HORTICULTURAL NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2915, 26 January 1910, Page 10

HORTICULTURAL NOTES.

By J. Gf.tuuw. There ore two fepfons when fruit trees ought, (o b-i pruned. The ok l adage. "Prune in w : rte" fo- wood and in summer for fruit"' holds pocd at the present day. ar.:l tih'** •"aaso""' fo™ prunkla? may bo briefly sta'ed. The v.'iii!?r pruning may suffice and .if properly done will seeur® a suitable arrangement of bi"»nchee. which may bc«- cock! crops of f.ruii. Bv resorting to both winter and Rummer pruning the result* «"■" mo-c satisfseiorv. By attending to a *reo tnici a war tb« irrowth car. more eafi'ly be controlled, a-:d the simurer pTU".inc prevents a wast? of energy in the prrd'-edm of itvlca word pad increase* its frui Tiie ends kept in view arc the promTticn .of fnr.it ep-are, the reirci-; o:"' us-ices weed to cheek growth whore -c;: ir-cckd. aid direct the vieour of tlv tree in some other direction, and 1 to maintain a:i her.d. Where the branches are a good distance, apart little er no pruning is needed in summer, tat

where the trees are strong and the branches j a-re crowded with offshoots, which prevent ?, free circulation of air and light and . retard fruit development, summer pruning i is needed. In some, places fruit trees grow away vigorously, and. the superabundant , wood which, they make has to bo removed. ' If this is done "in the summer months the j tree is prevented from expending its ( strength in the production of useless wood, , and the energy thus saved is diverted to the production, of finer fruit and a better crop in the following season. The second j season after the trees are planted; in their permanent quarters summer pruning should! J commence, and in carrying out this opera- , tion judgment must be exercised and every | tree treated on its own merits, strong growing trees being cut back more severely than weakly ones. In the case of stronggrowing trees, from one-half to two-thirds of the growth made during the season may be cut off with advantage, less stronggrowing trees 'being pruned according to tiieh degree of vigour, while trees of stunted growth should not be pruned at all. This treatment will result in the development of fruit spurs and buds sooner than if winter pruning only were practised. February is a good time to go over ( the trees. The movement of the sap is very little, and the cutting back of the . laterals tends to the development of fruit spurs. If this operation is done earlier in the season two or three shoots would pre- j bably spring from the end where the shoot j had been cut. During February and March ; the supply of moisture will have diminished, j and growth can be> easily checked by nip- ; ping off any buds which might push from the cut shoot. LAWNS. A well-kept lawn adds much to the appearance of .any garden, but a weedy, rough, ill-kept lawn is an eyesore to anyone of taste. We see many lawns that arc beautifully kept, but numerous others which do not receive a proper amount of care and attention, and. however well cultivated the shrubs and flowers might be that grow in or near the lawns, the shabbiness of tne latter detracts much from the good appearance of the whole. One thing most necessary to keep a lawn green and fresh during the summer months is water, and of this therei must be a liberal supply. Another essential is to supply fertilisers, remembering that ever-growing crops of grass impoverish the soil, as well as any other kind of crop. The lawQ must bo thoroughly drained, or no amount of surface manuring will do any good. As the lawn is intended to be permanent, it is advisable to make it properly, and where the natural drainage is insufficient artificial drains should he put in w.hen the lawn is being •made. Draining, levelling; manuring, and preparing the ground should be done, during'the autumn, leaving the sowing of the grass seed until the following spring. In the meantime seeds of weeds which are in the soil will spring up, and' these can be destroyed. The uses to which a lawn- is to be put should be. considered 'when being formed and sown. An, absolutely level surface is necessary if it is to be used for bowling, tennis, croquet, or similar purposes, r-nd a somewhat different mixture of grasses used than if an ordinary lawn had to be made. Our seedsmen Supply special mixture of grass seeds for lawns. The foundation of these is perennial ryegrass, but about half a dozen other kinds are added. The seed must be sown very thickly—Bolb to 1001 b par acre,—as the thicker it is sown the finer will be the lawn. If sown thinly the ryegrass becomes tufty, which is objectionable in any kind of lawn. The seed should be sown when the soil is in a -good friable condition, neither wet nor dry, afterwards using the rake lightly _ to cover in the seeds, the lightest covering being sufficient, for if the seeds are buried to any depth they will not germinate. After sowing give a goad rolling both ways. Until I the grass becomes fairly strong the scythe only should be used. To get a fine, close, firm sward frequent rollings ?.re necessary. GLADIOLI. The showiest flowers in the garden -at the. present time are the gladioli. The wide range of hybrid varieties go towards making them one of t:?e most beautiful and valuable classes of bulbous plants that are grown in gardens. In addition to the graceful and distinct beauty the various forms possess there is the advantage of being easy of cultivation, thriving well under ordinary .conditions. To obtain first-class results, however, it is necessary to pay more attention to the preparation of the soil before planting, and when extra fine blooms are wanted for exhibition liquid manure jJnonid be applied occasionally before the buck open. To give a long period of blooming the corme may be planted at intervals, beginning in» August up to the end of November. In a dry season a good mulching of manure should be given to keep the soil cool and moist, as well as liberal supplies of water at intervals during the flowering period. Gladioli are better to be lifted annually, and it is important to lift them before the foliage dies down, as it is found that they retain more vitality than when left in the ground till the foliage turns yellow. After lifting they should be thoroughly dried off before storing for the winter. In the various strains there arc a great number of handsome forms of surpassing beauty. Those known as Gladioli childsu includes many superb varieties. The colours range through the various shr.des of red, scarlet, verm.illion, blue, etc., with various markings. _ For j general garden decoration this strain its excelled by none. Their robust growth, large spike and bloom, and more vigorous [ growth than any of the others entitles fchero j to a place in every garden where beautiI ful flowers arc appreciated. ' Diseased Plum Foliage.—The leaves forwarded are arreted with the disease known a-3 silver blight. An effective remedy is not yet known. When once a tree is attacked it. will always afterwards be susceptible to the disease until the tree ulti--1 ro.it.?! v dies. Jf the tree is a young one j the test plan is to root it up and burn it. Should the tree be a huge one and only small portions affected the healthy J part br.ring good 1 crops, then it, might be i advisable to spare them for a few years, cutting only the affected parts away. FRUIT FKOSPIiCTS. ! The following has been handed to us from the Director of Orchards. Gardens, and ! Apiaries in regard to the effect of the re- : cent storms on the fruit crops of New ! Zealand. Auckland North. —No serious damage j done.

Auckland South.—Crop not seriously ' t affected. s Hawke's Bay and Wellington East.—Crop I not materially affected; prospects excel- t lent, both for quartity and quality. j | Wellington West and Taranaki.—Con- i siderablc damage done by wind. j 'j Wanganui.—Only slight damage done. j Nelson.—Early fruit suffered slightly;. main crop of apples and pears not damaged i . to any extent. I : Marlborough.—No serious damage done. | ■ Canterbury and Westland.— Very slighU ' damage done. ! Otago and Southland.—Fruit not injuriously affected; fruit smaller and ripening , < earlier than usual. I