IN THE GARDEN.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 18896, 11 January 1927, Page 6

IN THE GARDEN.

{ [WORK FOR THE WEEK

(»r»CULLI WMTTMT TO* THE TRESS.)

(By J. T. Sinclair.)

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. Vi'.m.-'-iha giving of liquid manure to plants in uots should only be done when lue wil'-is damp. Yon must UM r m mind that pot slants cannot s-and liquid manure so' strong as those :n tUc oyer, Stound, as all the ifot« aie oroughl m .onUct with the manure in the former while in the -pen ground oi;-y a p.rt'of the roots ordinarily come in contict with fbe liquid man; :f.

VEGETABLES. Asparagus.-Tho beds are oiten neglected when cutting has ceased, much' to the detriment of next seasons crops. • If two ounces of superphosphate be scattered over each square yard of the bod aud sets well watered in, it will lw of great benefit. Needless to fc ay, the manure must not come in con-tact-with tho foliage, or the latter will get burnt. The abundance of rain we have had lately has done the beds aood/'and they are looking well, but food and moisture must be supplied to keep' the plants inovinjj freely. Uarrows and l'urapKins.—these- are crowing last and should be assisted with liberal applications .of liquid manure. In exposed positions the shootscan be pegged clown to prevent damage by winds. The first Iruits should be cut off for immediate use •when*.they are large enough, so that tho plants can go on bearing tor a longer period. Cucunibcrs.-Plan:s that have been fruiting under glass for some time are now showing signs of exhaustion, and to get a continuous supply ot fruit all the old wood must bo cut out and new growth laid in its place. Stopping the shoots beyond tho t'ruib must bo seen to as required. Should red spider be present, tho leaves should bo sponged withjsome approved insecticide, as this' i* a more effectual way of getting rid - of the pest than spraying. It is at the present time the spider does the most damage, and onco it gets a good hold it is/.a'difficult matter to get rid ot it. Should the foliage bo pale in colour, it shows the plants are low in tone, and'can bo given a watering of sulphate of iron. Ridge or hardy sorts inu&t'-be fed occasionally, and tbe sou , about them kept cool and moist. 1 lie plant? should be stopped only once, and'then allowed to ramble at their own,-sweet will. To'prolong the season, removo the fruit when it is threeparti' grown. Keep a sharp look-out for red spider and greenfly. Parsler.—A small sowing of this can be puf in which will stand until next Christmas. Spring-sown -parsley often rbnsV'tb seed early in the following Bpring, but a 'sowing put in at the J>re?ent time lasts until the early-sown ot'isf ready. , •Winter Greens.—Continue to plant nutlaavoys. broccoli, and so on as the eroiijfd becomes vacant. Set the plants Jrnt )yi drills and fill theso with water •at least once a -week until the plants are', growing-freely. ;.■/;■ ■'■■.;■' FJ?UIT. ' ' yines.--'\Vhere the houses were, closed. dowiusome time in August, the berries •willi'now bo beginning to colour, and ' plenty of "air ■ unist. be adniitted early !■■■ Jii tip morning, of all bright days. The toptfSrentilatoM must; of course, •be ' leftWpartially open all night to allow •trongVT^^iS'usually' about this stage of the growth of the berries that scalding takes place, and if the foliage on the roof is not very dense, a slight ■hade can be applied" to the outside of •the glass. Flour and water, or whiting and skim milk 'are useful for the purpose and are easily put on with a syringe, Onlv a light shade is needed, ajifficienfc tp make the.-.-Sunlight subdued. Stopping the laterals need not Qe so seyere now: as long as the gtow,ths are kept free from the glass is all ihat is required. Varieties that iflfe liable to 'crack, such as* Gros Colmor and Madresfield. Court, should noli be'stopped much, as the sudden check to the flow of the sap.is said to bVone of the aeasons- for- the*'berries cracking, but this theory, is open to criticism, as'we have seen the berries crack even when the growths were unchecked. T>o not damp the floors after. mid-day, M a too atmosphere Will doubtless cause mildew. » ' FLOWERS. '.Budding Hoses.—'There is no doubt. that this is one of the most pleasing duties of the ardent rosarian. The stocks, which are to be- budded, must, of, course, be well-rooted |' these may be formed of the seedling briar, dog rose, o? manetti. In the case of standards, thVtop growth should he well cut down and reduced to three shoots. Budding should'-be done when the bark lifts readily from the ' stock, and when the bud can bo • taken from the rose-growth easily and clean. It sometimes happens that the wood does not "run". freely beeinse the stocks are dry at the roots, bnt a thorough watering will generally Hive the desired effect if applied a few days before commencing to bud. In < selecting shoots to provide buds, always secure growths which are either bearing' flowers now or. which ' have lately done so. The best buds are those wnitth,' are well-matured, somewhat pointed,' and quite dormant. Where there is the least sign of new growth those buds must be passed over. In cutting tho bud out, slip the knife in half an inch below the bud, pass it through the stem and under the bud, ninllyj.bringing it out half -an inch above.' TlU)i'>a portion of the .shoot - if* <Jufc j»way with the bud. Turn the b(ld over between the"■•. thumb and. finger and carefully remove" ! this piece 'The cut in the stock should be. 'Jit" shaped, end should never pene- . tiate mote "than just deep enough to nflow the bark "being lifted from the wood. By raising the bark at the top of the upright stork of the "T" incision, the bud can he slipped into position. The bark at the front end of tbVbad should be cut away so that it fiU„olose up. to the cross-cut in the <tc#v Always tie firmly, more especially round the eye, so as to make sure of-the seat geinTcoftiing well into contact with the wood, and for this work there is nothing better than raffia. .The tis'.should be slackened or removed wheJij'the" bud is set, and the stock'is swelling.- On standards, the buds are pls&d on* the laterals as near the main stem?-as possible. Dwarf-stocks should "he^bfidded' ?oil level, scraping jnray the soil" for the purpose. The growth en the stocks. should not be «ri?back before autntnn. for it is necessary that the sap should be kept flowing Tight to the end of the spa=on. Tn fate autumn the growths which Iwve Men budded can' he cut back to within «x inches of the hud, and next snrimr, •titty can be cut back to the bud itself.