THE GARDEN.

Otago Witness, Issue 2892, 18 August 1909, Page 9

THE GARDEN.

OPERATIONS FOR THE WEEK. FRUIT GARDEN.— Pruning of every variety of txess and bushes should be finished early this month, especially gooseberry bushes 'and, stone fruits. All beds containing fruit trees should be dug between the trees, leaving the soil rathei rough so as 'm expose it to the action of the sun and air. Grafting should be commenced. When any large healthy trees exist of sorts tha-t *re not suitable to the locality, they should be headed down to five or six of the v leading branches, and grafts ot other varieties that have proved themselves suitable should be worked upon them. Finish off all planting before the end cf the present month. Raspberry canes ehould be securely tied up together. The surface of the bed should have a dressing of decayed manure spread over as a, mvioh.

KITCHEN GARDEN.— FuII crops of turnips and carrots may be sown daring the pre&ent month. The soil to receive these should be well enriched with thoroughlydecayed manure, as long greep manure causes them to rur forky and unshapely. The best turnips to sow now are early Milan, early strapleaf , Jersey Tlly, and white stone, the first-named 'oeing the earliest turnip in cultivation. A late Bowing of onions should be made towards the end of the month, also a, sowing of the variety known ar silver pickling should be mad« thickly upon clean soil, or much trouble is given in weeding. General attention must be paid to ihe thinning* out and cleaning of early sowings of onionß, parsnips, and carrots, as overcrowding 1 in a young state frequently is the cause of the failure of the crop *t a later stage in their growth. A sowing of the main crop of peas should now take place. Any of the following varieties may be selected as likely to give good crops: — Telephone, an excellent pea, but requires stakes, as it will grow fully 6ft to Bft if sown on good land— it is a very profitable pea to bow ; stratagem,^ pride of the market, Anjerican wonder, Yorkshire hero, bjml Veitcb's perfection will also be found iluitabte for this sowing. A late crop of broad Windsor beans should be sown upon stiff soil. Attention should be paid to all growing crops of cabbages, cauliflowers, peas, beans, and onions in keeping the surface free from weeds. The formation of asparagus beds should be finished during this month. Care should be taken in planting this vegetable to see that the soil is worked up to the depth of at least 18in, with plenty oi manure added as the work proceeds.

FLOWER GARDEN.— Continue to prune roaes and any evergreen or flowering shrubs that are still unfinished ; also box edgings should be leit neat and trim for tbe s season. The planting out of gladioli should now be commenced ; where these are largely grown they should be planted in succession, »s by this means tney may he bad in flower for a much longer leriod. There have been great improvements made in these flowers of late years, and all who value a rich variety of colour and effect in late summer and early autumn should procure a. few of the many hundred varieties of this popular bulb, which are to be had at a very moderate price. The bulbs should be planted about 4in to 6in deep in rich soil, and each bulb oi club glumld be marked with a stout stake, as they often take a long time to come up. Mignonette may be sown now, and * few of such

annuals as cornflowers, Virginian stock, and! one or two of the very hardiest things that will bloom early, Lawns that require any attention should now receive it ; any recently formed that require any more seed, aa is frequently the case, should have seed sown upon the bare places and a little fine soil scattered over i*. Young grass should be rolled frequently, and as soon as it is long enough to cut, should be mown with the scythe to induce a dwarf, compact growth. New lawns anay be eawn, down during the present month with success, as the seed at this time of the year germinates freely. The surface soil should be made firm and raked) down fine prior to sowing.

GREENHOUSE AND FBAMES.— Tfcere are many lovers of flowers who, while not , possessing either of these conveniences, still ! grow a few pot plants successfully. This is | the season of the year that demands attention to the repotting of almosrt all kinds of plants. Repotting is toe often taken by amateurs to mean potting on into larger-sized pots than they occupy at present, and as* consequence their plants 'often are found mi much too large-sized pots; in aXmos" aft cases the pots they occupy at this season ofr the year, are really too large, as the ball ot oia soil should be very much reduced, except in the case of hard-wooded plants, but aa these are not niucih grown by amateurs they .need net be referred "to here. Fuchsias, petunias, fibrous and foliage begonias, fern's, palms, etc., should ha.ye th© balls reduced bj shaking a-waj as much of the old soil as will come without damage to the roots. The roots may- have a slight cutting back, wihte 5 they should be potted- . into clean, welldrain«<3 pots just large enough to admit_x>f a. few inches of fresh sdff being worked i" firmly aboui the roots, allowing for a further shift into larger pots later on. A very important item, in growing plants in pots is to secure ample drainage, -which is best effected! by the use of broken crocks, -with a large piece placed over the hole at the bottom. The quantity of crocks ÜBed must be gauged) by the size of pots used; the larger the pots the more drainage is required. On, the top of the crocks or broken brkks a layer of fresh moss or fibrous soil oi some sorb -should be used so as to exclude all soil from the drainage, which otherwise soon becomes clogged up and useless. The bad health of many plants is "directly traceable to inefficient drainage; care should always be taken to use only clean pots. Although -tibia apparently is a trifling matter, it often plays an important part between success and failure. The soil should be pressed in evenly and firmly all over the pot, and space should be left to allow ef holding enough water to soak the whole mass of %oil. After repotting, careful watering is required, as if kt-;t tco wat the soil is apt to become sour and soddaned, and in this condition the roots will not take freely to it; enough water Bhouldl be given at each watering to soak the whole, and then no more should be given until actually required. Each plant should be separately examined, as some m»j water every day and others once or twice a week only indiscriminate watering must not be indulged in at any part of the season^ more especially at the early part. Where it w not poasible to repot large, plants, they ' should have a good top-dressing by removing as much of the old soal as <»J» »- moVed without damage to the root v replacing with freah soil, which, for xop-dress-irU purposes, should be made richer than -teJulrfdfoT' ordinary potting.- Frequent Sißg overhead should be resorted to, aa -?hta tends to keep down the various in«ct &&£? a ab « &2&S? J££