Garden Notes.

Levin Daily Chronicle, 13 October 1917, Page 4

Garden Notes.

There has been great growth in the gardens during the past week and seedsowing, transplanting, hoeing and weeding have been in full swing. Almost all vegetable seeds can be sown with safety now. A .fundamental necessity for the germination of any garden seed is that the ground should be in such a condition of moisture that the germ may swell and burst its enveloping shell, and that the soil shall be in a fine state of tilth, and firmness so that the radicle or young root shall be able to take a firm bold, and assist in pushing the plumule, or growing point, through the overlying soil. If the thickness of soil lying above the seed is greater than the energy of the seed is capable of pushing its way through, the seed will perish. A common recommendation is to sow seed at such a dcpili that it shall be covered with soil to twice the thickness of the seed, bill that is not. of much use. There are several factors to take into consideration when growing seed, as the texture of the soil, whether it lies close and compact as a clayey soil, or whether it is a light sandy soil. Between these two there are many intermediate kinds. SOME HINTS AND HELPS. Mulch the strawberry beds. Now that the plants are flowering freely is the time to force the pace. Look after your berry plants and you will have plenty of fruit for the table.

In pruning raspberries all that need be done is to cut away the last year canes. This berry fruits on the canes grown the previous yc-ar. Leave the suckers alone. Don't even Kip them It is the sucker that is to carry the fruit.

Any camellia that you have will be the better for a pruning after the flowers have fallen. This shrub responds to a light shortening back. Just take a few inches off the top of each of thy stalks, and watch the results. Camellias are too often neglected. Try the pruning. and provide a mulch of well-rotted manure.

Keep the young pansy plants well supplied with liquid manure. The first flowers are now in evidence. You improve those which are to follow by liberal feeding. Watch the winter flowering peas. Tie up every growth that gets away from the sticks. Whore mesh wire supports are used, a little working in and out of the meshes will do all the holding that is necessary. Feed the pea vines with weak liquid manure; it helps the flowers along. Take away all the spent flowers. Seeding holds back the budding. Vines sprayed with Harbas will keep free of mildew. Theie is a lot of this trouble about. Protect your peas where you can.

Now that the rose pruning should be finished, start in and manure the beds with whatever feeding material you have on hand. Any of the recognised foods will do. It is merely a matter of using as much as the rose can take. Underfed plants are not the best. Roses take a great deal of attending, if the flowers are to be anything like lirstclass. Rely more on natural than artificial fertilisers. Be careful of the made-up things. Plenty cows, horse, sheep, or a litfle fowl manure can be used with great success. Don't feed too much at a time. Just feed frequently. And never let your rose-beds go dry.

I'Uint passion fruit this month. While a sandy soil is better for the vine than a heavy loam, it is possible to get very good results from any land whore the drainage is good. Jf you can -find a morning sun position do so, as the passion vine is a good doer in the sunlight. One vine left to itself will cover quite a lot of fence or trellis. The old fuchsia plants that have been flowering for years can be pruned back now. Cut to within a few inches of the point where the last growths began. The hardy fuchsias stand a lot of pruning. It is a good lime to take fuchsia cuttings for striking. Use a sharp, clean sand. Two-inch length- will do well. Firm in the cuttings and hold the sand moist. Roses of the climbing class can be

loft alone at this time of the year. No pruning is necessary; merely cut away J all the dead -wood and tie in everything j else. If yon arc running this class of rose over an arch try to get all the canes running close together. A well- . tied rose puts on a line flowering. Long j canes that are left to straggle along j any way never make tlie show that is j put up by OIK- whie li lias been, kept well in hand. j Petunia top.-s might be taken lor j rooting any time this month. Cut oil j a few inches of the end of a nice young 5 shoot and box up the pieces in moist- j sand. If you ail provide a glass top | for the box in which the petunias are j set to root, so much the better. H If your cabbage and caulifower are. j in nice head and likely to run to seed jj cut half-way through the stalks, and jj the growth will tie se reduced as to j keejTthe things within bounds. jj ' 1