Gardening Notes.

Wairarapa Daily Times, 7 December 1928, Page 6

Gardening Notes.

The Sweet William. Although more ur less perennial in diarac-tor, the Sweet. William gives by far the best return when treated as a biennial. To secure good strong plants in the later districts, it pays to sow in boxes set in a greenhouse or frame, but for general purposes a bed of line soil in the open border will suit admirable. How thinly in either ease, as this plant is very liable to damp off in the earlier stages when at all overcrowded. 1 Kck-ing-oif should have attention as soon as the little plants are tit to handle, and those raised in boxes should be transferred to other boxes and finally transplanted to then' permanent quarters when large enough. There are many tine strains of the old • ‘auricula-eyed Sweet William on the market, and these, when well-grown, are delightful in any garden. Of late years some of the self colours, and 3i, orc especially Pink Beauty, have become immensely popular. Incidentally, ] discovered a few years ago that Pink Beau Tv thrives and flowers well under 'trees. Wiile the Sweet William will succeed in almost any kind of garden soil, a good stiff loam seems to give the finest heads of bloom. When the ‘ ‘ auricula-eyed varieties are profercd ' it is, as a rule, best to plant in beds by themselves, but the self colours arc admirable adapted fair filling gaps near tlu* front of herbaceous borders. Planted in fair-sized clumps, they add a wonderful brightness to these borders, and for use as cut Jlowers are in great deni and. * * * * iCulcair.g. - It is usual some time or.other during the summer to have a period of drought that hods to premature ripening of certain garden crops, and on the whole these dry periods must be regarded as evils which demand consideration. Plants, shrubs and trees are wonderfulfrr responsive »o irregular conditions at their rusts, and are always most satisfactory when the soil is kept cool and moist: in fact, it may be said that if the roots are kept right during summer the sun may glare till it- blisters sie ground, and not a whit will the trees and shrubs suffer. To ensure this uniformity, mulching has come to be recognised as an essential feature of the routine work. Nice short well-rotted ■manure which has plenty of decayed straw in it is fine for spreading over the eoil, and its rich ingredients will * pans down Into the roots; peat litter is '4also excellent, and sometimes preferable fur the sake of appearance. Short o-rass is good for keeping the soil cool ftiid moist, sand will do if procurable in anv quantity, and any refuse matter could be utilised for the purpose; unsightly substances are to be rejected, and only neat tidy mulches employed for the work. A thin layer 0! lawn mowings is one of the best for the lose border or fruit plot, as it is a non-con-ducting layer, and makes a clean catpet to walk 011; when dug into the ground in autumn it adds to the store of humus already there. •**** Stakes and Staking. Mo sooner has the gardener recovered from the mental worry and physical exertion necessary for planting out than he must start to stake liis plants as they grow and increase. It is wise policy to begin early in the matter,' for as the shoots grow up they hide the stakes with their foliage. For (dumps of herbaceous stuff, two forked branches pushed into the ground close to the roots on opposite sides make a good support, since the herbage grows through these and hides them completely, while the branches, entangled in them, are held firmly but not stiffly. Tarred twine and stout stakes are useful for tall, top-heavy dumps. Paint, the stakes soon if this is going to be done at all, so as to give them time to dry thoroughly. As we have already pointed out, many paints—-. 11 nd some green paints are sinners in this resped—are made of poisonous ingredients that injure vegetation; but if they are allowed to harden thoroughly and dry into the wood, they do HQ „ harm. If time can be spared, we recommend the painting of all stakes used except such as retain their natural bark. Even the bamboos notv employed so /much look better when green, for of all the unsightly vistas to be seen in a garden, the worst is a border of plants which looks like a jungle of bar.* bamboos of all sorts and sizes, * * * * Hoses. These are now commencing to grow freely, and the surface of the beds should be lightly hoed over to prevent The growth 0f weeds. Keep a sharp look out for greenfly, and as soon as this is detected spray the plants with quassia extract, or some other good insecticide This should not be done on a sunny day but in the evening, or a dull day for preference, In case of mildew,’growers often wait until thenroses arc attacked and then endeavour to Stop the disease. It is much better to anticipate an attack, and spray before it can do any harm to the foliage. * * * "New Lawns. *7ro.mhts during early summer often spell ruin to what promises to becom , , hifs 1 recently finished making a new ono tt&sz&sss* ™ ,lv is „ nee .«■ of «•*«“*• “or^c-h0.,, ii 11,., surface 111 a lmc nil si. lu the "case of lawns from seed take ~,3-e that the water does not collect <m the surface and begin to flow ni :;:,ue direction, or it will wa-h away 1 nll sr» n bad surface; a naic “TtnTt" «f soda applied » fo ™ “ f ”v -hours oftor nCll ' S *°

Flowers and Vegetables,

retain moisture, and at the same time to urge on the grass until it develops sufficient herbage to counteract the harm done by hot sunshine. Don’t be in too big a hurry to mow the new lawn, and even on the first occasion simply cut off the tops of the grass; if the weather is dry and sunny let the mowings lie as they fall.

Earthing TJp Potatoes. Where the soil is light and the surface has been kept stirred with the hoe. the task of earthing up is much easier than certain other operations. Where the .‘Soil is heavy the ordinary hoe will bo of little use, but the prong hoe does admirably for breaking up the soil between the rows of potatoes previous to earthing up. Before earthing up, soil upon which only a little or no manure has been used should be well supplied with old sod, or should have bonfire or wood ashes liberally strewn between the rows. Those who have no soot or wood ashes to apply to soils which they know to l>e deficient: in plant foods are advised to procure a little of one of the better known proprietary manures and apply according to directions given. If it is more convenient use nitrate of-soda at the rate of a good handful to four yards of soil,

scattering this evenly over the surface. Do not let the nitrate touch the young foliage or harm will follow. Should the nitrate touch the leaves a gentle top with a stick is usually sufficient to dislodge it. Where time allows it is better to give a preliminary earthing up now, leaving the linai earthing for a fortnight or three weeks longer. Loo much soil drawn to the. Top during the early staged often damages the voting tops or prevents other shoots pushing through with proper freedom.

Filling Ground After Pens. Among amateurs it is usual to manure ground liberally tor the earliest crop of peas, and as /these come to maturity somewhere about December, it often happens that much valuable time and space i*> wasted by peimitting the old haulm to remain after fie crop has been gathered. Crops which in past years have given good returns after early peas arc as follow: Dwaif. beans and celery, leeks —a double row of these eight incites apart, lettuce—planted twice as thickly as usual, cauliflower, ridge cucumbers or bush marrows, endive, spinach, cabbage for autumn use, or turnips. For any ot: the jilkivc 110 further manuring need be done: simply the hoe to destroy weeds. *‘* * « « Liquid Manure. Liquid manure is invaluable in the garden, :*id possesses many advantages over solid manure for the purpose of providing growing plants, crops and trees with nourishment. 111 addition to l, ( >ing more speedy in its beneficial effects'than solid manure, liquid manure need not be applied until actually required, whilst the quantity can readily be increased or decreased as found necessary. The best time to apply !iq~ uid manure is when the ground is moist after rain, and, generally speaking, the proper period for i«ts application is during the time the strength of the plants or trees is strained or taxed in the development of their produce. When the crop reaches maturity, feeding with liquid manure must cease. In all cases where it is desired to apply liquid manure during dry weather, the soil must first be thoroughly moistened with clear water. Well diluted liquid manure, frequently- applied is far more beneficial than occasional doses of strong liquid manure. Horse, cow and sheep manure are the best for making liquid manure. A cask is placed on br'iclc base and fitted with a draw-off tap near the bottom. Two wooden bearers are nailed across the inside of flu* cask, and a bottomless box ha ving tlu* underside covered with perforated zinc, arranged thereon. The manure Is placed in this box and the cask tilled with water. For a 36-gallon cask, half :1 bushel of manure and half a peck of soot will, make an excellent liquid. } If * * Sowing ftunner Beans. There is yet ample time to sow rows of these to produce a crop throughout the autumn. There is a great tendency to waste seed by sowing too thickly. Usually four or five times more seed Is sown than is required. Consequently, owing to stunted growth, the amount of produce gathered is not one-fourth of what it. would have been had a little mote discretion been observed in sowing the seed. One should not allow less than lft between each plant, and it a double vow is planted In A trencltj should be allowed between each. The result of tills thin sowing is that each year one gets leaves LI or more inches across, borne on haulm from Id to 14ft high, clusters of pods containing from jif to 21 pods being quite common.