WORK FOR THE WEEK.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6138, 26 March 1898, Page 2

WORK FOR THE WEEK.

TO GARDENERSi

Kitchen Garden. — Onions, being well through the ground, should be hoed on all favourable days. Owing to the recent rains, the beds will soou be very weedy, and the weeds will get the best of the situation and choke the onions unless the work of clearing is taken in hand whenever opportunity offers. Autumn-sown turnips are growing very fast, and if any have not been thinned thej r must be attended to at once. It is simply impossible for the crop to develop good roots unless ample space is given to each. More severe thinning is needed at this season than at any other, an rain is more frequent in the autumn, and the leaves grow at a more rapid rate, and soon cover all the available space. Attention should be given to lettuce to secure a constant supply. The climatic difference between some gardens and others is very great ; in some the plants can be put out in the ordinary way and they succeed well, but iv other gardens some shelter must be provided to ensure a crop in late winter and spring. Each gardener must therefore take the necessary precautions for the safety of his crop. Where shelter is necessary much can be done by selecting sheltered parts of tho garden. In gardens where frosts are very severe the plants should be set out iv narrow beds, and when sharp frosts are expected the beds should be covered. A few hurdles thatched with straw form a -very efficient protection. It will be well for all who have tomatoes growing in the open to watoh the weather during the next few weeks, and, should a clear sky and cold atmosphere presage a frost towards evening, cover the fruit with some straw or dry sacks. If this cannot be done cut all the large exposed fruits, even if they are green, and place them on shelves in a sunny position to ripen.

Fruit Garden. — The most important work at this season is gathering and storing fruit. In the case of large and soft fruit great care is required in handling. Those who have a good knowledge of the different varieties know the value of leaving the. later kinds till the fruit is thoroughly matured, to prevent shrivelling and decay. In no case should the fruit be gathered prematurely, but with the season so far advanced it is not advisable to allow such varieties as Lord Suffield and Warner's King to suffer by ripening on the trees and dropping. Apples with tender skins should be gone over ofton, the ripest being secured first and stored. Especial care should be taken that these tender-skinned varieties are not bruised. The large fruit should be handled very carefully, or there will be great loss through decay. Many apples are ripening earlier this season than usual, and no time should be lost in securing what is left of the early cooking varieties, such as Lord Suffield, Warner's King and Hawthornden. The same remarks apply to pears. If tlie fruit comes from the trees without force it is fit to be gathered, and another test as to its fitness for picking is when the pips are well browned and quite firm. The fruit should be picked when quite dry, and any that is speckled or grub-eaten should be put aside for present use. It may not be generally known that dessert plums can be kept for a long time if properly handled. Coe's Golden Drop is'one of the best to keep for late use. As the fruit ripens it should be picked. Place that which is quite sound and free from bruise in square pieces of tissue paper, take the four corners and gently twist them up, and then lay the fruit in shallow boxes or drawers. Treated thus it does not lose its flavour; of course it must be kept in a cool place. Now is a suitable time to select new fruit trees. It is found necessary in most gardens to plant a few fresh trees nearly, every winter, and, if any planting is to be done, the earlier it is carried out the better.? It is a common practice to send a long way from home for new trees. This is a great mistake, because fruit trees, like other plants, vary in different localities. What thrives and gives a good return in one district, may be a complete failure in another. Only those kinds that are known to thrive in the locality should be . grown— unless for experimental purposes, and these should be selected at once — and planted directly the leaves have fallen. If all fruit trees wero planted during the last three weeks in May, better results would be obtained. Many people think that deciduous trees are at rest when the leaves have fallen, but this is not so; the roots are at work under the surface preparing tor the following season's supply of leaves and fruit The knowledge of this should teach intending planters the necessity of getting their trees early, and by timely planting givo the roots a chance of firmly attaching themselves to the soil before the branches start into active growth.. Another great advantage of early planting is that in case of a dry summer, like the past one, coming on again, the drought 6 t0 witl^ the

lonSnl tw ARDEN X T - he P racti <* oi prolonging the supply df lowers is not observed as mucll a3 - t h

large gardens there is a great blaze of some variety, but it is soon over, and the great display that has passed away makes the succeeding blank more noticeable. Two examples may be given as to how to prolong tho display of different flowers, and these should guide gardeners as to how tc troat others. Take the herbaceous Phlox, which is one of the best of border plants to give a good display of bloom. If about one half of the clumps are cut back during December' down to about four inches from the ground, these plants will start again and develop another batch of flowering spike 3 that will succeed those that have not been cut down. . Aeain, with the scarlet lobelia, take the centre spike aivay just as it begins to form buds, and it will soon form eight or ten other flower spikes that will follow those that were not cut. Apply this practice to most plants, and the result will more than repay the trouble. The ordinary work of the flower garden must nofc be neglected because of the expectation of early frost. All seed pods should be removed from sweet peas and any other flower, to enable the plants to form more flowers. Dying flowers from the different varieties of sunflowers, gaillardias aad other plants, should be constantly removed. Cut the grass and roll the lawn regularly, and keep all weeds down by constant hoeing.

Greenhouse.— Every effort should be made to get all plants likely to receive injury -from frost housed or under cover by the first week in April. Where the necessary work is behind and tender subjects are not potted up, such operation should be commenced at once and finished as quickly as possible. There cau bo no excuse for those who run unnecessary risks after such a severe frost as was experienced on the morning of March 18. All plants that are housed should be made quite clean; the pots should be washed, decaying leaves removed, and any insects that are noticed should be destroyed. Succulents that will need but little water during the winter should be put into dry positions, while ferns should be put in the most shady place in the greenhouse. Fuchsias past blooming may be put outside until the leaves fall from them. Cool orchids must be kept somewhat drier afc the roots during the next two months. The same remark applies to stephanotis, clerodendrons, hoyas, and all hard-wooded plants. What watering is necessary should be done in the morning, to allow all superfluous moisture to escape before the house is closed at night.