WORK FOR THE WEEK.

Otago Witness, Issue 3403, 4 June 1919, Page 9

WORK FOR THE WEEK.

THE GREENHOUSE AKD NURSERY. The rough wintry weather will cause most gardeners to seek an inside job, and there should be plenty to do wherever there is a tomato house or vinery. Tomatoes will be quite over now; the old plants can be cleared out. If they are grown in boxes or tins these can be emptied out, and if grown in beds the soil can be excavated to a depth of nine inches and wheeled out. Though the old soil is not suitable for growing another crop of tomatoes, it is quite good for other plants, and when mixed with a little more sand and leafmould Will be very useful for rooting cuttings, pricking oft' annuals, and even for potting up greenhouse plants. All , woodwork and glass should be washed dcWn with warm, soapy water and all bripkwork whitewashed. If there are no plants in the house it can be fumigated with sulphur, and the, new soil can then be brought in, mixed up and left in a heap until it is required. It is found that -by sterilising the soil it can be used for several years quite successfully. It i 3 not because it is exhausted chemically that it has to be removed, but because it becomes impregnated with harmful bacteria. By steaming or baking this can be carried out, but unless special appliances are available it is hardly possible to deal with a large quantity. If it is not possible to renew the soil and_ also impossible to steam or bake it, it can be treated chemically with a soil fumigant such as apterite. .Throw up the soilin a loose neap, dusting each layer with the apterite, then cover up the heap with sacks or canvas to keep in the fumes. If the soil is very dry it will be necessary to damp it siisrhtly, as a certain ainount of moisture is necessary to liberate the gases. The early vines will be ready for pruning, but I will deal with the vinery at another time. . THE FLOWER GARDEN.

Continue to clear off the summer flowering plants, and to tidy up the flower garden for 1 the winter, trench new beds and borders, clip hedges, and plant out roses and shrubs as soon as they come to hand. The autumn tints are not quite over yet, and there are still a number of trees and shrubs which bear ornamental berries to maintain the interest and usefulness of the shrubbery. The berries of the thorns, commonly called haws, are very ornamental, and there are two distinct groups, one like the common whitethorn, is deciduous, and another, like the Pyracantha is evergreen. Among the deciduous type we have varieties with bright red berries, the size of ordinary haws, and others with either red or yellow berries as large as marbles. Crattegus Crus-gali, C coccinea, and C. tanacetifolia belong to this type, Qf the evergreen section Crataegus pyracantha is the best known; it bears quantities of bright orange scarlet berries, and as they are bitter at first the birds don't take them. C. pyracantha is more of a shrub than a. tree, and it is often trained against, a wall, where it is very effective. Crataegus orientalis has bright, red berries, and C. Pyracantha crenulota has also bright red berries. The evertrreen thorns make good hedges and windbreaks provided they are not clipped regularly and they are also useful for covering a rocky bank. Most of the cotoneasters have ornamental berries, and these combined with their bright screen foliage make them very desirable shrabs. Cotoneaster huxifolia and C. microphylla are spreaders and suitable for a rocky bank or growing over stone heaps, and the upright growing kinds are C. Simonsii. C. Prancherii, C. frigida. There are two strawberry trees, one with pendulous fruit, and another with upright ones. The common strawberry tree Arbutus unedo, has bright scarlet fruit, and the other one, Corn us capitata, sometimes called Benthamia fragifera, has upright fruits very much larger than the arbutus, and though they begin to rinen in the autumn they often remain on the tree all winter. There are some very ornamental fruited plants among the berberis; the common barberry has fruit which varies from glossy black to coral red, B. Aristata is a strong growing kind, also with glossy black fruits; but the most attractive of all are the newer Chinese species, such as Berberis Wilsonae, and B. virescens. In addition to the three main berry bearing families Crataegus, cotoneaster. and berberis there are several very useful. kinds such as Euonymus Euronaous. Skimmia japoniea, aeuns japonica. Symphoricarpiis racemosus (the snowberrq). Elaegnus longipen, Hippophia rtuimnoides, Pernettya miicronata, Sambucus raeemosa, Ilex Aamfolium (the holly), Daphne Mezcrcon. Viburnum Opulus. and PJosa rugosa. THE VEGETABLE ASTD FBTTIT GAEDEIT.

'During: the wot rough weather, when it Is not possible to -vrork outside, the seed

potatoes can be set up on their ends in proper sprouting boxes, and seeds of various crops can be cloaned and put away in paper packets. Ifc is essential to sprout the eariy varieties of potatoes, but it is also an advantage to box the main crop kinds and to keep'Mncm as cool as possible to prevent prematura sprouting. The leaves aro nearly all off the fruit three now and pruning can be started at any time, but beforo commencing it is advisable to get all the tools sharpened and all appliances gathered together. For the pruning it is necessary to have a nice strong pair r OI secateurs, a sharp knife, and a small fane toothed saw. A light step ladder is necessary to reach the higher branches, and it 18 desirable to have a tar pot ready to paint over large cuts or places where the bark has been rubbed. In the first place it is necessary to determine the shape ot tne tree, and as bush trees are by far the most useful in an ordinary garden, no other land should bo considered. It is easier to shelter dwarf trees, easier to prune anti spray them and the fruit can be picked with comfort. From observation I am convinced that many growers make the mistake of pruning their trees too hard; they leave nothing but a few scraggy old branches, and there is neither shape nor symmetry. It is necessary to let the sun and'air into the centre of the tree but if the bark received neither shade or shelter it becomes scorched and the trees bebecome what is called hide-bound. The branches should rise from a clean stem of from 2ft to 4ft, and radiate outwards with at least to 18in between each; thev should be as near as possible tne same height, and the tree should be evenly balanced to secure an even distribution ot the sap. Apples bear/ their fruit on tne little spurs or arrested branches, which should be found all up the branches, and the main object in all pruning should bd, first of all, to secure their formation, and, secondly, to retain them in a healthy condition. A trea which has been properly pruned from the first is easy to prune. All the young lateral twigs are cut back to about half an inch from the old and the terminal shoot is shortened back _to about six or nine inches, the top bud being one pointing away from the centre of the tree. Trees which have been neglected or never properly formed require more attention. First, all dead and decaying wood should be cut away. It looks bad, forms a shelter for pests, and the oecay may spread to the living tissue. Next cut out all branches which grow in towards the centre of the tree, and all which cross and rub one another, and then shorten back the laterals or side twigs to half an inch, and cut back the terminal snoot to six or nine inches. When a large branch is sawn off the surface should be smoothed with a sharo knife, and then painted oyer with tar or" thick paint. Several varieties require special attention, but most kinds will be quite satisfactory when treated as described. ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. "A. H." —You can shift your freesias into the cold frame, keeping them up near the glass to prevent their becoming drawn. In a week' or two they can be shifted into a heated greenhouse or frame to force them. Place a neat little stake to each plant, and tie them up loosely. "Black" (Dunedin). —The tree in front of the cottage in the Gardens is a copper beech. It could be obtained from local nurserymen or seedsmen. " Inquirer "^fTaieri),— Pinus insignis can be topped now, or at any time during the winter. This tree is such a vigorous grower that there is little danger of killing it at any time. "E. I». D." —If your clematis was layered last March it won't be ready to lift yet. Bluegum seeds should be shaken out of the capsule in among bush or fern, where the seedlings will have protection at first. Rabbits sometimes oat the gum seedlings. Foxgloves look well on the margins of bush, and in rough places. The seeds can be scattered about o'r young plants can be put out to give them a start. Once they begin to seed themselves they soon spread. "P. K." (Kaitangata). Name of apple No. 2, Oox's Orange Pippin; No. 1, not known, probably a seedling. " Fruit " (Milton). —Pear too far gone; apple, Golden Russet.