THE GARDEN.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 10230, 12 August 1911, Page 12

THE GARDEN.

WORK FOR THE WEEK. KITCHEN GARDEN. ■ Seeds to Sow. Brussels sprouts, broad beans, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, cress, lettuce parsley, parsnips, peas, radish, savoy, 6pinach and turnips. What to Plant. —Cabbage, cauliflower. garlic, potatoes, rhubarb, seakale, eschalots and Stachy s tuberifera. Warm sunshine will soon encourage vigorous growth of vegetables and weeds Keep the soil between growing crops constantly hoed, as tins willkeep down the weeds and the soil warm and weet. These conditions will a much stronger growth with all vegetsprouts require a long season in which to grow to perfection-a conflition not often seen in New Zealand. In England and Scotland, where they produce such fine sprouts, the plants are raised in the autumn. Protect the plants from frost and plant out in the spring. These sprouts require a fairly strong soil, as they will not develop largef fine "buttons" when grown on light soil. Give them the heaviest part of the garden. These plants need plenty of room. They should be three feet'apart each way, as this is not an inch too much. Anything less is fatal to a good crop. . , Caobage planted out now in rich, 'well-cultivated soil will soon pak® nl £° heads. Soot in quantity should be used for this crop. . Stachy's tuberifera (Chinese artichoke) makes a useful addition to the list of winter vegetables. Plant twelve Inches between the sets in the row, and iho rows two feet apart. Deep, wellcultivated ground is necessary to produce a crop of good tubers.. HARDY FRUITS.

Apricots growing against a wall or fence should have some attention. With increasing sunshine the plump buds will soon burst opon, and m disfcricts subject to late frosts the trees should be covered with scrim. ibis should not be a thick, dense sample, but a fairly open one, as this is more suitable. The scrim should be hung i'ust clear of the tree, so as to allow light and air to circulate freeiy through the branches and blossoms. . Logan and blackberries snould be pruned. These make great growth, and, if neglected for a season, become very overcrowded with useless wood, diminishing the_ crop a fid making t.ie sample of inferior quality. All old vfruiting wood should be cut away, as 'the fruits will be borne oil the shoots that were made last summer. Any pruning not already finished should be Attended to as soon as possible. The spraying of fruit trees should have attention before the end of August. Have .everything ready so that the work can be done when the weather and the wood are in suitable condition. The branches must be quite dry, as if thev are damp the spray fluid will run off instead of destroying the insect pests. -. The fruit store should be carefully

examined. Remove all decayed fruits. /' Those that have good portions should -ho used at once. Fruit in store often decays for want of fresh air, but it is " .1 difficult to give enough fresh air unless the fruit-room is specially designed. The air must not be too dry, as this • * would tend to shrivel the fruit. GREENHOUSE. ■ Work in the greenhouse -will increase with the lengthening of the days and ideational sunshine. Seeds have to be jown, cuttings put in, plants divided .and repotted, bulbs shaken out and • put in fresh pots, and many other tilings too numerous to mention must have attention. However, seed-sowing, propagating, dividing etc.', must be done with due regard to numerous conditions. The two most important are M heat" and " space." _ It it unwise ' £o sow begonia, gloxinia or similar seeds unless there is some artificial heat. It would be much more safe and profitable to wait four or five weeks if they have to be sown in a cold or unhealed house. In the absence of a hot"wator service, a hotbed could bo prepared, and on this the seeds would germinate quite as well, and perhaps better, than in a, house heated with hot water- Very often the atmospheric conditions are too dry in a house, but in a hotbed the moist atmosphere affords the very best condition for raising seeds. However, if one cannot prepare a hotbed, it is much too risky to put these tender seeds in a cold house. 'The same remarks apply to repotting, dividing and putting in cuttings of tender plants. The tuberous-rooted section of begonias has been so much improved during the last ten years that this section is now as near perfect as possible. Although the tubers can be bought at a low rate, raising them from seed is not only less expensive, but also possesses v all the charm and expectation of obtaining a novelty much better than ■ those now in cultivation. Last season Mr A. R. Ragg, of Linwood, raised several double varieties that were superior to'many named varieties. Seed sown now in heat will produce plants that will flower in the autumn, and aiake fine specimens next season. The . Beied being very small and light, great care is necessary in handling it. The seed pan should be half filled with crocks, broken very small. A little extra time given to reducing the size of the crocks is well repaid, because then they lie closer together, hold more moisture, and so, while affording good drainage, retain a lot of moisture, sufficient to sprout the seeds without having to "dip" the pan or water it overhead. The soil should be light and fine. Put it through a fine sieve to , break all lumps, and thoroughly mix the sand with the soil. Make it fairly damp and the surface smooth. Then carefully sow the seeds, cover with a sheet of brown paper, and leave this an until the seeds begin to push up J"' their first leaves. Lobelia, mimulus, petunia, verbena, "gloxinia, ricinus, etc., should be sown AS soon as possible in heat. " A.E.G." asks for information on dividing maidenhair ferns. Cut off the fronds, turn the plant out of its pot, shake all the soil from the roots, then "pull" (not cut) the plant into pieces. Thd pieces should not be large, as small plants soon grow large, and ferns make ' much better plants when grown from a small crown. If large plants are to be divided, the central part should be • .closely examined. Much of it may be dead, and if repotted would not grow. The outside of the plants, having more roots and being more vigorous., will gtart away at once and soon mako nice plants. The soil and pots should be got ready, before the plants are divided, so that the pieces can be put into them at once. They suffer if left on the potting bench for any length of time, both crown and roots shrivelling. A compost of rotten turf, &ome loam, leaf-mould and wind will suit these plants. The soil should be damp, and be pressed fairly firm. Do not water until the soil is dry. Stand the pots on damp ashes, sand, or any moistureholding material. The propagation of the begonia Gloire le Lorraine can be increased both" from roung shoots and single leaves. Cuttings of young shoots are treated in much the same way as fuchsia cuttings.

Take short, sturdy shoots, about three inches long, and put one in a thumb pot, filled with light sandy soil. If raised from leaves, take tho leaf carefully from tho plant, with the leafstalk intact, and not bruised; put it and just the baso of the leaf in the soil, as in the case of a cutting, keep them close for a time, and soon young shoots will pnsli out from the base of the leaf. These leaves are easily bruised, and consequently require very careful handling, as if they are bruised even slightly they decay before they make root. Temperature and moisture at this season need careful attention. The sunshine will increase the temperature very quickly, and there is a temptation to give too much water to plants. A slight spraying overhead will do the plants more good than a lot poured at the root. Too much water will tend to make the soil sour end sodden, and consequently quite unfit for the new roots. TO CORRESPONDEiSTS. Inquirer.—Yes, at once cut these short canes off quite clo-e to the ground. Young apple trees should be pruned although they made such little growth last season. Probably thry were not pruned hard enough when they were planted. The present pruning is to encourage the production of lateral shoots and fruit spurs. Cut away cbout one-half of '.lie weed made last season. Each Fhiot should be cut, back to s. bud ttnt points in the direction in which the sloot i 3 required to gro-rr.