WORK FOR THE WEEK.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6132, 19 March 1898, Page 2

WORK FOR THE WEEK.

TO GARDENERS. Kitchen Garden. — The practice of moulding up the rows of winter kale, I'.russels sprouts and other members of the Urassica family has much to recommend i% and should be carried oat as soon as possible. Many of our gardens are not very well sheltered from strong winds, and ' often during the winter, when the ground I i.\ wet, the plants are blown over, some broken off and others seriously injured. ]f, however, the rows of plants have been moulded up this will afford good support to the plants. Make preparations for the l.eds of spring cabbage, and forthwith plant out the young seedlings in rows eighteen inches apart, and the plants twelve inches from each other in the rows. A mistake is often made in planting cab}.ages too deeply in the autumn. While i; is correct to plant deeply in the spring arid summer, it is wrong at this season. I'lant the roots as near the surface as is consistent with firmness. In large gardens, vher.e a good number are planted, care should be taken to plant the seedlings so ji ?to secure uniformity in the rows ; those that are biggest should be planted tog other, and tho second and third sizes in 1 10 same way. By observing this method t ViO crops will be ready for use in succession, and the gardener will be able to clear all the plants from one quarter before commencing the other. Some plants, which may be too small to plant out, should not l:o destroyed, but thinned out, and they v.UI come in for filling up any gaps that raay occur in the beds. Turnips and spinach should be thinned as soon s» they are large enough to handle. Potatoes shonld be dried as fast as they are r'po, or they will start into active growth a <*am. Many cauliflowers and savoys are badly infested with blight. Such plants should be cleared off the ground or dug iv at once ; they will do no good, and they w ill soon smell very offensively, as well as present a very untidy appearance. All weeds 3hou3d be destroyed before the wet, cold weather sets in. Fruit Garden.— Grape vines growing against walls or fences need some attention now. Where the leaves are too thick, s >me should be removed, to admit the sun ti> the bunches ; this will assist the grapes and also the wood to ripen. The picking o£ apples and pears should not be ent -listed to inexperienced persons. Trees ofton suffer much injury from careless fruit-gatherers, who not only gather the f i.-uit, but break many fruiting spurs as well. This is a good time to remove from raspberry canes all suckers that are not wanted, and give the beds a good dressing with manure. If some bone meal is sprinkledovor. the bed before tho ordinary manure is put on, so much tho better. FiiOWEB Garden. — If any very choice tii-colour or bi-colour geraniums growing in the flower borders are to be taken up and

potted, the work should be done at once, as we are liable to have frosts any night now, and these plants are generally the first to suffer. In potting them up it is well to remove nearly all the leaves and shorten the long roots. Pot them in as small pots as possible, and use poor soil. The plants should be watered in, but they do not want much moisture after they are once soaked. Any other plants that will not stand the winter should be taken up and potted at once, to enable the»i to get hold of the soil in the new pots, and the wood to become ripe. Violets. — In many gardens these sweetscented flowers are not to be had when they are wanted, and to prepare a supply of early blooms should be the aim of every gardener. Both the single and double varieties are very useful for this purpose. Some may be potted, or a number can be planted in a cold frame ; perhaps this latter is the best method to secure a good supply. Place the frame in such a position that the surplus water can easily get away ; thon put some good soil, with a few wool ashes mixed with it, in the frame ; lift the plants from the beds with as large a ball of earth as possible, and plant firmly; well water the plants in, and give a little shade while the sun is very hot. At night, however, take the sashes off and expose the plants to the benefit of the cool, moist night air. After about a week the sashes can be left off altogether until June.' This will give the plants time to make plenty of fresh roots in the new soil. It must not be forgotten that the object of putting the plants in the frames now is to enable them j to thoroughly establish themselves in the frames before the time arrives for forcing them, and if they are kept too close or too warm this will prove injurious to the expected supply of blooms in winter. If any bulbs havo not yet been planted they should be got in at once. Greenhouse. — Cinerarias are very useful plants in late winter and early spring. Although they are easy to grow, they are j easy to spoil ; too much water is certain death, and too little 1 is sure to be a signal for a host of insect pests to attack the foliage. The plants ought to be kept growing from the time the seed is up until they are in bloom. About the end of the month the plants will need shifting into larger pots. Some growers put their plants into very large pots ; but it is much, better to give an intermediate shift before the final. Tho plants will need very little water for some time after they have been freshly potted ; if they get too much the leaves will flag ] and the plants will die. Syringe the ] foliage on warm days, and water the plants when they are dry, but do not keep the soil always saturated. Tuberous begonias that have been blooming since November will soon begir to ripen their growth, and they should be placed out in the open from how until the end of next month. Place the plants in a sunny position, and give very little water, just enough to keep the stems green. This treatment will tend to thoroughly ripen the* bulb, and unless the tubers are well ripened they will . not keep sound through the winter. The beautiful Nerine Fothergilli is just about to send up its trusses of bloom, and the plants should be removed to a cool sunny greenhouse. This is perhaps the best autumn scarlet flowering bulb we have. When the flowers have faded the plants should be placed on a sunny shelf and only watered sufficiently to keep the foliage green as long as possible. After the foliage dies down the plants can be put outside in some warm corner until the autumn. This treatment will ensure their ilowering freely.