THE GARDEN

Otago Witness, Issue 2801, 20 November 1907, Page 10

THE GARDEN

OPERATION'S FOR THE WEEK.

FRUIT GARDEN.— Those who have taken the precaution t& mulch beds of strawberries and raspberries will be saved much labour and secure Uner crops of fruit at leßs cost for labour than where water has to be applied by manual labour. Unless a, sufficient degree of moisture is kept up the fruit, which should shortly be swelling, -will ripen off prematurely, and succession*! fruit •will fail at once if the roots suffer from dryaess. All runners should be cut clean away aa aften as required, as with a good supply of moisture their growth is now rapid> to the detriment of the swelling fiuit. Apricots should be 'rimmed out, «s in most c&se3 far too heavy a- crop of fruit is set for the trees to develop properly. It will always be found more profitable to grow a sniall quantity if re?lly good fruit than a large quantity of small, and consequently inferior. If for the table of the amateur or the grower for market purposes judicious thinning will be found to pay. One is "told often that a crop was hardly expected off such a tree this year because it was loaded last season, but this system of culture is a mistake in svery way. Trees with the fruit so close to the brandies a.» w make them appear one mass of fruit 17UI *ot make auy substantial bloom buds and all the fruit mi these crowded trees will be below the average in »i«e. Indeed, it will only be third-rate, whereas by judicious thinning .the whole crop might easily be secured of a fixst-claas character, and the trees would go on bearing yea^ after year with the greatest regularity. The best time to do this is before th» fruit is half-size, or earlier; then there is time for that which remains to get the full benefit of the reduced crop. In thinning remove any fruit that is in any way deformed first, an-d do not ittke a lot from one ptoce and none from another, but remove, it from all over the tree in a regular way. As is well known, the -finest fruit is always on the outside ot the tree, and not on the centre branobes, as it is frequently too much shaded there, and in removing any fruit it should be taken rather freely from such ports, and et the moat prominent specimens remain outside. Eves where th« crops are somewhat light, it is well to thin off deformed fruit, «s these take a considerable amount of nourishing, and are all but worthies* when ripe. In localities where the codlin moth has made ' its appearance bandages should now be placed upon tk« fruit trees in order to oaten the worm and the usual precautions taken to destroy them. FLOWER GARDEN.— BuIb beds which have been planted sufficiently deep to admit of forking over the surface without injury to the bulbs should have the surface lightly dressed with manure as soon as the foliage has died off, and the soil lightly forkedover. The whole may then be planted out with annuf.l*, or verbenas, petunias, or other favourite summer plants, or, where desirable, the bulbs ; may be lifted and stored. This, however, should not be attempted until the bulbs «»• well ripened off> and even then they must be stored in sand in* cool shed, or many of the hyacinths wiU decay. ' A ■owing of mignonette should be made on. any spars- spaces where it is found 1 difficult to find room for m«ny of the large subjects. Avoid covering the seed too deeply; very much of the seed sown fails to appear aboveground from this cause alone. A very good plan is to sow on the surface and cover with sand, in toils deficient of lime old mortar or plaster rhiy be added with advantage. Much additional beauty may be added: to the flower borders by planting out aUCII pl»nte of fuolisiaa and p«laig<miTunß as have become ioo large for growing on in pots for the greenhouse or verandah. These, if turned out early, and without destroying the ball of roots, will quiokly establish themselves, and continue to flower all through the season. The woTk of thinning out and transplanting annuals should be attended to. The fullest advantage should be taken of any change in the weather to plant out during dull and moist days as far as possible. The growth, of all climbing plants -will need regulating, as grovth is now rapid. TKITCHBN GARDEN.— The late sowings of peas now being made should always be given a moist situation, as without this they are not a profitable crop to grow. If sown in sunken trenches they eucceed much .better, s.s on shallow dry soils much labour is involved in keeping them sufficiently moist. Spinach should only be sown in very small quantities; now that the weather is hotter frequent sowing should be the rule, as the plants run to Beed yery quickly. Asparagus beds which have furnished the supply for the table should now have a rest and all th« grssa allowed to grow, or the crowns will be weakened by excessive cutting. All coverings on tomatoes, cucumbers, etc., may be now dispensed with, and the soil will require loosening with the hoe close up to the plant. If very early fruits of tomatoes are ' desired the plants should be staked, and one or tyro leading shoots taken up, pinching oft the side growths as they appear, only leaving the trusses of bloom. These then get the fullest benefit of the sun, and ripen early. At the Agricultural Station Farm in Minnesota, tomatoes were grown in an old sug&r barrel, in the bottom of which was a foot of well-decayed horse manure. The plants were trained up the south (north in New Zealand) side of a building. When plants are grown in this way they should be near the house, so that they may be properly oared for, as in dry weather they need much water. Treated thus the plants have good chances of growing and ripening their fruit even in very unfavourable years and in very unfavourable locations. The soil in the barrel warms up quickly in the' spring, and when placed against the south (north) side of a building the plants have the most favourable condition* for ripening their fruit. The barrel should have plenty of holes in it for draincg*. Several barrels so treated will furnish quite a supply of tomatoes.