WORK FOR THE WEEK.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 8100, 27 August 1904, Page 2

WORK FOR THE WEEK.

Ts S&rc-.nars. Kitchen Garden. — Potatoes in store will be sprouting actively now, and should be picked over and the- sprouts rubbed off be- ! fore they grow too much. If left too- long, j tne quality of the -potato will depreciate. j If already cone, the seed tubers should be j ! selected at once- and put in shallow boxes, | with the eyes' pointing up. Cabbages should : be moulded-up as they grow — this protects them from the strong wind. Peas should be covered with a little soil as fast as they ' push through the earth. The^ early rows should be staked when the peas are about two inches bigh. Short, spray branches, about a foot or eighteen inches, put in upright and rather dose together, will protect the peas from cold winds, and encourage a* rapid growth. Taller stakes can be used . later on. Lettuce, and. oirher plants J I that are growing in frames, should h_v. as I j much fresh air as possible. Cauliflower ! plants that have been wintered in cold ! frames should bo planted oufc at cmce in rich ' ground — poor soil will never produce good j cauliflowers. i Vinery. — The earliest vines should now j be flowering, and some attention, is neces- ! sary to ensufe a goodi "set." The atmo- ! sphere should 'be kepfc rather dry, and the temperature moderate— from 60deg to 75deg ■will bo a good range. Should the sun. increase the temperature above 75dcg, give more ventilation. Give each rod a smart I rap, or a gentle shake, about midday, as j this assists fco distribute the pollen. There may bo two bunches on some of the laterals ; remove one directly it can be determined whioh is the besfc. Sometimes, however, the first bunch is short; and stumpy, while the second will be tapering arid of . good proportions. In such a case the sec-. ond should be retained and fche first removed. No time should be losb in making a j start to thin the berries. With Black Hambro, this should be commenced immediately fche berries have sei, as the earlier the thinning is done, the finer will be the sample ' of grape. The vines in the second early house will have made rapid progress during the bright, sunny weather of iate. Disbudding should not be put off too long, neither should it be done too soon,- bufc directly the. growth having the best truss of buds can be selected, all growing from tlie same spur should be removed. Some gardeners make ifc their practice tei remove the weakest^ growths, but this is not wise, because often the best truss of buds will be found on a very medium growth, and it is the grapes we want, not strongrrobusfc wood. Very careful attention must bs given to the border. While this is necessary with all vineries, it is more so- with early houses, where a somewhat high temperature must be maintained. Here, the beat from the hot water pipes? will tend to dry up the moisture immediately under them, doing 1 - considerable injury to ihe roots. This trouble may be avoided in several ways, but one of the best is to put bricks along under the pipes, and damp these every day. Do net tie the lateral growths into position too soon, or many will be broken at the "heel,'* Temporarily tie them now, and aifter the berries have been thinned, they may be firmly secured in their proper place. Greenhouse.— -Stove plants will now claim attention. Allamandas, Clerodendrons, Dipladenias, Draccenas, Crotons and many others need re-potting now. The first three kinds named rest during the winter, and Some of their growth dies during tho resting period-. It is for this reason that these plants are not pruned in the autumn, bufc left until they are about to start into newvigour in the spring. Having pruned tlie plants, shake the soil from their- roots and re-pot them, using turfy loam, leaf mould, peat, sand and* charcoal. , Give plenty of drainage and pot firmly. Do not water the plants after re-potting, but syringe them every day until they commence to grow vigorously. * If .the roots are kepfc too wet immediately after potting and pruning, some of tlhe plants will die, aaid the growth of those that survive will nob be robust. This applies to all plants that : rest during the winter. /_■ Chrysanthemums. — Cuttings that were put iv during July will oe rooted by ' this date, and should be potted into small pots before they make too many roots. When young plants are left a long tune in the cutting pot (or pan) the roots get so tangled with each other that many are broken in separating them, and this giv«3

the vountr plant a check. ifc is much safer to pot off the young' plants too soon than to leave them long enough to become entangled, even if all the <^l««J are i ™ rooted because any tbat need a little nursing can be kept close for a few days. The soil for this first potting is a very important item. It should be good, but not too rioh. Plenty of fibrous material, suca as turf that has been stacked about eight or ten weeks, chopped up and rubbed^ through an inch mesh sieve, makes a rolendid base. With -ifc put a little leaf mould, some manure from an old hot-bed, a little charcoal or mortar rubbish, and thoroughly mix— this is more effeotnally done by putting the compost through the inch sieve again. When pottine off th/ young plants keep fche base of each plant quite close to the surface. The nearer the base is to the top the larger will be the quantity of soil beneath and, what is of greater importance, fewer "eves" wili be buried. It is_ these that send* up such a lot of sadkerß "} t:he late summer, ensuring constant trouble to remove them. >