IN THE GARDEN.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 19164, 22 November 1927, Page 5

IN THE GARDEN.

WORK FOR THE WEEK. (WMUUJ WBITTM FOB THK PRESS.) (By J. T. Sinclair.) ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS your stock shoots arrived ea!L*! r6 "» such a withered and distiuTr "that it was impoaj£,to. Wl what' was tho trouble y*n») Your fuchßia has a touch of 7"» Wt; spray with lime sulphur; haml a m, tarin ? «««"» to have shot-hole ltoL7„'i t * also "quires spraying with Jjlpkur: (c) when yo £ n / a £ ricola PwrinT )v ?' M of a walnut the y aro *£■"« through what is known as the Period. .When the soil lacks «nd a y , 0{ lhe {ru;ts cannot stone, tttl.™ °? dt °P off - is evident «f KnTv Beeds a liberal application WZ\ ou caa fof k it into the soil, s c»re not to disturb the roots. VEGETABLES. , *»y 0 t ! S '~ TheSe CaU thinned ri ght •"deli T in ° heS apart if large bulbs - d ' 0r three inches if medium Me, Wante - Sometimcs ifc Jo <me ni i the grower is fond of *!* toTi?' and in such cases thin •"Jafte th ° distanco mentioned, *at f? rWardß pull °"t every alternate to n CWrent USe ' lt is not adyis ' Hh 0 t Jd^iJ 11 " 118 whibt the weatiher this ™*• BWind very dry. In "«4 tiJ'?** are a Pt to be dried up **** T Kither away - Kither leit tfo f a shavver °f vain is the °*e. >! ** work of thinning *S be - that a good wat «"ng glTen after the thinning is Thi S is so delicious a Sf 11 * to many amateurs are £ e cutfc ing it long after i>tl,forn e w nCOUr , aged to make its s<* Sf^ year 8 » u PPiy. The r *- *> Planar and "korten the life SJVSfc^ 011 ako - Its Period of 2s> CL a 1 y L S6Z6Oa should ° ot ff-^SSSLS? end of the third H » or hereabouts. The ; - ««i«a grown should then

be thoroughly cleared of weeds and a dressing of agricultural salt and nitrate of soda, each in the proportion of about loz to one yard run of the rows of plants should be given, and if dry at the time water it in. Repeat this again in a month. Early Celery—lf an early plantation is to be made, .plants for which have been reared under glass, the trenches should be prepared without delay, un heavy soil the trench need not lie deep, but in light soil a depth of ten inches can be allowed, and a width of eighteen, and if there are parallel trenches they should be four feet apart, rather more than less. The space on the top or the ridges can be utilised for sowings of lettuce, radish, and spinach, which will come into use before the celery requires to be earthed up. AVhen formed the trench should have a thick layer of well-rotted manure dug into the bottom, which should bo covered with not less than four inches of the best of the excavated soil. In planting place two rows of plants in each trench and then give a .good soaking of water, lb© pW« in the nursing bed or boxes mus meanwhile be kept well supplied with water. They cannot be overdone Witt* this element at any period of their rrrowth A short period of drought will check their growth and cause them to bolt or run to flower, which lenders -These are died for in the. young state more than are onions, «£ it is a mistake to thin out to their proper distance in the early stages, it is important, however that many of the plants be removed, otherwise the whole crop will be spoilt. , Broccoli.—A successional sowing of a late kind such as Knight's Prospecting Late Queen, or Latest of All can bo put in. and the resulting P'™** <"" come in a little later than those from last month's sowing. FRUIT. Vine*.—ln cool-houses .late varieties will now be in full flower, and to help the berries to set the rods should be given a sharp rap about the middle of the dav. The thinning of the berries of all kinds should .take place when they are about the size of sweet pea seeds. Roughly speaking about twothirds of the berries should be cut oui always removing the sniaUest first next those that are badly placed, and then where, they are crowded. Never take two bunches off one shoot or any. off weak shoots.

FLOWERS. Carnations.—Whether these are crown in pots or the open border, they | require a good deal of attention. For they are liable to be attacked by many pests, among them greenfly, wireworm, eelworm, and several fungoid diseases. For the Erst, they should be sprayed with some good insecticide. Wireworas can be trapped in pieces of carrots buried just below the surface of the ground, each with a stick through it to indicate its position, or they, as well as eel worms, can be destroyed by a soil funngant. But, after all, tho main thing is to keep the plante healthy by providing them with plenty of food. If the buds are numerous, some of the smaller ones should be rubbed off, and if the variety is one that is apt to burst its calyx, a rubber band should be slipped round it just beforo the flower opens. If not already done, staking should he seen to. . Thin bamboos are often used as supports, but the trouble of tying may be avoided by getting some stout galvanised wire, cutting it into suitable lengths, bending them in spirals, and fitting them round the plants. These support* are practically indestructible. Canterbury Bells (Campanula medium). —These are among the showiest of hardy biennials. They begin flowering early in summer, and last a long time if attention is given to removal of the seed vessels promptly after the individual flowers fade. There are a good many varieties' of this species of bell flower, varying one from another in different shades of colour, and in a doubling of the flowers, while in a section of varieties named Calycanthema, the base of each flower is surrounded by a collar coloured the same as the flower, or of a different shade, which gives a strikingly effective aspect to the plants' in this section when in bloom. The seeds of Canterbury bells !>eing very small must not be covered >WpTy. and should be sown thinly. The I site can be where there .is partial shade. Dig the ground deeply, but tread it firm before sowing, to induce sturdy growth. Early Chrysanthemums. —Summer flowering plants which were planted out in the flower border early in spring Pre now growing very freely, and it is necessary to be very careful with the staking of these, as a strong breeze is very apt at this season to snap off any young shoots that are not sufficiently supported. Specimens damaged in this way can hardly be expected to recover in sufficient time to be;.r blooms before the end of the season. As a rule the plants do not grow high, so tall stakes are not required,

but it is essential that the shoots shall be made secure. Gloxinias.—Young plants raised from seed sown in August should now be ready for potting on into pots just large enough to take the tubers- They will need shading and plenty of moisture in the atmosphere. Older plants "that are further advanced will beneht by occasional waterings with liquid manure. As these plants com© into flower they will not require so niuch moisture. If firm leaves can be spared from the plants now, they may be taken off and struck as cuttings, though it is usual to use matured leaves later on when the tubers are ripening. Cinerarias. —For greenhouse , cultivation, seeds of cinerarias may now and again in a month's time be sown m a compost consisting chiefly of leafriiould and sand. The receptacles may lie low pans and the surface soil should be pressed smooth before sowing. Cover with a piece of glass till the seedlings appear. The interior of the frame where cinerarias are grown should be kept cool by judicious ventilation, and damp by spraving the ground surface and plants twice a day. in bright weather. The one great enemy of the plant is aphis, and it is owing to this that these flowers are sometimes described as "dirty." However, they can be kept clean by slight fumigation, provided that they are" commenced directly the fly attacks the plants. Otherwise the task of getting rid of the pest is not easy. The old" florists' tvpe of cineraria, with a dwarf habit and large flowers, is not grown so commonlv as formerly, and most collections gfve more and more prominence to the' lighter-habited type, knewn as stellata.