WORK FOR THE WEEK. To Gardeners.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7766, 25 July 1903, Page 2

WORK FOR THE WEEK. To Gardeners.

gftchen Goxden.-rJJow that the weather feafl taken a change, fop the bet* ter, it will be wiejl to exainiflfc any early -s<yws peag to se.<& how t ! 3^ey have corns thvottgh th§ "epld snap." This should be dpne jajb once, especially in gardens ih^t are inclined to be rather wet and badly drained. If they have been de.sfrpyed, an effort must be/ mad© to replace them at once. This, may be done be preparing 3, number of narrpw boxes, say eight inches wide, twenty to twentyrfour in length, and three to Jour inches deep, Put I some good soil in these, andi sow a firsfcr early, and stand the boxes jn the warmest position to be fgund-rra glasshoji^ lo.r phpjpe, failing that * garden frame, but if these are nofc obtainable, find a sunny place again; b a wall, where they car be covered up ab night. Treated thus the peas will ! make a rapid grpwth, and by the second week in August they will b» ready to plant oub in, the garden. This is bepfc 4°P & by taking away one-^ide of the box, and slipping die wjbole mass of roots fron). the bo? Into a shallow trench previously prepared. This done, a few spray branches should; be placed along e^ch. side of the row to keep the wind from the tender haulms. A sow? v ing should be made ab the same time. Two points in the culture of peas are- of much importance. They are "deep trenching" an 4 " i&era} mapuring." If these two items are thoroughly obfierV*d, the crop will be heavier, and the quality much jjnprored. Some gardeners grow their peas along the trenches from which celery has bten cleared. Thege are opened up, some fresh manure applied, and then the peas are eown, excellent results being obtained. Asparagui*— Where new beds *re required, no time should be loib in. making preparations, as the plant* should be got in early in August i'he ground sbcmld be thoroughly well worked by trenching ifc two feet deep, perhaps the term "trenching" je net clearly •understood by all garde?}, workers. Most understand it to mean turning the mass of soil upside down, by putting the present surface coil at the bottom of a trench two feet deep and bringing the bottom to .the top. This i« wrong, becauß© by so doing the best soil is buried' below the point reached by the roots of the asparagus, and crude, hungry, sour soil is brought to the surface. While the ground should be thoroughly disturbed and broken up two feet deejj, the surface soil should be kept on the top. In planting new asparagus beds it is a mistake to use old plants,, the best success is ob» tamed by pianting one-year-old plants. Others again advocate eowifag the feed where it has to remainFlower O-aftton.— -Already tier* are many jobbing gardeners pruning rosos- at this *arly 4a**, in «,pite of tlio faet'that every spring iwariy *v«r* afcticki that i» wri'ttem q» garden work advises deferring tbo world until quite tbe middle of August. Bose« that ar© pnjmod now rmv a risk oil b*visig; all, or jwarly aX, tJje>finrt cyiptp of flowers destroyed by tl» lato wintar. ot «sxly spring {ra&ln. la and around Ghvistoliuroh Aug. 20 i« quvte «a% ewoug^h to prune poses. All fre«h- planted eubjeabs, 6uoh bis o£Hrnation«, poh'aimtliiis, vjoleits, prinvrosas, Canterbury bells, tite., should bo examined, tho frosts having lifted many; aijovd tiie surfaoe. \ Greenhouse.— Plants that are to supnjy cuttings taxat Jutv© attention^ but the t«quironwnts of «ach <gu<\m will guide the gwdieaiiera a» to how many plant* of «<ch variiety ifc is necessary to propagate. TJue> rmson nwny bedding ptomt* Aa notTgivo tho (Kutisfaotiaa they should is because they ture forced too hard during September nad October to «t them large enough for planting oub early in November, whereas if they were proptbgatedeatrlier and grown steadily' in cold fratoes, th«y would be more bardv and robust, and givo better results ail through the summer. ' The stock ploaiH ehoiild' b*v<» every awjiatamce poejsilble. If tliey onji b© shifted into larger pot* do «> 5 if not, remove swme of th« eurfaoa soil and top-dress them with a good rich compost. This will enoourage the plants to give a supply of sti^ng outitingSi aaid strong cut-

tings miaams .strong .plants. Fuchsia^.—Onet plan'ti of: each variety wiH give a good nuun ber of cxittdngs, and tii© o^teir old plamtei may wmajn under t-lia «tag.©B for anofchien month. "By -that time tiiexe will -be more room in thie glass-iouses. Cittararias in bloom should have th« coolesit enid pif the conservatory."' Ti^y will remain in. flower longer heine tluua. }i tly^y are. in a -waarmj position. Primtilas may h#F& *^ svaiin <2aid, bflt these 'require plenty ,oi ropm, especially P. obconiqa. If Abasia .crowded ilte foliage will sbom wa;on^, bujt given plenty of aiithe leayef wiji reniaija fres^b. /or months. ,Cycla^jein ail? y.&J li;aj»io •t^>.a'il lUi<cks .0/ itlirip -f^SßiCQially .^fc this «caepn—when aaaje,a«? and ptJS^er plaints axp in tlie sante htpaee. , Directly fhpse jp«sts are phesryed the jioaits siipuld' l>e* fumigated, as the t3rrip incd-eajses yiery fast. ' -.