IN THE GARDEN.

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16156, 9 March 1918, Page 6

IN THE GARDEN.

f (srECIALLT WRITTEK I'OK "THE TREsS. ) (Bv J. T. Sinclair.) ANSWERS TO COI'BESPONDENTS. J.H.—Tt is a pit>" cinerarias arc showing 1 flowers as early as they are. If you pincu out the flowers yrm will certainly ?c,. nrer ilowcts. but the quality will not b3 a, cckxJ. especially mi it your pln-nts arc o- ;lie graiv.liflor.T type. Unless you want ilie Co«;'i for some special purpose <omc partievdor time it would bo as \vell to let I ho. plants tax.- their ouvsc. 1 "t fevcral cuttinsrs ot pelargoniums round tho cc'.zes of five i'lch pots, use a compost made up of loam, ieai-soil, <uid sand, (•land tiic pots in a cold irame, and do not overv- a'.cr. When mo cuttings am well rooted repot into four i:.ch pots ami Sio-v as usual. To induce a bu.'liy hauit pinch the points out a vcok or ?o artcr tlie you 115 plants have been repotted. WORK FOR THE WEEK. £ow. —Cabbage . and cauliflower, lettuce. turnips, and onions; also annuals. VEGETABLES. Onions. --Thc<e will generally be fit for gathering duiiu£ the month. Ihicknerkerl bnlb.s arc useless for storing, and -should be set apart for immediate use. AVell-mat.ilred bulbs should be laid out rather thinly on a dry floor, such as that ul an open shed oi gr«i\ci walk, to dry them woll for a few days boforo putting iltcin away. A cool, dry, aitv plate is the best winter accommodation for them. Clear away all earth and other dead matter adhering to the bulbs bofore storing them away. Seeds *>own last month for drawing as s.callions in spring, and othci s "that are to furnish plants for transplanting them, will be uenelited bv dustings of soot as the seedlings appear above ground. l'otatoe-i. —All early and second early kinds should bo lifted without if not aireaiiv done. Tubers tha« aic required for Ranting should be selected with euro as regards thoir soundness and perfect conformity with the typo of the sort they belong to. It there is more than ono sort of cither class keep thorn separate; this is best etfectcd bv placing each sort by itselt, ono layer* deep, in a shallow box, and labelling or numbering it to keep varieties from becoming mixed. 1 ho boxes containing tho sets can then be placed where they will have plenty ol ligntThcv must be protected from frost throughout tho winter. Medunnsized tubers for sets are to be preferred to large ones. Spinach.—A sowing of this niay yoi. bo made, but without delay. Chooso a sunny position for it. either tho round-«e<cdod or the prickly-seeded can be used, but the latter is the hardier. Should the be dtywrW the drills after drawing them, and sow the. seeds while they are still wet. The batch of spinach which was raised from seed sown a few weeks ago, should be thinned out ns soon as the plants are large enough. Plenty of room should be given to each plant, and if a space of four. five, or six inch.es is lolt, this will allow the plants plenty of room in which to develop. Keep the "Dutch hoe moving among the plants whenever the weather is fine, as th' c will encourage full growth. Celery Rust.—There are indications that- thi« pest, is going to be very prevalent this season, and unless some means are taken to with it, the results mav bo serious. The best preventive is to spray thoroughly with Bordeaux mixture once a fortnight. FRUIT. Vines.—ln order to get viu.es which are growing in a cold greenhouse to ripen their fruit properly, it is necessary' to give them very careful attention at this so.ison of the year. Pinch out all the young shaots growing from the sides of the stems, and let plcuty of light into the bunches, especially so if tho varieties are late kinds. Any ber- . ries that may bo cracked should be cut out, otherwise they will soon damage ' the sound fruit. It is essential that, in order to get the berries to colour nicely, plenty of air should be admitted to the j greenhouse day and night. Strawberries. —There is still time to put in new strawberry beds if. this has not already been put in hand. Although plants put out now will not do to well as those which were set out_ a month ' "go. . vp t t l ""'* obtained from runners planted this week ought to bo fairly satisfactory. Black Currant,".—lf the pruning of these has been neglected, it should bo done at once, so that light and air ea.n get at the centres of the bushes. It is best to prune early, .so that the new • wood has a chance to ripen. Without ripe wood wo cannot expcct good fruit. Peach Tree*. —The peach, like tho black currant, fruits best on the young wood, and trees grown against walls or fences should be gone over nnd have all the old hearing wood not required for extension cut out. FLOWERS, Lachenalias.—lt is time this interestyig and beautiful genus of bulbousrooted plants were shaken out and repotted. The treatment advised some time ago for freesias suits these plants admirably. A good compost is twothirds good fibrous loam, the remaini ing third being made uj? of leaf soil and well-decayed cow dung: the addition of some rough sand to keep the compost [ open is helpful. Pots, boxes, pans, or ; hanging baskets can be employed. • Seven or eight bulbs can be put in a [ ' six-inch pot, and a corresponding in- > ' crease given to larger vessels. Ample j drainage must be afforded. A cold frame, from which frost can be excluded, is the best accommodation till the flower spikes be<zin to make their appearance among the leaves. The plants may then be moved into a cool r! greenhouse or into rooms, giving thera 5 as much air as possible, but without -' draughts of cold air. When the plants ; are growing ireely ample moisture must r; be given. j I Shirley Poppies.—A sowing of these " j lovely poppies, where the plants are to ; I flower, can be put in now. These i flowers always look best when grown in -1 a mass in beds or borders. As the ; ! plants do not transplant well, it is best j i to sow as thinly a.s possible, and thin 11 out the seedlings several inches apart . j when thev can be handled conveniently. Potting Bulbs. —June and July are I the two montlis of tho year when we

might say that no flowers bloom without sonic kind of protection. This docs not menu tlint \vc must <jo without flowers altogether. Neither need w:- be put to the expense of purchasing-them at that time of the year when thev arc the most expensive. It is generally thought that only those who liavo greenhouses can have flowers in winter. • fortunately this idea is not altogether correct. I'or winter, wo need a subject which is of a ffee-flowerinjr habit, and one which does not mind being brought into flower at an "unnatural'" time. Ave find in the narc'ssus aud hyacinth two very accommodating kinds. Tulips also are' easily -forced, especially the early kinds. The corouost rocommended lor lachenalias is suitable. A six-inch pot will hold five narcissi or tulin bulbs, and a four-inch pot olio hyacinth bulb. Tho bulbs should be placcd so that their apices are level with the rims of tho pots. The soil tinder the bulbs, with the hyacinth in particular, should not be made too firm, for when tho root.-, begin' to move the bulbs may be lutod out of the soil. As soon as potted, stand the pots on a bed of fine ashes in the open air. then cover them, to the depth of six inches, with more fine ashes, and leave undisturbed for five or six weeks. In the case of the hyacinth tho flower spike often appears with tho leaves, the latter barely sheltering it. To avoid damage, therefore, hy contact with the plunging material, it is customary to invcit a small potover tho one containing t.ho bum. and to block its drainage hole before plunging. At. the end of the time mentioned, examine the bulbs, and, if an inch of growth has been made, take the pot and stand in a cold frame. Keep supplied ■with water, and .shade from sun for the first few days. Then, when the flower spikes show", or the weather comes in bad, remove the pots to a room where the plants get plenty ol light.