THE GARDEN.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 10926, 15 November 1913, Page 12

THE GARDEN.

WiVttK FOR THE WEEK. ' KITCHEN GARDEN. Seeds to Sow.—Beans, boet. broccoli, oabbage, cauliflower, capsicum, celery, cucumber, lettuce, melon, onion, parsnip, peas, savoy, spinach, turnip and vegetable marrow. What to Plant. Cabbage, cauliflower, cucumber, celery, lettuce, potatoes and winter greens. Weather conditions are favourable for garden crops, and growth is rampant. Thero is, however, just a risk that it will suffer rather much from tho first spell of hot weather, but at present everything is making great progress. Advantage 6houid be taken to thin all seedling crops while tho ground' is moist, as tho small plants come up much easier now than they do when the soil is dry- Draw a little soil up to all crops, much the same as moulding potatoes, as this protects them from wind. « Colery should bo put in trenches as soon as possible. Set out now, the plants will soon get a good start, and then they are not mucu trouble. A little point in planting this crop that should novor bo overlooked is to make tho soil in tho trench fairly firm before the plants are set. Unless this is done tho plans suffer more or less from want of water. Make a fairly deep trench, then nearly fill it with manured soil. Tho manure is very spongy and keeps the soil very loose, and in this condition tho water passes away as fast as it is.put into the trench, and in a short time tho soil is quito dry. When tho plant? are to be planted, tread' the soil in the trench several times, as this will press both soil and manure down firmly. If the trenches are not ready, the plants should bz put in a temporary bed to keep them growing. If they are kept any length of time crowded in boxes they never make good solid heads, tender and crisp. Onions should be sown for pickling. Put this sowing on good but not rich soil. Large bulbs are not wanted, small well-riponed bulbs being best for pickling, Keep the hoe busy among all growing crops, in order to aerate the soil, conserve moisture and prevent weeds from growing. ' HARDY FRUITS.

The- severe late frosts havo destroyed much of the stone fruits, many paari and some apples. ' Those who covered their stone fruits were wise, and thoy aro rewarded with a good crop. Japanese plums are a light crop in Canterbury, although there was a great wealth of blossom and premise of a heavy crop, but the frosts took most of them.

Gooseberries are a heavy crop, and should receive a good thinning. The fruits are just large enough for bottling, and are better preserved now than later on, as the skins are more tender, the pulp sweeter than later on when the berries are larger. Go over each tree and pick nn even sample, leaving the largest and smallest to ripen, .. Examine trcos that were planted 1 last winter to see that the ties are'not cutting the bark. Keop the soil loose around them by frequent hoeing. This is specially necessary on heavy land to prevent the surface from "caking" and " cracking," conditions that-are not favourable for the development of fibrous roots and the retention of moisture. " The heavy rains have/splashed small particles of soil on strawberries, and these are difficult, to remove, and prove the need of either mulching the plants with strawy manure or staking tho trusses of blossom. Of course, staking tho trusses cannot, be done where strawberries are grown for market in a large way, but for garden culture it is worth the extra labour involved. Make provision for a supply of young plants, and, having dono this, remove all runners, as these diminish the second lot of fruits. As some varieties go on fruiting all tho summer if they are kept free from runners, it pays to remove them. *lt is a good plan to plant a freeh bed' every autumn to maintain a constant supply of good fruits. FLOWER GARDEN. What a marvellous season for bed-ding-out 1 •„• The proverbial oldest gardener cannot remember such a season. The rains are frequent, warm and geritlo. and these have made the operation of bedding out more agreeable and less laborious. It is the watering that takes so much time, and this is not easy labour and is not as good for the plants as frequent showors. Wallflowers that are past should be taken up and consigned to the rubbish fire, as young plants give so much better Bowers and more of them that there is no need to retain old' plants for a second reason. Polyanthus that have made beds gay on the lawn should be carefully lifted and planted in the kitchen garden. Select a partially shaded position, but not under big trees. Roses intended for the Carnival on November 22' should be disbudded at once. Select the best-shaped' buds. Those on the outside of the bushes generally give the best flowers. Rot sunshine may be experienced next week, and some of the dark varieties should be shaded. Any kind of screen will do if it will keep the scalding sunshine off the buds. Some of file very early flowers require _ retarding, but one cannot do much in this direction. Shade is the best moans, as this reduces the temperature and retards development. Keep a sharp look-out for the green grub that turns to a caterpillar, as this pest curls itself up in a leaf and' later on eats the buds that is, a portion of them, but enough to spoil the flower. Spraying with arsenate of lead is the best preventive, but once a grub is curlea between two surfaces of a leaf the spray fluid rarely reaches it, and therefore hand-picking is the only sure way to destroy the pest. Varieties subject to mildew should be sprayed with a weak solution of sulphide of potassium as a preventive. Do this at once. Genista andreana is one of the best spring flowering shrubs, and it has been extra good this season. Now that its flowers are over, cut it hard back, each shoot to within three or four inches of last season's growth. This may seem rather drastic treatment, but it is the best, as hard pruning keeps each plant dwarf and prevents it from becoming scraggy. After being pruned', many young shoots will form, and these should be severely thinned, so that air and light can get all through the plants. When the shoots are crowded they do not get thoroughly ripe, and the flowers are neither. as well coloured nor as profuse on unripe or immature wood as they are on well-ripened, thoroughly matured shoots. Carnations are sending up their flower spikes, and these should be examined, and if green aphis is in evidence 6pray them with some hot water or an approved insecticide. Soot is a good insecticide for carnations, as it destroys rrreen fly and thrips and acts as a fertiliser. Dust it on the plants when they are damp, when it will stick better to the insects that may be on tbem. GREENHOUSE. With increasing heat and sunshine, more shade is needed to prevent overmuch evaporation. If the shade must be a fixed one, use it rather sparingly. Movable blinds are the best, and, although somewhat ospensive, are much better than a fixed material. One great advantage from using movable blinds is that less ventilation is needed, and this moans much on days when a fierce north-west wind is raging. Another gain is an increa-ed temperature en wot and dull days, because the biiudo will not be drawn down, and this means a lot to all kinds of flowering plants—so much that a few pounds spent in movable blinds will be suved several times by the improved condition of the plants grown and the greater Tuantity of flowery