GARDEN & ORCHARD.

Otago Witness, Issue 3384, 22 January 1919, Page 9

GARDEN & ORCHARD.

Bl D. Tannock

WORK FOR THE WEEK,

THE GREENHOUSE, FRAMES, AND NURSERY. The last of the pelargoniums will now be ready to place outside to ripen off their stems in preparation for putting in cuttings. Put them in a open, sunny position, and, as the.-weather is showery, turn the pots on their sides to keep the roots dry, and thereby prevent fresh growth. Cyclamens raised from seed last autumn, and now growing in boxes, will be ready to pot up into their flowering pots, which will be five or six Jnch size, according to the strength of the plants. The soil mixture should be light and rough, and composed of good ,turfy loam two parts, well decayed manure one part (dry cow droppings rubbed through a half-inch sieve will do), leaf- ' mould one part, clean sand one part,, and a sprinkling of powdered charcoal and bone meal at the rate of a six-inch potful of each to a barrow load of the soil mixture. Don't pot too firmly, and keep the young corm on the surface of the soil; stand on a bed of ashes in a frame or on the greenhouse bench, water very carefully at first, and sprinkle both morning and .evening on bright, sunny days. They are liable to 'attacks of mite and thrips, which cause the leaves to curl round the margins > and to "become very brittle. Spray with nieoticide, or X.L. All wash, taking care to wet the "under sides of the leaves. ' Seedlings raised in the spring will hardly be strong enough to flower this season; they can bo potted up now, the small ones 'into three-inch pots and the stronger ones into fours. Use the same soil mixture as already recommended, and give the same 'treatment.. " Old corms which were placed outside to ripen off have not done so to the same extent as usual this season, owing to the cold, moist weather; they can be taken out of the pots now, the old soil shaken out, and repotted in clean pots, the large ones being put into seven-inch size, .and the smaller ones into six-inch ones. Use the Small soil mixture as already recommended, and stand them alongside the seedlings. Cinerarias can bo potted up into three and four-fnch pots arid placed outside in a frame. Calceolarias will be ready to prick out into boxes, and the second batch of primulas can also be pricked out as soon as they are large enough to handle. Continue to pot up seedling tuberous begonias to provide plants for autumn flowering; stake out those which are growing strong, and pinch off the side buds ■of the double varieties to send all the

energy into the central or double flowers. Gloxinias are later this year, no ' doubt also due to the cold weather, for no amount of artificial heat can replace the nattiral heat of the sun. Give liquid manure to .thoseTvhich are developing their buds, and stake up the flowers which have a tendency to droop. , Place seedlings of Canterbury bells, .biennial stock's, double daisies, and forget-me-nots, which have been pricked out into -boxes, out into the- frames, and remove the sashes except during very wet, cold weather. Seedling sweet Williams will now be well "established in. their boxes and will be ready "to plant out in the borders, or, if no room is available, they can be lined out in nursery rows and planted out in their flowering positions in the autumn. They, require, to -grow into good plants with nlenty of strong shoots ready to send up flowering stems next season; and the place where they are to be planted in that is not. already rich should receive a good dressing of welldecayed stable manure, which should not be dug in„too deeply. Plant the seedlings in rows 12in apart, and allow from 9in to 12in between the plants in the rows; water at once to settle the soil among the roots, and keep the soil between the plants hoed and stirred to encourage rapid growth. In the autumn they can be lifted with good balls of soil and transplanted without check or injury. Seedling wallflowers can also be transplanted to nursery rows now, where they will grow on until they are ready to plant out in thehV flowering positions in the autumn. The soil for growing the wallflowers, liko that for the sweet williams, must be rich, and contain a lot of organic matter, which will encourage the development of fibrous roots, which will, hold on to the particles of soil when transplanting takes place. It should have been manured and dug some time ago, and a good dressing of lime should be sown on the surface and

worked in during the soil preparation, -which will consist of breaking up the lumps with * the manure drag or fork and making the 6urface level and smooth with the rake. •Lift the seedlings carefully, and line out with the trowel in rows 12in apart, and allow from 9in. to 12in between the plants in the rows; water to settle the soil about the roots, and keep the surface scuffle-hoed and stirred up. Transplanting seedlings is usually rather a difficult operation owing to the dry sunny weather which prevails at this season, but there should be no difficulty this year. • The budding of roses, which has been delayed owing to the unripened state of the bud-wood, can now .be carried out, and narcissi bulbs can still be shifted; but as growth will start very soon this season 'don't delay the operation longer than necessary. ■ THE FLOWER GARDEN. Keep the surface Boil in the beds and borders stirred up with the scuffle hoe .■whenever the weather is at all dry. Pull out weeds which have become too large for the.hoe, and attend to all staking and tying which is necessary." Sweet peas are growing- rather rank, and there is a tendency for the buds to drop off, but this will cease with drier and warmer weather; tie them up loosely to the stakes with flax or soft string. Perennial asters will now require their final stakts, the shoots should have been thinned out to five on each plant, and each stem will require a stake. Place them with a slope outwards, which will allow plenty of room for. the side branches to develop in the oentro of the plants and provide flowers from tho base to the tops of the stakes.

Antirrhinums and asters require the support of a short stake, to prevent them from falling over on their sides and breaking off at th/> neck during windy weather. The -wichurana roses are slow at opening this season, and American Pillar has proved its superiority over all other ramblers for both dry and wet seasons. It is to be seen doing splendidly under all sorts of conditions, and a» ite foliage is blightproof and so bright and glossy it is in ©very way desirable. Mildew is appearing &n the young foliage of the biish roses, ana

spraying will bo required whenever the weather is dry enough.

THE VEGETABLE GARDEN AND OECHAE.D. Potatoes should receive their second spraying a 3 soon as the weather is settled, and lato varieties can receive their final earthing up. So far there is no 6ign of blight, but some of the varieties have had their foliage damaged by the cold winds. Shelter from the cold S.W. winds and good drainage have been most essential for successful potato-growing this season. As the early potatoes are dug to supply the household' the ground Bhould be levelled, drills drawn 2ft apart, and planted up with winter cabbage, broccoli, and savoys. Lettuce, spinach, white turnips, and short horn carrots can still bo sown, but it is how too late to sow beans or peas, except in very warm districts. Celery is growing strongly and is one vegetable which ha3_ not suffered this season. The early varieties will bo ready for earthing up. Pull away all side shoots which may arise round the base of the plants, dust between them with soot or powdered lime to destroy slugs, tie up with brown paper, and, if planted in trenches, fill in about six inches of soil, if on the flat earth up to a depth of six inches. The brown paper is sufficient for blanching, but the soil pressed round the leafstalks keeps them firm and solid. Thin out crops as they require it, and keep the scuffle hoe going among growing crops on every suitable occasion. Spray apples for the codling-grub and leaf-roller with arsenate of lead, and collect and destroy all fallen fruits in which the grubs are to be found. Pinch off the shoots of apples which are attacked by mildew and those of the peaches attacked by leaf-curl, and spray with lime sulphur, summer bordeaux or atomic sulphur. Where woolly aphis appears, paint .the knots with red oil (one part oil to two of water), or kerosene and water at the same strength, and spray the young shoots with kerosene emulsion. Peaches growing against a wall will require some summer pruning, remove the strong sappy shoots which arise in the centre of the tree, and thin out th© other shoots to allow the sun to get in to- ripen the fruit and the wood for next year's crop.

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. "Nothofagus."—No. 1: Nothofagus Menziessi. commonly oalled the silver birch.. No._ 2: Nothofagus apiculata or Blairii (the specimen sent looks very much like Blairii). No. 3: Nothofagus fusca, commonly called the Ted birch, and the best and most ornamental of them all. These trees are commonly called birches, but they are true beeches, though they differ from the English beech in being evergreen and having much smaller leaves.