VEGETABLES AND FRUIT.

Waipa Post, Volume VII, Issue 329, 10 July 1914, Page 8

VEGETABLES AND FRUIT.

Mr W. H. Taylor continues his remarks as follow in the Journal of the Departmentof Agriculture: VEGETABLES. Peas may be sown in all parts now. Good early sorts are : Daybreak, Carter’s Springtide, English Wonder, Richard Seddon. At the same time sow a second early to'succeed them. Sherwood, Te Aroha, Sutton’s Dwarf Defiance are some of the good varieties. I like to dust a little soot over the seed after sowing, but before covering them up. The soot protects the seed and newly germinated plant from insect pests, and greatly improves growth. In the absence of soot I put a little bonemeal in the drill before sowing the seed. Onions. Those sown in Autumn will be ready for transplanting shortly. Get them out as soon as they are large enough; the earlier the better. Large kinds of the Ailsa Craig and Rocca types should be planted from lOin to I2in apart, with Isin between the rows. If woodashes are available do not neglect to spread a good supply on the ground before planting. I always keep a lot in a dry shed for the purpose. Soot is the king of onion-fertilizers; do not be afraid to use plenty. Basic slag has given me good returns. This fertilizer should be spread so as just to dust the ground over. When transplanting onions do not try to make them stand upright if they are of any size, or. the roots will be in too deep. If they lie slantwise on the ground they will lift as soon as they start to grow. I prefer to plant by first drawing a shallow drill with a marker. Lay the plants on their sides with the roots just down one side of the drill. Draw back the soil and tread firm. Onion-seed should be put in as soon as conditions are right. Get the ground into good, condition first, and make it firm by treading, or rolling, or by use of the log-leveller if the area is large. Never sow in loose ground, which militates against a good take of seed, and is not favourable to after-growth. The foregoing remarks about manuring hold good for the seed-bed also. Broad beans should have been sown before now. Where this work has not been done it should he proceeded with at once. Lettuces may be planted, as soon as fit, from the autumn sowing. Plant a good bed. They stand well, and give the best heads of the season.

Radish and a little Early Horn carrot may be sown in small quantities. SMALL FRUIT. Raspberries should be freed of the dead canes, and the living ones reduced to about six of the strongest. Cut off the immature tops of those left, cutting down to where the cane is of a fair thickness. Clear away and burn all the prunings. Fork the ground over and leave it clean. Give a mulch of manure if possible. Where the clumps are very strong the ground may be so full of roots as to make digging difficult. Imthat case do not attempt it. I like to see them so, and rely on mulching to keep weeds down, hoeing out those which do come. !

Black currants bear fruit mostly on young wood. All short growths should be left intact, but longer shoots may be shortened somewhat, for the tops of these are not, as a rule, well ripened. There is no need to keep an open centre to these bushes —in fact, it is rather a detriment to do so. It is desirable to renew the bush frequently by working up new main branches, removing the old to make room for them. The borer is always more or less troublesome. By keeping the wood young, however, serious damage is prevented, the older branches being removed before the borer has had time to destroy them. Give plenty of manure.

Red and white currants never bear on year-old,wood. All the side shoots should be shortened back to about three-quarters of an inch to form spurs. The fruit is borne on spurs that are two years old and more. Some of the spurs are manufactured in the way described, while some are natural. Sometimes natural spurs get too long. When they are too long too many bunches come on them, with a consequent weakness of each bunch. When this occurs reduce the size of the spur. As the fruit is borne in the manner indicated, it will be evident that the bushes must have plenty of light to all parts, otherwise the spurs would remain undeveloped. An open centre must, therefore, be kept, or as near it as can be managed. I do not wish to imply that a good lot of fruit may not be got from a bush in any other form; on the contrary, I know that it can. I also know, however, that a proper crop cannot be secured unless all parts are well exposed. The

outer parts may fruit well, but the lower and inner parts will give but little fruit. Every part should bear equally well. It happens, unfortunately, that the only kinds that fruit well in this country are difficult to train. The growths are heavy and brittle, and are easily broken off by strong wind. No one need, therefore, be disappointed if they are not able to grow perfect bushes, such as are seen in pictures. Get as near to perfection as you can. Any one who has bushes that do not bear fruit would do well to cut them out and get the right kinds. Some varieties never bear fruit here. Good kinds are those of La Versailles type, which include Chenanceaux, Bertyn’s No. 9, and Cherry Red. Gooseberries bear on spurs and the young wood with equal freedom. This causes many ways of pruning to be adopted. In some places it matters but little which wiy is availed of. In the colder districts the open bush spur-pruned is no doubt best. Spur-pruning rigidly pursued is not good in hot districts or on light soil, the bushes becoming enfeebled and dying out. A freer way of treatment is more profitable in such places. When gooseberry - bushes are spurpruned all over there is a tendency to push out a large number of shoots. As is but natural, those shoots, if left to grow, crowd the bush, so they are usually kept pinched back. In some cases this repression leads to the death of the bush, as pointed out above, but doubtless the ’evil would be less if the shoots were allowed to grow after being pinched back once or twice. lam in fayour of a less restrictive mode of training and pruning. I believe in looking to the' young wood for a good part of the fruit, keeping a fairly open bush, but not rigidly cup-shaped, and renewing branches occasionally, just as in the case of black currants.