GARDEN NOTES

Taranaki Daily News, 20 September 1924, Page 12

GARDEN NOTES

(B S

"Agricola.")

THE KITCHEN GARDEN iLETTUICE Any good garden soil which has been well manured and deeply dug will produce good lettuce, but if extra large •specimens two pounds' or more in weight are desired, the ground should be loaded with rich manure at one spit deep and the seed put in drills one foot apart. Thinning must be done in good time, and with a bold hand. At no stage of growth should the plants ibe allowed to overlap each other in the 1 slightest way. Water must <be ■given in plenty as necessary, and, in very dry weather, nitrate of soda in liquid form may be applied occasionally with advantage. The use of nitrate of soda is not. necessary, however, if the ground is very rich, for this chemical has great stimulating powers, and harm is likely to result if it is applied to plants that are already making vigorous growth. In any case, it should not be applied more often than once every three weeks and then only in a weak state, a minimum handful to a kerosene tinful of water being a safe quantity of employ. Regular hoeing has a marked effect on the growth of lettuce, and, indeed, operates with greater benefit, in many cases, than liquid stimulants. CELERY. An excellent opportunity fa afforded by th© present mofat condition of the soil to plant out, into trenches, early varieties of celery, sueh as white plume, or golden self blanching. The trenches should be nine to twelve inches deep, and have a liberal quantity of rich old manure dug into the bottom of them, the soil heaped up on the sides coming in for blanching purposes later. Leaf mould and decayed vegetable matter can be used in place of the dung or incorporated with it. If more than one row fa desired, the trenches should be four feet from centre to centre.

The planting out of celery is an operation that requires to be quickly and efficiently done, as the plants should never be allowed to suffer from needless exposure even to the slightest degree. For this reason it is advisable to lift no more plants than can be quickly set out, watered in, and shaded. lOelery for the main crop should be sown now, and in accordance with the recommendations contained in recent notes on the culture of celery from seed.

Many a savoury dfah could be prepared from the thinnings of crops, and other products of the garden that are usually considered of little value. The thinnings from rows of turnips, for example, make an excellent form of spinach if used while the bulbs are small, and before the tops attain to ne&s. The early milan variety is betit for the purpose as the leaves are more tender and possess a better flavour when cooked than the other kinds. Leeks that have remained over winter can be turned to account to supply a delicious vegetable. A-s the flower stems rise pinch them out, and. as a result, small round bulbs will form on the roots. The bulbs can be used in cookery for the same purposes as onions and ahallotj; are required. They also make a most inviting dish when stewed in gravy. The tender inner leaves of cauliflower when cooked and dressed in the same manner as cabbage, make an excellent substitute for that vegetable. The leaves must not, of coui'&e, be taken until the “heads” have been cut. The core of cabbage should never be wasted as this is a very nutritious part of the vegetable. Lettuce seedlings, when about two inches tall, are useful for adding to salads, especially when comp>o«e<l of mustard and either garden or water cress.

It should scarcely be necessary to refer to the usefulness of even very small carrots in the kitchen. Sufficient be it that, as a component of soups, stew’s, etc., they have their value and should not be needlessly wasted.

THE FLOWER GARDEN. , WHAT TO DO NOW. Sow asters in boxes or on a warm, sheltered nursery bed in the open. Hardy annuafa that transplant readily may be sown on temporary beds, but such tilings as larkspur, poppies, Clarkias, and mignonette, which it fa difficult to shift with success, should be raised where intended to bower. Sow Salvias, French and African marigolds for summer and autumn flowering. These can be raised quite easily on a nicely prepared and sheltered bed in the open. SEEDLINGS. Every care will be necessary to prevent seedling plants, especially when in

boxes, etc., from becoming overcrowded. They must not be allowed to overlap or overshade each other, as such close proximity not only enfeebles them, but, when indoors, makee them unfit to profit by the light on their removal to the open air. People shut up in a semi-dark house, and suddenly going out into the sunlight are blinded iby its excessive brightness. In a eimilar way the plant coddled in semi-darknesa is paralysed and checked by the overwhelming stimulus of full, strong light. It fa best, as far as possible, to keep plants always in the light, and to be extremely careful, if it has been otherwise, how 'they are introduced to it again. They should be made to glide quietly and gently into the new condition, and then they will be qualified to take in, assimilate, and exhibit more of the- sun’e force and glory, to the fuller development of their beauty. Plants carefully prepared do not go backwards; they instantly start in the right direction, and speedily fill and adorn their allotted spaces. CARNATIONS FROM SEED. Oar nation- seed may be so'wn now, but it should ‘be understood that, with most varieties, more than twelve months must elapse before the resulting plants will be strong enough to bear blossoms. To ensure of getting good double flowers, the seeds should be purchased from a reliable firm and sown in boxes filled with sweet friable compost, consisting of about three parts o’ turfy loam to one part each of cow manure and leaf mould, with a small addition of sharp sand or road grit. Care must be taken to have the materials, as far as .possible, free from vermin.

Sow the eeed evenly on a nice surface, cover it lightly with finely sifted leaf soil, and shade the boxes with whitened glass to check evaporation. In the absence of a frame stand the boxes in some sheltered and partially shaded nook. Plenty of light and air must be given once the seedlings commence to appear, and, if at all crowded, the surplus plants must be picked out, when large enough to handle, into other boxes containing a com’post similar to that used at the start. On making the transfer, shade should be afforded until the plants are established, and water given when needful. When six or eight leaves have formed the plants will be ready for transference to uie permanent quarters. Carnations that were propagated from cuttings, layerings, or seed last summer and autumn should be planted out as soon as possible. To secure good results with these bright and fragrant subjects, they should be planted in deeply cultivated soil that has been liberally enriched with rotted cow dung and leaf soil or rotted turf, extra nutriment in the form Ji a dressing of bonedust being given to the surface just before planting is commenced. Free drainage and an open situation are also necessary to secure fine blooms.

HEDGE PLANTS.—On making a new garden the first thing to look for fa shelter. Secure well-grown sturdy two to three-year-old hedge plants of Golden Ake Ake (Olearia Forsterii) Escallonia Exoniensfa (small leaved), Escallonia Macrantha (large leaved), Tecoma, Laurel, Abelia, Eieagnus and Lawsoniana. When ordering make sure the plants have been grown in well exposed positions, and that they were transplanted last year. Avoid tall, thin, over-grown plants, which have been close together in a aheltered position and not transplanted, as these will never make a good hedge. Always secure trees from a grower that has a reputation to keep. Catalogue, giving description, and prices, free upon application. DUNCAN <t DAVIES, LTD., Westown, New Plymouth. ’Phone 465.