THE GARDEN.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 334, 16 January 1889, Page 6

THE GARDEN.

[BY HOKTUS.]

Hybridising Flowers. This is the proper time to try and obtain new varieties of some oi-our popular summer and autumn flowering plants. A few words as to the condition required to make it a success may, therefore, be of use to some of my readers. The first condition must be full and healthy development of the plants and a fairly dry atmosphere. 2nd, the application of pollon must take place when the (lowers are in full bloom, with the tissues well hardened. 3rd, precaution must be taken to prevent the flowers from being fertilised either by anthera or by pollen carried from other plants by insects When any flower is to be operated upon it is advisable to remove all the anthers from that flower. Sometimes it is better to do this two or three days before the stigma is leady to be fertilised.- When such is ready the anthers should be taken from the plant with a pair of pliers, and the pollen thereon be directly applied to the stigma or stigmas of the planb to be operated upon. One sot of anthers may have sufficient pollen to fertilise several flowers effectually. Where a correct idea is wanted the bloomy operated upon should be marked with a number, an>i particulars of both parents noted, so ;iy to assist in future operations. When possible, fertilisation should take place while the sun is shining 1 between 10 and ]1 o'clock in the morning. I believe that it a pioper sy&tem of hybridisation were adopted here, many of the popular flowering plants could be improved much beyond the type we already possess.

Weeds in the Garden. One of the most troublesome questions that all who own gardens have to contend against is the numerous varieties of weeds to be dealt with at all seasons of the year. The annual varieties should never be allowed fco get beyond tho seedling stage, lor in this stage they are very easily killed, especially in dry weather. If systematic hoeing is persisted in, every fresh batch will be dried up by the sun. The perennial weeds as a rule give far more trouble to eradicate than the annual weeds. Where these have obtained a strong hold in the kitchen garden or on any piece of ground that/ is vacant, the best plan is to have such dug over roughly at once. At this s-eason of the year there is not much moisture in the ground, and if the soil i^ turned up i roughly the roots of bho weeds will soon perish from the want of nourishment. The soil, if turned over roughly with the spade, should be allowed to lie in the rough state for at least a month, when it will get pretty well pulverised. In about that time a few ot the roots will have made a fresh start and would get well re-established if not taken in hand again. The second time the ground should be gone over with a fourpronged fork, carefully turning up the dead debris to the surface, and at the same time making a special eflort to lift all weeds that are alive. In the two turnings of the soil most of the permanent weeds will have been got under if the work has been properly performed, especialfy during this season of the year. Of couise, where weeds have been allowed to get well established a large quantity of seed will have been shed and will still be in the ground. This seed will, wi>ttn t-^itaM^ moist weather sets in, quickly germinate, and as far as appearances are concerned, will show a better and more luxuriant crop of weeds than the one destroyed ; but these can easily be got rid of by simply using the hoe before they have attained anything more than the first seed leaves. At this stage the roots of perennial weeds have not the power to grow again when cut and exposed to the rays of the sun, and are a? easily killed as the annual varieties. Of course, every time the soil is turned over again a fresh batch of seed will be brought near fche surface of the soil, where it will al&o germinate, but this also can be got under by using tho hoe amongst the crops till in time the bulk is destroyed, bringing the weed crops down to a minimum. Where perennial weeds will take most trouble and patience, will be on flower borders where the surface cannot wholly be turned over during dry weather. Todo this would in many instances kill the plants therein. In such places the hoe must be kept continually cutting them just under the surface as soon as they make their appearance above the ground. The above system I have often tried with success in dealing with sorrel, convolvuii, docks. &c. At the outset, when the roots ol the plants were full of vigour, it gave a lot of trouble, but as time went on the plants making continual efforts to produce leaves soon got exhausted and died out. To follow out this system with success the hoeing must be persisted in whenever the weeds make their appearance, for if allowed to even stand for a few days the leaves will expand and at once transmit fresh vigour to the roots, and all the labour previously expended will have to be gone over again so as to regain lost ground. All who understand much about plant growth will at once know that no plant can long live if the foliage is continually picked off as it makes its appearance. The roots of plants perform the function of providing food or sap and sending it up to the foliage, where such sap is elaborated and again sent on to build up either more woody matter or foliage as the plant requires it to fulfil its proper functions. The continual cutting of the foliage under tho surface stops theflowand the chemical changes which take place in the leaf ; consequently the plant must soon die. There is one weed which here for the last few years has given a good deal of trouble in some gardens, and that is one of the varieties of the portulaca. It usually makes its appearance here about the beginning of Januaiy, and continues to flourish during the whole of the autumn. You may hoe it and turn its roots up to the sun ; it is of no use ; you have only managed perhaps to divide one plant into half a dozen, as this weed seems to obtain sufficient nourishment from the atmosphere, and in about a week or so it will again be sending roots down into the ground from every joint, and flourishing splendidly. Moreover, the drier the weather the better it will grow. Last year to thoroughly test this troublesome plant I placed about a dozen of them on the top of an old door laid on the ground ; it was of no use — it grew almost as well there as in the ground, began to flower, and would have produced seed but that I burned it. The only way that I have as yet found to effectually destroy this weed is to hoe, rake them up, and burn them. Fortunately, it is an annual, and w\ll only grow during hot, • dry weather. Weeds on walks can easily be kept under by raking them about once a week. The i\ake disturbs the gravel, and the rough teoth bruise and break the leaves of the weeds, so that they never can make headway. They grow a little during the week, then the foliage.gets bruised, and consequently the plant has to begin again, and it is never able to get sufficient hold to become of muoh importance, very likely lingering on for a month or so, when it disappears, others taking 1 its place from seed, which, frdm means not under control, will get more or less distributed over all walks. - In conclusion, I would point out that the two next months, are the best of the year for destroying all weeds, no matter in what portion of the garden. When weeds are

cub and are likely to bring their seeds to maturity, tho best way to get -rid of.them and keep them from doing further damage is tp burn them, even though you lose a little vegetable matter. Again, when weeds have not come to such a stage that their seeds will ripen, these should always be placed in a rot heap, where they can be allowed to decay to such a stage that "they can again be returned to the soil in tiie shape of manure. Decayed vegetable matter is one of the most valuable manures, as it returns to the soil nearly all the chemical matters required for the reproduction of fresh vegetation.