The Garden.

Te Aroha News, Volume V, Issue 218, 3 September 1887, Page 1

The Garden.

Potatoes. Late potatoes required for use from the present time through the spiing should be turned over occasionally, as they will soon begin to throw out sprouts. The sprouts should be rubbed off before they have attained any considerable size, for if allowed to remain on thoy spoil tiie quality of the tubers for eating. Keep them in as cool a placo as possible, so that they may not be exposed to any dry wind. Those required for seed should be picked out. Only choose those of a medium size, or thobe a little larger than an egg ; these can be planted whole, which, I think, is much better than cutting. Continue planting a few more early varieties whenever the weather is suitable.

Rhubarb. About the end of August it! the best time for replanting old plants of rhubarb or transplanting the young seedling plants raised last season. Seedling plants, in my estimation, will always give the best crop. Where only old plants aie obtainable the outside crowns should be cut from the plants and planted out. The centre of the plant is the oldest part, and will be pi'one to throw floweiing stalks instead of stalks and leaves. The. above crop, from the large quantity of leaves and stalks annually stripped from the plants, quickly exhausts itself and the surrounding soil, therefore it is not desirable to let the plants remain in the same position more than one season in North New Zealand. Plants that are allowed to stand in the same position undisturbed for over two years have a great tendency to produce flowering shoots, which, even if cut out as soon as they make their appearance, interfere with the growth of the edible stalks. All i-hubavb plants should thereforo be lifted, sub-divided, and replanted every winter or early spring. Only a few of the old plants should be left in the old positions, for the purpose of forcing ox* supply in jj a few dishes till the fresh-planted ones gain strength. It sometimes ruins newlyplanted plants to pluck the crop too early. They should always be allowed to grow at least six leaves before any crop is taken from them, so as to encourage strong root action. As rhubarb is a deep-rooted, grossfeeding plant, care should be taken to plant it on such soils as it u ually succeeds in. The best soil is a deep, rich, friable, loamy one, with a lai'ge quantity of vegetable matter in it 3 composition. Such .soils should be trenched to a depth of eighteen inches at least, and well manured. The plants should be planted in rows, about four feet apart each way, and at the bottom of the hole made for planting each plant, a few forks full of well-rotted manure should be placed before planting. The crowns of the plants should iust be covered. After planting the rhubarb a few rows of lettuce or other quick-growing crop could be pricked out between the rows. After the plants begin to grow, liquid manure in quantities will greatly increase the quantity and quality of the crop. Soap-suds, chamber water, or cow-droppings placed in a tub filled up with water, allowed to stand a day or so and strained off, will greatly assist the crop. Whenever the dry weather sets in the bed should be mulched with litter such as long fresh stable manure, straw, freshly out grass or any similar material. Any cottager could with a little trouble grow sufficient of this delicious vegetable for the use of his own family.

Graf tins (Continued). These remarks are, however, only by the way, and lead us on to whab we have called the " new aspect" of grafting. Hitherto it has been taken for granted, and without any reason, that the stock, whether used because of its hardness or vigour, permanently influenced tho subject grafted upon it, even when not allowed to produce any growth of its own ; hence, in grafting apples, plums, vines, roses and other plants^ the rule has been to employ the root of the stock only, with sometimes a portion of the stem, as in the case of standard trees and roses, &c. For some time, however, tho fact has been gradually forcing itself on the minds of gavdeners that by this method the value of the stock is greatly impaired, if not lost in numerous instances. It is found that by grafting a weak variety on another and stronger variety, a more vigorous growth is the result at first, but that in the end, and sometimes very soon after, the graft becomes just as weak as if ib had been on its own roots. The reason of this is plain on reflection. A strong root produces a strong top growth, and while the strong top remains and extends the root extends reciprocally in the same ratio. When, however, we cut the top off and substitute by grafting another tfnd weaker top in its place, the root is for the time paralysed, and never afterwards does more than respond to the weaker growth grafted on it. This is very easily demonstrated in the case of the vine, numerous examples of which the writor has seen. I more than suspect, too, that the reason why the quince and paradise roots require so much pruning in this country is, that while they do restrain tho luxuriance of the strong-grow-ing subjects grafted on them, they are at the same time acted upon reciprocally, and made to grow stronger than- they would do if they bore their own .natural and less vigorous branches. A correspondent, in writing on dwarf stocks for apples years ago, said they should "furnish a dwarf and fertile growth without any root-pruning whatever ;" and this is what was expected of them in culture, and what theorists said vould happen, but it is found that such trees require regular root-pruning under some circumstances. On the other hand, it may be well believed that the crab and pear stocks are enfeebled by having weak varieties worked upon them in the reverse way. ( To be, Continued, )