IN THE GARDEN.

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 18422, 1 July 1925, Page 14

IN THE GARDEN.

—♦ — _' WORK FOR THE WEEK. (SPECIM.LY WRITTE2T TOR "THE TRESS.") (By J. T. Sinclair.) * ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS J.T.—The-best evergreens for town slanting aro these with leaves cf hard, resistant texture and of elof- 5 y surface, to which dust does not readily adhere, being .«->on washed off by lain if it dees. Rhododendrons, hollies, and laurrls may bo mentioned as good kinds of shrubs for eracky places. VEGETABLES. Preparing Vacant Ground. —As the winter is beginning to slip on very quickly, no opportunity must be lost in tilling any vacant spots that may exist in the kitchen garden at present. While the ground is wet and sodden it is inadvisable to get on it any more than is absolutely necessary, but with the advent of hard frost, manure should be wheeled on the land and digging and trenching proceeded with so long as the soil is in a fit condition to be turned over. When farmyard manure has been used on the same plot of ground for four or five years in succession a change of manuring should be given by applying lime and barnt refuse to it, instead of lime alone. Koughly speaking, a dressing of half a pound of lime to every square yard of soil will be equal to all requirements. Digging is not done, as many inexperienced growers imagine, in order that the surface of the soil may be loosened, and that it.may present a tidy appearance. We dig so that the plants we intend to grow may attain to the full extent of their potential development. By digging, we mean a thorough and deep overturning of the soil, so that the fertilising ingredients of the earth may be' released and reinforced by the agency of- the atmosphere. Deep digging, if the soil be reasonably good, not merely enriches it, even though not a forkful of fertilising material'be added, it also aerates it, and by means of the process known* as capillary attraction, prevents evaporation, and thus enables plants better to withstand prolonged drought. The ideal time for digging is winter, whenever the ground is reasonably dry. But if the opportunity be lacking, and it is necessary to postpone the work until spring, let it be done betimes. It is a mistake to dig the soil, prepare the seed-bed, and to sow all within the space of a few days. Always make a point of choosing the first favourable moment for digging. If the soil is heavy and clayey, so that it easily becomes caked and hard on the .surface, and if it contains a fair amount of humus, a dressing of lime, as advised above, may be given, and the surface should be left rough. On fairly # dry and light soil the spade can be used soon after a heavy rainfall, but clayey soil should not be worked when it is pasty, or, unless there be hard frost afterwards, it may set very hard and'the Jumps.be difficult to break .up. With any soil, when winter digging is'done, leave the surface rough, allow it to settle down, and give the atmosphere an opportunity to do its work.

If any of our leading exhibitors or other skilful growers of vegetables were asked to give the principal details of management to which they attribute their success, considerable stress would doubtless be laid upon the importance of deep cultivation. The great value of this practice, when it is properly carried i out, is plainly manifest to those who adopt it, for the difference in the .production of land that is periodically deep trenched, and that which is only dug in the usual manner, other things being equal L.is very great. It does not matter whaqclescription of soil is operated upon, deep culture.at the right' season of . the ye>r never fails to improve the. productiveness of the land. FRUIT. Cherries.—-These,, when trained on walls are 'inariageti very simply. If a good start is made with young subjects', and their shoots are trained out in fan-shape, with careful attention to stopping, a" good-sized tree can be grown the first season, after 'planting. During summer the centre shoot requires checking with finger and thumb. Young growths are increased, and may be utilised as permanent branches. Morello cherries, which have their fruit upon the shoot of the previous season, when grown to full size and the space giveii to them, covered, may be induced to form, natural spurs, but to keep on stopping and cutting the wood means., loss of fruit. It is better to get them into a state of fibrous roots near the surface, keeping them within bounds in solid soil,'. and then the brandies are short and stiff. When Morello cherries, or. in fact, any cherries, are allowed to grow very grossly, they are subject to suffer from gumming and die off; a hard rammed sail removes, much of this difficulty. Another cause of gumming is a too severe.use of the.knife while- the trees are dormant. If the trees are pruned after the fruit is picked, they are not so liable to gum. All the pruning that should be necessary now is the removal of old wood. Plums. —These are not unlike apricots in their needs at this time. They can do with more cutting than apricots, .and artificial srsurs can he formed with impunity, but the more naturally the trees do their own work the more likely they are to thrive.""

FLOWERS. The Shrubbery.—A shrubbery- well arranged and planted should bo an ever-growing pleasure. Incorrect planting consists in placing shrubs of value too thickjy; correct planting implies the placing of those kinds of value so thinly that when fully grown they display their .natural contour unfettered and unmutilated; they are the ornaments to be cherished by their owners. The spaces between the shrubs that are- intended for permanent effect may be planted with anything of a common nature that can be cut out without compunction as they encroach on the choicer specimens, and the amateur must see that they are cut out in time. He must not rest with a knowledge that the work wants doing, but do it. Promptitude is a no"den virtue in thining shrubberies. Many trees that would have developed into splendid specimens have been spoilt by other plants being allowed to grow near them too long. The more valuable evergreen and flowering deciduous shrubs may be judiciously intermixed. and space allowed for the full development of each specimen. Frames.—At-this season there is the possibility of damage to many plants in frames and greenhouses, from a ne■•lect to remove decaying leaves, primulas cinerarias, calceolarias, geraniums, and chrysanthemums should be looked over at least once a week, with a view to the avoidance of rot set up by decaying foliage.