THE GARDEN.

Te Aroha News, Volume IV, Issue 183, 18 December 1886, Page 5

THE GARDEN.

Kitchen Garden. Every advantage should be taken of whatever wet or moist weather we may now get for planting out any late crops of vegetables, so as to get them well established before the hot, dry January season seta in. I Celery: Themain crop, if notalready planted, | should be put out at once ; give plenty I of water after planting!; earth up, if necess- [ ary, the early planted crops make one or two more trenches for planting the late crop either at the end of this or the beginning of next month. Peas : The usual fortnightly sowing ; earth up those that are advancing in growth, stake the tall-grow-ing varieties ; make another sowing of broad beans for autumn use. Sow a small row of French beans fortnightly, the running varieties about once a week ; earth up and stake as may be required. Leeks : Plant out at once the main crop in deep, rich soil Where largo plants are wanted it is better to make trenches the same as for celery, watering and earthing up in the same manner. Prepare a large break of rich well-manured ground for planting out the crop of broccoli. Bras- j eels sprouts, kale and drumhead cabbage i at the end of this or beginning of next month. The breaks from which the debris of early potatoes, peas, etc., have been cleared off is the best if ready and well manured. Contiuue tho thinning out of all crops of vegetables as soon as they become large enough. Where it is possible to obiain materials, mulch between the rows. Early planted cucumbers, marrows, etc., pinch back and regulate, Tomatoes begin to tie up to the trellis> and pinch back. Give the above occasionally liquid manure, Stir the surface soil frequently between the rows of growing crops. The slugs are still doing damage to young seedling crops. Keep a look out for thena. Flower Garden.

The season is beginning to get hot •• d dry, 80 all planting out should be finis" '1 at once. Constant attention must be given to the pinching and pegging down of bed ding plants so as to get the ground pi operly covered. Pinching will a.Uo give the plants a more bushy habit and increase the number of flowers. If possible, give the beds plenty of water where the soils are light and dry. Mulching with short grass or stable litter will be of greal assistance to the plant. In the mixed borders many of tne strong growing plants will require to be etakt-d and tied up at the same time. Pinch back or cut out all rank or stragley shoots, whJch may be showy ; keeping them as much as possible in their natural shapes, and not allowing them te encroach on the adjacont plants. Shrubs in the pleasure ground and wild also require attention, regulating their growth. Llimbers train and regulate to their different supports. Lift all early flowering ?pring bulbs as they ripen off their foliage, bat not till the haulm is properly ripe, a3 long as it is green it i 3 etill supplying nourishment to the bulb. Roeee : Pick off all iio^erp as they fade, never allow them to ripen seed pods ; still give liquid manure. Thin out late sown annuals, only allowing two or three plants to each patch Frequently stir the surface soil in the borders with a hoe, thus keeping weeds under, also promoting a better growth in the plants. Lawns : keep the grass short and roll frequently. Many oi the different greenhouse pianta will be better of an occasional watering with liquid manure. Some should always be kopt on hand. Take a box or ban el and put a few shovelfuls of new manure, and fill up v. ith water. Stir this up, then let it settle for about 24 hours, then strain off, and it i8 ready for uae. Re-pot such plants as may require more root room. Shade the house during middle of the oay. Syringe all plants not flowering when shutting up the houae in the evening. Destruction of the Aphides. The massacre of the aphides by the allied forces of ladybirds, syrphua larva?, etc, in progress in the State University orchard, has continued vigorously, and will not stop until the laet aphis is wiped out of exietance. We have watched the trees from day to day. On the two trees of yellow gace, where the contest between appetite and fecundity began, there has been a steady diminution of the aphis. We have seen as many as twelve ladybirds at work on the under side of a single leaf They make clean work, either moving abreast aeroßß the leaf or being arranged around the outer edge, and eating towards the cent c. They do not run about and pick up here and there, but go forward elowly, the mies of aphia before them, tho clran surface of the leaf behind. They spare neither sox nor oge but advance, relentteaa as fate. The aggregate force of ladybirds in the orchard has groatly increased 'by accessions on the wing since last week Tho eaters are still the perfect insects (ladybirds), and we can fully approve the remark made by Mr Klep in his recent bulletin on tho woolly aphis concerning the appetite of the periecfc insect being generally underestimated. Most of the plum trees have now become covered with them, searching high and low for aphis colonies. Other explorers went into crab-apple trees adjoining and found, in two trees of transcendent crab, colonies of woolly aphis looking almost like patches of cotton. Along some of this year's wood the cotton was massed ah the base of every leaf stem, and tho trees were a sorry sight. Within four days after the ladybirds took a good hold on the woolly aphis, thore was not a vestige of them remaining except here and there on the leaves where individuals had escaped the jaws of the beetles and fallen from the clusters. Thero fa no doubt that enough ladybirds will make perfect work on the woolly aphis on the branchee. The question now seems to be, where will the larval descendants of this vast army of ladybirds find feed ? The present generation birds fail to exhaust the supply of aphis. The larvae soon to appear will not have wings ; they cannot go iv search of food.

What they may do may be imagined from the behaviour of some which we hatched out in confinement ; the first from the eggs were dining upon their belated brothers. Lack of food thus brings in starvation, and its attendant cannibalism, and thus the ladybirds which are legion in on© generation may be few in the succeeding one. We shall watch the matter farther. — "Rural Press.'"