WORK FOR THE WEEK.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 8333, 3 June 1905, Page 2

WORK FOR THE WEEK.

. To Ctar&t&ori. Kitchen Garden. — Should 'there be any vacant plots of ground not yet dug or trenched, turn them over as soon as possible, leaving the surface very rough. As June is often a rather wet month, when the surface soil is dry run the hoe through all growing crops to loosten the soil and admit air. Any late potatoes not yet lifted should be dug as soon as possible. ' Second early varieties that have been stored in " clamps " should be examined some time during the month, as it is possible some of the tubers may have been slightly diseased, which, > if left there, will contaminate all they touch. Uncover the clamp, and examine the lot by moving them a little way. Any that have just the skin affected should be left out for present use. Hardy Fruits. — No time should be lost in planting these, and too much care cannot be given to the work. All bruised and injured roots ?£j cut through with a sharp knife and removed. Keep the roots as near the surface as possible. The stem will show the point where it previously touched the soil, and this should be kept a little above the surface when planting. The loose soil will settle down according to the depth it has been trenched, and the tree will settle with it. On light soil the ground about the roots cannot be trodden too firmly, but on heavy land less treading is needed Every root should be spread ont to its full length in a straight line from the base of the tree, with a good layer of soil between each root. Put a stake to each tree, and tie very loosely, in order to enable the tree to settle down with the soil. Some readers may wish to know why trees planted on heavy land should not be trodden in as much as those planted in light soil. By leaving heavy « soil rather loose, the burface does not crack and cake, and the rain oan passes away much faster than it would through ground that had been trodden down very hard. Pruning should be about finished. Make eijery effort to get it done, as the spring, with its great demands on the gardener's time, will soon be here. Flower Garden. — The present is a very suitable time to transplant quite a number of perennials, such as sunI flowers, rudbeckias, etc. If these are left in on© place too long the flowers get fewer and poorer, as these plants are gross feeders. A mistake is often made when doing this work, that of lifting too many plants at once. Just as many as can be replanted during the day should be lifted in the morning, then if rain follows there is no risk of the plants suffering from exposure. Where tall live fences are at the back of flower borders the roots of the fence plants run all through the border, using up much of the food and moisture the ".flowers" should have. To minimise this trouble take out a trench two feet deep eighteen inches from the base of the fence, cut all the roots and repeat the operation every other winter. June is regarded as the month to transplant roses, the earlier in the' month the better. They should be planted by a man who thoroughly understands the work, as there are many little details that appear trivial in themselves which materially affect the result obtained. To mention one — let us take an ordinary dozen rose bushes, which the owner of a garden has. purchased. _ There is sure to be one or more varieties in iJris dozen that should pc planted in partial shade, and which, if put in the open, where the midday sun shines direct on them, every flower would be spoilt. On the other hand, it planted in a border where the sun would be screened from j it during the» hottest part of the day. every bud would develop., into a £ood and beautiful blossom. Another example might' be taken — that of "habit." Some varieties send up strong shoots, nearly four feet long, while others rarely ever make a growth of . eighteen inches during the most favourable summer. Often these dwarf yarietiefc are planted behind the taller growing ones, and it frequently happens that these tall growing varieties ehoald have been allotted more "space." Fifty other examples might be quoted of right and wrong planting, but theae should be enough to show the necessity of having this work done by one tooroughly acquainted with the trees he is planting. One other important item in transplanting roses is vie . amount of cutting back they should be subjected to at this season. While no Hard i-nd fast rule can be laid down two points may be considered. In the case . of young bushes. " the less they are cut at. this season the better." If they are cut hard back, the lower eyes irom which the future bush is to be formed will push out into growth at the first burst of spring, and tEe tender, shoots will be destroyed by the early spring frosts. This means a great loss of vigour and growth during the fin* season after transplanting. On th«>

other hand, had nearly all the last seasons growth been left on It would have been the top buds that would push out. With the first warm spring weather these would probably be frosted, hut when the plants are pruned at the end of August these frozen shoot* are cut away, and the lower buds being uninjured push out with' vigour.