THE FARM GARDEN.

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume XII, Issue 4, 20 April 1916, Page 319

THE FARM GARDEN.

W. H. TAYLOR,

Manager, Arataki Horticultural Station.

VEGETABLE-CULTURE.

Peas.— places where the soil -is well drained peas may now be sown. Where the- soil is extra dry in summer the resulting crop may be the best of the season, and this also applies to very hot districts. It is customary to sow only dwarf varieties at this season, but this need not be made a hard-and-fast rule. Dwarf kinds come into bearing earlier than other kinds because they have less growth to make before fruiting. In some parts the crop is a precarious one, a cold winter or. a heavy rainfall causing slow growth, so that very little progress is made. In such cases it is wise to sow only dwarf sorts and only a small quantity. But where they are known to do well more should be sown and a taller kind also. A difficulty in some parts is the ravages of birds and slugs. It is a hard matter to rid the garden of slugs in winter when there is frequent rain, and birds are a still greater. difficulty. Both slugs and birds may be overcome by putting sticks to the peas. Birds seldom trouble them when so protected, and slugs do serious harm only when the haulm lies on the ground. If the haulm is clear of the ground a sprinkling of lime and soot occasionally is sufficient protection and, further, acts as a fertilizer. I always sprinkle a little soot over the peas before covering them with soil. It protects them from all insect pests while in the early stages of growth, and the manurial effects of the soot is seen in the rich green foliage and strength of growth.

Broad beans may be sown anywhere. The plant is a hardy one that grows well during winter. Beans do not form till there is a certain degree of warmth in soil and atmosphere; therefore the haulm may run up too tall. In summer it is best to top

the plants when about a foot high. It would not be wise to do so in winter, as it would at that time delay the crop. When it is seen that the pods are holding, the tops may be pinched off if the haulm is getting very tall.

Rhubarb.— lf the clumps of the summer varieties stool out freely they become, after two or three years, very weak in the centre. It is advisable on that account to lift the roots every three years or so. As they are now dormant, they may be lifted at once if it is desired to work up the ground. The clumps may be piled in a stack in any convenient place in the open —-the weather will not hurt them. Replanting should be done just as soon as they show signs of growing in the spring.' The clumps are then to be chopped up with a sharp spade. Plant back strong pieces from the outside of the clumps—one to three good crowns should be taken for each new set.

Winter rhubarb is best renewed by seed sown at any time except winter. Present beds, if they have been manured fairly, will be benefited by occasional dressings of nitrate of soda. Give 2 oz. per square yard at about four weeks’ interval. It is not good economy to give heavy dressings, as nitrate of soda is very soluble in water, and what the plants do not absorb quickly is washed away.

Seakale should be cleared of the old leaves, weeds, and other rubbish, and the soil forked over. Do not dig deeply; it is unnecessary and would cut the roots. Crowns that are strong enough may be forced at any time during the dormant season. What is necessary for covering them depends on the size of the clumps. In Europe . earthen pots are made for the purpose; we have to use what we can get. If the clumps are small, kerosene-tins will answer. Both ends must be cut out; the open end at the top can be covered with pieces of board. The whole should be surrounded by fermenting- manure; a covering about a foot thick all roundthat is, a foot through to the box on all' sides as well as the top, which means nearly a yard through —will provide sufficient heat. Cover only a few clumps at a time, for seakale quickly spoils. It takes about a fortnight to force. If the kale has not all been forced before natural growth begins it will be sufficient to cover the remaining clumps with tins or boxes, not using manure. All crevices must be stopped up to secure perfect darkness inside, or the process will be useless. I have read of the clumps being ridged , over with earth when the crowns break up into the soil and so becoming blanched. I never succeeded, however, in' getting good stuff that way. It may answer in a dry climate.

Spinach from recent sowings should be growing freely. Thin the plants so that they stand singly at least 8 in. apart. Be careful not to leave two plants in a place instead of one—a very easy matter. The plants do not grow freely unless they each have plenty of room for their roots.

Turnips sown recently will stand through the winter. Timely thinning promotes good growth, and is easiest. Broad lines are the most profitable; excessive thinning is not required. If the seed was thinly sown, very little thinning is required. The capability of a bed for production is enormously increased if a little trouble is taken, when pulling for use, to take always the most forward. Such is the way with growers for market, who seek to produce a large number of medium-sized bulbs with the least possible expenditure of labour and space.

Cultivation.— ln summer-time a fine surface kept loose is the order, as it conserves moisture, while allowing a proper ingress of air. During winter it is better to leave the surface in a rough state, by which means a greater surface of soil is exposed to the beneficial effects of sun and wind. Soil that might be heavy and sour with a loose surface may be kept sweet and friable if dug up and left rough. Vacant plots should be so treated. This method of cultivation refers to the surface only. Lumps below the surface should be broken up, or they will remain lumps, which will become very hard in summer. This should be kept in mind when trenching ground. If lumps are left unbroken it will be hard to get good . crops.

SMALL FRUITS.

Strawberries. Where leaf - blight has been troublesome, means should be taken to destroy as much of the foliage as possible. The most simple plan is to mow the foliage with a scythe, let it wither, and then set fire to it. Where a mulch of littery stuff has been employed its remains will . help the burning. If necessary, dry straw may be littered over the bed to assist the burn. The straw will not be wasted, as the resulting potash will benefit the plants.

Black Currants. — Black currants will not succeed on dry soil. It is useless to plant them on such places. A fairly strong rich soil is best, but, above all, a moist subsoil is necessary. The mode of pruning should vary according to locality and climate. In all but the coldest parts of the Dominion there is trouble with the borer. In some parts the black currant was thrown out of cultivation because of the destruction wrought by borers. That is, however, not necessary. Where there is but slight trouble

from the borer the English method of training and pruning should be adopted. This is the same as for the red and the white currant. A framework of branches is trained up in the form of a cup, and a side shoots are reduced -to short spurs. When this style of bush is adopted care must be taken not to allow suckers to come up. Where the borer is troublesome a different plan must be adopted to ensure success. Non-suckering bushes are secured by carefully cutting- out all buds on the cuttings that are to make the bushes, except four or five at the top that are required to make the branches. When this is carefully done and good long cuttings are put in, suckering will not take place to any extent. When a stooling bush is required none of the buds should be cut out. The object is to allow the underground shoots to come up to a sufficient extent to ensure a constant supply of them in various stages of development. A young branch is seldom, perhaps never, lost through the borer. It is old stems that are attacked, or perhaps they are old before they become seriously- injured. The management of the- bush consists in so working up young branches from suckers that the older may be cut out before they are enfeebled by the work of borers. The black currant bears fruit on wood of the preceding year, so that the frequent renewal of wood does not lead to loss of fruit. This style of bush is pruned quite differently to the one first mentioned. Fruit being taken from young shoots as well as from spurs, and a sufficient number of such shoots being annually left to furnish the bush without crowding, it will not be cup-shaped, but have a full centre. Young shoots left for bearing should be shortened a little, merely nipping off 3 in. or 4 in. of the tips, fruit-buds being wanting or but feeble in that position.

Cape Gooseberries.— should sow seed now in preference to waiting till spring. Sow in boxes, prick off as soon as large enough into other boxes, and keep them just growing till spring. These make strong, hardy plants that will make much greater early growth than spring-sown plants, and give much better crops the first year.

Gooseberries, red currants, &c., will be dealt with in the 'next issue of the Journal.

THE FLOWER-GARDEN.

Roses. — Transplanting roses can be successfully done at any time after cool weather sets in until growth becomes active in spring. There is a period of from sixteen to eighteen weeks available for this work, beginning about mid-April. If everything is ready the best t time is from the middle of April to the middle

of May. ' Planted at the time stated the foliage is still active, so that new roots are quickly formed and the bushes are re-established before they go to rest. Naturally the bushes start stronger in spring than they would if only then planted. Bushes transplanted in the autumn should not be pruned at that —the growth is wanted to promote root action; but it may be wise to cut back tall shoots somewhat, just enough to take away some top hamper, so that the bushes may stand firm. There is no need to try to lift soil with the roots it is usually impossible, and is not required nor is there any occasion to lift long roots. Dig straight down about 12 in. from the stem, cutting through . any roots the spade may meet. All broken or cut roots should be cut again by knife or seccateurs; unless cut with a clean cut they are likely to die back for some distance, greatly impairing the root-system of the bush. For planting, a hole should be made wide enough to allow the roots to be spread, and a little deeper than the length the roots will be left. Stand the bush in its place and fill the hole about twothirds full with soil. Shake the bush so as to distribute the soil among the roots, and at the same time lift it a little. The roots will then be placed. Now tread the soil very firmly over the roots, and finish by filling up the hole with loose soil, leaving it in that state. It is highly important that the soil be trodden very firmly about the roots, also that the surface soil be left loose so as to allow the free passage of rain and to prevent caking.

Rose-bushes should not be allowed to send up suckers. When suckers are allowed to grow it is very difficult to control the bush. Some of the suckers are sure to be extra strong and dominate the rest of the growths, which become weak, and the bush then becomes difficult to manage and altogether unsatisfactory. This refers to bushes growing on their own roots. Budded bushes, of course, only throw stock suckers, unless they have been planted too deep. If suckering is troublesome the . only way to subdue the trouble is by lifting the bush. All the suckering roots and all underground branches should be cut off. . A single stem only should be allowed, and branching should occur well clear of the ground.

Rose-bushes at times become overgrown and comparatively flowerless. In such cases transplanting is the remedy. Cut the roots well back, thin out the shoots, and when the bushes become again established prune severely. The latter remarks apply mostly to hybrid perpetuals, which are the offenders in this respect. Pruning should be done in June or July. Flowerless growths in other sections are usually the result of bad pruning. The pruning of roses will be dealt with in the next issue of the Journal.

Primroses and all the family may be planted now. Violets can be planted now, but it should be done only as a matter of

convenience. They are best planted immediately after flowering. They never flower well the following spring if planted in autumn.

Transplanting.— kinds of shrubs and trees as well as most perennial plants may now be transplanted. In most places autumn planting is best, because, as they get a new roothold at once, they make growth in spring. Local conditions must rule this question. Where the soil becomes waterlogged in winter and early spring, planting should not be done until' that condition is past. Early summer is the best time to plant in some places. It has been my experience .to deal with places where October was the best month for planting. In such cases growth is made the following autumn.