The Garden

Te Aroha News, Volume IV, Issue 191, 12 February 1887, Page 1

The Garden

Horticultural Society. The achedulo of the Auckland Gardeners' Horticultural Society Autumn Show has? just come to band. The exhibition is to be held in the Agricultural Hall on the 25th and 26th March next. The schedule shows a numerous liet of prizes, divided into *hree classes— -All-comers', Amateur, and {Jotter. All fruit, flower, tmd vegetable growers should at once apply to A. Aitken, Ho*. Secretary, for a copy of the schedule, 90 as to be able at once to see what olass to compete in. It is expected that the exhibition of fruit, flowers, vegetables, and pot plants will exceed anything that has ibaen held here. Speculation ie already aroused as to who will carry off the leading: prizes in the separate elapses. It is only to i>e hoped that the public will patronise the -exhibition better than the late Spring , Show.

Planting Cabbage and Cauliflower, &c. Anyone who wants to keep up a succession of these useful vegetables during the season must be prepared to go to some trouble during the summer and autumn, so *? to make any planting a success. The tiight before lifting the plants from the -eeed bed The bed should receive a thorough drenching with water. Also the exact spot where each plant is to be dibbled should foe watered co aa to make the soil loose. ITfae following day procure a basin and half fill it with puddle consisting simply of soil And water, or manure and water, to which a little soot may be added if it can be proCured. Then get a common garden fork and insert ihe bed, looping up the plants, and pull them up with the whole of the top root and fibrous roots attached to each. Next place the toots in the puddle After getting as many plants a-* are wanted, commence to dibble rhom in the exact spots which were watered the day preceding The dibble used should be about two-and-a half inches in diameter, tapering to a point. This should be inserted in the centre of the damp spo% making a deep wide hole, feo that there may be no obst'icle in getting the long taproot down straight to its extremity. Then the dibble is puphed down again just at tlie side of the hole, and to tha eauie dep h, proving the soil up against ihe plant This ensures the whole of the roots being brought into contact with the sMI. Plants £«i>erallv at this season possess a longish srtalk. This aleo should be covered in, dHibbling them in putting the plant down to the neck, or where the leaves branch out, and as the work proceeds. Button cauliflower and stunted cabbage plants are in many ca?es cau-ed by bad planting. They are put in with broken and mutilated roots, and those that do happen to have a tap-root are often bonfc double in trying to put it into a hole that is not nearly deep enough, aud instead of tho tip pointing downwards it often points upwards. JSfo •one should wait on wot weather for planting out cabbage and caulillowor. If a j-uccescion has to be kept up, pet the planting done as recommended above in proper time, and water well two or three times, and they will do fairly well till rain comes fo help them on. When plants are fairly established and hava mide a few treoh leaves they should be oarthed up so ti* to turn a fresh surfaco of soil, and also prevent high uinds knocking thorn about.

Saving Vegetable Seeds. A very popular error in connection ■with ve^etabie culture if that of saving eeed from growing cropt? that are intended to eupply the- wants of tho household, under the impression that such a proceeding is economical. A greator mistake could scarcely be made, especially with regard to crops that continue to hirnis)- PUCceßsiooal gatherings for any ltngth of time, as for instance, vegetable marrows, cucumbers, kidney and ruuner bean?, &c It is by no means a rare occurrence 10 find some of the earliest and finest produce left for seed, whereby the fertility of the plants is brought to an abrupt ! termination, as the formation of seed is far more exhaustive in its eliect than an unlimited number of blossoms or pods up to the j pbriod of maturity of the seed. In the case of beans of the kidney or runner sections it i? the pod that furnishes the edible portion ; also with vegetable marrows and cucumbers, the seed ve&sel or cover iug ie at its highest state of excellence as food before the weed commences to drawon the rehources of the plant ; and in proportion as they are more or less care- J fully removed will be the duration of the paiiod in which succeasional gatherings will feo produced. I always gather all such ■*rops at regular intervals, according to the seaaun find the rapidity with which they atUin development, and should any of the produce become too old, from having escaped observation at previous gatherings, it is pulled off and thrown away, as a very a tint 11 quantity of teed-pods is sum* cient to arreso the succesaional development of the crop. When it is desirable to eavo s^ed of any select, stock, it is by far the best plan to wfc a row (or a portion of one according to tho quantity required, especially apart for need, and not to gather any produce from ifc, drawing out; any plants that do not appear true. By Ihia means one may greatly prolong the h <«son of production, in comparison with which the cost of seed is little or no fhing If anyone bo sceptical of the power of seed pod a arresting the production of tfnccosaivQ crops, let him select two rows of French beans and gather the blossoms of oii e row as fasfe as fully expanded, ,«id allow the others to maiuro their teod. The latter will ceapo bJooming anri bo thoroughly dried up by the time the j-Ord-pods aro ripe, while the other will conynuo growing and producing fresh blooms and poda for a much longer period. It fe f of course, not practicable to pursue the j aawg plan with peas grown for the table, n*nd the only way to secure a continuous supply of thoee is by fiuccessional sowings, lsut^carlebrunnera will continue bearing the WIOJO feaBon, as wellas vegetable marrows or euoumbora, if well attended to in the matter of moißture at the roots ; and above it!*, in preventing any portion of the produce from going to eeed. The saving of

the seed of vegetable crops ia also an important matter, as regard* future crops, for a careful selection will eventually produce a good ptrain ; but in the criminate seed-paving will eventually deteriorate the moot select stock in existence. From careful observation, I should Bay that seed-snving and vegetabie growing are, as a rule, both more oatisfac tory and remunerative when carried out as totally distinct operation? — ("1. G.," in " Garden IliuPtrated. ') My reader should bear in mind that the above remarks, made by "IG.,"uot only apply to vegetables, but to almost all cWsses of flower?. The more flowers that are cut from a plant before they come to maturity, the more there will be to cut, as whatever strength of the plant is saved by not allowing those flowers to ripen into seed will go towards assisting other flowera to develop. The practice of rose and dahlia growers when they fire't cla^s specimens is to cut off all such buds as would come to maturity about the fame time as the one specially wanted. Where a euccessional supply of flowers is wanted from any plant, ail floweri should be cut off as soon a? the petals show signs of decay. • Never on any account allow them to develop seed pods, aa a very portion of strength lost in llu* dirsctbn curtails the floweriLg capabilities of the plant. Hortds, iv '• Auckland Star."