THE GARDEN.

Te Aroha News, Volume I, Issue 42, 22 March 1884, Page 3

THE GARDEN.

Kitohen Garden, (From the Auckland " Slav.") March 15. Continue turning over every vacant piece of ground whenever the crops come off, putting in plenty of manure at the same time. Onions, as they become dry enough for storing, tie up in strings and hang them up to some dry airy loft. They will keep longer in this manner than if spread on a floor, and at the pa mo time occupy less packing room. Celery : Give liquid manure, and when the stalks have attained about six inches in length, tie them loosely up. Then bring the earth into the trench about the stalks. Do the same with leeks which have been planted iti trench. Strawberries : Whenever the runners are strong enough for transplanting, have them transplanted at once, even if they have to be watered once or twice. Plants that are got out early soon get established before w inter. and. make splendid plants for fruiting next season. The little extra trouble in early planting will be repaid by the extra crop and quality next season. Tomatoes : Water with liquid manure, tie up, and pinch back. Thin out some of the foliage if the fruit is crowded with leaves. They will ripen better and quicker if exposed to the s>un and air. Don't allow too much fruit ; thin offsuperfluous flowers before they set. Keep weeds down.

Flower Garden. There ought to be now no delay in striking cuttings of the different bedding plants. If the propagating bed has already been made up, as directed a week or so ago, cut tho quantity of cuttings of any given variety, prick them out in the prepared be 1, water, and cover them over with peelings, scrim, or other matter, so as to keep away the fierce rays of the sun. Proceed thus till all the cuttings from different varieties have been taken. Every evening take the covering off, replacing such in the morning, giving a slight watering every evening, just keeping'thc soil moist. Keep continually stirring the soil in the mixed borders; gather seeds of the various annuals as they ripen ; clearing auay the haulm of those that are past ilowcring. Sow a few hardy ones for early spring ilbwei ing. Attend to the tieing up, staking, and pinching of dahlias. Give irequcnt applications ot liquid manure. Bedding plants will still require constant attention to pegging, pinching, and watering. Chrysanthemums : Tie, stake, and give liquid manure. Herbations will require attention, cutting out decayed stems, &c. Walks and lawn as directed last -week.

Greenhouse. Water, air, etc., as directed last week. Achiinines and gloxinias which have done floweiing water sparingly till the foliage decay?, then place underneath the stage. A few chrysanthemums in pot might be introduced into the house. They a\ ill look very effective when in bloom. Look after insects, keep them down. The Auckland Horticultural Society hold their Autumn Show next Friday and Saturday. I would therefore like to say a few words to those who take a pleasure in horticultural matter.-. All who grow either fruit, flowers, or "vegetables always want to grow the best kinds, and up to a certain mark of excellence. It is sometimes a great puzzle to find out what are the best kinds, j Now. by visiting the show and taking notes of the different exhibits, more will be learned in one day than could be taught in years by limited individual practice. From all Darts of the surrounding Auckland district the best produce of the gardens will be staged. They will be judged and awarded prizes according to merit. The judging of the separate classes has been entrusted to cultivators noted for their proficiency in those classes. Therefore every award should be taken as a standard of its ckss. Amateurs and others interested can see what that standard is here, and next season try and give something better. These shows are held for the above purpose. Formerly only a few seemed to take any interest in them, but I hope they will receive moreattention in future. No districtcan progress in horticultural matters, unless greater interest is taken in horticultural exhibitions.

Keeping Grapes. The system of keeping grapes during the winter I do not think has yet obtained much attention from those -who have vineries. It is now practised in Great Britain and France with success. Some of our readers may have a few grapes, and for their benefit we will shortly detail the process. Cut the bunch of grapes off with about ten inches of wood attached, then insert this piece of wood in a long, naked bottle, letting the bunch hang clear of the bottle, the bottle to be filled with water in which animal charcoal has been steeped for some time, also putting in a small pinch of animal charcoal in each 1 bottle. This charcoal entirely frees the water from any impurities from the deposit of any organic matter that may have been in it. Afterwards place the bottles with the grapes in a cool dark place with a dry atmo&phere, and when the water evaporates to the extent of one or two inches add a little more. It is always, necessary to keep the base of the wood covered with water. A great number of the best grape-growers now in Britain and France keep the late varieties of j this fruit to May and June the following season, and sometimes as late as July. Some growers have built elaborate houses for keeping their winter grapes in. In these houses they have a great number of appliances doing away with the bottle. The best of those for small growers is a V tube made of tin or zinc, in which one bunch is inserted in each end of the tube and hung up to the house. This was invented by Mr W. Dobb& The varieties of grapes which peem"" I most suited for keeping are Lady Downes seedling (the best), but the black Alicante, % Barborossa, black Tripoli, Buckharrdt's Pfince, Koyal Vineyard, G»oo Colman, Syrian, White Vine, and T^jebbians. succeed well when cut perfectly ripe. The most important thing to be observed is to cut the fruit perfectly ripe, and to leave the wood above the bunch perfectly intact— not to cut it off as shown in most illustrations describing this process. The water absorbed by the wood is then diverted from the fruit into the branch beyond, thus preventing deterioration in flavour. There is another method which is sometimes practiced, and that is to cut the grapes when ripe and pack them away in dry sawdust or powdered charcoal, which, in a measure, keeps them free from the diseased particles continually floating in the air ; but this method has its disadvantages : the fruit gets covered with dust, etc., which detracts from the appearance as well as the commercial value. Whereas in the process formerly detailed, they can be put on the table in a plump, fresh state as if cut from the vine.

Value of an American Orange Grove. Thefollowingmoderatecalculationhasbeen made for orange culture in Florida, and is endorsed by the editor of the " Florida Agriculturist" as a fair estimate. If the premises are correct, the conclusion is inevitable : 1, Twenty-one acres of land affords .sufficient apace for 1,000 orange trees, 30 feet apart ; 2 if well cultivated on high hammonck land, the product will be 500 fruit per tree in ten years ; 3, "as fruit sells on the tree at one cent, the product for each tree would be $5 per annum j 4, if the tree produces ?5 per annum,

the value of each tree my be placed at §50. Conclusion : If each tree is worth $30, the whole grove of l,00() trees would be worth §50,000.

Laying Out a Flower Garden. It is a mistake to lay out flowerbeds in exact geometrical form?, unless one has the means to adopt the geometric style of landscape 1 gardening. This style has a bed in one part of the lawn balanced by a similiar bed in another corresponding part, has trees in straight and balanced rows, and walks with straight borders and acute, straight angles. It admits of few curves, andno irregularities. It calls for an exactness of detail which is expensive, and to most persons displeasing. This stylo of gardening is going out of date, to be superseded by tho more free, graceful, and informal natural style. The natural style admits of long and beautiful curves, of irregularities in sxirface and positions of planting. Tho least neglect marsthebeauty cf the geometric style, but it may sometimos add to the charm of a natural landscape. Trees irregularly scattered in clumps and j ab single specimens give a much more pleasant eticct than if planted in rows, where every specimen must look alive to preserve the symmetry. A vacant place or a smaller treo make* a row unsightly, while it adds to the charm of a natural arrangement. Some ilowers will be sur« to grow poorly or fail to come up. Such a failure spoils the effect of a geometric design. Some plants will persist in growing higher or coarser than plants in a corresponding bed, and the beauty of the whole design is lessened. It is better to scatter flower beds wherever a suitable place occurs for locating them. It is poor taste to plant directly in froat of the house. A st; aight walk from the front gate directly to the front door is not in good taste, and is still less so if it is bordered with flowers or shrub. Most individuals make the mistakeof planting too many flowerbeds. The beauty ot a clean lawn is enhanced by a few tasty beds, while it is spoilt by too many. Make the beds wide. If they are narrow, or have lon^, narrow points or appendages, ihe grass roots from each side will be sure to join foot under the bed and choke 'out the flowers. A sharp-cut sod h the neatest border for a flower bed. Stones, shells, bricks, and Iteer bottles do not make ta c ty borders. It is a mistake to plant too many kinds of plants. A bed with nothing but phlox is far belter than one with n dozen species of plants.