Garden Clippings.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 286, 1 August 1888, Page 3

Garden Clippings.

Florida Oranges.— An orchardist writing from Florida to his rural journal on orange growing in that state, says that a great many varieties are grown there, some bemo hardier than others and some tlioiny and some thorniebS. The Satsurna is cla mod to be the hardiest, but to my notion is not as fine flavour as many other varieties. Next to this is the Mediterranean Sweet, which is a good producer and an excellent \at lety A seedling tree does not come into bearing until ten or twelve years old, but 1 think is much hardier than a buddied t/ce, although a budded tree does well at four or five years, and many buds bear the second year. Tkaxsplam'jno Tender Plants. — It is quite true, as an American contemporary lemarks, that many tender plants are lost by careless transplanting or by not waiting for suitable condition of weather or growth, befoie asking the plants in the open. It is a common mistake, for instance, to get leady the garden early in spring, and then on some line morning to sec out all plants together without regard to their nature. About two days before the plants are to be taken up they should be thoroughly and repeat aly drenched with water, so as to soak down as far as the loots go. This will make the roots start into fresh growth and will pi event the earth from shaking off when transplanting, for if the plant can be taken up with some earth on the roots it will never wilt. Dutch Horticulture. — To be chary of manme is not the practice of Holland. Sand and manure — manure and sand, are the alpha and omega of all things. It should be said, that, of course, the manure is in a very decomposed state But a l)u chman relies on it implicitly • and the •rields aie enriched not only in the first instance, when they are recovered from fomo barren waste, but again and again; so that tertility may not be impaired, A bulb, it is true, does not like to lie in manute— it should be cushioned in sand, and the loots should pu&h downward into the rich provision from which they geb vigour and life. This tends also to keep them from being ever burned up in the summer. It is when the rootlets have nothing proper to iced upon that they come too much to the surface ; and they cannot then stand the burning rays oi the sun. An emphasis should be put on the thorough decomposition of the manure ; but it cannot be bad practice to use it in this way, when such good results flow from it. Nob 10 speak of tulips and hyacinths, helds and fields ot lilies, may be seen during the season perfectly innocent of shade, yet doing quite well after this fashion. How to Circumvent tiif. Slugs. — A writer in Amateur (hardening plants a number of large lettuces between his rows ol Dahlias, and finds that the slugs devote their who'e attention to the lettuces. The hint is a good one, but it would be better to dig out a spit ot soil, ciam down any succulent weeds, place a stone on top to kt.ep them down, and search every day for the siugs. Alter the fourth day and for a tortnipht after every slug in the neighbourhood will resort to tlie weeds, and they can be shaken out into a bucket With salt at the bottom. This is the wholesale way of dealing with slugs, and they will not touch the plants either before or after they are killed if they are provided with wilted weeds.