THE GARDEN.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11359, 10 April 1915, Page 16

THE GARDEN.

WORK FOR THE WEEK.

KITCHEN GARDEN. Seeds to Sow.—Cabbage, carrot, Brussels sprouts, silver beet and spinach. Wliat to Plant.—Cabbage, cauliflower, letituco and winter greens. Severe frosts have blackened nil tender subjects, and, except in very .sheltered positions, fcavo put au end to j runner and dwarf beans. I Market gardeners have had a poor { rot urn from the outside* tomato crop, ! late spring frosts having destroyed j many plan is and the cool weather re--i ta-rdod the growth of thoso that esj eaped. Now the severe frosts of April j 1 and ~ have killed all the tender i shoote arid spoilt- many of the fruit, i Those that are not frosted should bo taken into a dry shed. With careful handling many will ripen. The best method of ripening these green fruits is to lift the plants nud hang thorn up by the roots, leaving all tho fruit on tho vino. Thus treated they ripen munh better than if picked uaid stored in boxes. Lettuce for winter aud spring will claim constant attention from now until winter is over. Keep the plants free froi/! weeds, and dust slaked limo around them to check the slugs. These pests are certain to attack lettuce now sinco nearly all other tender green vegetables have been killed, and if they once establish themselves in the plants it is very difficult to dislodge them. Carrots and beet that are largo enough should he lifted and stored in a cool place. If left in the ground too long carrots "split" during wet weather Rud become useless. under similar conditions beet will deteriorate by losing its flavour and tenderness, getting stringy and tough, which means a big waste.

i Tho clearing away of the remains [ of crops will demand prompt attention, as the sooner these are removed from the ground and destroyed the better. It is necessary to emphasise the need of "destroying"' all refuse infested with any of the garden pests, cither fungoid or insteet. It is not a good practice to remove these from one part of tho garden to another and leave them to hibernate for the winter. Destroy the refuse at onoo, and "with it all the poets that are on it. There is nothing better than a rubbish fire, not a fierce one, but one that smoulders. Instead of burning tho rubbish into a white or red ash, this merely, cinerates it into a mass of black ash and charcoal. As potato haulms aro killed, ihey should be collected and burned as soon as possible. Prepare a plan for next season's cropping, and get the ground ready during the winter for die various crop 3. Trench deep and manure heavy for peaa, cauliflower and other vegetables that need much feeding. Do not put any fresh manure on the quarters that are to grow carrots, parsnips, beet and similar roote, as fresh manure is the cause of so many "forks" and rougn roots, that spell " waste" when they are prepared for use. This is why rotation of crop is constantly advised, and in many gardens successfully carried out. HARDY FRUITS. The glorious sunshine will finish ripening fruit, and the _ present season's growth will result in a splendid lot of blossom next spring. Leaves are falling freely since tlie frosts of last week, but do not be in too great hasie to gather 'ate varieties of apples and pears, as unless these remain on the trees until they are quite fit to harvest they will shrivel, and they cannot keep in good condition until they are quite ripo and lit for use. Newly planted strawberries require rain, and unless there is a faf jvj soon it would be advisable to give them a good watering, as : although the plants may not show signs of distress now, they will suffer such a check that next season's fruit will be less in quantity and quality. I Pruning should be pushed on as fast as possible. First finish gooseberries and currants, then apples and pears. The sooner this vicrk is done the better. Do not wait for tho winter, but finish this work before the leaves fall. If young trees are to be planted, the ground should bo prepared at once, to give it time to settle down before the trees are transplanted. Break the ground up deep, but keep the surface soil on top. It is a mistake to bury the surface soil and bring tho subsoil to the top. Although it is necessary to break it up and make it fairly fine, the surface soil should remain on top, because it is the best and most suitable for the new roots to run in. Should the ground be on the heavy side, give it a liberal dressing with lime immediately after trencning, as this will soften and sweeten it, and make it more friable. FLOWER GARDEN.

Leaves are falling fast. Collect as many a.> passible and store them. They make the best possible manure for every garden use, and they should on no account bo destroyed by burning. Put thorn in a heap and leave them to rot. Bulba should be planted as soon as possible, while the weather is good. Although the frosts have blackened the growths of dahlias and other soft plants, do not be in a hurry to out off the shoots of any of the herbaceous plants. Tho leaves may bo removed, but tho stems should be left on the roota as long .is possible. All decaying annuals should be cleared away as soon as possible. Overgrown trees and shrubs should now be pruned back into shape, before the leaves are all down. This work should bo done with great caro and judgment, as it is easy to disfigure a tree or shrub by merely euiting them back without any regard to balance or shape, leaving the cut ends staring; obtrusively, instead of cutting back all the branches to one point. Take off some much nearer the stem, and leave a few thin shoots to partly cover the ends of those removed. Examine all shrubs, as some may b© infested with "scale."' This insidious pest has destroyed thousands of fine matipo plants, bsoth specimens and those growing in fences, and many more will die unless this pest is destroyed. Spray with a weak solution of Emulsa oil, but apply it with great force, to drive the spray fluid into the scale. j Several of the euonymus are very often troubled with scale, which beconio veritable breeding grounds for j "his pest. These should l>e sprayed | several times during tho winter to de- | stroy the scale. Red spider has attacked quite a! number of trees and shrubs during the j past season, and before the leaves'have. fallen the deciduous (roes .and shrubs should bo marked so that they can be I sprayed later. Of course, most of these minute pests will fall with the leaves, ! but the lnrvsn are left in the forks of the tree arid in tho rough bark. They rest in these places during the winter and. with next season's warn sunshine, they come into active life and soon spread to other trees and shrubs, and to many herbaceous plants.

answers to correspondents. "Ginger" writes: —Your advice about potatoes turned out of such an excellent quality that I am going to trouble yon for some more. I have some macrocarpa trees in a fence and they have grown out of hedge size; in "fact, somo are fifty feet high. Will they be killed if cut now, clown, to, say, seven feet, or should I leave them "till later in tho winter? If possible. 1 wish to cut them down, but not to kill them, as they are excellent in fact, only for my macrocarpa. fences I would not have had half :>■ case of apples this yea r. T enclose some loaves of n horrid weed which I have tried all means to get rid- of—boiling water,

kerosono and fire, but these only seem to improve it. I h;vre 11 ocd it and dug it, up, but all to no purposo. I do not, know tho name, but tho to nr«> long, white roots which go down ns dorp as twenty-seven indies. T» there any way to pet rid of the pest,? When storing carrots, should 1 cut off tlift tops, that, is the feathery leavesr \ hi.. \on 1-4111 cut your raite.rocarp:i down u> seven foet, if thm> is plenty of green growth below that, point, (.'lit, them next month, after tho present season's growth is tinislwd. Tho leovt's you enclosed aro horse radish- a most diflicult plant to kill, T'horo aro only two means of rid of it-by carefully forking the ground to got out every ]wr-t-if'le of root; then, next. spring, keeping tho ground 'otistantly hood, to prevent any leaf becoming green. Do this, and .vou will cc*'t, rid of tho horso radish. Take off a!! tho feathery leaves, but, do not out them off. 'IT IT.'— writes: Plojuso ioil mo through _the " Canterbury Times" should climbing campanulas lie grown in pois from tho start, or should fhey bo ffroiyii in tho garden mid then potted to make goocl pot, plants, I wnnfc .early strawberries. I bare Pi few Royal Sovereign plants in (iveineJi pots, ami intend to put them in tho ground oz- a frame, should T have tho glass off t-honi during tho winter and put i">'hts on when in bud?—lt is to grow tho campanulas in tho open ground until tho .spikes begin to come from tho bane. Then carefully lift and. pot tfto.m. "Yes. Tho glass should be over tho plants during tho winter if vou want tho fruits early. Tho aim shon let bo to grow tho plants in a, temperature a little warmer than it is in tho opon, to encourage them to devemp and open theii-' blossoms earlier than they .would if grown in Iho open.