WORK FOR THE WEEK.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 9303, 1 August 1908, Page 1

WORK FOR THE WEEK.

To Gardflnara.

Kitchen Garden.— Although lh¥ ground in many gardens is too wet. to allow of general planting the. days are lengthening, and with a higher temperature the surface soil will soon be sufficiently dry for this work. Asparagus may "be * planted now, or a^ any time during" the next six weeks. Wit 1 is much safer to plant theso roots just ; «» the now growths are about' to^iMJaih from the crown. When planf^eirly in the winter, and a long period of, wet weather follows, the Toots suffer,^oo4ny rot, and the crowns are so weakened that they 'make but little progress ior months. Asparagus will grow #n any soil if ifc has been . well cultivated* A good sandy loam, if well drained, 10 about the most suitable. Too 'mtlpli care cannot be given to drainage. If the land is rather low, plant the robta. oa tihe surface and cover tlhjjjfc ; with about three inches of soil, and thus keep the crowns above the level of subsoil water during the winter month?. The beds should be five feet wide, "j and when planting put one row down the centre — the plants should be twelve inches apart, and the roota' -carefully spread horizontally, keeping ■ quite near tho aurfa-oe. Next #iit a row eighteen inches from the'oftritro one, on both sides, and giye v twelve inches from this to the outside, making; the bed five feet wide. 'If : fba sgsv»' : good vory little manure will "bo required, but should the ground be poor •some welk rotted manure may. be forked into the surface, and "a little spread over the bed as a mulch. ; Any; *rtificial manures should be applied when r the shoots are well above 1 the boiI:;" ft" little and often is the" best Way' 1 ta ; apply -these: Onions-^Jf large bulba' 1 are desired for exhibiHon- I&o;H6Jeed= should: be sown at pjice. "A pinoh,'of seed sown in a cold 'frame .-or', under the shelter of a noftli : wall^r;<ii6g^, will provide a large ntimber?- of^pjants to transplant when they ;J. : ax*: enough to handle. _ LeeM;may \be prepared in the same way. . Be^Jftfia and onions require a long v jfssafipji'a grovrth to obtain first-clasa ep&iqxaaa. 'Seakale sfcoild be grown much" 1 more extensively than it is. It Would- find a ready sale if grown in large r quail-, tities and sent to our fruiterers 7 shops. : In England, Franco, America ' and jQefmany market-growers raise immense quantities, and soi/ie have supplies ' fop • sale during four months ;with btit little difficulty, i Plants are raised by 'sped and cuttings, the latter being the, mfost general method of propagation: Take the roots and cut them into length* * of about four inches, tie thorn into, bundles and bury in sand for a mdnih before planting them out. It is wise to cut the top ends straight and the lower ends slanting to distinguish ''"fk? top from tli© bottom when planting. Early in September put them pijtjin rows two fe«t apart, with about nine inches between tho cuttings. Tftpse will make roots large enoughior .fjreing next season. "With a sufficient number and a mild hotbed sea&ale may be had from the latter half, of June till the end of October. Greenhouse.— As the days lengthen, a gradual increase of tenipjerature should be given to start plants jnto active growth, but care should" be /token; that the rise is not too suddem - Aialeas that have beeu forced should -b* watered with great care, for while they i should not bo actually dry, they should not be kept saturated with water. ~A< the blooms fade, remove them, also ail? seed-pods that may be formed, whua those ju&t opening their- blossoms should i be sprayed overhead ©very fine morning. Fuchsias — A few old plants should be^brought into a warm house to giy«. a batch of early cuttings. Specimen r>lants should be pruned and lsept in a cool-house for a month. Man* vafrieties of soft-wooded plants shejjldA'be propagated during the • months-petu-nias, coleus,. heliotrope, zonale pelargoniums, ivy geraniums, and Jnany others too numerous to name.., yare should bo taken to avoid raising} too many of any one variety, those that/at* of most use being grown in the greatest number. Bulbs that have been forced .„. should be put in a cold frame and watered for a few weeks, then planted in some sheltered corner of the garden to ripen off. Bouvardias are so useful , for cut flowers during the autumn and early winter that no garden should be without them. They are of easy culture, require but little heat, andjjono* started, may be grown in an ordinal^ frame. They are propagated from feat* tings. Old plants that are past flower- ( ing should have their growths shortened to encourage sturdy cuttings. r ,!sh«n these are about two inches long, they should be inserted in sandy soil, and . plunged in a gentle hot-bed and., kept . fairly close until rooted. Afterirarcla remove them to a warm greenhcwMjiQ jtpr frame, pot them into small .-. ' pqtip- ■ using fibrous loam and loaf monldr-gire ' ample ventilation, and keep -a^ sharp look-out for aphis and thrips. "j;n«y ■■ may be planted in the open from V3S©vember till March, after which tney may be lifted and potted.

In Father Healy's congregation were two old ladies, one rich and one poor, each of whom had a parrot. N The rich lady waa very ill-tempered, and used to scold her maid ©o much that the girl . frequently said, "I wish the old woman was dead, that I do." The parrot picked up these words,, and for a long time would 6ay nothing else, which so disturbed the old lady that she consulted Fatuer Healy about it, who advised her to send her parrot for a time to keep company with the poor woman's parrot, who said chiefly religious things. She cid co, and with this curious result, that in a fortnight the religious parrot would only 6ay "I wish the old woman was dead,'* and the naughty on.c, "Q Lord* hear ray prayari'^