The Garden

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 338, 30 January 1889, Page 4

The Garden

(By HORTIS.) Kitchen Garden.

The main crop of celery should be planted out about the end of this month. See that plenty of well-rotted manure is pub in the bottom of each trench. After planting thoroughly soak with water the soil and manure in the trench, and also try and keep the plants moist till they get well established. Recollect that to grow good celery the plant must be kept growing till the winter sets id. The earlier crops will now xt quire to be tied and earthed up. Tie loosely so that the stalks will have plenty of room to swell. Leeks : the main crop of these should be put out at once. Where extra large fine roots arc wanted, plant in trenches the same as celery, with plenty of manure, and keep watering. If planted on the level, plenty of manure should be dug into the soil, as the leek is a gross heavy feeder. Tomatoes : Continue the tying up and j. inching back as the plants advance in growth, leaving: only the best fruitingshoots. Where the soil is of a poor nature, and little manure was given when planting out, give liquid manure frequently, and where the soil is rich in plant food give plenty of clear water only. Keep up the successional sowings of French beans, and do the same with the running varieties. Earth up and stake those that are growing. Where the first crops are ready for picking, take off such pods as they become ready, never allowing them to get ripe, as then they simply rob the latter portion of the crop. Cauliflowers and cabbages : Plant out another row of each. Those which are planted now should come in for use early in the winter. Iveep them continually growing by giving them plenty of water, and occasionally liquid manure. Sow a small patch of seed for later autumn planting. Cucumbez*s, marrows, pumpkins etc., pinch back and regulate, and give plenty of water so as to keep them in an active state of growth. Melons will be better in flavour and firmer in flesh if grown in a moderately dry state ; but if watered heavily the fruit is apt to become large, flabby, and rank in flavour. Attend to the usual fortnightly sowing of mustard cress and radishes ; sow in a cool, moist place, and water two or three times a week. If they are sown in rows it will also be better to mulch with stable litter. Keep the hoe stirring the surface soil between the rows of crops. Frequent stirring is of as much use as mulching or slight watering. Clear away to the rot heap the debris of crops as they become ripen and give a dusting of salt and lime. This debris Avill make capital manure for digging into the ground in the winter or next spring, and it is wonderful what large heaps will soon accumulate if everything is carefully saved. All ground that has become vacant of crops should have plenty of manure wheeled over it and dug roughly, and allowed to stand in the rough till it is wanted for another crop, and then a slight forking will bring it into capital tilth for either planting or sowing other crops. Hoe weeds whenever they make their appearance.

Flower Garden. The late dry weather has made a vast difference in the appearance of the mixed flower borders. Many of the spring and early summer flowering plants are beginning to get spent, and especially "the annuals. The debris of such should be cleared off the ground as soon as the plants begin to look unsightly. This promises to be a very dry autumn, so that where a good succession of flowers is wanted steps ought at once to be taken to have all the autumn flowering plants mulched, as without this mulching or a plentiful supply of water it would be useless to expect many flowers. Stable or cow manure makes the best mulch of all, especially where water is used, as the water passing through this, just as good as liquid manure. Most of the bedding plants will yet be in full bloom, and to con tinue the show, use plenty of water. Coxcombs, balsams, portulaca, zeanias, etc., are now beginning to show their flowers. Give liquid manure occasionally. Lancifoliums and liliums should also be beginning to open their buds. The size of the flowers, as well as the colouring, will be improved by giving plenty of water. The best of the gladioli will nearly be past flowering. Cub off all seed stalks, as nothing will deteriorate a good collection more quickly than allowing them to ripen seed. The same remark applies to all flowering plants. Pinch back and regulate all strong-growing plants, and see that no strong, rank-growing shoot is allowed to get more than its fair share 'of sap, keeping them within due bounds. Dahlias are growing strongly. See that they are properly started. Give plenty of water and mulch with manure round the base of each plant, with ccw manure, if possible, and also pinch out superflous shoots. Chrysanthemums will also require attention in the way of staking, pinching and watering. Where only a few tine flowers are wanted, only a few shoots should be allowed to grow, and when the flower buds make their appearance, only two or three should be allowed to mature on each shoot. Spring flowering bulbs and tubers fully ripened, should be lifted and packed away in dry sand or earth and kept in a cool shade till they are wanted for planting late in the autumn. The soil in the different flower borders should be frequently stirred up with the hoe ; where it is kept loose the sun's rays will not have the same penetrating power. Thus plants will have a much better chance of pulling through the dry season. Where water can be obtained it should be used liberally so as to saturate the ground at least once a week. Lawns : To keep these in good order a liberal supply of water is required and also an occasional rolling. Walks : It will only now be neces- i sary to rake once a week to keep these in first-class order. '

Greenhouse. If an insect pest establishes itself on any j of the plants take steps to have i^ eradicated. Seeds of primula, calceolarias, cinerarias, etc., should now be sown in seed pans and placed in a cool shady part of the house. Give plenty of water, and also use liquid manure to all strong-grow-ing plants. Give plenty of air during the day, and also shade during the middle of the day when the sun's rays are strongest.

Royal Horticultural Society. The amended prize schedule of the above Society has just come to hand, and I would earnestly ask competitors to obtain a copy at once so that they may have time to properly study the alterations. The most important is No. 3, which provides that no entries shall be received unless accompanied with all entrance fees. Other importantrules are the following : — Exhibitors may compete for all the prizes offered in each schedule number, and may enter more than one exhibit in each number upon payment of the -entrance fee for each such entry of exhibit. In #ny schedule number— there must be iive exhibits staged or both first and second prizes will not be awarded— there must be sthree exhibits 'staged or the first prize will not be awarded $ t if there be but,two exibibits staged the .second prize only will be .awarded in lieu of the first pri^e ; if ther

be but one exhibit staged the exhibitor will be entitled to a refund of his ontrance fee. (Thiaregulationdoesnofcapplytothoschedule number of new or rare plants, etc., and applies to the value of the prizes only and not to the piize certificates, which may be awarded by the judges according to merit, irrespective of the number of exhibits staged.) No person is a member of the Society unless his current year's subscription has been paid, Non-members are required to pay an extra Is on each entry. The entrance fees virtually reduce each competition to a sweep. The amount of prize money is considerably increased. The highest of the first prizes is £2 and the lowest 10s. In second prizes the highest is £1 and the lowest ss. The entrance fees range from 2s to ss, the latter being the highest. A general meeting of the members of the whole Society is called for the 31st of January, when all members should make a point of being present. The exhibition is to be held on the 22nd and 23rd March.