GARDEN & ORCHARD.

Otago Witness, Issue 3510, 21 June 1921, Page 9

GARDEN & ORCHARD.

BY

D. Tannock.

WORK FOR THE WEEK. THE GREEXHOI7SE AXD NTJBSEHT. Cnryaantheinums arc quite hardy plants, ojid it is an advantage to grow them steadily and slowly, as near as possible in the open air, from the time that the cuttings are rooted until the buds show colour. It is too cold, however, at this season to root them without some artificial heat, either in a propagating house or in a frame placed on top of a mild hot bed. They would root in time if put in a cold frame, but it is not desirable to keep them hung on in a state of suspended animation. 'liie best cuttings are made from the young shoots which spring up round the old stems; but seme varieties fail to develop these desirable shoots, and those which form on the eld stem have to be taken. d here are several methods suggested for rooting cuttings, but they all depend on the rapid development of callus to Leal up the cut end of the stem and the forma* tion of roots to enable the shoots to replace the moisture which is lost through evaporation. A little heat stimulates the action of rhe living matter in the cutting, and thus hastens liie development of callus and roots; and the moist, shady conditions 111 which the cuttings are placed prevent less of moisture by evaporation, with the consequent wilting, until the healing and rooting process has taken place. When a propagating house is available the cuttings can be plunged in a bed of ashes or sand, shaded with sheets of paper during stormy weal her and sprayed overhead from time to time. When rooted in a frame care has to be taken to prevent the temperature from becoming too high, and air should be given on every possible occasion. The soil mixture is leafmould loam and sowed in equal proportions, the 4 cps of the pots being covered with clean sand. The cuttings are usually from two to three inches long. The stem is cut across just below- a node or joint and the haves removed from the piece of stem which is put into the soil. As growth will now be commencing in the propagating houses, a stand can be made to put up the budding geraniums into three or four-inch pots, or to box them in pieces of turf. Sweet peas can be sown now. Tomatoes can also be sown to provide plants for early houses, and leeks and onions can be sown to provide specimens for exhibition purperes. Seeds of antirrhinums, pentstemons—violas and pansies can be sown now. These plants are quite hardy and are seldom damaged by frosts if they are properly hardened off lx fore being planted out, and by getting them on early before the rush of annuals comes on, congestion in the propagating houses is avoided. W’e have often good warm dry weather in early spring, and if space in the beds and borders is available they can bo put out before the cold wet weather sets in in the Fate spring and early summer. They are then well established when the warm weather comes along and soon reach the flowering stage. THE FLOWER GARDEX. The pruning of trees and shrubs can be carried out during frosty weather when tile soil is bard and clean, and as I have so often described this process as applied to shrubs in detail I need only mention a few of the controlling factors now. In tho first place shrubs grown for their foliage, either variegated or otherwise, are pruned to some definite shape, and without making them too foimal a certain equal development all round has to be maintained : and all branches which show signs of i evert- j ing ba-'k to the green stab have to be cut ; out. Flowe ring shrubs have to be treated i carefully, and it is really better to prune a few hard every year, leaving the others to make considerable growth. Those which flower on young wood are pruned lightly, merely thinned out ; those which flower on the old wood are cut hard back like apple trees as soon as they have occupied their full space. The pruning of deciduous trees ! is an important operation often neglected j or left over if there is pressure of work. ; In tho first place, deciduous trees should ! have a definite clear stem rising from the ■ ground lo a sufficie.:; height. To allow people to walk under them, or to allow plenty of head room for traliic. when planted in a i street or avenue. There should also be a de idc .! leading sin ot, and all side .-hoots which try to usurp its position can be shortened bark. Branches which cross one another and rub are cut out. Snags and dead branches are also cut hard back to the stem, and as regular a head as possible obtained. lo prevent decay spreading to the stem where a branch has been cut off, the cut surface should be smoothed and painted o-.er with tar or paint. The planting of trees and shrubs can he carried out, also digging, trenching, and formation of new beds and borders. When it is desirable to top-dress lawns with new soil it can be put on now. and left to the disintegrating influences of frost and rain to break down all lumps. Later on it can be raked in and rolled in preparation for mowing when growth commences. Basic slug or basi ph pbati at also be given now, and if moss is troublesome an implication of lime would be an advantage THE ORCHARD AXD VEGETABLE GARDEN. The positions where fruit trees are to be" planted can be prepared now. In large orchards it is desirable to have the land ploughed, subsoiled, and drained the .season before planting is to take place. Drainage is most important, even in the dry districts for there must be a circulation of air to maintain healthy roots and fruitful trees, und water comes from below as well as from above, and us the roots must have a reasonable depth of -oil, the water level in the subsoil hae to be kept at least 2ft below the surface. In a small 01 bard rile soil .-hould be dug. trench ed or ii rstart! treut;heti, and drainage provided if neo -s.uy. Agricultural drain pipes arc* • lie irioM suitable, and these should be laid 2ft or 3ft deep, with a gradual full to a suitable outlet. When planting hob -i are dug sufficiently wide to allow tlie ro s to get in easily, say, about 3ft, and about 2ft deep. The turfy or muddy soil is then thrown in and chopped up, forming a mound in the middle of the hole. If tlie soil is poor, some nice turfy ioam mixed with well rotted manure can be added, but itj is not desirable to bring the manure into direct contact with the roots, and this mixture should be put in before planting, and again used for finish. :

ing off the surface of the hole. Clean fine soil which can be worked in among the fibrous root 3 being used for planting in. Well-grown trees should be obtained, and when only a few are needed it is better to order the extra large ones. It pays to plant the best that can be got, for a weak, weedy tree is usually a long time in recovering and is often attacked by blight, when strong, healthy Trees are quite clean. Prune off any damaged roots and place the tree in the middle of the hole, with the worst side next the sun. Throw in some fine soil and shake the tree to work it in among the fine roots, then throw in more soil and tramp it firmly round the sides of the hole at first, and continue adding soil and trumping., it until the hole is filled up. Probably the best all-round variety for planting in and round Dunedin is Hawthornden. It ripens early and is not a keeper, but it can be relied on to fruit heavily every year, and when there is room for only one or two trees it is better to plant a kind which can he relied upon, and good keeping kinds can be obtained from Central Otago for the winter. Other good varieties are Cox’s Orange Pippin. Ballarat Seedling, Munroe’s Seedling, Scarlet Pearmain, Kentish Fillbasket, and Newtown Pippin. The trenching, digging, and manuring of the vegetable plants can be continued, and all beetroot, carrots, parsnips, and other root crops which are in the way can be lifted and stored in dry soil or sand in a cellar or near a path where they are easily got at. Rhubarb intended for forcing can bo lifted and exposed to the weather for a week or so before being potted up or packed in boxes of soil. SPUING FLOtYEBS IN ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. The end of March is too early for the best of the spring flowers, but in the earlier districts daffodils were plentiful, and in London there was evidence of the garden plots returning to their original glory. Plots were planted with daffodils and tulips, but on the whole there was an absence of colour, and the trees and shrubs in ths various squares were very starved and stunted. No doubt the London climate limbs the varieties which are satisfactory to a few' of the commonest kinds, and these are pruned in a very formal manner. In Scotland the spring flowers are later, and only a few daffodils wore out in March, but there wallflowers are used very extensively, and the front garden plots are filled with them—well-grown plants which in a few weeks will render whole districts fragrant and attractive. Trees and shrubs were just bursting into leaf in late March, and a few' of the fruit trees were in flower. ANSWERS TO CORESPONDENTS. “Chrysanthemum.”—'l ho names of the flowers forwarded arc: —No. 1, “Mrs It. Luxford ” ; No. 2, “ Undaunted.” “ Sorrel.” —(1) It would be a difficult matter, without having seen the farmyard or stable manure, to arrive at its approxamate weight, but I should reckon that one cubic yard of fairly wet manure with very little straw in it would, weigh anything from 15cwt to one ton. (2) If you are referring to the spent carbide from acetylene lamps, I have never seen the results from its use, but it is reputed to have been used with the same success as lime. Finely ground carbonate of lime, quick lime, and slaked or agricultural lime are generally used for farming or gardening purposes, ihc lime should be in as line a powder as possible, and distributed over the surface of the soil as evenly as possible at the rate of from 3oz to Boz to the square yard. Quick or shell lime should be tipped in mounds and slaked with water until the mass is in a fine crumbling condition, when it can be easily spread about. Lime can be applied any time now, weather permitting. I do not advise planting immediately after, as in some cases lime lias a tendency to burn the tender young rootlets of plants. (3) It has been found that liming the soil heins to eradicate sorrel. “A. II.”- Yon can remove flower stalks from your flax bushes any time after they have lost any semblance of beauty. About this time of the year, when the stalks are quite dry, they can be easily pulled out, and make good kindling wood. (2) I do not advise using fiesh stable manure. It should be stored and allowed to rot for a time. Rotten stable manure contains a much higher percentage of soluble plant food than does the fresh manure, fine or two barrow-loads will not i be too much for each full-grown fruit tree, provided, of course, that your trees really need it and are not inclined to make too much growth. A good method often | adopted is to mulch around the base of the ( trees after the fruit is properly set. (3) I | do not advise using lane in the soil about ; fruit trees unless it is absolutely needed. Agricultural lime can be nr ■ ured. and is the safest to use. For the quantity to use and time to apply it, see answers to “ Sorrel.” Never apply manure and lime to the soil at the same time. “A. E.”—Without the flower the sprig of the plant forwarded is insufficient as a means of identification, so many plants ligumiuous having similar foliage, but it appears to resemble that of a legume named Sutherlandia frutesoens, which lias red flowers, bladder-like seed pods, and attains a height of from 3ft to sft. FIRE BLIGHT IN AUCKLAND WELLINGTON, June 15. A statement, as to the steps taken by the Department of Agriculture to combat the lire blight disease was made at the annual conference of the New Zealand Fruitgrowers’ Federation to-day by the Minister of Agriculture (the lion. W. Nosworthy). 'J'he Minister said his expert exercised all the oare and all the supervision that was possible with the means ar his disposal to combat the disease, particularly in the Auckland district; but the eradication was ic t easy, for as far as he could gather the most up-to-date method was to cut back the trees, destroy everything taken off, and sterilise the tools used. The department had taken steps to draw a protective belt across the North Auckland Peninsula to check the spread of the disease, and was putting another belt lower down in the Auckland district to prevent the blight from penetrating Hawke's Bay or the southern portion of the North Island. '.there was a deal of opposition on the part of farmers in regard to cutting down the shelter 1 hedges of hawthorn; but his opinion was that so long its there was Law!horn in the country it would be liable to blights. He was going to use every endeavour to induce tho Waikato farmers, to go in for another kind of hedge. AYith the financial position as it was to-day it was a pretty big order to ask farmers to replace their hedges with another kind of fencing. For that

reason he had to be judicious in what lie did. He was doing all that was possible, as far as he knew, to restrict the likelihood of fire blight spreading any further. FRUITGROWERS’ CONFERENCE INCREASED PRODUCTiOR ADVOCATED. WELLINGTON, June 15. Tho C Conference of the fruitgrowers’ Federation was opened by the Hon. W. Nosworthy to-day. The Minister said that tho orchard area planted in the dominion was practically 36,000 acres for commercial purposes, and 15,000 acres for domestic purposes. 'Die orchards tax would be abolished at the end of this year. Up to the end of last year £OB,OOO had been loaned to the fruitgrowers of tho dominion. Ho favoured a central horticultural college rather than the establishment of horticultural experimental farms all over tho country. He advocated combination, and pointed to the lessons set by the dairy farmers in this respect. Mr J. Longton (president) advocated increased production, and referred to the possibility of a return to pre-war prices and wages. In his opinion there was sufficient pip fruit already planted for export and for local markets. It Was estimated that this year’s crop of apples would produce a little under 1,000,C00 bushels. Mention of the serious effects of tho stoppages of work on the waterfront was made by several delegates to the conference. Ono speaker stated that the last hold-up had had a most detrimental effect on the Nelson district and very seriously curtailed the export of fruit from there. “As you know, the whole world is in the melting pot and everyone is in duty bound to do his bit in the readjustment that has to come,” remarked the President (Mr J. Longton) in addressing the annual' confer cnee. “Many of our primary products have fallen in price, and this unfortunately on top of the very high value of land. It is quite possible that we may have to get back to the 1914 standard of prices and wages, and therefore, to make ends meet, every primary producer must sot out to increase his production. The fruitgrowers will have to endeavour to got full crops of first-class fruit through the improved means of pruning, spraying, manuring, etc.” June 17. The Fruitgrowers’ Conference resolved : —• That the Board of_ Trade's attention be drawn to the highly-inflated price of fruit trees. That plants menacing the orchard be placed on the same footing as pests and diseases under the Orchard and Garden Diseases Act. That the Government be requested to make the Small Birds’ Nuisance Act apply to the North Island. That the Government be urged to offer a substantial bonus to any person finding a practical remedy for such pests and diseases as firebiight. pear midge. woolly aphis, black spot, ripe rot. earwigs, etc. That the federation urges upon the Government the necessity of making it compulsory to use standard spraying materials. That the Government be requested to insist that an analysis of all spraying materials sold in New Zealand be placed on each package.