GARDEN & ORCHARD.

Otago Witness, Issue 3414, 20 August 1919, Page 9

GARDEN & ORCHARD.

Bx D. Tannock.

WORK FOR THE WEEK. THE GREENHOUSE AND NURSERY. The first sowings of half hardy annuals should be up, and they can be placed in the cool house or tho coolest part of ihe warm one to harden them up, and up near the glass, to prevent thorn from becoming drawn and spindly. Tho rest of tho half hardy annuals can be sown now, and the potting or boxing of geraniums can bo continued. Seeds of tuberous and fibrous begonias can be sown now, and as these seeds axe very fine extra care has to be taken with them." They should be sown in pans' about 4in deep or in 6in pots half filled with crocks to secure good drainage. Both the pots and the drainage must be clean. Over the drainage place a layer of rough turfy material to prevent the.fine soil from washing down among the crocks, then fill up to within an inch of the top with soil which has been passed through a sieve and top off with half an inch of soil whioh has been passed through a fine sieve. The soil mixture should consist of good loam one part, leaf-mould one part, and clean sand half a part. Make the surface soil smooth and firm, and then soak the pots in water, leaving them to drain overnight. Open the seed packets very carefully, and dust the seeds evenlv over the surface of the pots; but as they are so small it isn't safe to cover them at all, and a little clean sand is shaken over the pot 3 to keep the seeds in position and afford a very slight covering. Place the pots in the warmest part of the greenhouse, put a sheet of glass over each to keep in the moisture, and shade with brown paper until the seedlings begin to appear. Sowings of celery, tomatoes, cucumbers, and melons can also be made now. THE ELOWER GARDEN. The planting of roses should be finished as soon as possible, and the planting of ornamental tree 3 and shrubs should be completed during the present month. Continue to fork over the bulb heels, to edge beds and borders, and to olean up the garden in preparation for the spring dis- ' Continue to prune roses, and to dig or fork over the beds and borders to make them The herbaceous border should be dug over now, and all plants such as perennial asters, phlox, and montbertias, which become overcrowded, should be lifted, divided up, and replanted. Perennial asters spread at such a rate that they have to be replanted every year but tho perennial phlox and other perennials should not require replanting oftener than every two or threes-years As these perennials are very greedy plants, and thev are of little use unless they are growing well, the portions of the border in which they are grown should receive a liberal dressing of stable manure, which should not be dug in too deeply. When replanting put back a piece of the outside of the old stool (tho shoots are stronger- on tho outside than the middle). THE VEGETABLE GARDEN. It is still too early to commence the sowing and planting of the mam vegetable garden crops, though a few early kinds can be put in if a dry, warm position is available. The pruning of fruit trees and bushes should be completed this month it possible, also the planting of fruit trees and bushes. , , , , The question of manures and plant toods is one which requires careful consideration for it is quite easy to apply a special manure to a crop which won't do it much good, also to apply expensive manures to crops when the soil already contains all of the special materials which the crop will require. The safest and best-of-all manures is stable manure, and when it can be obtained in abundance very little else will be required; but apart altogether from the difficulty of obtaining- it in the spring, when nearly everyone wants it, it is often a laborious process conveying it from the street to tho garden. Some people blame manure for bringing seeds of weeds into the garden; but I am afraid that they are far more liable to arrive in a dust storm, when fairly heavy materials arc often shifted considerable distances. When the soil is heavy the manure should be dug in quite fresh; it will decay in the soil, and the gases which are liberated are said to exercise a considerable influence on the soil particles and the soluble plant food is retained until the plants are ready to take it up. On light, gravelly soils it is better to dig in well -rotted manure, and to put it in just before tho crops are sown or planted; for any soluble materials which are formed beforo tho plants are ready to take them up are liable to be washed away into the subsoil or into tho drains. Not only doe 3 good stable manure (or, perhaps, I would be more correct to say farmyard manure) contain all the materials which the crops require, but the organic matter or humus has also an important mechanical effect on tho soils, binding together loose sands and enabling them to retain moisture, darkening; their colour and enabling them to absorb more sun heat; but it also breaks up heavy clays, _ improving their texture, rendering them easier to cultivate and to drain. Compost heap, leafmould, peat, and turfy loam are all very useful for increasing the vegetable matter or humus in the soil, and for providing a

mild manuro for crops which occupy the soil for a considerable time, and have a long-growing season, such as potatoes and the various root crops. It is now recognised that the meohanioal condition of the eoil—which, in other words, means its state of cultivation—has as important a bearing on the crop as its chemical composition, and that deep and thorough preparation end correct subsequent treatment will save a lot of manuring. As a rule, however, good cultivation and good manuring go together, and it is the lazyman who tries to make up for proper cultivation by sowing quantities of chemical manures. . Chemioal manures are often called artificial manures, and perhaps some are not all that they are claimed to be, but most of them are genuine, and there is no doubt that the best and heaviest crops are obtained by a judicious use of both chemical and farmyard manures. Other useful compound or general manures are bon e dust, guanos, dried blood, and several by-pro-ducts from the freezing works. Bone dust or bone meal has been recognised as a valuable manure for ages, and it is both a convenient and useful one for most if not all the garden crops. Unfortunately it has increased in price during recent years, but it is still good value, and as tho plant food becomes available gradually it has an influence on the crops for more than one season. It can be dusted among the roses and plants in the borders when they are being dug or forked over in the spring, sown on the lawns when they are cut for the first time, sown along with the vegetable seeds, and worked into the potato land when it is being prepared for planting. It is also most useful for mixing with all potting soils. Guanos are valuable both for nitrogen and the phosphates which they contain,_ and Peruvian guano, when it could bo obtained, was suitable for all crops. Most of the guanos on the market are valued for the phosphates which they contain, and they are applied at the same time and in the same way as bone meal. Dried blood contains a larger proportion of nitrogen than either bone meal or ordinary guano, and should be applied when the crops are growing. ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. "Benmore." —Violets do not do well when left in the ground until they are overcrowded, and it is better to replant every year or at the longest every second year. The ground they are to occupy should be dug deeply and well manured; select good, strong runners, remove the 'old leaves and plant a foot apart. The end of November or the beginning of December would do. i used to consider that plants when left for a second year would flower earlier, but this season the young plants are quite as early as the old ones. A. ll.—lt is much better to drain your orchard than to lift the trees and replant them on mounds. Winter rhubarb can be planted now, though it would be better to replant it in the late summer or early autumn before growth commences. Cow manure is excellent for digging or trenching into the rhubarb bed, but stable manure is tho best for top-dressing the newly planted roots. Plant three feet apart each way. "Enquirer."—lf the mangolds are growing in a suitable position they can be left to seed where they are, but probably you want to plough and crop the land, hi which case it is better to lift the roots and replant them in a good, open position in the garden or some odd portion of the paddock. Small birds are not likely to do any damage to the seeds of beet or mangolds. Apple trees can be crown or cleft grafted in the spring, or they can be cut over now, and allowed to break away again, and the young shoots which it is desired to retain can be budded in the early autumn, or they can be saddle-grafted the following spring. Unless your apples are growing well it would be better to dig theni out altogether and replant with new varieties. "Amateur," Ihvercargill.—Crushed lime is the most suitable form to ' apply to your potato plot, and it is better to spread "t over the surface and work it in when preparing the soil for the crop. Wood ashes are an excellent manure for the potato crop, and they can also be worked in at the same time as the lime. Commercial potato manure can be applied at the time of planting, or a dressing of basic phosphate or superphosphate applied. A newlydug lawn should be rich in organic manure and should not require much, if any. farmyard manure. The best kinds for your soil would be Up-to-Date and Arran Chief.