THE GARDEN.

Te Aroha News, Volume IV, Issue 176, 30 October 1886, Page 1 (Supplement)

THE GARDEN.

Fumigating with Tobacoo. To kill green fly on plants take a short tobacco pipe and attach to the stem any length of India-rubber tubing, the size of a feeding bottle tube.i Fill the bowl of the pipe three parts lull with strong tobacoo, light it, place a piece of muslin or flannel over the bowl, and holding the end of the pipe about two inches from the place affected by the fly, blow through the bow), when such a dense volume of smoke will be emitted, that in the course of thirty seconds the insects will drop dead, or can be shaken off. Great care must be taken, that no tobacco juice from the tube falls on the foliage, or it will injure it. The above method has been used for a number of years with entire success by those who only keep a few plants, and do not care to go to the expense of making a regular box for fumigating plants.

Vines Under Glass. Aa the vines make shoots they should be regulated and thinned out, only leaving such shoots as are wanted for fruiting, or those which will paake dormant buds for next season. Never carry more shoots than are really wanted. Whenever a shoot has attained a sufficient size, tie it up to the wires, and if carrying fruit, pinch back, leaving about two eyeB beyond where the bunch of flowers is gro ring. Never carry more than one bunch on each shoot, as it is v * quite sufficient for the vine to properly mature. Af the summer advances, the different insects will make their appearance Every endeavour should be put forth to keep them under during the season. The mealy bug when established is one of the worst insects to clean from vines. It is impossible to eradicate it while the vines ate in leaf, but much can be done to keep it under till next winter. Whenever it makes its appearance crush it, and paint the place affected with a little oily matter. In fact, every day the vines should be looked over before syringing and closing up for the night, as nothing less than conetant attention will keep it under where it ia once established.

Training Young Fruit Trees. The young apple, apricot, plum, peach, and nectarine trees which were planted out last planting season and headed down should now have broken out into fresh growth, with three or four new shoots which are quite sufficient to start the ground-work of the young trees. If more than four shoots have buret, pinch them off, taking care to leave those that will make a main branch on each side of the tree. As soon as these shoots are strong enough they should be tied outwards from the base or centre of the tree, which will assume the appearance of a cup, which I believe is the best form for a large number of varieties to be trained into. When these young sboota have attained about nine inches to a foot in length stop or punch them. In stopping, take a glance at the tree and see what direction you wish the next set of branches to grow in, and when that is determined, pinch back to buds pointing in the direction you wish the new branches to take. After the pinching, three or four buds on each shoot may burst into shoots, and as at most two only will be required the others when they have attained a few inches in length should again be pinched, so as to leave two or three buds at the base. In time, these may form into fruit-bearing spurs. The one or two ehootB made at the extremity will be required for still further extending the frame work of the tree These should be still farther trained' outwards. Two pinchings ought to be sufficient for the young trqes the first season.

Anemones From Seed. As the anemones are fast becoming one of the most popular spring favourites here, and I have been often asked how it ie best to raise 'hem from seed, I think the following extract taken from " Gardening Illustrated" may be useful. The following method will enable any one to raise them with complete Success, provided the soil is suitable — namely a moist loam. The seed may be sown at once (April in England corresponding to our October). To save time I always bow it as soon as it is ripe, taking care only to select it from the very brightest coloured flowers. First as to preparingthe seed, pains must be taken to separate it thoroughly. Spread a newspaper on the table, pour over it a quart' of sand, or dry ashes, or fine earth, sprinkle the seed over this and rub the two together till the separation of the seed is complete. As to the seed-bed, it need not be larger than three feet by nine feet. Choose the sunniest part of the garden. Dig and rake till the surface is very fine, tread it down and give it f- good watering. Wait until the surface is dry enough to acratch with a fine rake, eow broadcast, covering the seed about the thickness of a shilling ; beat gently with the back of a spade and give a slight sprinkling of water. Now comes the most important point in my method : Never let a ray of sunshine reach the bed, cover it with newspapers, spreading a few pea-sticks or something to retain the covering in it* place, keep the surface of the bed always moist. In about twenty days, the young plants will begin to appear. When all seem up remove the covering, and no further care will be needed except watering. Th,is must be strictly attended to. The plants are apt, after forming small bulbs about the sizft of peas, to stop growing, the feliage to die, and the bulbs to lie dormant for months ; but if kept well watered through the summer they will go on growing all through the winter and ' begin to blossom the following spring, Some young seedlings from seed sown as Boon as it wa,s ripe last year removed to a box placed outride a south window without any projection were, by the end of February, showing young blcesom buds, and before March ia out they will be in .flower (corresponding to .August' and September in New Zealand);, The seedliDgemay either beleft to bIossom]wKere they. were sown or, be transplanted >iu September^ or ■ October (March, or? A"pril in^ew-'.Zea-lftnd). -.Anemones 'are amongst the Shardiest

as well as the moat beautiful of hardy spring flowers. In spite of the late, loug, and Bevere winter, a bed in ncy kitchen garden has never been without a few blossoms upon it." Another grower in writing about the propagating or increasing the old varieties says : I allow my roots to remain in the ground all during the eummer, end 'lift and divide them when the earlier leaves are well through the ground. This is comparatively easy work, and is productive of no harm whatever to the plants It also affords facilitates in the rinding of the roots, as not one is either damaged or overlooked. My plant* so treated are now throwing up flowers, but the season is cold and sunless, and for this reason the flowers are quite a month later than last year.