IN THE GARDEN.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 20234, 12 May 1931, Page 6

IN THE GARDEN.

WORK FOR THE WEEK. (spbcuiai wjtrrriK fob th* pbess.) [By J. T. SISCLAUtr.] ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. X.'WJt.O.—-Amaryllis belladonna bulbs should bo planted sis' Inches deep,, and say tut are being forced upwards will not flower well. The fact .that they, are betas forced upwards shows that they ire overcrowded, and should -be takenup and replanted six inches deep at onee. If, seeing your garden ia dry and sfcndy, you place » few inches of good loam under the bulbs it will be a great benefit, tour white variety is •itheri : too much in the shade op in very poor soil. Tou would ,do well to lift and replant them into' a sunnier position) in good soil. . Do the lifting carefully." Sumner.—Am not .aware of any substance that can be put in water to keep flowers from fading quickly, A few pieces of charcoal ore useful in keeping the water' sweet or removing from it impurities sneh as .those resulting from sooty de-. posits, and collected in rain-water. There is no better plan than to change the water frequently' and cut off a portion of the flower stem or stalk at each change i of water.

VEGETABLES. ( Cabbages—lt ia not yet too late to plant cabbages lot use daring. October sad November. They will make sufficient Toots to keep them through the printer, and will probably not suffer as smell from frost as those which were planted out a few weeks ago and have made a quantity of soft growth. All vacancies in early plantations should le made good. Let small plants remaining in the seed-bed be pricked out. a few inches apart* in a nheltpred part of the garden. They mil be useful for planting out in spring. Celery—The final parthing-up of the late batch can take place any time now, and the sooner the better if we are going to have hard frosts. The foliage ' should be gathered carefully together with the hand and tied with some soft material, which may b6 removed when sufficient soil has been placed about the plants..' Rhubarb—Such roots of rhubarb as will be required for forcing should be lifted out of the' ground and' allowed to stand on the, surface of the soil foe a fortnight or three weeks;,the partial drying -of the roots will, facilitate the forcing of the-crowns on their introduction to heat. After a lapse of a. few years the entire rhubarb bed should be removed to another part of the garden, allowing them the same drying treatment recommended for the fproing roots. Artichokes—The Globe artichoke may 1)9 cut Sown to within a foot of the ground level, and the roots will be all the better for some slight protection from frost, which can easily be supplied by mulching- the ground rather thiekly with straw and leaves, but keeping the crowns more or less free, In very cold districts the roots should' be lifted and placed in frames. The tubers of the Jerusalem artichoke are nicer eating when cooked directly after they are lifted from the gftnwd. If they are allowed to dry as potato tubers they deteriorate.- Many people do not care for- Jerusalem artichokes when they first taste them, but the flavour grows .upon one, and those who get thoroughly used to them would sot willingly discontinue their use.

'■ ' ' FBEJT.' Gooseberries—ln the matter of soil iho gooseberry is not very exacting, frat prefers :t moist, loamy T _ rich medium in'which to-grow. On dry soils Olid'in bot positions it becomes a prey to red spider and the fruit; scalds. Heavy soils should be deeply tr.enched and hare some lightening material lidded; light-soils can be supplied with plant food jji the wov of mulches when the plants ariv growing.* Gooseberries do well ns bushes in the open garden,; orns cordons by tjie side of a path , or against low walls -or fences. Tliev can also be grown as standards. Bush .trees :ore ,by far the commonest, .but cordon-trained exatopies might be made more nse of with advnrttaste.- Bush trees should be planter] six.' feet apart all ways; cordon. if single.- one foot apart: ' <r double, two feet apart; if triple or oafedmpie. three and four feet should be allowfd. ; From- now onwards, is a"maiden/'- or one-year-old.. trees, or fruiting bushes two or throe v i aX3 ,/ > ; Tjary to,' they w<#e w and with manure

The pruning of gooseberries is a simple matter, The, crowded bushes so often seen should never be allowed. Keep til® trees thin and open by shortening all side shoots to about fiv«, leaves at the beginning of December. In young trees allow Ihe leader or extension Shoots 10 remain a good length, hut in old trees shorten these also to, cay, seven or eight leaves. Cordon trees should have all. the side-shoots reduced to , four leaves; the', leaders should remain unpinelied until the full spiice is taken up, when treat ;is Kide-shoote. Summer-pruned trees will iieed little winter pruning. Chit the side-shoots back to one inch Cut out all thin and useless growths that crowd the bush, and remove the soft ends of the leaders. All low branches should be cut awny to keep the fruit well off the ground. Late gooseberries can be secured by Crowing them against isouth walls or knees; but, to my mind, the fruit is insipid, and flavourless, from lack of eundljine It is, however, good enough for cooking. \ JP>e present month i 9 also the best iy which to fill up. finygaps that ihav be in. bush fruit plantations. To. plant the young trees in the same place, among the roots of the old bushes is a bad practice. First of all, remove' the old ropts, whether decayed or ....not, and also a sufficient quantity of the soil to allow for- the fresh roots being spread out. Scatter the old soil over the surrowtfcling'ground, and plant the. young tvees -"'n ■ a sufficient quantity of fresh, soil, , Trees large enough to to swayed by the. wind should he staked' immediately after being planted.

FLOWERS. Dahlias —A sharp frost or, two soon puts an end to further growth in the dahlia* jplants, and when the foliage is thus blackened, nothing is gained by leaving/the roots in the ground. True, the plants tan be cut down,, ahd the roots. left„ in the ;■ ground all. winter,, merely .protecting .them with Utter in cold situations. This, however, is not, a good way in damp, adhesive soils, for. the roots suffer much from the damp winter conditions, and' sometimes rot, and often deteriorate. Much the better way is to lift the roots each atvtumn and protect them through the winter, i When cutting down, leave about six inches of , the stem above the ground and proceed to dig up the roots carefully, shaking the soil from them, and inverting them on the gropnd surface. Here they should be left for an hour or two so that the soil about them becomes somewhat dry, and all moisture drains out of the stems. Then carry them on to the floor of an open slied, and again invert them, leaving _them for a- few days—the; work of lifting them must be done when there is no frost in the air. as the roots are easily damaged by frost. After being in the sited for a time, _ most of the soil will shake away, the inside of the stem will be-quite dry,'and the roots can be . stored the proper way up with some .straw over, them fo? ; protection. If you have only a few roots, place tfcem in a box and coyer lightly with straw, and keep them in a cool place through the Winter, just out of reach of frost. The cooler the position the -better they will keep, and, of course, they' keep better when kept quite dry.