IN THE GARDEN.

Shannon News, 5 September 1924, Page 4

IN THE GARDEN.

Vegetables. In the vegetable garden, plants of cabbage, cauliflower, and lettuce should, if not already * in, be planted as soon as possible, the plants will get rooted and as'the ground- -becomes warmer, they wiU malte rapid growth. Peas sown now are- usually ready for Christmas. • Richard* Seddon ■ is a remarkably early pea with well filled pods, a decided improvement - on* the early American Wonder. The improved.'Stratagem, with long deep green pods is a heavy cropper, coming into bearing some twelve days later > than Richard Seddon. Both broad beans and peas do exceptionally well when a little lime is used. Plant early potatoes, if any are wanted for market purposes, it is best to plant the white skinned varieties, which are the'most popular. Conditions of soils ar e to be studied in connection with varieties, some that do well on'lightsoil, prove to. be the reverse on heavy soil. If wood ashes are available a handful put in with each potato set, will be of great advantage to (the growing crop, being rich in potash. Seeds of lettuce, cabbage and cauliflower may be sown In boxes, which have been raised from the ground, otherwise slugs, which are very troublesome just now, will devour the tiny seedlings as soon as they appear above the ground. Bulbs. Bulbs are making headway and the flower buds, are pushing their way upwards. Complaints are rife, as to their iatehess this season, which is probably due to the heavy frosts experienced, which tend to keep the ground cold. A top dressing of bone meal or basic slag is often an advantage if applied in the budding stage. Better blooms will result if wanted for exhibition purposes. Always stage bulbs f«r the exhibition stand with a little of their own foliage, attention given to details well repays the little extra trouble.

Health-Givers. Find a place in the garden for our attractive citrus fruits. The health giving qualities of their fruits, apar from their ornamental appearance entitle them to be more largely grown. Their culture is compara tively easy providing a warm shel tered spot is available and care taken that the trees are npt planted deeply They are surface rooting, and plants should be well staked until the trees get established, they are slow growing for the first three years. The Mandarin is a very symmetrical tree, and is largely grown in shrubberies in the Hawke’s Bay district, and should, warm situations do equally as well here. The poor man orang© is a heavy and an early cropper, and would keep the family supplied with fruit for marmalade and other useful purposes. Lisbon lemons are always to be relied on for continuous bearing, making a very attractive tree There are several varieties of Persimmons, which should be more largely grown, apart from their fruit bearing qualities they are decidedly ornamental. The glossy green foliage assumes beautiful autumn tints.' The small Persimmon Ghormo, or Chinese wild Persimmon is most effective, bearing an immense crop of small berry-like fruit, that turns bright yellow in the late autumn. Tsuru Gakii is a splendid cropping variety with lovely foliage, and bearing fruit of an oval shape. Other varieties are round and resemble tomatoes in form and colour. Opinions differ as to their edible qualities. Some pronounce them excellent. Perhaps the taste for them has to bo acquired.. Hints For Exhibitors.

With the near approach of the Horticultural bulb shows* a few bints to amateurs may be appreciated by some readers. This work should be encouraged as much as possible, for much that tends to become useful can be derived from a study of colour schemes. It ds difficult to give advice on the exhibition of flowers, unless the adviser be present at the time because individual tastes, and original ideas in arrangement and display are often the leading factors of success. The outstanding points to be considered in flowers, or plants, is perfection in shape and form, clean foliage free from blemishes of any kind, and first and foremost, artistic and tasteful arrangement to display the blooms to the best advantage. Blend all colours carefully, particular care being given to over crowding, which should always be avoided. Amateurs often spoil a charming display by adding a few extra blooms, sometimes the only reason being that they happen to have a few more available. A vase of say half-a-dozen, pink or crimson roses, cut with long stems, arranged with the blooms well apart, and softened with a liberal amount of foliage is decidedly more effective, and will gain more points than a closely packed vase of mixed colours. Schedules should b© carefully studied, as often exhibits are disqualified through a simple inistake such as including too many varieties, or adding gypsophila, or other small flowers, when your schedule distinctly .states (own foliage.) A bowl of Narcissi for instance, means something quite different from six or twelve varieties of Narcissi. The latter should, if possible, be neatly labelled, and staged in six or twelve vases, but for the bowl or vase, variety is a secondary consideration, so long as perfect arrangement and good blooms, which will prove the deciding factor, are used. Bowls or vases of flowers should be arranged. lightly enabling the eye to see through them, and should show to equal advantage from all points of view. Vases faced up on one side only, rarely win prizes. It is not good taste to use gorgeous and expensive art bowls, • and except in the case of table decorations, it is wisest to stick to simple and plain earthenware, using a colour that blends with your blooms if possible. In competitive table decorations, a common fault is over-crowding. Very often the table seems to be entirely covered -with flowers, and considering ! that the decoration usually applies to a dining table, most of it would j have to be removed to make room fori

anything else. Admittedly the tables used at shows are smaller tiiun the average dining table, and due allowance is made, but even so, the decorations are usually far too liberal. It ought to be possible for persons seated, at the table to carry on a conversation, with a moderately cleai view of each other. Smilax and fern sprays should be used tastefully, but sparingly, and the best decorative efforts are to b© obtained by using one or two colours only. light, graceful flowers lend themselves much better for table displays, than the heavier types of flowers and it is not necessary to have choice flowers. A great deal more might be said on the subject, but after all it must be remembered that original ideas, are the soul of exhibiting and the greatest pleasure is obtained and 5 given, by using one’s own individual- tastes and designs Above all, don’t get discouraged if failure attends your efforts, much valuable experience will be gained, which will serve you well at some future time.