WORK FOR THE WEEK.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6072, 8 January 1898, Page 2

WORK FOR THE WEEK.

TO GARDENERS. Kitchen Garden. — Promptly make last sowings of peas for the, season. Sow the early varieties, such as American Wonder and . similar kinds, that grow fast and mature quickly. Cabbages should be sown in quantity some time this month ; in fact, the sowing made this month is one of great importance, and, if good varieties are selected, may be made to suffice for the whole year. The seed bed should be carefully prepared, any available burnt earth or rubbish that has been charred in a smouldering fire, or any such substances, should be dug in. Sow the seed very thin • if sown thick, the plants will be weak. Endive should be soAvn, and if paisley has not been sown for winter use, there is no time to lose. If a few short rows of beans are. planted in some sheltered place, they may give a good supply if frosts do not come too soon. Turnips should . be sown for winter use ; Snowball and White Stone are two of the best kinds. Lettuce for winter and spring use should be sown during this month ; select the hardy varieties, such as All the Year Round, &c. In gardens where large supplies of salad have to be grown, corn salad is a good subject to cultivate.- Sown auy time during this month, it will be ready for use in spring. It is somewhat hardier than lettuce, and should the winter be severe the corn salad (or Lamb's lettuce, as it is commonly called) is very valuable in spring. Any good soil will do for this plant, but an open, dry situation is the best. Sow in drills six inches apart, and thin the plants to six inches in the rows. Early celery is growing fast, the plants having benefited by the rain ; should any not be growing well, see that they do not want moisture — give a good watering with either soot or guano water. A little fertiliser pufc over the roots and watered in will act as a good stimulant. Keep the plants clear from weeds, and get the main crop planted out as soon as the weather permits. As the crops of early and second early vegetables are cleared off, the ground should be used for planting main crop and late broccoli. The soil will need no other preparation than hoeing and the few weeds cleared. Broccoli make better growth in firm ground than in soil that has been freshly dug. The growth will not be so luxuriant, but the stem and leaves will be harder and better able to stand the winter. Take the points from the growths of vegetable marrows to induce the plants, to swell the fruit. Flower Garden. — Most plants are growing well since the late rains — not only flowers but weeds, and the latter must be checked at once or the beds and borders will soon be overrun. The herbaceous border will need a lot of attention now ; many plants need staking and tying. Dahiias must be staked and regularly tied, or the wind will spoil them. These should be mulched with good manure to ensure good blooms. Pyrethruins are going out of bloom ; remove all old flower heads and give a good watering with manure water, and they will soon furnish another batch of blooms. The same attention should be paid to all herbaceous plants — the old flower spikes and heads taken away. Carnations need assistance during dry weather by being regularly watered. Roses need a lot of attention just now. All old blooms should be cut away to make room for fresh growth and blooms. In some gardens mildew has made its unwelcomb appearance ; this should be destroyed at once by thoroughly spraying the trees with an emulsion of sulphur, or some other mildew specific. Shrubbery. — This is a good time to i overhaul the shrubberies and mark those bushes that should be cut down in the ; winter. In most gardens the trees and shrubs have been planted much too thick, and as they grow bigger they crowd into each other and present a jumbled masa of greenery. In many gardens it is impossible to see the true form of one quarter of the trees and shrubs, and many '. of the flowering shrub 3 are not able to dis- . play their beauty. The reason why the [ trees and shrubs should be examined and I marked now is because in the winter, - when the pruning has to be done, , the deciduous trees and shrubs have , lost their leaves, and do not appear . as dense as they do now ; hence the ; pruning is only half done, and the next j season the shrubberies are just as crowded as ever. If each is examined now and duly marked, it is a simple act to cut all away ; in the winter that is not wanted. Each tree and shrub should stand just clear . from that growing next to it, to enable one to see its character and habit ' Greenhouse. — Cool Orchids — Few I orchids are as easy to cultivate as Cypril pedum insigni. In England this plant is . grown in thousands, to supply blooms for market, and growers say it is one of the i best paying plants for that purpose. All I through the summer months it will t grow in any cold framo or pit just 3 shaded from the hot sun and protected - from the heavy rains., During the winter it requires a house where the temperature - is kopt just above 40deg, and good results - are obtained. This is also a good .window t plant j the foliage is pretty, even when the I bloom is past, and plants that have been - grown in a window for years have been T known to produce thirty to forty blooms. - A mixture of sphagnum moss, turfy loam > and a few pieces of broken crockery will ■> grow the plant to perfection. Plenty of i water and air are necessary. Pelargoniums 1 going out of bloom should lie placed in a sunny position, to thoroughly harden the shoots beforo they' are cut down; the E riper the wood is the better the plants p will break into w . fresh growth affcer I they aro cut down. Cinerarias, calceolarias i and primulas must receive constant attention now, to nrepare good plants for the 3 winter. Do nofc lefc these plants want r either for pit room or for water during the j next two months; if they do they will l bloom prematurely and not half so I well as they should. Zonales and r other, plants that are to provide a supply of bloom during the winter months i should receive constant attention now, to ■> obtain plenty of good ripe wood and to get j the pots well filled with roots. Azaleas i and camellias should receive a good water- ;, ing twice a week with manure water. - Syringe the azaleas twice each day, but it is better not to syringe camellias after this t date. . V - ■*'"•■• '•■'-'■ ' : ; ;: - A