THE GARDEN.

Te Aroha News, Volume IV, Issue 165, 14 August 1886, Page 1

THE GARDEN.

Greenhouse. The watering of plants, especially those at rest, must be carefully attended to, so as not to give them too much. Calceolarias,cinerarie»B,premalaß, &c.| continue replanting' as ' they 1 may rdquire it. 'The' farthest advanced plants shift into their flowering pots ; keep near the glass.' Camellias and azaleas in pots, water freely, giving occasional 'liquid manure. Pelargoniums place near the glass in a nice airy situation. Coleus and other soft-wooded plants should be kept as dry as possible,and only watered when dry, as too much water is apt to cause them to damp off. Give' the house plenty of air on every favourable occasion,

Stocks and Scions for Grafting. As the grafting season is about to commence, it would be as well to get the stocks lifted and transplanted into nursery rows where they are to be grafted this season. No stocks should be allowed to remain in the same piece of ground in which they grew last year. Lift and transplant into a fresh situation, so as to curtail the root power of the stock, and when the graft tir scion is appled, the rush of sap will not be so strong as it would be where the stocks are not transplanted. Consequently' the young tree is not so apt to run away with a strong rank rapid growth, which is very objectionable. It is better also for the stocks to be transplanted a few weeks before you want to apply the scion. They get established, and the sap will sooner be in circulation and ready to promote the union when applied. The scions or grafts should now also be collected from the trees which you wish to iucreass. The number and the wood chosen ought to be well refined and abort jointed, if po&aible, from trees that hare already borne good crops of fruit. Scions taken from fruit-bearing treeß will always carry fruit earlier than those taken from trees that have never borne any fruit. At the same time, you will be certain that the young trees are going to be the exact variety which you wish to obtain. After the grafts are cut from any given verity, tie them up in a bundle, putting a label with the name of the variety with them. Then heel them in soil in a cool, moist situation, covering two-thirds with the soil. They will there keep in splendid condition till wanted for grafting. It is better to take the cuttings off some time before they are wanted, as when they are applied to the stock, the sap in the stock will be in a mere advanced state, which is all the better, for the ; guccees of the operation. With stocks I and scions dealt with as above, and when grafted as the season further advance?, the root action at first is not very strong, consequently the flow of sap is just in proportion to what is wanted for making the union and promoting the growth oi a new shoot, and as root action increases the new growth will also be increasing at the same rate, with a hard, firm, short jointed growth, which by the end of next season will ripen off better, and make better trees for planting out next season than those grown more strongly. The same remarks apply to young trees that were budded last Autumn. These trees will have a dominant bud, which this spring will burst into growth, making a shoot from which the future tree is trained. Such trees should be lifted now, and the old branch or stem of the dtock cut back to the bud. At the same time, the roots should be greatly reduced so as not to allow the bud to be forced into too strong a growth. I am well aware that the budded trees, if left in the same position for another season, would make far larger trees than those that are lifted ; in fact, I have seen them make over 6 feet in growth, especially peaches. This would be all right if the trees were wanted for timber, but where the production of fruit is required about half the growth in the first year from bud or graft is sufficient. When it is desirable to increase the number of stocks for grafting next eeason, and it is not possible to obtain them from seed, the next best method is by root-cutting or root-grafting. In raising these there ought always to be a measure of suitability studied, and if possible only those should be chosen which are known to be hardy of growth and prolific in the production oi tine fibrous roots, as on the quality of stock and its adaptability to soil and situation the future crops of fruit most depend. — Hortus, in Auckland Star."