IN THE GARDEN.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 18890, 4 January 1927, Page 7

IN THE GARDEN.

WORK FOR THE WEEK. (specially written ior the TBESS.) (By J. T. Sinclair.) ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. Shirley.—As soon as your cinerama sire loige enough to handle, prick them off into pans or boxes and place- thorn in a cool frame away from the glare of the eun. When they have beoome nicely rooted they can be potted off singly and placed back in the frame. Dyer's Pass Road.—Dust the bunches and foliage of your grape vines to check mildew. You omitted to state whether your vines are indoors or outdoors. Mildew indoors at this time of the year is caused by the atmosphere being too humid. If yours are indoors, dust with sulphur, keep the atmosphere dry by affording ample ventilation in favourable weather. VEGETABLES. Tomatoes.—Feed the plants bearing fruit by giving them half an ounce of good guano in a gallon of water once a week. This is a good general manure, but tomato plants thrive better if given }oz nitrate of potash to a gallon of water, or 4oz sulphate of potash in two gallons of water by way of a change.'Ventilate those in houses freely, and keep the air conditions dry. Do not lot those out of doors become encumbered with' useless side shoots. When trained to a fence or shakes, keep them rigidly to one shoot by pinching out all laterals. When the fruit trusses on each stem number four or five pinch out the top of each plant. _ • Salads—For crops such as mustard and cress, and radish, sow as frequently as may be required to maintain tho supply wanted. The first two named must be sown at intervals of seven or eight days, £ order to keep up a close^upp y that is crisp and delicate. Eadish can be sown o P nce a fortnight, or three weeks for the same object. Sow in a someSat shady position during the summer months, and keep the soil constantly moist watering in the evening rather moment for mating the last sowing of peas, and The old and well-tried variety, English Wonder, is perhaps as good a, any fo ? U, f t g kSds °E tIV w uld'nS matL a - rißk a W fas SS eTry'onef^o^d rib i s so met.rnes eaten in p ! Seed 9 Wholes he same distance apart I with a blunt dibJ be wint dr -getSs.-The passing ! of New Year'! Day brings, the quesi J 17 this crop once more urgently "the fo£ Although it is sound gar- „° • I IrVrfice to get one's winter and 1 demng P r3Ctlc ° .L 0 *, te as ne ar New r Ug ls Csfbe ff Io V rather than gain, Vf JtZl and crops, may occur .£gh f undu: P recipitalco. The que,

tion of when is the beat time to plant this or that depends mainly on two factors which must be considered to some extent apart from tho calendar, namely the condition of one's ground and the state of the weather. When possible, moist weather should always be chosen for planting greens, but as it is not always possible to get this condition it is sometimes a good plan to lot the plants remain a .veek or two longer' in the seed-bed. Loose soil is responsible for the overgrowth of succulent foliage, it state of affairs that should be avoided in crops that are to stand, through the winter. Tho present is a good time to remove all remains of peas, broad-beans, early potatoes, and other crops which are past usefulness, and clean arid prepare the ground occupied by them for the reception of winter graens of all kinds. Unless the ground so cleared is exhausted and much trodden upon, neither digging nor manuring is necessary for any ot the cabbage tribe. A light loosening-of the surface where it is hardened by treading, and a slight dusting of basic slac is all that is necessary m the way of preparation for these winter crops. Keep the plants well supplied with moisture until they arc established. • '.

FLOWERS. Chrysanthemums,-<-The plants of - the earlv-flowering kinds aro greatly Sdstod at this season of the year ,ir : it is possible, to syringe them over freqently during warm weather. This tends to encourage the formation- or nice, strong growth, and at the same time maintains them in good health, while protecting them from being attacked hy insects. Should insects, however, make their appearance no delay must take place in syringing them over with some approved insecticide Tobacco powder dusted on the points of thosshoots will help to ward off greenfly. Side-shoots should bo removed from the plants intended to cany large blooms and each shoot should be provided with a stout stake As growth advances the plants should be gone over once every ten days or a fortnight and the growths, tied to the stakes a few inches from the points. A s-lioot broken now means the loss of a good bloom, for although tho broken shoot will send out another shoot, the resulting flower will be small, late, and in every way'inferior. Cyclamen.—The resting corms of these should be given a little water now and again to induce them _ to start into fresh growth prior to being potted up. Should the surface soil in the pots be hard, give it a slight stir up. Where the corms have been planted out in a cold frame, give the soil a good soaking to prevent undue shrivelling. Pansies and Violas.—Tho popularity of these ought to induce a greater carefulness in prolonging the blooming season by constant removal of faded flowers beforo these show any sign of anything approaching the seed stage. But even when this is assiduously attended to it is not enough, for the plants pass about midsummer through a very trying time and demand additional nourishment to meet the strain. The very, best treatment that can be afforded is to cut back all straggling and flowerless growths and supply the crowns with a cool, rich surrounding—old manure, well-decayed leaf-mould, or spent hops if desired. Let the mulch be spread all over the earth, first loosening the surface and giving a good soaking of water. In a week or two the'plants should begin to have a rejuvenated appearance and put forth a fine crop of flowers. Herbaceous Phloxes.—These will soon be on the point of blooming, and inorder to get massive beauty of bloom on all the heads, and a good succession of flowers on the younger shoots the plants should be well fed. Nothing is better than a good soaking of weak liquid

manure, -followed by a libera) mulch of well-rotted stable manure. This will hel]) to consume the moisture as well as to supply food to th© roots. Continuing the treatment, give a further inaiturial watering once a week, as long as, tho plants are in bloom. It is taken for granted I<hat a thinning out of tho weaker shoots has been effected, as previously advised, but -if this has not yet been done, / niake a moderate thinning now. Geraniums.—Plants intended to flower in the greenhouse during autumn and winter can now be put in their flowering pots. The six-inch size is usually employed, although a seveninch size can be used for a fairly large specimen. . Pot firmly and stand the pots on an ash bottom in a cold frame. For some time to come remove the flower trusses and pinch the points out the shoots. Do not give much water until the roots take to the new soil.