WORK FOR THE WEEK

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLVIII, Issue 21575, 10 February 1940, Page 5

WORK FOR THE WEEK

FLOWER GARDEN Dahlias new require a certain amount of attention. The large flowering sorts require thinning, tieing and manuring while the smaller growing varieties require the seed heads removed and occasional applications cf manure. All evergreens which are required to be kept to a desired shape may be pruned now. The first flush cf growth is over and this allows time for a certain amount of young growth to appear before the winter. Hedges may also be pruned. As soon as Gladioli flowers are past their best the flower stems should be removed, at the same time allowing as many leaves as possible to ripen and feed the young corm. Spring flowering bulbs such as daffodils, hyacinths, crocuses, snowdrops, snowflakes, scillas and choinadoxas may now be planted where they are to flower. It is always better to risk planting too deeply rather than to plant too near the surface. Continue to layer carnations. The best results are obtained from two or three year old plants. After the third year the plants become straggly and should be discarded. KITCHEN GARDEN Keep all the side shoots removed from tomatoes because undue development of these is made at the expense of the fruit. Pinch out the growing tips beyond the fifth or sixth bunch of fruit. Water and manure freely. Next season’s crops of asparagus depends on the growth made during the summer. The plants will respond to occasional soakings in dry weather. Keep the soil of the onion bed in a loose condition and free from weeds. No fertiliser should be applied to autumn sown crops after this time of year because they will prejudicially effect the ripening of the bulbs. Late sown crops of beet, carrots, etc., intended for winter use should be thinned without delay. Sowings of salad crops may still be put in. Those who intend saving their own potato seed should select them from stools giving the best proportion of table-size tubers. Select tubers about the size of a hen’s egg .leave them in the sun for a few days until they become green, then store away in shallow boxes in a cool airy shed where they will be protected from rain.