THE FARM GARDEN.

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume VI, Issue 4, 15 April 1913, Page 420

THE FARM GARDEN.

W. H. Taylor.

Vegetable-culture.

Although we cannot change winter into summer, yet we can, by the exercise of a little care and thought, ameliorate winter conditions to a considerable extent. Hoeing is done in summer-time partly to destroy weeds and partly to preserve a fine surface that will act as a mulch and prevent evaporation 'of moisture. A fine surface - during summer does not prevent ingress of air, which is very essential to the growth of plants, but a like condition during winter, when there is a greater rainfall and less and weaker sunshine, would not tend to encourage such growth as we have reason to expect and desire. It is also obvious that a rougher surface will expose a greater area to atmospheric influences, and is therefore most beneficial at this time. During summer-time one grows lettuces in deep drills, so that the roots are well away from the dry surface soil ; m winter raised beds are the natural position. A trench a spit deep thrown out around a bed will tend to dry the soil even though there be no outlet for water, and such a thing is often very beneficial to growing crops, and particularly to beds containing seedling cabbage, cauliflower, lettuce, and onions. On some soils these precautions are not necessary—that is, where drainage is perfect and the soil fight or porous.

Deep cultivation is necessary to ensure uniform success. Where the soil is heavy deep working is necessary to allow water to sink down in the rainy season, and also because when , water lies near the surface during wet weather such soil is nearly always abnormally dry when rainfall becomes light, and unless roots get deep down the plants suffer from drought. On the farm this condition is met by subsoiling, but the improvement is only temporary, and insufficient for continued cultivation. When the site of a vegetable-garden is a fixed one, measures must be taken to meet the requirements of the various crops as well as the variations,, of weather. Soil naturally, becomes worn by constant cropping. It also loses humus. Both losses must be compensated for. Shallow soils and also those that lack humus may produce fair crops while rain is frequent, but fail to give adequate return when dry weather sets in. Deep cultivation and restoration of humus is the only remedy under these conditions. Earmyard and stable , manure is the only perfect manure for constant cropping. It supplies nearly all

the fertilizers wanted, while it provides humus, without which plants will not. thrive. By darkening the soil it increases its warmth, for anything of a dark nature absorbs heat, and light colours reflect heat. . It increases moisture in dry weather, and generally effects improvement in working and makes for the congeniality of the ■ soil as a rootingmedium. When large quantities. of this kind of manure are not available it would be unwise to bury it deep down ; it would be better, too, when trenching •to work in any garden or farm rubbish (such as the bottom of hay or grain stacks, or cleanings of roadsides and ditches) into the lower strata of soil, and "keep the good manure for the top , but be very careful not to work in anything in the way of wood (such as gooseberry-primings, or hedge-clippings containing firm wood), for they fill the soil with fungoid growths that are mimical to plant-life. All such rubbish should be burned. • Cauliflower for spring planting are in some places somewhat difficult to raise. This is particularly the case in low-lying places subject to frost. Usually all goes well for the first few weeks'; then they begin to' damp off, or cease to grow. To a large extent raised beds remedy this - evil, sometimes entirely so ; but some protection is at times imperative to ensure good plants. There are several ways of raising plants. Some sow the seed in boxes under glass. I think this plan a bad one, because at this dull part of the year such treatment is more than likely to result in soft plants. I prefer to sow in the open. Let the plants remain there till' they show signs of stagnation ; then Eft and prick off into boxes. Put these under glass, but keep the glass off. on all fine days. When the plants have become large enough for planting out,' the boxes should be placed outside in a dry situation to harden off before finally planting them out. Cabbage-plants should be pricked off into new beds as soon as they are large enough to handle. The site of' the beds should be in a welldrained position and be raised above the ordinary level. Prick out the plants about 4 in. or 5 in. apart. Dealing with the plants in. this manner provides a stocky plant, and also accelerates their growth, and that to such a marked degree that when these are finally planted and in good growth those in the original bed will have been so much retarded by crowding each other as to provide. plants for a successional bed. Sowing cabbage, cauliflower, lettuce, and onion was previously advised as work to be done at the beginning of this month. If such has not been done, neglect it no longer. In some places turnips may be sown up till May. This will be in fairly dry and sunny situations. I have sown carrot-seed during the latter part of April, but it is seldom worth while to do so. The only valid reason is that it continues'the supply till the latest possible date in spring. Thus any one having an imperative call for carrots for flavouring all through the year , will find that these

late-sown ones will go to seed a little later than the matured roots, and the difference is usually just enough to enable them to last out till the first little ones from spring-sown seed are ready. Winter crops of the Brassica family, which includes cabbage and broccoli, should now be so far advanced as to have covered all the ground about them, and weeds will be no trouble; but other crops, such as parsnips, &c., are sure to get infested. The weeds should be pulled or dug out and wheeled away to the heap. Sorrel and couch, when in such positions, increase rapidly during wet autumn weather, and if neglected are likely to cause much trouble hereafter. It is, however, no easy matter to dig the roots out from among parsnips and carrots. The best way to deal with them is to clean the ground as the crop is used. The crop . should be dug systematically, not by digging roots here and there, but by beginning at one end of a bed and digging clean, turning the soil over properly and digging in the trimmed-off tops, leaving the ground neat and clean where the crop is used. The same remarks apply to celery-trenches. If these are left rough till a trench is cleared out, it is quite a task to level them down among the rubbish ; whereas if it is done in a workmanlike way from the start it is no trouble at all. The first spit in digging out a root should go to the hollow side and. forward. In the hole that is left the trimmed-off tops should be put. Digging the next head covers the debris of the first and levels-the ground, so that when the last has been dug the whole ground is level, all the debris' is buried to enrich the soil, and much labour is saved.

Small Fruit.

If seed of Cape gooseberries has not yet been sown, as previously advised, it should be sown at once. Sow in boxes under glass, or, if there "are no frames available, stand the box in a sheltered, sunny corner, and cover it with a sheet of glass. It is not a good plan to wait for chance plants to spring up in the garden. They do not develop early enough to ensure a good crop the first season. A word of warning : If seed is to be purchased, obtain the Cape gooseberry, not the variety called Francheti (Giant Japanese). The latter is a highly ornamental plant, but the, fruit is not palatable, although it is advertised as edible, and is recommended for preserves.

Raspberry plantations may well be put in order now. ■ There is more than likely some necessity for clearing them of weeds, and it is well at the same time to clear out the dead, canes and surplus suckers. It is useless' at this season of ’ the year to hoe weeds. They must be pointed "in,. or dug out, as their nature requires. After the plantation is made’ clean, a dressing of farmyard or stable manure should be given. If ’ artificial manure is to be applied, it had better be delayed for a couple of months. The kind and quantity ■ will be given later.

Gooseberries and Currants— is unlikely that the annual pruning will be undertaken yet, but weeds may demand attention, and in that case it will be an advantage to the work to remove any straggling branches there may be, and, in the case of gooseberries, to shear off the drooping ends of branches, so as to render it easier to work around the bushes. A mulch of manure around and beneath the bushes will keep the ground clean as well as manure them. Where strawberries are to be manured by a mulch of manure, it may be put on at any time. It is best done some weeks in advance of growth, so that the fertilizing properties may become washed out and into the soil, the debris remaining clean as a check to weeds and protection for the fruit from dirt. Doubtless some of the manure will be leached through the soil, but there is also loss in other ways if it is kept till spring.

The Flower-garden and Tree-planting

Planting roses may be taken in hand now. The planting season extends from the middle of April until the middle of July in an ordinary way, with a still further extension in cases of necessity for a further period of about six weeks. Autumn planting is to be preferred, for the reason that as the bushes become re-established before winter they are in a condition in spring that enables them to break away strongly and more vigorously than those planted in spring can do. There is one great difference in treatment to be observed in autumn plantingthat is, there must be very little pruning done at the time of planting. Straggling branches may be shortened to some extent, and soft shoots — and immature growthsmay be cut out. Beyond this the bushes should be planted as they are when lifted, the object being to retain as much foliage as possible, as the foliage is necessary to promote the formation of new roots. If this were not. accomplished it would be better to leave planting till a later date. The object of shortening branches as described is twofoldfirst, to relieve the depleted roots of undue strain ; secondly, to enable the plants to stand firm by the removal of some of the top hamper, which if left on would give wind too much play on them. New roots cannot form unless the bush stands firm. It. is important that the soil should .be trampled firmly over the roots, not only to keep the bush firmly in position but also to ensure that all roots are in close contact with the soil, a very necessary condition to the formation of new roots. It is of equal importance that the surface soil shall be quite loose, so as to enable rain and air to readily penetrate. Roses are commonly reputed to do best on clay land. Doubtless this is to a large extent misunderstood. They do better in heavy soil than in that of a very light character, and in such soil they are benefited by an addition of clay—that is, clay of a kind.

The character of clay that is useful in such soil is sticky, puggy clay ; not the marly kinds. Where the soil is naturally of a heavy character it may not be fit for treading down hard, becaues it might become a stodgy mass. When this is the case it is advisable to provide some fighter material to put over the roots when planting. The importance of firmly treading in the soil around newly planted trees and shrubs is often underestimated. It is really one of the most important factors in successful planting, and for quite opposite reasons in different cases. Suppose a tree or shrub is moved with a ball of earth attached, this ball of earth will be more or less hard according to the nature of the soil. A hole is prepared for the reception of the ball, and refilled when the tree is in position. Now, unless the soil that is returned' is made quite as solid as the ball of the tree, water will centre into the loose soil and never penetrate . the ball. The tree then dies of starvation when dry weather sets in. In such cases the soil should be trodden or rammed very firmly, the surface left loose, and the final filling should be done so as to leave the bole of the tree standing in a shallow cup — the lowest part, in —so as to direct rainfall to the ball of the tree. The opposite case is when a plant is put in that has no ball of earth, firm treading is just as necessary then to prevent an undue soakage of water to it, as would happen if the soil about it were looser than that in the surrounding plot. ' , ' . Planting trees and shrubs of almost a] T varieties may with advantage be done in autumn, but some knowledge of local conditions is necessary in some cases. Where the soil becomes very cold and wet during winter it. will probably be better to delay the work till spring, for it is not probable that trees can make new roots in cold, wet soil; and unless they do so the trees must perish. Early-autumn planting is the only alternative to waiting for spring in such . cases. There is no doubt about the advantage of planting in autumn wherever possible. It practically means gaining a year.

The Care of Nursery Plants.

Many failures are experienced for want of proper treatment of young trees, &c., received from nurseries. There is a certain shock to young trees that are transplanted that is quite unavoidable. They also suffer somewhat during , the period-in which they are on the journey from the nursery to the planter. There should be a short period allowed in a suitable place for resuscitation before planting, or . losses are sure to follow on sudden exposure to all the vagaries of wind and weather. My own plan is to unpack immediately on receipt, and heel the plants in a somewhat sheltered place in free soil. Heeling is done by throwing out a shallow trench to begin with, putting the soil on the side of the trench opposite the digger. A row of plants is laid close together,

the roots in the trench and the plants resting against the bank of soil thrown out. Now dig in soil to cover, the roots, and at the same time form another trench ; but before completing the next trench tread the soil already thrown over the roots of the first row ; this will 'raise the plants from the ground a little, but still leave them recfining from the upright. ' Now finish the next trench, throwing the soil forward over the trodden part, but leave this layer loose. The plants are to be left here several weeks until they show signs of new growth. They will then have made new roots and may be safely planted out. When these precautions are taken there are seldom many losses —in fact, I have handled thousands, and have only had units of loss.

Spring Flowers.

Plants raised as advised for this purpose should now be ready for planting out. ’ Wallflowers make the' finest show when massed either m beds or on borders. A solitary plant here and there is not nearly so effective as a group. Colours should be grouped separately, or arranged in bands and masses in beds. Very beautiful beds can be made by a judicious arrangement of colours. The yellow and white annual Bartonia aurea would make a good edging for a bed of dark-coloured wallflowers. Seeds of Bartonia can be sown when the wallflowers are planted. They ' soon . come into flower. Forget-me-not edged with white arabis is effective. Plants of both would be required. Beds of anemone might be edged with Alyssum minima, whose white flowers would not clash with the various colours of the anemones.. Antirrhinums, particularly the dwarf kinds, make good early beds, and are past their best in time for summer bedding— is, if they are good plants now. Most hardy annuals may be, sown at once, also pansies. Where there are’ bands of Lobelia that it is desirable should be' moved, a few clumps should be heeled in in a nurse bed. They will provide a nucleus for propagating from in spring. Iresines and Altenanthera should be lifted and put in boxes away from frost. -

If up-to-date scientific, agricultural, educational, and household methods were applied on the farm, in the school, and in the home, each farm in Canada would be capable of supporting at least ten times as many persons as it now supports, and’maintain them in a condition of comfort if not luxury. At the same time" the productive power of the soil would constantly increase ; the drudgery of indoor and outdoor farm-work would almost entirely disappear. There would be ample time for rest, reading, and recreation. Country children would receive as good an education as their city cousins. An attitude of appreciation of rural life would be engendered. — Dr. S. B. 'Sinclair, Dean of the Faculty of Education, ' Macdonald College, Quebec.