THE GARDEN.

Otago Witness, Issue 2894, 1 September 1909, Page 10

THE GARDEN.

OPERATIONS FOR THE WEEK. VEGETABLE GARDEN.— September is the busiest month for all seed-sowing purpases, and as seeds can only be sown profitably when the ground is- dry a dusty day ie not without its charms in the eye of the f rdener. Small seeds of all kinds may be eown«noK. such as carrots, parsnips* leeks, and spring onions, as -also white and brown cog letture for pricking out later on. Salsify asd scorzonera -both - make good root crop.} for use as wmier vegetables. Scor.zoncxa is much- e»ten in German*, uuder •the name oi sehwarzwurze! (b!«ckioot); and salsify, which is not unlike it, has long been cultivated in th< Home country, and eaten thkJsV the. i^tnie- of '^vegetabfo oyster.' 3 ' Seed» of BaiL these plants- tnay be sown at the end of thi month, in rows 16in apart, on deeply-trenched ground which has no fresh manure ar.ywhere near the surface. Ail manure shouid be trenched in to * good dsnth. otherwise it will cauee the roots to fork. Sowings of peas for main •crops lafty now be got in. Where a large *ui>ply is required the sowings may be con^ ■ tinned at short inTjrvals; but if only a smaller supply is desired a considerable intervtrl may be al'.owed to elapse between August and September sowing's, as the .pe«s sown in August will not greatly precede those sown in September iv -coming to maturity. Care should be taken "to allow space belweeathe rows of peas in proportion to the height' which they will attain when i lull grown, or the taller kinds will be-too close together when they are staked; in fact, j it is be'.ter to plant a few rows of root ■vegetables betweer eacl tow of peas, i Spinach of the prickly-seeded kind should | •be got in as scon as possible, as it runs i ■to seed early if, sown lat«i. li will not j bo a profitable crop on light soil on this ' account. Th< richer the coil is the better chance will there bs of retarding its flowering seasofl. Jerusalem artichokes should 1 also be planted now in the same w«y us potatoes, either in whoJe -sefs or cut mtopie£es with a. few" eyes to each. Sowings of green crop* oi. all- kinds may her made in September. Brussels sprouts and brbc-, coli, ft ic-wii now on open ground, will be. leady for vie- early in the autumn. - £ow a little celery at the beginning of the month . an moderate aeal_ Xhis is the' best season for pkntiug mint. t«r«gon» chives^ and all.' «orts of befbs; Sowing*-^of tomatoes may *c continued in September for fruiting out of doors. Sow in pans of sandjr soil, to encourage a strong development of roots, and place them in a temperature "not under 60deg. Keep the pans neai the light, so as not to allow the seedlings to become drawn, and as soon as the first pair of .true leaves appear pot the seedlings singly in small potis. Shifting these seedlings is a deli- j cate matter, as the young stems will not stand the least bruise. They should be potted' -with the stem as short as possible ; %h»y stand -best- when the leaves come to the JUie level of Ihe rin? of the pot, and they inunt be kept shaded and moist ie a closed name after being moved. The main crop of potatoes ought to be planted as soon as (possible, for, as a rule, the longer the season, pf growth the heavier the crop. Small, or father moderate-sized, tubers planted whole Almost invariably afford the finest results; ■*>ut these are • not always obtainable, and nf the seed runs large' there is nothing gained' by fearing to cut them up into mo-derale-sized. pieces. In any case, a tuber, or cut- set. remembering that the. butt-end byes are the poorest and least prolific; with one or two strong eyes only, -will yield a t>e»Tier crop, and of better-sized, roots as .frelL. than one with a number of 'small,, and «on*eaufin£ly we*k, growths; and, if the Ipaae could U ■pared to d* so, it would pay jto rub out all but one- or two, of the •tronfest eyes in each set. A great gain in, time, and frequently in weight also, is Mfeotea by laying the seed out in * light ftaa rather warm place to sprout a little planting, though if., this, is doiye(freafcer care is, of course, necessary, both in . removing the seed to the planting ground fttid also in placing them in the trenches. P^RUIT GARDEN.— AII pruning should now be finished, except perhaps in the case of newly-pla-nted trees, the pruning of which at i» safer to leave for some time after planting, to allow the roots to heal and the trees

Ito become somewhat established ; ftt leastthree or four weeks should be allowed^ to pass between the planting and pruning. Grafting should now be undertaken where it is contemplated to cut down undesirable varieties' and work approved kinds upon the established stocks. FLOWER GARDEN AND SHRUBBERIES.—The planting of deciduous trees and shrubs should be completed as early as possible. Ground that has been rough dug should T»e hoed and raked wher moderately dry; but the borders of the shrubbery next the walk, where flowers are t-o be planted out or where annuals are to be sown, should be nicely worked and pointed over with the spade. Id short, when the ground is in good working condition the earliest opportunity should be taken to dress beds and borders for the reception of "jtke respective plants intended io be put into them. Many hardy annuals, biennials, and perennials may be sown provided the ground is dry, but otherwise the sowing had better -be deferred till a later " period, for some kinds are apt to perish in cold, wet soil. Plant carnations, pansies, hollyhocks, gladiolus, and ranunculus roots. Prune, nail, and train wall roses and other climbing plants. Trim and straighten grass edgings; gravel and roll garden, walks. Roll, sweep, and mow grasq, and let- perfect neatness be observed"' in every department of the garden. Re*ektiy-pl*ajed -subjects s£ouM be^ oopk qusly_w*tered- in . dry-- weather; morning is ~ "the tiest time to water while the. nights re- \ main chillvl - - . ' GREENHOUSE AND FRAMES.— A number oilplant* in the greenhouse wil! require uprooting 1 within the next few weeks, as all ,tb,e usual sunimer-flcwering plants will require starting- into growth, which shouid be done gradually *at first, merely bringing forward to where the plants will get more light, warmth, , and air than they have had during the winter, and giving water with care till the young growth has made a good start. Fuchsias.- should have a slight cutting back, so as Co form wellshaped plant?, and as soon as the new shoots are half an inch long they should be shaken out oi ythe old soil . and the roots partly cut. back and repotted into ratter J small pots, using a light but rich sandy soil, keeping them "rather close and moist by syringing them overhead twice a. 'day until, they hare started well into new roots and leaf growth, when more air should be given. Ferns, begonias, gloxinias, .. palms, folinge plants, pelargoniums, petunias, etc., will all need repotting or top-dressing ; with ferns and palm? the latter will suffice* Where the is sweet and' not full of roots an inch cr two of the top soil should be removed without . disturbirg the roots., «nd replaced with a light, peaty soil. All palms should be well sponged, 'as any dust or J scale which ijs allowed to remain will interfere with their growth. Pelargoniums should have the point's of all growths pinched out so as io induce further shoots tc form. The plants should have ample room to extend — if crowded, they become) drawn and weak, and if this is permitted early in the season they are unable to support a good head of 'bloom. ' Azaleas should now* be advancing into bloom, and -where thrip is troublesome the plants should hs 'dipped "in v rather strong tobacco water before the buds, are ,far advanced; after dapping- they should be laid on their sides to drain, and then well syringed with tepid water to remove the insects entirely. Greenhouse climbers 'should have their growths pruned, cleaned, and' regulated before they start .into fresh- growth; _*ny requiring repotting should now receive if.* Coleus- cuttings, inserted in heat, will rapidly root and make large plants early in the season. Calceolaria plants should be potted into their flowering pots, and on ihe first appearance of green fly the plants should be lightly fumigated with tobacco smoke two or three nights hi succession. If this pest is allowed to - increase the plants are - ruined in a short time.