Garden Notes.

Levin Daily Chronicle, 29 December 1917, Page 1

Garden Notes.

As the dry hot weather appears to have set in, complete the planting out of celery, leeks, brussels sprouts, savoy cabbage, kale and broccoli.

Leave a small hollow round stem of plant in order that when watering it goes direct to the root of the plant. A small quantity will then suffice.

In the Old Country it was the custom with dairy farmers to .grow 4 to 5 acres of cattle cabbage. The writer was engaged with other lads to hollow out round the plant* and give 'half pint of water- to each plant twicc weekly during hot weather. They were not troubled with so many insect pests in those days, and splendid cabbage from 41bs to 61bs in weight were grown.

Lettuce and radish require to bo grown quickly to be of good quality. Plenty of manure and abundant supplies of water are required..

Runner beans, dwarf beans, pump kins and melons may all be sown.

Peas should be picked as fast as they mature; the hot, dry weather is causing them to mature very quickly. To keep them pieked is to prolong the season.

Prepare celery trenchcs and keep the young plants growing by due attention to watering. If rust has been present previously, spray with lime sulphur, 1 in 75 parts water. ONIONS. Pay attention to your onion bed. Don't allow a weed to remain. To produce a good crop the onions must be kept clean. If they are inclined to run to top or seed, pinch the tops off. If they show signs of blight, spray with lime and sulphur—l part to 90 parts water. If you have any soot, don't waste it. Give them a good sprinkling in the evening when there is no wind. The first rain will wash it to the roots and improve your crop. The onion is of great value as a food. Every family should have a supply, and not have to pay from Gd to Is per lb for them. OTHER VEGETABLES. If your runner beans arc at the top of the sticks, pinch off the tip of the vine. Keep these down, and you will ensure the yield.

As your potatoes branch out, thin out the side shoots and shorten back to the joint. Cut back all weak and superfluous branches, also spray if necessary.

Pumpkins, vegetable marrows melons and cucumbers will now be growing fast, and' will need to be stopped. To do this pinch out the growing points, and don't allow them to run too far. These will require some liquid manure. Also include rhubarb for a supply weekly. See that it goes down direct to the roots of the plants when applied, as during dry weather it has a tendency to run away. SPINACH. A sowing of the prickly leaf variety may now be made for winter use. Spinach requires a rich, friable soil, with well decomposed manure. Sow indrills 18 inches apart, about 1 inch in depth Water ground before sowing, and make it firm so that the heat does not dry it up. One ounce of seed will sow a 60ft drill. The medicinal properties of spinach are highly spoken of in England and France. It is callcd "The broom of the stomach." These instructions are for winter spinach. The outer leaves should be gathered, the centre , being left to produce succcssional crops, same as the silver beet. LATE POTATOES. Spray and mould up your late potatoes. I see several plots of these looking well and appear to be free from blight. As you will want these for store purposes every precaution should be taken to have them clean and sound.

If spraying does not the blight altogether it modifies or reduces the damage. I had a good crop of Early Puritan badly attacked some time back. They have been sprayed three times. The potatoes are being used and are not the least affected.

When moulding up well cover the potatoes from the sun, but leave the top of the ridge flat and furow shaped so as to catch and hold the rain when it comcs.

The moment a plot of ground bccomes vacant give jt a good sprinklnig of garden manure. Dig it in about six inches, make it fairly firm, and sow your successional crop. You can still sow beetroot, silver beet, broad beans, scarlet runners, dwarf kidney beans, carrots, and parsnips. Plant out autumn cauliflower, Brusscll sprouts and savoy cabbage. Prick out celery plants. Make two sowings of peas during the month and the usual salads.

As the winds have set in plants will need protection. Well earth up potatoes, cabbage plants, dwarf beans, and peas. Stakes will be required for tomatoes, Cape gooseberries, and all plants that grow in clusters or bunchcs. As the gusty winds come in all directions, a good plan is to put three stakes round each bunch like shear legs. Tear wide strips off any old rags or sheeting, and give it one turn round to prevent it slipping down. Being soft it will not injure the stem of your plant, and you have protection all round. As the plants grow and expand you can loosen the binding, and set the stakes further out. POTATOES. As digging early potatoes is now general, you can select seed for next season's crop. It has been proved beyond argument that immature tubers produce the best and most vigorous growth. When the skin is set so as not to rub off easily they are fit for' storing. Select your extra good roots, free from disease. Pick out all the tubers weighing from two to three ounces, a little more or less. Lay them in the sun a day or two to toughen the skin; then store them in a cool, dry place till wanted. It will pay you to do this, and you will have good, reliable seed. PRESERVING CUCUMBERS.

A few cucumber plants often produce an abundant crop, far beyond the 'requirements of the household, and the surplus go to waste. These can be pickled or preserved whole, and will be found very palatable.„ Cut when abont three-parts grown. Stir salt into a sufficient quantity of water until a potato will float on the liquid. Boil tlie brine for 15 minutes; allow it to cool before putting in a small caslc. Fill up with cucumbers as they grow and are cut. Care must be taken as you add the cucumbers to see they are kept under the brine. This can be done by cutting out a top for the cask and put.ting a weight on top to keep it under

the liquid. .. THE ORCHARD. I notice many trees in some of the domestic orchards are badly affected with a combination of diseases. The commercial orchadists grows fruit for a living; it is his business, and he must of necessity perf.ect himself in his work. He utilises the'latest and most up-to-date methods to produce the very best and cleanest fruit. The man with a few trees is in a different position. In his attempt to grow sufficient fruit for his own requirements he has not sufficient practice to master the intricacies of disease control. His knowledge of spraying is limited. In many cases the trees are large,dense, and unpruned. It would be far better for him if his trees are in this condition to start at the end of the fruit season, cut down and burn his badly-infested trees, and rcplacc them with young, healthy, up-to-date trees. They can be easily procured at very reasonable rates' from nurserymen of repute. In order to stamp out disease, and remove the danger of infection, I" consider that during the winter season the Government could with advantage take the woi'k in hand by sending round competent men to spray and prune the trees. Make it compulsory to- be done, and charge the owner the cost of such work —not the tenant as at present. In sanitary and health matters this is done, and has been the means of stamping out and preventing the spread of infectious diseases. Why not apply it to suet an important business as the fruit industry? TOMATOES FROM CUTTINGS. Most amateur gardeners are not aware how very easily tomato plants may bo raised from cuttings. If any of the side shoots which have to be pulled off the plants by hundreds to keep a single stem are dibbled into some good sandy soil, and kept shaded, they will strike readily and easily. The best way is to put them into a box and shade them. After rooting they can be planted out and treated as plants.