WORK FOR THE WEEK.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 8704, 18 August 1906, Page 3

WORK FOR THE WEEK.

To Gbrdiiitrs. • Kitchen Garden. — Cabbage plants pat oat in the autumn should hare a little fertiliser sprinkled around each Slant to stimulate active growth. bould any leaves show injury from the late frosts, remove them at once; then give the surface soil a good hoeing to admit air and warmth. Young cabbage plants should be got out at soon a© possible Jo enable them to obtain a good hold of the soil before very hot weather arrives. Plant firmly in good soil that has been well worked. Celery.— A email pinch of seed should be ©own to eeoure a few early plants. Use the seed very sparingly, and thus seoure strong plants. Shallots should be planted wijthout delay. To secure good results put! the bulbs in rows one foot apart, end 1 leave six or eight inches between the bulbs. Chivies should have similar treatment. 'Potatoes will begin to ■*' sprout " actively, now', and need careful attention to secure the best possible results. Thcae in " clumps " should be turned,to oheck the growth of sprouts, and the seed tubers selected. These should be thoroughly exposed t*> the air from now .until they are planted. Small seedling plants of leek, lettuce, onion and parsley should have a little protection^ (if possible) from cold cutting winds. This may involve a little extra work, but the increase in growth "will more than compensate for this. Seedlings in frames should have all the air and light possible to. keep them sturdy.

Fruit Garden. — We -would remind those who have not oompleted planting that the season when trees can be successfully moved is fast passing away, and every effort should be made to comSlete this work as soon as possible, praying fruit trees. — This work should receive attention without delay. With fine weather the .flower buds may be expected to burst very soon, and once these are open the spraying may be harmful to tie blossoms and cause a loss of fruit. Frequent complaints aro made every season about the unequal results obtained by different men, though, using the same solution ; no ■natter if this be Montauk or sulphur, time, sajt, etc. Although the same proportions are used when 'preparing the solution good results are obtained in one garden, and very poor in othe'ra. One of the chief causes of these partial failures is spraying the trees when the wood ie damp. Every branch should be quite dry, so that the solution folk ■ direct on the insect or fungoid pests. When the wood is damp these pests are covered with a blanket tof moisture, which insulates them from much of. the destructive qualities of the solution. Therefore do not spray the fruit trees unless they are quite dry. Another precaution against failure is to apply th* solution ac hot as the hands can bear, as it will not be nearly as warm by the time it falls on the branches. aft when it leaves the sprayer. The solution is broken up into such fine particles that these rapidly cool, therefore it shorld be tjuite hot when it is sent through the sprayer. All small fruits that have been transplanted during the past winter should be examined, and if any shoots have shrivelled cut them baok to a bud that is plump. Give these fresh-planted bushes a liberal mulch to conserve the moisture about their roots. This should be done before the hot winds of Sept-ember arrive. Examine the newly-planted strawberries, and if any have been lifted by the frosts press them down firmly with the feet. Flower Garden.— Lawns that are to be sow.n should receive prompt attention. The soil should be in good condition after the hard frosts of last^week,, and, as there is eVery indication of warm weather, the seed should be got Jn as soon as possible. The season for pruning roses will soon arrive. August 20 is a good date to commence this work, which should be carefully and thoroughly performed. Pruning roses is not mfficul*, but it takes some time to acquire a thorough knowledge of the exact treatment different varieties should have to obtain the best results. Some of the teas and hybrid teas give the best flowers on young wood, therefore these should not be pruned hard, but thinned out much in the same way as black currants are thinned. Other j varieties would soon become woody and j scrubby unless hard pruned ; hence the j necessity of observation during the summer to know how to treat different varieties in the matter of pruning. Take a sharp knife or a good pair of (secateurs with a keen edge, and cut away all wood that is dead or getting sear. Next take away all small wood, leaving the strong shoots, which may be shortened back to a bud that points in an outward direction. Fresh-planted roses should be pruned bard back, the object being to secure etrong shoots from their base. A little manure spread around the stem will conserve the moisture about the roots and assist the plants to make a good start. Rhododendrons and hardy azaleas should be mulched with good rich manure from a spent hotbed ; four inches would not be too much for these beautiful flowering plants. A few lilies planted between the rhododendrons would brighten the beds during the summer and be tery effective.