The Garden.

Te Aroha News, Volume IV, Issue 204, 21 May 1887, Page 1 (Supplement)

The Garden.

Fruit. With the exception of a very few apples and pears, fruit will now all be harvested, therefore the fruit should all be put in proper order in the building set apart for keeping it. The fruit should all be laid out as thinly as space will allow : it will then be easily examined with the view of reraoring decayed fruit, and any that are ripening can at- once be seen and removed for uso. All the different varieties should 1)0 kept neatly labelled. The room should be kept scrupulously clean and airy ; this latter requisite is especially necessary till the fruit has undergone the sweating which alwayt occurs during the first two or three weekf after housing, Any extra fine specimens that it i« desired to keep for a long period should, when perfectly dry, be wrapped up sejjarately in tissue paper, and bo placed 'in nearly air-tight boxes or drawer*.

Dwarf Nasturtiums. The abo\ o hardy little annual, if sown now, will germinate in a week or bo, and in a few moitihs will give an abundance of different colours if mixed seed is used. The dwarf varieties only occupy about eighteen inches in diameter, and grow 1 about a foot in height. Last winter I had them in flower "all the winter and early spring, from seed self -sown from plants grown the preceding season. This season they are coming up in[ thousands, and all I do when digging and manuring the borders is to lift a small patch of heedlings and transplant to another place, digging down what is not wanted. It is ! better to procure a fresh lot of seed from the seedsman every spring, as 1 find that j the quality and variety deterioiates after being in the Kime situation more than one season. Where a really good variety is obtained it can be easily kept up to the mark and increased from cuttings. These, do not deteriorate ho much, and will make more prolific flowering plants than those raised from seed. The best time to sow seed is during the autumn and early spring.

Everlasting Flower?. It is some years since I first grew everlasting flowers, ami never to greater fcutisfaction than (luring the late summer, though the weather then was much against growing any kind of flowers in the open border, being so hot and diy. The kind that I have been most successful with is helichrydums mixed. They commenced flowering with me early in December, gave a constant supply all the summer months, and are still giving a good supply. I sowed the seeds in pots the latter part of last August, in a coM hou.-e, and kept them there till the plant had attained a height of about 3 inches; then planted them out in the open, where they soon made a splendid show. During the dry weather they were watered once a week. For border plants, and with good care, nothing will surpass them. The flowers were both single and double; colours, silvery white, pale golden, bright golden with deep red edging, and maroon. The above flowers not only look well in the flower garden, but keep for months in vases in the house if out while in a dry state and just before they open properly. They will open a little more while drying. Every person who likes cut flowers for decorating should grow a number of these plants every season.

Renovating Tennis Lawns. Every season, tennis lawns get cut up by the players, and at the same time the foil gets exhausted. To keep them in good order from year to year, it is necessary to be kind to them every autumn. The best way to treat them is to get the grass cut now and spread about lewt. of fine bones. Then get a few loads of the very best and richest soil, spreading it regularly over the surface, and working it well in about the root* of the grass. Give a good spi'inkling of shell lime ; rake over again, and sow grass seod. Rake in ; then rollheavily. The above should be done as early this month as possiblo, so as to get the work done before the heavy cold wet rains of winter set in, also giving the lawn a much better chance to be in good order for next year. Lawns that have been allowed to get into a very bad state should have the bad parts properly cut out, and turf laid on these before the top-dressing is done. Where the grass has been killed out by last season's play it would be almost impossible to get grass from seed to stand next year's play. It would be killed out early in the season. The best and cheapest way is to turf, then top-dress. Unless lawns are properly attended to every autumn, it is impossible to expect them to be in good order during the summer months.