THE GARDEN.

Otago Witness, Issue 3197, 23 June 1915, Page 8

THE GARDEN.

OPERATIONS FOR THE WEEK. VEGETABLE _ GARDEN. Asparagus beds should receive their annual dressing, cutting down the tops close to the soil, and dig the bed over with a fork/ being careful not to dig deep enough to injure tiro crowns. Top dress with a heavy dressing of decayed manure. Old beds would be much benefited with a dressing of coarse salt, at the rate of about 11b to four square yards. In arranging the ground-- to be allotted in the kitchen garden for the various crops, efforts should be made to change the crop upon the separate plots, as the cropping of a given piece of land with the same crop year after year does not give such satisfactory results as when a rotation of crops is followed. Late crops of celery will require hoeing up, but do not bury too much of the loaves, as they are more liable to decay at this time of the year. Keep up the supply of small salads by occasional sowings, which need not be so frequent at this time of the year as in spring and summer, as they remain longer fit for use than in the warmer weather. FLOWER. GARDEN. —Roses should be S’ ted where it is intended to fornr new or to increase the cultivation. Efforts should be made to finish the planting of roses during Juno or early in July, as if deferred later good blooms must not be looked for during next season. After planting, the bushes should remain unpruned for two or three weeks at least to allow them to overcome £hc check of transplanting. Amateurs often err upon this point. It is bettor to defer the pruning much later than is usual to secure active root action after transplanting any plant or tree, as this secures a much bettor break. Where extra good roses are wanted, heavy dressings of manure must be dug into the soil before planting. In selecting a position for a. rote bed, a cite peceerrin- a cla"

subsoil should bo preferred, ns roses delight in a heavy subsoil, all other conditions being favourable, such as depth of soil, heavy manuring, and close pruning - on nil varieties, except, of course, climbers and some of the most robust growers. Bulbs—such ns hyacinths, tulips, anemones, etc. — should bo planted no later than the present date, as they will not now produce such good spikes of flowers as when planted earlier. All kinds of evergreens and deciduous shrubs that have been planted out for a few years require pruning and the growths regulated in order to keep them In a presentable condition, as if loft to their natural growth many soon become far too large for tiro I r places, and others grow one-sided, etc. The present Is a good time to regulator the growth of any such. Pruning should be chiefly relied upon to bring about the desired end. FRUIT GARURN.—There are many of

a.nd therefore have little space to spare for fruit trees. It is of the first importance in such oases that any trees planted should ho of varieties that, can he relied upon to produce satisfactory results. It is wonderful what a quantity of apples may bo grown on two or three Cellinis, Hawthorndens, or similar prolife hearers, and further economy of spaco may ho effected by having these on dwarf stock. Pruning mast

also be gone on with so as to have tha work well in hand. Gooseberries and currants that have boon planted out for many years and have ceased to boar profitable crops., of fruit should be grubbed out and young, healthy bashes as old bushes take up a lot of room and take a Jong time to prune. It is also a more difficult, matter to gather the fruit from such trees, so that it is far better to plant young trees and have a vigorous growth and heavy crop tha'n to waste time and labour upon trees and bushes that are worn out. Raspberry beds should be dressed and cleaned off, all last year’s canes should be cut clean away, and a dozen or 20 of the strongest of this season’s growth should be tied up together on each stand. The fork or spade should be very carefully used among the canes, so as not to cut up the roots, which generally aro quite near to the surface, and are easily injured by the careless use of the spade. GREENHOUSE. —Pelargoniums will require shifting into pots a size larger as soon as the pots'they now occupy are filled with roots. Examine carefully to see that they are not infected with green fly, as if allowed to increase these are more difficult to destroy. They should bo fumigated with tobacco smoko or treated with gishurst of the proper strength. Zonal geraniums which have been blooming late will now need cutting down to within a few eyes of last, season’s growth, and should he kept somewhat drier than usual until they break into growth again. Every plant must be closely looked after now. One may trust a novice to water and syringe in the summer, but judgment and care arc required now. The less potting done now the better. Bulbs, of course, may bo potted in succession, and a few pots of mignonette sown for winter and spring blooming. a Tree carnations are beautiful now. Keep them in a light, dry position, and do not overheat. Shift on late cinerarias, primulas, and calceolarias.