use. A con«id«rabtelure«r''oKl»nd% should also be prepared for sowing in: thY drier districts; in a»w soil tie seed 'mar be sown at any time. which have ripened off should not he^Sw^-td'Teinsnv in,~4li« coil for. a ■lengthened period,/ bj^t should be lifted ana ■stored, **d thus set at liberty the lind for future treatment. Seed of carrots, parsnips, and onions should be cut, *s it ripens rapidly. Rhubarb which was planted out last spring 'will be making & socpod gsowth. aon,. and should any of the stools show tendency to throw up flower stalks, -these should- be pulled out as coon as observed and a free growth encouraged, as such will materially increase the strength of the roots for another season. FRUIT GAUDEX. -U-b. wuids and rough,

stcrmy weather frequently work sad 1 havoc among the heavy fruits, especially apples and pears, and in many exposed gardens nearly all the best of the fruits aie occasionally blown off. Often when this happens it is likely to tempt the inexperienced amateur to gather his fruit prematurely, he naturally concluding that if it is so easily blown off, it must ~be ripe enough to store. No greater mistake can be made, as is discovered, tqp late for remedy, by the fruit shrivelling up. It is a safe procedure in ga/theriug apples and pears to cut open a few fruit of each sort that are thought to be fit for gathering, and if the pips are of a brown colour the fruit can be gathered with safety. Strawberry beds, if not already cleaned off, should be attended to without delay. All runners which are not wanted for stock purposes should be cut off close to the plant, and all dead leaves removed, and the surface lightly pointed over with the fork. All runners which are being saved for " planting must receive regular supplies of water to keep them growing, when, if they are planted out early in April, a fine crop of fruit may be looked for during the first season. The season for small fruits nuw being over, the quarters -which, these cccupy should have a thorough cleaning off, removing all weeds and rubbish, and at the same time giving the surface a light pointing . over with the fork. This is particularly necessary with young bushes, as, although these have finished their growth, it will tend to improve the buds for another season. Budding of fiuit trees, where any remains to be done, should receive early attention, as with the hot, dry weather now setting in the bark will soon set too firmly to admit of further operations lp this direction till spring, when grafting can be undertaken, "it is » saving of time, and often save 3 a season, if buds are worked in the summer; any failures can then be worked in the usual way in the spring. FLOWER GARDEN.— AII the tall-growing pianta must be kept regularly tied or much damage will be don© them. The principal work now to be done will be fo aim at prolonging the blooming period of the plants by keeping all ihe .seed pods cut clean off and all decaying flowers, and, if available, give them, an occasional watering of liquid manure, which will do much towards keeping them fresh. Pansy seed may now be sown in boxea or pans and kept in a nice shady position. Covering the boxes with a sheet of thick brown paper until the seeda are above ground will be found beneficial in assisting germination. Some few of the earlyflowering chrysanthemums will form, their flower buds this month. These should be removed, as being too early to produce good flowers. If, however, they are only required for border decoration or for cutting, the buds may be left as they form; but for the finest blcoms the first week in March is generally the best date. The display of asters should be kept up as long as possible by giving the roots sufficient moistuie and cutting off the faded flowers The various other kinds of annuals should also be examined and prevented from ripening seed pods, which are destructive to continuous flowering in any plant. When seed is required, on© or more of the best and most distinct varieties should be selected for this purpose and allowed to produce the necessary seed supply; better results will thus be attained than when gathered indiscriminately and without injury to the main display- of bloom. The plants of pice tees and carnations which have been layered should bs kept uniformly ruoist or the rooting process- will be delayed and often completely prevented. At this season preparations should be made for planting out the earlier portion of -th* spring flowering buibs. The be{T should be deeply worked and decayed cow manure added, and if the soil is inclined ■to be stiff and heavy a dressing of fine sand should bn added, a? a light open soil is best suited to their culture. Root action of these bulbs should be in advance of the tops, and this :s: s not the case when late planting is adopted. s. GREENHOUSE AND FRAMES— AH pelargoniums thai, have- been prpperly treated shculd be ready for cutting down ; if longer delayed they have not sufficient time to enable them to break freely and become established in "their rew soil until the winter is upon them. After cutting them down they should be kept somewhat drier for a few days. More air upon a'l calm, days should be admitted to the ferns in <*rder to mature tbeir growth, as if this is done they will carry their fronds a good colour right into the winter. Primulas and cinerarias must be potted off singly as fast as they become strong enough. Azaleas should be caxefuJy koked over in search of thrip, and, if any sir.pear, the plants should be at once dipprd in ore cf ihe many insecticides recommended and the leaves well yyringed fiom underneath. "We seldom see fhis plant properly managed, chiefly from neglect of this precaution. Care shculd be taken to prevent worms g-etting into the pots through tho drainage; whila standing outside, the pots should rest upcti bricks or a pi-ice of boaid, as if the drainage of the pots becomes impaired the plant will soon fall into a bad state of health, which can bo seen by th-e colour of the leaves The various plants required for winter decolations should be grown on free'y, giving la-ger pots as required. Green fly must be kept under on :ts first appearance.