THE FARM GARDEN.

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume VI, Issue 5, 15 May 1913, Page 531

THE FARM GARDEN.

W. H. TAYLOR.

Vegetable-culture.

Asparagus. The matured tops—the runner growths—should be cut down when sere. It is best to do it as soon as this condition is reached and before many of the berries fall. If left till the tops are perfectly dead, most of the berries will fall when . the tops are handled, and, as the seed germinates freely, a host of young plants would come up as weeds, causing avoidable labour. If the stems are thick,, as we may hope they will be, they are somewhat hard to cut with a knife. I use a slasher, which does the work in r a fraction of the time it would take to do it with a knife. Cut as close to the surface as possible, for the sake of neatness. lam not aware that there is any other reason for it, though some claim that there are other reasons. If the beds are made in the . old way— rows close together on raised beds, with alleys betweenthe. surface soil should be loosened and several inches thickness of it raked off in to the alleys. Then give a good coating of stable manure to the beds. The thickness of the layer that will be serviceable largely depends on the state of the manure. It is preferable, according to the consensus of opinion, to use it in a rather fresh state, as it decays down in a lighter condition than would heavy, fat manure, thus making for warmth in spring, and greater friability -of soil. The soil thrown into the alleys is to remain there till spring. At that time the manure will have decreased very much in bulk. The soil is then thrown up on to it, to make a clean finish. The chief, reason for leaving the resoiling till spring is . that because, if put on earlier, it would grow weeds, while oats, &c., in the manure would break through; whereas if left till spring it will cover any green growth there may be, and . remain clean for the young, heads to come through. If the plants are on the flat, and the rows are further apart than in the old style, no earth can be taken off. Merely a good top-dressing of manure should be given, first having lightly pointed the surface over if at all firm. 6 in. or 8 in. deep of fairly fresh manure is a good dressing for raised beds, half that depth is sufficient for beds on the flat. . . .

Seakale.- All the old leaves should be dead or nearly so ; they may be cleared off. Precautions should be taken to guard the crowns against slugs. They have a liking, for these, and if the slugs are shut in when the crowns are forced they damage the young shoots. . Forcing may be

done at any time after the old leaves are off. If there is a good plantation, forcing may continue in batches till natural growth commences. The system of forcing described in English books will be rather mystifying to many colonial gardeners, but it need not be considered, as few people in this country could command the means there imperative, nor would it be necessary for us to take so much trouble, our ’ milder climate rendering outdoor forcing more easily accomplished. It would be more correct, perhaps, to say that colonial requirements can be catered for by the rough-and-ready means referred to, and that large supplies are more economically provided by the better means afforded by heated houses. Forcing is accomplished by the aid of fermenting stable manure. This should be fresh and contain a good quantity of straw. The straw is necessary for a twofold reason. Droppings without straw become saturated by heavy rain, and do not retain heat, and a better covering can be made by strawy manure. It is best to give the manure a shake over a few days before using: it heats the better for it. Manure from cornfed horses is requisite, for the layer will be but a thin one, and that from grass-fed animals does not retain heat. In England there are earthen seakale-pots. These are made bell-shaped. The broad, open end rests on the ground, surrounding a clump of crowns, and at the top is a movable lid, with a knob to lift it with. These pots are the only perfect covers. Here we make such shift as we can with boxes. Kerosene-cases answer very well. Some people even use kerosenetins, but the clumps must be very small for the tins to cover them. A layer of fermenting manure is packed around and over the boxes. Several clumps must be forced at once, or the manure would not be in sufficient bulk to retain heat. It would not do to put a large quantity round one' box, or the heat would be too strong, resulting in the crowns being scalded ■by the hot vapour which would find its way through the loose top of the box. Sufficient heat is generated by a ridge of manure, which covers the box about 12 in., and projects a like distance on each side. If there is a desire to have seakale ready for a special day, allow fourteen days for forcing. If the heat is good, that will be ample. When a crown is cut take it with a piece of the old neck, so that the rosette of stalks remains intact.

Rhubarb— advent of evergreen varieties of rhubarb has made forcing unnecessary, at least over the greater part' of the Dominion. I am not aware how it behaves in those parts subject to severe frost and snow. In all other parts it would be more than ridiculous to force rhubarb. We are pulling an ample supply from a bed of Topp’s Winter, the stalks being of fair substance, up to 30 in. long, and many of beautiful red colour, though they vary much in this respect. They are certainly of far better average quality than forced rhubarb. There may be some parts where forcing is desirable. The modus operandi is

the same as for seakale in ' every respect; . but, as with seakale-forcing. English directions will be misleading to a novice. You are advised to lift the crowns some time before forcing, as it causes them to force better. It should be understood that the lifting is only a part of the’ English system, where the forcing is done in hothouses. The crowns are taken from the open ground, the roots very much reduced, and the crowns packed close together in a variety of ways, and, after forcing, the crowns are thrown away. When the forcing is done in the open ground there is no need for lifting. The crowns are covered where they grow, the same as seakale.

Peas. — There are so many variations of soil and climate in the Dominion that it is not possible to state a time for sowing that will be right for all; General principles are, however, unalterable, and where conditions of soil render it safe to stray far from them it may be safely assumed that the conditions are very far from normal. I know of a place where peas are sown early in May and are gathered early in October. This place will grow absolutely nothing in summer, because it is too dry. In ordinary circumstances many people sow towards the end of May, in the early twenties. The usual result is that peas are gathered about the 28th October, but I have never seen them give a crop indeed, scarcely half a crop and in windy situations they are frequently nearly all destroyed, because growth is too slow during June. In similar places, if a first sowing is made on the Ist July, the first gathering should be made on the 9th November, but this will be a full crop, as the plants had growing weather all the time. I gave up the May sowings years ago, and this after a fair trial, as not being worth while. In the garden lam now working lam seldom able to sow before August. As a rule, the soil is too wet before that, but a month later in sowing makes a difference of only about two weeks in gathering. Local conditions have so much effect that to some extent each grower must judge for himself when it is best to sow.

The question of variety, however, is on a quite different footing. Varieties are classed as first early, second early, main crop, and late. First earlies are usually of a very dwarf character; their merit is that they mature a crop quickly, but, please note, they are not quicker in growth than later varieties, but, being more precocious, they sooner bear seed. This, however, is at the expense of growth, and. the crop is very small, therefore quickly over. For that reason I regard a true first early as the most expensive of all to grow, because there is less return. They give us the earliest peas, and we pay the price. The true .first earlies are represented by Little Gem, American Wonder, Richard Seddon, and others. It would be wrong to grow these except as the first crop ; they are meant for that only. The second earlies have many representatives. I will take two—Carter’s Springtide and

Daybreak. These’ two will, as a rule, require about ten days longer than Richard Seddon and other true dwarfs, but the crop will be quite threefold in quantity, and will last three times as long. It is obvious, therefore, that it is far more profitable. This is why I advise cottagers who have little room and farmers who have little time to spare, and who will not value the few days earlier, to let the true dwarfs severely alone. In domestic gardens of more pretention, however, whether it be on a station or suburban-villa grounds, the earliest varieties should be regarded as indispensable. The maincrop varieties should be the mainstay of the season’s supply, because it is they that give the quality and size of pea.

Broad beans may now be put in at any- time. Sown within -the next four weeks, the first gathering should be ready early in November.

Lettuces and endive may be planted in well-drained ground.

■ Beyond this there is no seed-sowing or planting that comes within ordinary practice for the next few weeks. Efforts should be directed towards keeping the place clean; weedy ground should be dug over, as well a ; all plots as they become cleared of crops. . The soil will be more benefited by exposure to air and what sun there is than by growing weeds, which tend to make the soil cold and sour, and afford shelter for the slugs, &c., that will be a plague in the spring. The cleaning-up should extend to advancing crops of spinach and silverbeet, which will prove of considerable value in early —that is, if properly thinned to enable the plants to attain good size and otherwise encouraged to grow. Ground intended for early planting, and which is to have stable manure dug in, should be prepared as soon as possible. In general practice it is better to let the ground settle a few weeks than to dig in manure and plant or sow at once. This applies particularly to onions. The seed should go into firm soil. A loose bed is prejudicial to success. Where green crops have been grown for turning in, whether it be peas, tares, mustard, or oats, they should be turned in soon, so that the ground may settle, and the green matter changed by decay to render it available , as plantfood before the crop is put in.

Flower-garden.

Dahlias have long since been cut down in many places; in others they have gone sere by the natural process. What to do with them is the question asked by many. The nurseryman has his way, a way that complies to his demands from the tubers. A quite different way is better in the average garden. A very large number of dahlias are lost every year, partly from lack of understanding the physiology of the tubers and partly through want of appreciation of the dangers that beset them.' When dahlias are lifted- from the ground they are

found to be furnished with a mass of tubers. These vary considerably in different varieties; some . are few in number and very large, and some small in size but in large numbers. All alike are practically useless to the future plant, but. are of . immediate use in supplying moisture to preserve the vital parts, which are the necks, the portion of growth intermediate between the tubers and the stems. ■ It is from this .part .that , the future shoots spring. The loss of the plants follows injury to the neck, and this may ensue from the . skin being-eaten by slugs or woodlice latter, being very partial to themor. from dry-rot, though seldom from wet- If the . roots are lifted and' placed where there are woodlice they are sure to be ; injured. f This may occur under trees or hedges. If stored in a dry shed they perish with dry-rot, and if stored outside they are injured .by frost. The best thing for the amateur ,is to leave them in the ground. The tops should be cut off low down, and when quite dead lowered still - more, so that, the cut. or broken parts may be quite covered with soil. Otherwise woodlice and slugs will injure them, woodlice particularly. They enter the hollow stems and eat the substance out, and decay from we', follows. If the above precautions are . taken there will seldom be any losses.

Primroses and polyanthus may be divided and replanted.

Auriculas may be planted. These' require a cool situation, and a friable and fairly rich soil.' The auricula is one -of the most beautiful of hardy plants, thriving in cool surroundings only. It is not a plant for the warm parts of the Dominion, but is at its best, in the coldest parts of the South Island, doing fairly well in Wellington Province, but failing farther north. • .

Gladioli bulbs of the autumn-flowering species should not be allowed to remain in the ground over winter. They should be lifted, dried, and stored in a dry place. It is well known that these species, which are all hybrids, are very liable to deteriorate, reverting to something like the original type. This is largely attributed to want of proper cultivation, and particularly to neglect of lifting and drying off, with its 'accompanying annual rest. This determination is observable in the large' numbers of gandavensis of a brick-red colour that are extant. No one willingly cultivates them; they are simply reversions to the old type.

Borders are now usually subjected, to a general cleaning up and clearing out. Most plants and shrubs require some restriction to keep them in their place to prevent overcrowding. Many require renewal of some kind to prevent deterioration. This is the case with many herbaceous plants, phlox of the perennial type, Michaelmas, daisy, rudbeckia, helenium, &c. A rough way of doing it is to chop away the outside, leaving as much, of the centre as is .thought will be sufficient. That is the wrong way to do it. The outside growths are the youngest

and most vigorous. Chop out as large a piece from the outside as will suffice, dig out and destroy the remainder, and replant the young piece.

All bulbous plants, and others that die down to below the surface, should be distinctly labelled before removing the dead tops ; otherwise they are likely to be injured or lost altogether. Often a man strange to the garden is employed to dig the beds and borders ; he cannot know what is beneath the surface unless there is something to mark it. The very natural result is that many bulbs get turned upside down and are never seen again, or the crowns of Dielytra or Solomon’s seal are cut off before he knows they are there. This leads to loss and disappointment, and frequently to false accusations of theft. Bulbs of lilies should seldom be disturbed if they are properly planted. They should be planted deeply, because, for one thing, they like to be cool and moist; another reason is that they make many roots at the base of the stems, immediately above the bulbs, and these require soil to work in. All the • strong-growing lilies should be planted so as to have about 12 in. of soil above them. This indicates that the soil should be deeply cultivated and well drained, or the bulbs would be likely to lie in water during winter. Lilies seldom do their best the first year after planting; they take time to become established, and should not be disturbed until they show signs of deteriorating, which eventually happens, partly from'. overcrowding and partly because they get too near the surface, as increase is made in an upward as well as outward direction. Lilies require rich soil, and are benefited by liberal supplies of stable manure. ■ Clumps of Dielytra and Solomon’s seal may, if the soil is good and free in character, be allowed to increase to large dimensions. They do not become impoverished in the way that phlox does, and large clumps make an imposing display. A top-dressing of well-decayed manure mixed with good loam and wood-ashes will add to their strength. ’ Lily of the valley having died down, remove the dead stems, and give a top-dressing of good loam and leaf-mould, with a little bone-mealsay, a 5-in.-potful to a barrow-load. Established clumps of narcissi may have a top-dressing of well-decayed stable manure, or a very light dressing of basic slag or bonedust.

Roses.— Continue to plant. When June comes in the bushes may be pruned before planting. There is no advantage in planting without pruning after autumn growth has ceased, and. it is much handier to prune before planting than it is to prune the same bush in the ground, for there is danger of loosening its hold on the soil, as it has not the grip on it that established bushes have. Planting of all descriptions of trees and shrubs may be continued according as local conditions render it wise to do so. June is the dead month of the year, and in some places it is not wise to plant at that time. Everything, however, depend on local conditions.