HORTICULTURAL NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2993, 26 July 1911, Page 12

HORTICULTURAL NOTES.

Br J. Gebbie.

TREATMENT OF VINE BORDERS. I A vino border, especially an outside one, should he dressed every winter to a depth of from bin to 12in, and (good turfy loam should constitute the main part of the compost. The more fibrous the loam is the more adapted it is for supplying vegetable nourishment, the surface of old pasture land that has not been under cultivation for some time, and half-decayed sods, being most suitable. - Unless the composition of the border is of a fibrous nature it soon acquires that sour, deadened condition detri- ; mental to the food supply of plants. Vine i roots are very impatient in stagnant or 1 inactive soils, but if of a fibrous nature it will retain that porosity so necessary for soil which is likely to be undisturbed for years. The soil should be left in rather a .rough state, and not chopped too fine. On no account should the soil be sifted, which is a mistake sometimes resorted to. There are numerous manures recommended for vine borders, but I think only a few are suitable. My idea of a fertiliser is that it should have lasting qualities, as well as causing a vigorous growth. Some fertilisers create a vigorous growth for a year or two and then become useless. Of animal ! manures, that of the horse is the best; but it ought to be mixed with the soil in a i half-decomposed state, for if allowed to decompose entirely too much ammonia escapes, this being the most important component of the manure. The more ammonia that pervades the soil the more beneficial the results in procuring strong, healthy vines and foliage. Cow manure does not contain so much ammonia as that of the horse, and is not of so warm a nature.. When mixed with horse manure and well fermented it becomes highly serviceable. Bon© manure is one of the most useful kinds for vine borders. If crushed into dust the effect is immediate, but not so lasting as if broken into lin pieces. Bones supply vigorous growth to the vine, and contribute nourishment required for the enlargement of the fruit. .The borders of an amateur’s vinery should be outside, as there are always better chances of the roots receiving a more regular supply of moisture, anJcV the warmth of the sun in summer. Inside borders can only be .properly managed by a skilled gardener, as many difficulties arise during the season of growth and fruiting, j STUNTED SHRUBS. 1 Stunted trees and shrubs are frequently seen in gardens, and nothing will induce them to grow satisfactorily, end in this state their full beauty and effect cannot be displayed, and a starved or stunted fruit tree never produces fruit of good quality. In many cases this is the result of errors of judgment in planting. In the case of large trees being removed from a sheltered position to cm that is exposed the chances are that they will take a long time to recover, however carefully they have been transplanted. Large trees are often wantd for immediate effect, and if carefully transplanted from exposed to sheltered spots, and from poor ground to good soil, they may do all right. If instead of studying for immediate effect younger trees and shrubs were planted, those having previously been prepared for transplanting, -and the ground well prepared for their reception, young trees of most kinds, would grow so rapidly that in a few years they will quite shut in a dace if required, or else create a good effect in the landscape and outstrip the older transplanted trees in every way. Another mistake is planting too deeply. The tree or shrub ought not to be planted deeper than it formerly stood in the nursery. PREPARE FOR CROPPING. Much may he acoonidished during the winter months by a little timely consideration, and oven now is not too late to think out. what croos are to bo grown, and the position in which they are to be sown or planted. In soils which have boon heavily manured during several years it is often advantageous to give a sprinkling of lime before levelling the soil down. Some recommend superphosphate, but this does not always result in the same effect. Where | celery has boon grown will bo a good place i for carrots, turnips, or onions, and that ' occupied with parsnips would do for early j potatoes or cabbage, and on sheltered , borders peas for the earliest crop may bo sown. A patch of ground may be got 1 ready for radishes and lettuce in a sheltered spot. It is a mistake to put these seeds in loose soil. The top should be firm,

and they will come through much more quickly and with greater satisfaction. REGRAFTING OLD FRUIT TREES. Almost every cultivator of fruits has at one time or another experienced disappointment in finding, when his trees arrive at a bearing state, that many of them turn out to be very different from what he expected. It is a mortifying proceeding to nave to root them out and to plant others which take so much more time to grow into fruit-bearing size. The best plan in such cases is to head down the rejected trees .and to graft upon their branches or stems scions of the desired sorts. The trees to be operated upon should be out down, to the desired height at once, and the scions procured and stuck in the soil to keep them fresh until the grafting season arrives. About the beginning of September is a .good time to insert the grafts. The sap is then in motion in the stock and dormant in the scion. Both are then in a proper condition for an effective union to take place. It is most important that the scion should be some weeks behind the stock; that is why the scions should be cut off the parent tree now so as to check the buds from getting too forward. Grafting is a delightful art to those who can do it well, and the pleasure of many a garden is much increased by the fact that most of the trees have been grafted by the owner. WATER-LOGGED PLANTS.

Pot and house plants during the winter months, unless supplied with ample drainage, soon become water-logged, with the result that the soil becomes sour and the plants cease to thrive. Some soil will never become sweet in winter time. The drainage must be attended to, and, if defective, mended, the plants being returned into the same pote. At this time of the year a plant may not need water for weeks; then the opposite extreme of dryness must be guarded against. If a pot feels springy and light for its size it will probably be found that the ball of soil has become so dry that no water can. pass through it. This is the cause of so many plants going off during winter. Heaths, azaleas, and such like plants should never be allowed to re:ach such a state of dryness. The only remedy for such parched balls is to set them in a tub of water and allow them to remain in this bath for a few hours. Car© should be taken never to allow the plants to become too dry nor too wet. GARDEN ROSES.

In the desire to possess exhibition roses of new colours roscrians forget varieties more suitable for the usual run of amateurs who have not the space for snowing large collections. What the amateur requires is roses of free and hardly growth, brilliancy of colour, profusion and frequency of blcom ; these are first considerations. Though many of the exhibition varieties combine these qualities, they are the exception and not the rule. Amongst the hybrids of more than one section and the noisettes are to be found the most suitable roses for the amateur’s garden of limited extent. ' The perpetual flowering sorts, which afford the luxury of a fragrant bouquet at a season when );oses are generally scarce, are to be desired.