HORTICULTURAL NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3084, 23 April 1913, Page 12

HORTICULTURAL NOTES.

By J. Gebbis. RHODODENDRONS IX POTS. For tne ttecoration ot greenhouses and conservatories, and lor attord.ng a supply of cut blooms during winter and spring, rhododendrons are unequalled. The trusses ot bloom, of various colours, are very beautiful, while the loliage of many of thorn is not to be despised. The wealth of noble leaves sets oft the tiusses oi bloom to good advantage. The cany flowering hybrid varieties are tile most suitable for pot culture. Plants set with flower buds now could bo potted up and placed in a convenient spot until it was desired to introduce them into the greenhouse or conservatory. If they Bower freely one season, tile choicer sons rarely set any flower buds for the next season—that is, with young p ants. Strong, welli established plants which arc placed in a rather cool position during summer and kept regularly watered with an occasional supply of weak I'quid manure will rarely fail to flower well every year on about half their growths. The smaller plants that show no sign of blooming freely next season can be planted! out in good light soil, and here, without any very great increase in the size of the ball, they make fairly good progress, and may be lifted during the second autumn after planting, and potted up. PLANTING WITH DYNAMITE. Throughout the United States experiments have been going on for many years to determine the exact efficiency oi dynamite, and , how it can best bo used tor various agricultural and horticultural purposes. Tne result of these experiments has proved conclusively that dynamite has advantages in fruit culture, but just how great those advantages are cannot be stated until further experiments have demonstrated the most economical methods of using dynamite in the orchard. However, the. following results culled from an American publication lately to hand should bo of interest to progressive horticulturists every-where:--(1) Planting trees with dynamite practically eliminates the loss of young trees during the first year. (2) Trees can bo planted much more rapidly by the dynamite method than by the old system. (3) Trees p’anted with dynamite come into bearing from one to two years sooner than those planted by the usual method. (4) Trees planted by dynamite grow much more rapidly, and yield much more heavily than those planted' in the old way. When trees arc planted in a dynamited hole the ground is thoroughly broken up under the surface coil, making an easy path for the roots so that they can spread out and have a large area from which to draw plant food. As a result of experiments several largo orohardists in America are planting trees with the aid of dynamite. PLANTING TREES FOR THE HOME. There i.s no more genuine pleasure than planting trees for beauty and utility round the home, except the comfort of having them on the place. Every shilling spent on plants, trees, and flowers adds to the value as well as the beauty of the home. Trees planted on the farm increase its value and make life more enjoyable for those who live in the home. Trees make the homo brighter. As the trees grow and develop the owner of the place should feel proud that lie had civic pride enough to plant trees and aesthetic sentiment enough to appreciate them after they were planted. A place without shelter and fruit trees is like a desert —exposed to the sun of summer and the chilling blasts of winter. Therefore plant trees and make the home surroundings beautiful. AUTUMN TINTS I don’t remember when the autumn tints were so bright as they arc Ill's season. The silver poplars are especially bright, the golden shades being very attractive. Horse chestnuts, sumach, purplo-leayrd plum, and many others are very beautiful in their various shades of crimson, brown, and gold, only tiie smaller leaves of secondary growth retaining their freshness. This colouring of the foliage in autumn i.s one of the most striking phenomena of the vegetable kingdom, for it is noticeable that one distinct tone of colour is common to the autumnal leaves of all of the same species. Home of the most conspicuous at this time are the poplars and chestnuts, both golden yellow in colour; mountain ash, various dark shades of colour: sumachs, crimson and gold, very beautiful; purple-leaved plum, various shades of purple. Several varieties of the berboris take on beautiful shades. Scarlet oak. Spiraea prunifolia, and H. thunbergi arc dwarf-growing shrubs with nicely-coloured foliage. The hardy deciduous azaleas and Japanese manlrs are among the brightest of shrubs at this season, and are specially noted for their effective lints and colouring. Several of the Crataegus family (hawthorns) are also noted for their autumnal tbits. The copper and purple beech must not be omitted from this list. They make fine specimens. Euonymoir euro pro ns have nicely-tinted foliage. This, together with its coral-rod berries, makes it a very beautiful object at this season of the year. Beautiful as they are now ’ blended, however, they are contemplated with a feeling all’cd to sadness when we remember that the fall of the loaf is at hand, that it is no longer required, and will shortly return to earth to restore its exhausted powers. Watching the failing leaves, we are irresistibly reminded of the text: “We all do fade as a flower.” ROSES FROM CUTTINGS.

The time has now arrived when the Ion? growths on roses are of no further use on the plants, and as a matter of fact the latter will be benefited by having them shortened back so as to reduce the size of

the head and give' the wind lees power to blow them about. The shoots thus obtained may be turned to a profitable account by converting them into cuttings which may in due time be made into plants. There are two ways of dealing with the cuttings from which a fair proportion of plants may be expected. Place a garden frame on a warm border, and having mixed some sand with the soil, dibble in the cuttings pretty thickly and put the light over them. The soil must be rammed firm between the cuttings, as they root better in a firm soil than in a loose one. Another way is to plant the cuttings in a warm border in the open. The best way of doing this is to cut a niche 4in deep with a spado, then put in some sand an inch thick to receive the base of the cuttings. Lot the rows bo Ift apart and the cuttings 3in asunder in the rows. Press the cuttings firmly into the sand, so that they may have a firm bed upon which to' rest, and then press the earth firmly about thorp with the feet, so as to securely fix them in the soil. In securing the cuttings no attempt should be made to prune the roses, hut on most established plants there will be long shoots which may be advantageously reduced in length. It will do the plants no harm tf these long shcots arc shortened back to within 6in of where thov will have to bo cut back to in spring Thom the hardest of the shoots thus obtained the cuttings may be made, rejecting the soft tops, as they will be sure to die. As nearly as possible the cuttings should bo about’ Bin long. It is not of much importance whether they have leaves on them or not, although if they have two or three leaves above ground, they will be likely to form roots sooner than such as have none. Cuttings put in at this time, whether under glass or in the open, are best to stand one year before being moved, as by that time they will have made a sufficient number of roots to bear removal with safety. Those in frames will need an occasional watering as .spring advances, and the light should be tilted in warm weather to admit air. About the end of November the frame may bo removed altogether, anti ns summer advances many of them will begin to grow vigorously. The strongest may have their tops when they reach a height of 18in. If left to themselves some will flower during the summer, but if strong plants arc wanted they should not be allowed to do so By the time they have been 12 months in the ground, they will be ready for any purpose for which they may he required.