IN THE GARDEN.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 19152, 8 November 1927, Page 6

IN THE GARDEN.

WORK FOR THE WEEK. (specially vtbittek roa the tress.) (By J. T. Sinclair.) VEGETABLES. Broad Beans.—Those sown in the autumn are doing veil this year, and to hasten the .swelling of the pods the tips of all growths can be pinched off when the plants haivc grown r.etween three and lour iect high. Rhubarb. —To keep the plantation or this in good condition it should lie well .supplied with potash. Kadi crown can be given two gallons of water, in vine i halt an ounce of .sulphate ot potash has been dissolved. Potatoes. —Earthing up early potatoes will l'orm part of the work in niosi gardens now. The ridge should not be formed with a sharp edge, but rather with two edges, with a trough in the centre to catch the rain. Scakale.—lf not already done, all the blanching material should be removed, so that the crown will be able tn mature before autumn. ITcmove all flower heads when they appear and give an occasional watering with salt, nitrate of soda, or sulphate of ammonia.

FRUIT. Vinos. —When the bunches are in flower, leave a little chink of air on all night and give the rods a slight shake, to disperse* the jk>l I en, several times during the day. Do not damp the floor, but keep the atmosphere dry and moving. . Strawberries.—!hese ate now 111 full flower, and if no clean straw or gr<i=s lias been put round the plants, itshoiiM be done without, delay, otherwise the fruit, may bo spoiled by the rain splashing soil on it.

FLOWERS. Polyanthuses and Primroses.-Seed ol these may lie sown 011 a shady border outdoors. Sow thinly in drills and transplant the seedlings, three inches apart, when large enough to handle. Seed may also he sown in boxes, which ran bo placed in some position where the snn does not shine. St. Brigid Anemones.—These also can now he sown in the open border or in boxes. The latter is the better method. Use soil- to which a good deal of leaf mould has been added. Sow thinly and cover with fine, sandy soil. Should tho soil lift as the seedlings pro pushing through, give a good watering to settle it about the young plants, and they will thrive all the better for it. The Rockery.—Though rock garden plants are meant to grow more or less as their natural inclination leads them, it is necessary to keeip some of the quickly-spreading _ things within boimds, especially if the rockery lie on. the small side. Such things as- the arabises and the yellow alyssum, among other spring flowering subjects whoso season is practically finished, will quickly jret out of bounds and encroach on tho domain of many a brilliant summer plant if not prevented. A reasonable amount of cutting back, with the additional purpose of propagation by means of division if more plants are required, should be done about this time.

Watering Pot Plants—-Proper watering is, perhaps, more important than anything else to plants growing in pots. Successful .culture largely depends on the use of the waterpot- at the right time. If the soil in a pot is kept con.iiirually wet, a si inly growth* soon appears on the surface, and as this prevents air from entering the soil freely, the plant loses in robustness and vigour, and becomes subject to attack by the. many insect pests that are always ready to settle down on the weaklings. Many a fight against some insect pest could have been prevented il the plants had been mora skilfully attended to in the matter of -watering. One golden rule for. the beginner who feels some doubt as to whether to water or not to water is to look over tho plants often. Then any pot only beginning to get dry can he safely left till the next watering,' and this practice more often than anything else results in the beginner watering his plants as soon as, and not before, they.have reached the right degree of dryness. Tapping the pots with the knuckles or with a small wooden hammer, and comparing the sounds given out by a pot that is obviously coo dry and one that has just been watered, helps the novice to notice the hollow Round given from a, pot that is ready for water, and this method is better than judging from the appearance of the surface soil alone. • WEEDS. A few days of wa nr. sunshine, following a period of moist wea,t-her, has stimulated vegetation as nothing else can, and before many weeks have Massed well-stocked flower, gardens will be a-flame of colour, while the vegetable garden will begin to vield a variety of produce. But the highest level of achievement can only be attained by diligent and unremitting work on the part of the gardener during the days that intervened Not the least important task of the moment is the waging of an incessant warfare against weeds. Every garden, no matter how assiduously it may be cultivated, produces its crop of weeds- In a neglected garden, however, tliev come not a.s spies, singly, but in whole battalions, and unless some means be adopted to reduce their number and keep the survivors in check, all the preliminary work of the preceding five 'months will be brought to nought. It must be remembered that weeds absorb from the soil moisture and plant food which wouRI otherwise go to nourish and increase the crop which is being cultivated, and they also restrict the amount of air, heat, and light necessary for healthy growth. The best weapon with which to combat them is the push or Dutch hoe. With this instrument annual weeds should be cut. down whenever and wherever they lift their heads. This hoe can only be used effectively when vegetables are cropped in rows, and between them it should be kept constantly employed. For beds and borders where the plants are' close together hand-weeding is tho only method worth attempting. It needs patience and care, but it io a piece of work that is worth doing well, since its rewards are so tangible. Tho erafHcation of perennials such as dandelions, docks, and twitch needs .careful and well-di-rected effort. Hand-pulling, digging with fork or spade, are sometimes reeessarv to get the total removal of such weeds.