THE FARM GARDEN.

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume XII, Issue 3, 20 March 1916, Page 233

THE FARM GARDEN.

W. H. TAYLOR,

Manager, Arataki Horticultural Station.

VEGETABLE-CULTURE. A long spell of dry hot weather serves to show more than any other condition the importance of deep trenching. On a former occasion I pointed out that more is expected from the domestic garden than from the open field. It is accepted that field culture is largely dependent on weather - conditions. If the season is favourable field crops succeed; if abnormally dry they naturally fail more or less. The ' top soil only, is worked, and this is soon deprived of moisture. From the domestic garden, however, a daily supply of produce is expected. The area being small, it is usually possible to 1 prepare the soil in a manner that renders it to a large extent independent of weather. Deep trenching removes the danger of the soil. being too wet in winter and too dry in

summer. Deeply worked soil, in which is incorporated a liberal supply of vegetable humus, seldom becomes really dry : it acts as a reservoir for moisture.

Where these conditions obtain . I cannot conceive the soil being too dry for the sowing of seed in proper sequence, and my lengthy experience leads me to that conclusion. The first few inches may be perfectly dry, but, given proper tillage, well-prepared garden soil should always have some reserve of moisture even in the driest season. The purpose of a domestic garden is to maintain a supply. This can be done, and is done, despite the vagaries of the weather. It is wrong to top-water seed-drills, for the moisture quickly evaporates, and the seed is likely to be disturbed. The soil above the. seed almost surely becomes caked, and . the

seedlings only with difficulty push their way through, it. When the surface soil is too dry to germinate the seed thoroughly water the drills after the seed is in, then cover over with the thrown-out soil. This acts as a dry mulch and prevents evaporation, and seeds will quickly germinate. . Spinach and Silver-beet. The foregoing remarks refer to all kinds of seeds, including peas, but have more special reference at the moment to . spinach and silver-beet. Silver-beet is a very useful vegetable. Being comparatively free from any disease or from attack by insects, it is practically sure to succeed. It does well in . any weather, . and is a useful stand-by. I consider the midribs of the leaves to be the best part. Cooked as sea-kale and served with white sauce, they are very palatable.

• Spinach is a vegetable, of higher value than silver-beet, but less easily got during summer. . Those who have or may acquire the taste for spinach consider it the best of all vegetables. Its medicinal value is also great. A good bed -of winter spinach gives gatherings for about six months. The quantity of . usable matter it yields depends mostly on how it is treated. The drills should be far enough apart to allow of the free use of the hoe not less than 12 in. As soon as . the plants are large enough to handle they should be thinned .to single plants, leaving from. 8 in. to loin, space between each plant. The plants should grow strongly, and the leaves of the various plants overlap each other. It is important that the leaves be freely gathered as they become

large enough for use, otherwise the coming leaves suffer. Spinach purchased from' the greengrocer consists of plants tied in bundles, this being the only convenient method of marketing. In the home garden the leaves only should be gathered. The accompanying photographs were taken for the writer last winter : one shows the bed, the other a single plant lifted from the bed —a fair sample of the whole. The bed was not on rich soil nor in any way abnormal. It was sown on ‘ the 26th March. ' On the same date Early Horn carrot was sown, and did well; cabbage of various kinds was also planted, producing rather small but useful heads. Broccoli turned out small, there - being • insufficient time for growth. These • results are proof, however, that by planting late-—-a thing that can. scarcely be avoided in some

of the dry . parts of the Dominion.some measure of success may be obtained in the hotter localities that would not be . possible in. average districts. . , Current Work. ln most places winter crops of plants of the kind just referred to are now well advanced in growth, and it only remains to keep the ground clean and loose about them until' they practically cover it with growth.. The last week in the month is the time to sow onions, cabbage,, cauliflower, and lettuce. Lettuce, if wanted for use during winter,, is most advantageously sown in drills, the plants to be thinned out in lieu of transplanting. Much more rapid advance is made by this method, because the check of transplanting is avoided.. The main purpose, however, is for the spring crop, for which sow in beds for transplanting. For winter use sow Tennis-ball or All-the-Year-round. For spring any of the larger kinds, such asWebb’s Wonderful and Iceberg, or if dark green is preferred grow Neapolitan. The best early cabbage is ■ Flower of the Spring, a British variety; and Enfield Market, or. other larger kinds, may be sown for succession. Good early cauliflowers are Early London or Early Snowball, with Veitch’s Autumn Giant to succeed. The-first-named come in from October to December, the latter subsequently. Onions to be sown are mainly for transplanting. Ailsa Craig is the best; others are Giant Rocca and Prizetaker. One of the: latter is the largest I have grown, weighing 31b. 6 oz., without special cultivation. Brown Spanish varieties may be sown and not transplanted. The earliest ripe bulbs are obtained in thisway, also larger ones of the keeping kinds than can be grown by spring sowing in hot and dry places ; but the autumn-sown bulbsare never the best of keepers. SMALL FRUITS. Strawberries. The best first-year fruiting-plants are obtained by taking the runners off early and planting them in nurse-beds for the winter. The plants may be about 4 in. apart in rows, 12 in. asunder. Keep the soil loose and clean between the plants. When the plants are lifted it will be found that each is furnished with a good cluster of roots, many times as numerous as would be thecase if they were left on the old bed, or if after lifting they were huddled together ,in a mass. Strawberries will not do well on shallow ground. Trench a plot and : work in farmyard or stable manure if it can be got, or Vegetable matter of any sort that

is available; and in the latter . case supplement it. with . artificial manures in spring. .; Any one intending to purchase . plants should get them .at once and plant, in a nurse-bed as indicated. Madame Melba seems to be the most reliable variety at present. . • Loganberry plants may be raised very easily by cuttings, the best of which are furnished by young rods. These should be cut in lengths of from 12 in. to 18 in., • cutting the lower end- square across just below a joint. For planting,- insert the cuttings to fully half their length in free soil; - make sure that the bottom of each cutting rests firmly on the soil, and tread the soil firmly about them, leaving the surface loose. April is a good ' time to put the cuttings in, provided there have ’ been good rains, - which should .be waited for. ■ ' - Gooseberry cuttings should .be made from young ’ shoots : 18 in. is not too great a length, to make them,. All the buds except about four 'at the top should be cleanly cut out. The cuttings should be firmly planted about 8 in. in the ground. . Cuttings of red currants should be prepared in the same manner, but from black currants no buds should be removed. In the case of gooseberries and red currants, the object in removing the buds is to prevent suckering. Black currants should be allowed to make suckers (the technical term is “ stool"), therefore the buds are left. THE FLOWER-GARDEN. Roses. —In countries subject, to severe frosts it is necessary to have roses ’ growing . on stocks able to bear the extreme cold, as roses, on their own roots would mostly die. In such countries cuttings, are struck mainly to provide plants for growing in pots. A special method for rooting the cuttings ,is employed, and- a special kind of cutting is taken. ’ These provide the right class' of plant for pot culture. In our climate most roses succeed on their own roots, though there are some exceptions, as to degree of success at any rate. The great white Frau Kail Druschki, so far as my experience goes, does much better on other roots, growing to a stronger plant. Few are in a position to bud plants, and in very many cases the roses in the garden would necessarily be limited if all the plants had to be purchased. Rose-cuttings strike root quite easily, provided the proper cuttings are used and properly put in at 1 the right time. There are several months during which the cuttings may be put in, but most success will be attained by choosing the best time. * The best period is that which allows some time between the insertion of the • cuttings and the natural cessation of growth in the plants. That period .is April,, and,

provided autumn rains * have commenced, the cuttings should be put in from April to mid-May. If the exigencies of the case Cause the • work to be delayed till a much later time success will be only partial, as the cuttings will not make actual roots to any extent till growth begins'' in spring. But if put in at the time stated a callus will form at the base, and roots will start with growth. Making of the callus is thus necessary. .This takes time, however, and if the cuttings are late in there is not time for it to form before roots are demanded’ by the pushing shoots. - Hence a little growth may be made, and then die off because there are no roots. ■ Cuttings for inserting in the open ground are,.-roughly, of two kinds—one kind for hybrid perpetuals and such kinds of hybrid teas as resemble them in growth, and the second kind for all other sections. For those first mentioned, choose clean, moderately stout shoots of ..current season’s growth— is, firm,, with little pith, and devoid of . branches. Make the cuttings about 10 in. long, cutting squarely across with a sharp knife just below a joint. Insert the cutting at least. thirds its length, making the. base very firm. Tea roses, and others not specified, must be propagated by heel cuttings. A small branch with . several branchlets should be chosen, the whole being in. or more in length. Tear the branch from the parent by a sharp downward jerk. This will secure a shield of the old wood on which the callus, and later the roots, will form. The half-ripened tips should be cut off; no other preparation is necessary. Insert so that a portion of the top is exposed, but not too much. If carefully taken, and firmly planted in free soil in a moist condition,- nearly every cutting should root. On no account water .them, or they will fail. Lawns. April is a good month to sow lawns. This is particularly the case in hot climates. In Hawke’s : Bay the seed should be got in after the first rain, so as to give time for the grass to strengthen before the frost occurs.

FORTHCOMING AGRICULTURAL SHOWS.

Amuri A. and P. Association: Annual Show at Waiau, 21st March. Westland A. and P. Association: Show at Hokitika, 22nd March. Temuka and Geraldine A. and P. Society Show at Temuka, 30th March. Oxford A and P Association: Annual Show at Oxford, 6th April. Mackenzie County A. and P. Society : Annual Show at Fairlie, 24th April. Raglan A. and P. Association : Winter Show at Raglan, 19th and 20th May. Waikato Winter Show Association : Show at Hamilton, 30th May to 3rd June. Manawatu and West Coast A. and P. Association : Winter Show at Palmerston North, 20th to 23rd June.