OPERATIONS FOR THE WEEK

Otago Witness, Volume 06, Issue 2899, 6 October 1909, Page 10

OPERATIONS FOR THE WEEK

KITCHEN GARDEN.— It is seldom that j the land has been in such good condition ! for seed sowing, or indeed foi all opera ! 'ions connected with vegetable culture. | Kirly and second early poia-toes should be > planted it? -drills s<n deep, placing the sets \ on tho manure in the old-fashioned way. ! The condition and quality of the manure j is an important consideration. It should j be nei their too dry ncr too wet. If it ;s green tho chances are thac in li?ht lands it v/iU remain unchanged during the season, and will act as a drain to deprire the sets of moisture; if too wet and greasy it will rot the set. Heavy crops of potatoes can- I not be grown without manure. Half-rotted • cow, horee. or pig manure suits them capitally. When dung ie scarce lib of superphosphate and £lb of kainit to • ,«oh two . yawls of the run of the row will be found ; to act ge-neiously. Bone manures may be • giver in a like quantity, and guano a little . less. For potato culture the soil cannot be j xoo fine, and there should ba plenty of i depth to enable t'h-3 tubers to resist the J effect of dry weather in November and De- ; oembai. Moderate-sized sets, cot exceeding ', 2in ii diameter, yield better results than | those w.iich have- been cut. 4s to varieties- ' th-e sort known as kidneys when good are ' hard to b»ar. To succeed tnese British Queen, fiutfon's Discovery, ilagnum Bo- ! num, and Up-to-Date arc about the best. , "Vaneti-96 that are really new ai-e, indf-oJ, few, and d-£p-?rdab!-e sorts are aipo scer/c-e. Th-e Up-to-Date ie the fine&t potato that was ever put op the market. It has bee.i , faithful for years, and is still admirable- i but many know its various flai, round. , oblon-?, and kidney types are air figuring: ' under various names, and many are paying ! excessive prices for the offsets under .h-o i imprctoion that they a-re new ar.d improved, j when all ar-^ included in any ordinary i sample of Up-to-Date at a cheap rate. A J change of potato seed every year, or t%\o ', years at the furthest, is a most :*ommend- ! able system. Where the soil is light the ; mam crop of late potatoes should also be I planted in order to catch the first growing weathe. while there is moistmre in tiyi ground, as 6uch lands dry up quickly in November. Sow carrots for main crop : also ! c 6mall breadth of turnips, as the slightest *>noh of frost is sufficient to cause them to bolt FLOWKR GARDEN.— The general work oo.Kiists if hedge cutting, shrub pruning, edging \\a&s, mowing lawns, and the de-t-'ructir.-i of weeds, which are easily de-fctrojv-d m the seodins; stage. As occasional irr:ss6 ai:o sharp oou'-wcsrers may be exported it j* necessary to nrotect any plant | which is more than usually tender in the i growth. If any beds are vacant, and the j summer ai-!-angem-?nt6 liave been deter- i mined, the ground work and edgings, which I are usually compcsatl of hardy plants, may bo ! got out. The cerastiums, erysimums, ssdoims. j thymes, violas, pansies, and Semper viiums i suould ba planted In theii- allotted posi- J tions within the next 10 days. Cuttings | which ai*e bning cramped in- pots should be potted off, and as increased space i 3 required for the protection of these an. 1 , lender seedlings, everything' which will stand a few degrees of frost should be placed in turf pots or sheltered spots. Calceolarias, verbenas, and lobelias are, after a few days' hardening, quite safe at the foot of nort-5- walls. Solanums, daturas, a-nd single dahlias should be ready to pot off. The castor oil plant should be sown singly in pots, as the roots are very brittle, ana the plants are difficult to repot with- j out injury when many are grown together, j GREENHOUSE.— The soft-wooded winter j flowering heaths, if out back after -flower- I i»g, will now be ready to pot. The ball j should not be disturbed, and the, new com- ! posts ehould be rammed hard round it, or j the water will pass through the new -soil j at the sides of th-s pot, leuviag the bali -iry. It is a good pan to soak the ball in i water before ropotting Tb« plante shouUl *or two or throe wecke be stood in a close ]

pit with a little air at the back till the roots begin to move in the new compost. The free-growing heaths of tha Ventricosa section should be pottee in peat, wihieh contains a large proportion of vegetable fibre and sand. It is time that most ■of the hard-wooded greenhouse- plants, such as baronias, efiostemons, etc., were potted, but it- should be borne in aniod that they will not bear shaking out of the old soil like a fuchsia. Valfotas are now making growth, and they should be put into larger pot« when rc&oe<ssa,ry.. These bulbs, and all the amarallias gen-eraily, should not be ovf-r-pottcd, as this has a tendency to prevent their blooming. SOMK HINTS. Asparagus is the most delicious of all vegetables. Growth will soon be active. The roots are greedy feeders, and they quickly utilise- all aweptable foods at thi6 time. If possible sprinkle the surface of the bed and rourx! the plants with kainit. This ie better than salt, but the latter can be used when the kainit is not- -obtainable. Peruvian gua-no is an excellent stimulant, which may be applied with both salt and kainit. One pound^pf wit and kainit may be given- to (he square yard, but half a pound of guanois enough. Fork the surface over, and break it into a friable state, and over all put a layer of good cow or horse manure to c tkpth of two incites. Where the soil is etiff a xlresedng of sprit or sand forked in with the salt would be most encouraging at once and in future. A little shelter to fruit blossom where the trees, ar-e in an exposed position usually results in a full crop. Tho most convenient protectors are old fishing nets of lin mesh. Where net* are not available other thin materials will do, *o long as the li«ht is not too muck chut out. Amd the proivtHora should b» kept en till the fruit -is formed. Peaches and apricot* ajse the first to "need protection; Th* best time to plant hardy ferna is just as the new fronts are- beginningt to peep. Do not wait longer. They may be transferred from the bush to the garden now. ' Tfcey delight in deep, cool soil, with some light manure or leaf mould. Do not plant where they will be exposed to the noonday sun. A partially-shaded place suite (hem best, and they are most delightful whej arranged ir a natural-like fashion.