WORK FOR THE WEEK.

Otago Witness, Issue 3488, 18 January 1921, Page 7

WORK FOR THE WEEK.

THE GREENHOUSE AND NURSERY. Continue to pot up primula malacoides and cinerarias; water the chrysanthemums carefully, and spray them twice a day during warm, sunny weather. They are growing rapidly now, and will soon have to be staked and stood out in their summer quarters. It is necessary to provide a stake for each stem, and neat bamboos are the most suitable. Tie out the shoots gradually, for they are easily broken, and fix up one or two wires for each row of plants, and tie the stakes to them to prevent the wind from blowing the plants over. In vineries where the grapes are colouring' give plenty of ventilation during the day, and a little top air can be left on all night when there is an absence of cold ; winds. Should mildew appear it is a sign of faulty ventilation, but as it is merely a surface blight it is not hard to control by i dusting the affected parts with flowers of sulphur or painting the hot-water pipes with j it. The weather conditions are also suitable for tomatoes, and growth should be rapid, Keep all the side shoots pinched out and the main stems tied up to their supports; water well when watering is necessary, and give a little liquid manure to the more advanced plants. THE FLOWER GARDEN. Continue to 6cuffle all beds and borders, to cut over herbaceous plants, such as Oriental poppies and delphiniums, as they go out of flower. Some growers recommend cutting them hard back to the ground to get an autumn crop of flowers, but it is very hard on the plants to cut their leaves off, and it is much better to cut off the flower heads and allow the leaves to ripen and form strong crowns for next year, j Michaelmas daisies can be staked out now. j For to get flower stems covered with flowers right up it is necessary to stake out each stem by itself. If they were thinned out as advised there will be five stems on each plant, and to give the side growths room to develop the stakes should slope outwards. If they are growing on very light land it will be necessary to give a good watering occasionally during the present dry, hot weather, anti a mulching with well-rotted stable or cow manure would be an advantage. Growth is not nearly so rapid or so soft during dry weather, and we will be able to avoid a considerable amount of staking and tiemg this season. Rambler roses are coming on rapidly, and they wi 11 soon be at their best, keep the young growths thinned out, and those which are required for next year’s display tied in to the supports. American Pillar has again demonstrated its usefulness, and it is making a splendid show either on low rustic fences, pillars, or over arches. Keep the bush roses picked over if time is available, and the second crop can be disbudded in the same way as the early or main crop. The rata Metrosideros lncida, usually called the southern rata to distinguish it from the northern kind, is flowering just now, and is quite ornamental where it grows freely and flowers well. As a rule it is about 10 years old before it commences to bloom, but it is an ornamental plant all the time, its bright, shining myrtle-like leaves are nice, and the young, red shoots which it produces in early spring are almost as bright a« the flowers. In the early stages it is quite symmetrical, but later on it becomes bare below and somewhat scraggy, but we seldom find scraggy trees in cultivation. The rata is easily transplanted when quite large, and young plants can be shifted during the summer provided the roots are wrapped in damp moss or damp papers and they are put in a cool, shady, moist position until the autumn. It can be grown from cuttings, but this is a slow process at first, and seldom adopted. The pohutukawa (Metrosideros tomentosa) js said to be one of the most magnificent of native plants, but I always consider Metrosideros lucida the better of the two, at least it is the best when the two are growing side by side in the garden. The pohutukawa thrives splendidly in Dunedin, and grows much faster than the southern rata, but it. j is liable to be tipped by late frosts in late ! seasons. The red manuka (Leptospermum Nicoliii) ; s a splendid plant, quite hardy under any con- j ditions, and not at all particular as to soil. It will shift when quite large, and as it is found on the hills near Queenstown, if any- i one should locate a plant they can dig it up and transplant it with safety, provided ordinary precautions are taken. Leptospermum Chapmanii, the pink flowering manuka, was found on the hills near Dunedin, and it is quite possible that others quite as good are to be had for the collecting. It also shifts easily, and is a good garden plant. There is a double w’hite variety growing on the hills near Dunedin, and if it was introduced into cultivation ■would be desirable. The pink manuka does not come from seed, but the red one does, and quite a small proportion of the plants come true with a large proportion of variations. The pink broom (TTothospartium Onrmichtelise) is a particularly good plant for a rock garden or a drv bank. It has drooping, rush-like stems with scarcely any leaves and the flowers, which are a purplish-pink tint, are borne in clusters, so that a plant in full bloom is a very graceful specimen. It was illustrated in a recent number of the Gardener’s Chronicle, w 1 1 ere it was stated that it received a first class certificate from the Royal Horticultural Society in 1883, also that it thrived in the southern and western counties, but was sometimes killed by the frost near London. The native veronicas are also very satisfactory for summer flowering, the best being Speciosa, Andersoni. and Andersoni voriegata, Lewisii and Rosea, There aro several seneeios and olearias in flower at present, too, but I will have to reserve them for next week’s notes. THE VEGETABLE GARDEN. Continue to cultivate among the growing crops in the vegetable garden, to earth up the cabbage and broccoli as they grow, and to give applications of liquid manure to those which require it. It is almost too dry to do any planting out at the present time, and conditions should be better Ly the end of the month. Don’t miss the cl ance of transplanting whenever we get a shower and if the plants me t '>■■■. put out during dry weather first puddle them with a mixture of cow dung and clay mixed -with water to form a paste, and water well with a watering can (not the hose) after planting.

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. “A H.” —Though I mentioned that celery can be bleached by putting Sin drain pipes over the heads when they are almost fully grown, I don’t recommend it. There is nothing better than soil, with brown paper tied round the plants to keep the leaf stalks clean. “J. 8.,” St. Clair. —The specimen of tomato forwarded is certainly excellent though not bv any means seedless, but this is no disadvantage. They can be grown quite readily from cuttings, and you have demonstrated that they will fruit early when propagated in this way. “Blight,” Allanton. —Spray your onions and shallots for mildew with Bordeaux mixture (summer formula), same as used for the potatoes, or with sulphide of potassium loz dissolved in three gallons of water. Dig the ground up rough for the winter, and give it a" dressing of lime in the early spring. .“W. F.,” Invercargill.—You could handpick your Escallonia hedge to destroy the leaf-rolling caterpillar, or you can spray with some poisonous substance, such as arsenate of lead or hellebore. Swift’s arsenate of lead is a very reliable preparation. Use ljlb to 50 gallons of water, or a, proportion of these quantities suitable for your requirements. (live several sprayings, and see that all the foliage is coated with it. Hellebore powder is a safer poison than arsenate of lead to use in a public place. The powder is made into a paste with water and allowed to soak for two or three hours before using.