OPERATIONS FOR THE WEEK.

Otago Witness, Issue 2905, 17 November 1909, Page 8

OPERATIONS FOR THE WEEK.

on ,each shoot. ' The thirmiiig the ; berries f» a tedious job, an 3 no~ time should tx lost' In attending to this operation, as the fruit swells quicMy after being thinned, Admit air when the weather is ' favourable. Moisten every part of the house, and clos^ it early. As the iruit swells a liberal supply of water #t the roots at least once a'weeb is necessary., -„.-> _ , . SOUE HJI^TS. . - As soon as the frames »r« cleared of the plants that &av.e / .been, f rariaed to go. out oi doora, plant . cucumbers. . :Thw is the mosl j satisfactory purpose, the frames can be ptfl !' to in the' summer, as cucumbers are rriuch ix demand, *nd good crops 'are very pleasing; If the frame stands on an 013 hotbed, clew the surface of all bat the, manure, and pla« a couple of bushels o,f ,loamy, foil in th< centre of each light. l|a&e it into a &fu 'mould." If cucumber planfs have beer raised from seed, plant one tin each mould ■Lay it in a- slanting position, and not witl its rt«se- rubbing upon, the glass. If in hotbed- or heap' of manure is available, pul the ' frama in - the most avmay -spot in th< garden. . Put : a 'mound of' rich ' soil inside and plant a .cucumber h«re. Stirring th< I surface is as advantageous as giving a do» iof artificial manure. It is a cheap and effec i; live stimujypt. Js£j».tcluing»jtbe surface, if Hi l-X^ffifag'Tioe'^aoes very 'little good. It maj ! lake the .heads 4hfe^w^eds, but "it doei not ventilategkhlX*^; P UB^ or Dutcl hoe is almost 'as ineffective. It does al right once the surface is fully broken up, bu fork. TJse thds" carefully. Turn the soil v] to adej>th of two or three inches^a^jd^hjisaj « #*£j^®!»£*ff'J the surface. This "^wifl. 1 ?*& ' season. It takes longer ;.$ I gwfipfjisii' 3t»**ijjOe the surface, but tHe *xtri [&k?sirar i 3 -w^Hvfaid for. " ' ■-- One of .thekgs&ieet pleasures experience! by the gard^x-liolder in summer is secur ing crops of that most delicious of al fruits, the strawberry. Clear every we« out of tb©c bftdssl^nd rows. If the surfac is hard, break ilfup with a fork. Do no go d-eep. Vwo -inches will be enough. Botl plants ajidC fruit- grow all the better fo 1 this. If the^Tpliints are only one or tw> , y'&*£Sr, "old : ,|fcey " will "KK^fe require manure but if old 'and m poor'scjl they must hay Jt:, - The iaost effectiyef .ie liquid manure Dissolve loz of guano." 'Clay's, or some ofcbe artificial, allowing loz to the gallon o -■waier, and soak the roots with this. Co-ii horae, or sheep dung may also be usei t-3 make liquid. Soak all twice a wee till- the flowers open, then do not give «fi more. Never mind whether the coil is we from rain 'or. not; yivffrthem the liquTc At the same time and at once give a goo* dressing of soot.- Put this well over tfiei heads It will Keep 'the* snails off the friti later.

Rambling xoses, should never have a hand put to them to give them -formal aspects. Let them grow- and flower at will, but- rose bushe3 from *- which large buds and hug*' blooms nre expected must be helped to produce them. One of the best modes of doing this is to prevent them from bein^.too much packed with shoots, and superfluous ones ought to be removed at once. Eemove all the little twiggy shoots from the centres and all parts. Break them clean off. and give «.ne strongest room U develop alone. TiuK is a way to get magnificent blooms and most healthy bushes.

f HITCEBN GARDEN".—The various early crops should now b& in a forward condition, and after the final thinning out or earthing .up, as the case may be, should not require very much more labour, as if the weeds have been kept welt under they will give but very little trouble as the ground becomes covered with foliage. Due attention should be paid to the sowing and planting out of the successional crops of carrot, turnip, parsnip, beet, caohage, and cauliflower, the whole of which may still be planted. The present month is a good time to make a large sowing of carrots for a main crop; the seed should be sown in rather shallow drills, and not covered too deeply. Sowings made now give better result 3 than when eown earlier in. the season. Late potatoes may still be planted, but low-lying land should bo selected, as during the dry months such late crops suffer considerably. Sowing* of Yorkshire Hero peas, if made now, may be expected to yield a. fair return for * late supply, although it will now be 3afer to depsnd upon beace for the summer supplies, liana which has been under winter vegetables should now be cleaned, manured, and dug, so as to havt a sufficient area ready for the early autumn crops of cabbage, cauliflower, eavay, and broccoli, etc. The land, if now vacant, will be greatly improved by * thorough working sad allowing it to remain exposed m much as possible to the weaiEer till the end of the year, hoeing over the surface occasionally fo keep down any growth- of weeds.

FLOWER GARDEN.— Advantage should })« taken of «how«ry days to plant out the ' various annuals 'and other •nmmer-nowering plants. Where the annuals have, been sown in the open borders the dumpjs should be thinned out and the spare plants trans- 1 planted into vacant spaces, so as to have the borders well filled; overcrowding, however, is to be avoided. All tall-growing kinds -chould be securely staked to prevent loss during windy weather. Chrysanthemums and dahlias are peculiarly liable to damage if not kept securely tied. Azaleas and rhododendrons in the open borders should have all teed pods picked off as soon as the flowers fade. If these are allowed to remain the growth for another, ssason is interfered with. These plants will receive great benefit if a good mulching of cow manure is given, ■o- as io keep tfie roots cool and moist. Shrubs and other plants which were planted during the winter should have the points of the shoots pinched oat, so as to make dwarf and stick plants, except, of course, with conifers, dracenas, and otber plants, which should have a strong leading shoot. Carnation* should still be planted out; older plants should have neat stakes given before the flower stems are too far advanced. GREENHOUSE.— Attention to shading is very necessary to prolong the bloom of plants and to protect- them from scorching rays of the sun, which «em to gain in power ! by passing through glase. The preaeivatioi? of the colours is also impossible without •hading, and much of the beauty of a blooming plant ie lost if it is allowed to become bleached. If seed is not required, let all seed pods be picked off as they form, and fresh growth encouraged. Kalo santhes coming forward wil do in the full blaze of the sun, and the blooms seem io be all the brighter for a few days' full exposure in ' the open air. Give statices a dry corner, I and in watering do not wet the flower spdkes. i Tuberous begonias should have a shift as they fill the pots with roots; use a good open soil with a liberal proportion of sand. Fuchsias struck in spring must be kept growing, potting on and punching freely to make good specimens by the autumn.

VINERY.— Grape vines are now growing freely, and require the daily attention of the gardener. Where they have been stopped as directed last month " they will now be in flower. Som-> varieties set their fruit freely ever under unfavourable treatment, but others again do not do so, and these are, therefore, designated .bad setter?. When they are in flower a good plan is to tap the sten> of the vine with the hand or a bit of wood, •o as to sliake the bunches. The pollen will then be wen to fly off like a cloud of dust, and this mode of distributing and causing fructincaiion is frequently don?, with sueCMI amongst the more shy 6e'.fere. Stop 4he lateral shoots as they grow, and cut off •11 aupar'Juous bunches, leaving only one