THE FARM GARDEN.

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume XIII, Issue 3, 20 September 1916, Page 244

THE FARM GARDEN.

W. H. TAYLOR,

Manager, Arataki Horticultural Station

VEGETABLE-CULTURE.

In the usual- course of routine management peas are sown at intervals of two weeks all through the summer months. Turnips should be sown every seventh or eighth week. Turnips do not remain tender long in hot. weather after they are fully developed. They . should, indeed, never be left till they reach that stage ; it is best to sow small areas, and use the bulbs as they become large enough, but never at full size. French beans and runner beans may be sown in most places. The first day of October is the accepted time for the southern half of the North Island. I have never seen good results follow any attempt to get ahead of that time.- It is ' not merely a question of dodging frost, but a matter of soil-temperature ; until the soil is warm the plants will not thrive.

Leeks should be sown at once. When well grown they are one of the most valuable winter arid early spring vegetables, and there is no vegetable plant more sure to give good returns. Leeks . will grow in any class of soil, and are not subject to any blight, nor are ’ they . specially attacked by : insect pests. They are essentially a vegetable for the small garden and for the busy man. Not only are the results sure, but the plants make a crop of long endurance. Sown now, the first should be ready for . use in May. . As time goes on they increase in size , until

they go to seed in October. They are thus in use from the same planting over 1 a period of from five to six months. Many are deterred from growing leeks to any extent because of the labour of digging trenches, which also take up a - lot of room. Not only are frenches not necessary, but this is not even the best way to grow leeks. That part of the cultivation, however, can be left to a future date. .At present all that is necessary is to sow the seed in a line for transplanting later on. Any of the kinds on the market are good enough; there appears to be but little difference between them.

Red beet should also' be sown at once. The long kinds are best for winter use; the turnip-rooted are the .. most suitable for early use, as they come quicker, and are of very tender quality during the summer months. Red cabbage for pickling requires to be planted —the seed should have been put in before now. Plant out as soon as large enough; if they are treated to midsummer planting they will, to a large extent at least, fail.

The best time to sow for the main crop of parsnips depends to a large extent on the purpose they are expected to serve. For my own part, I regard them as a winter crop, and in a private garden they should not be wanted till that season. Sow early in November and they will be early enough and come in when other vegetables are getting past. The roots are the more tender for not being too old, and that alone is sufficient reason for not sowing too early; there is also the question of space which can be otherwise employed. Those, however, who are growing for market must sow parsnips now, though they may sow again later; but one crop should be sufficient for a private garden. The same remarks apply to carrots-that is, for practical purposes.

Broccoli and Brussels sprouts should be sown. With the latter it is important to sow at once; Brussels sprouts put out late never do well. Broccoli may be left till a month later, but it is best to sow at least the early varieties at once. ~ Savoys should not be sown for several weeks—say, towards the end of October. Local conditions, however, have a considerable influence, and the aim should be to delay the sowings so that they do not come into use till the weather is cold. From now on lettuceseed should be sown in lines; sow thinly, and thin the plants instead of transplanting. ■ Sow radishes every four or five weeks. I prefer, as a rule, not to specify varieties, but must recommend the long white Icicle, which I have found to stand hot weather remarkably well. ■

Tomato-plants' should be in an advanced state in the boxes in which they were pricked out. There should be no hurrying to get them out of the glass structure; let them make good

growth first, and then give them plenty of time to harden. Never put them out in the ground till warm soil is assured.

' Potatoes: For the early crops at least well-sprouted sets should be put out. Every set should' be examined, and only those with sturdy shoots should be planted. If the sprout comes off with a slight touch the set is not fit for planting.

SMALL FRUITS.

There are many inquiries about Cape gooseberries. The chief trouble appears to be unsatisfactory results the first year. My own experience has been that there is never any reason for dissatisfaction when the seed was sown in. autumn. By sowing in autumn the plants put out in spring are well hardened and woody, go away at once, and do well. If, however, the plants are raised in spring they are soft when put out, are checked by a spell of rough weather, and seldom. do well.

Strawberries: The soil should be kept open by cultivation, and weeds cleared off preparatory to mulching to keep the fruit clean. Spent hops from a brewery are excellent for mulching ; they conserve moisture to a greater extent than anything else I know of. The hops should be stacked for a short - time before putting them on the bed, so as to drain off and sweeten. Coarsely cut straw chaff makes a good mulch. The worst possible material is green grass, particularly that cut on lawns by a machine; it taints the fruit.

Raspberries: Keep the hoe or cultivator going among the bushes; keep weeds down and the soil open. Cut out all waste suckers on raspberry-beds; they rob the fruiting-canes.

Look out for gross shoots on gooseberry-bushes; they are prone to start where branches were cut out. At this time the shoots indicated are very soft and can be pushed off; if allowed to develop they become troublesome and lead to some amount of labour.

THE FLOWER-GARDEN.

One is asked many, questions as to why plants fail to grow. Frequently it is quite impossible to answer the questions- with any degree of certainty, as one cannot guess at what has been done. One common cause is undoubtedly the improper use of manure. Manure is not a panacea for all indeed, it is more frequently the cause of death to plants. Some plants are so hardy in nature that they take a lot of killing; others, again, are more susceptible to injury. Hard-wood plants, like camellias, rhododendrons, kalmias,

heaths, to a less degree azaleas and andromedasin fact, all plants that are of what one may term a choice nature and hard-wooded — simply will not root into strong manure. When a plant has become established it may be given manure with advantage ; a like treatment might kill it at an earlier stage. Briefly put, manure is a stimulant only to be given to a healthy, well-rooted plant. For the intelligent use of manure a person must be able to tell when a plant is in want of fertilizers; and when it is roots that are required. It may be taken as an axiom that plants of the class mentioned never require manure until they have become firmly established. Such subjects should be planted in clean soil; no manure, natural or artificial, should come in contact with the roots.

Plants growing in pots are usually potbound, and before - they are planted in the open ground the ball of earth and roots should be broken. The roots must be disentangled at least to some extent, so that the soil may key into’ the ball and among the roots ; the soil should be pressed very firmly about the roots, and it should be clean soil. Watering is rarely advisable when putting out a plant; there are exceptions, but the rule is as stated. .Watering is likely in the majority of cases to rot the, roots.

Current work will include planting out box stuff of various kinds, leaving the more tender subjects till danger from frost is past. Hardy annuals of all kinds may be sown. Violets may be planted as soon as flowering is over. It is advisable not to delay the operation, for they grow away at a great rate when they cease flowering, and the young runners should be in their new quarters as soon as possible. Choose young runners from the outside in preference to the older parts ; although the latter are the strongest the young ones are the best. The old ones, however, may do very well indeed, and it” would be better to replant them than young runners if the latter are very weak. As to the reason for transplanting, the plants becoming crowded exhaust each other, and separation is on that account necessary about every third year. If time cannot be found to transplant, it will do good to thin out the crowded plants. This should be followed by some manurial application, a sprinkle of bonemeal first, and a good mulch of halfdecayed stable manure over it. In places where the soil is very dry and dries out very much in summer this treatment is better in results than transplanting.

Gladioli should be planted— large-flowered kinds. They require well-trenched ground and planting at least 6 in. deep. Dahlias are mostly ready for planting. It is a good plan to dig a hole deep enough to hold a good forkful of manure and plant above it, thus encouraging the roots to go down out of the dry surface soil.