THE GARDEN. (Bv Hortus.)

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 374, 5 June 1889, Page 4

THE GARDEN. (Bv Hortus.)

Kitchen Garden. I The Bne genial weather prevailing during lasfc week will have given an opportunity (o get work well forward in this department. Where tho digging of vacant pieces of ground and the usual early winter cropping has nob as yet been done, it should be pushed forward at once, as wo may expect very broken weather before long, and all early winter work should, if possible, be performed before the web weather sets in. Tomatoes, as far as any moie growth is concerned, will bo over for the season. Green fruit should be picked and placed in fiorao position where the ray* of the sun ran get at them. r i hey will ripen better in Ibis manner than on tho plants, where the fruit will be subjected to shade from the plant? and cold damp from tho soil, which will considerably retard their ripening. Anyono possessing good varieties of tomatoes should bake off a few cuttings and place them in pots in a cool frame, where thoy will strike freely and make good hardy plants for planting out early next spring. The haulm of tomatoes should be cleaied away, and the ground well manured and dug. Pumpkins, marrow?, etc : Store away in a dry place for winter use. The ground should also bo manured ai d dug. Celery : Earth up the later-planted crops> a-9 they may requite it ; don't bury the foliage too doeply — leave about eight inchos above the ground. When a ridge is earthed up for the last time, beat it firmly with the spade. This will cause the water to run off, and the celery will not be so ready to rot through a superabundance of moisture. Winter spinach, as it becomes large enough, should be thinned out. Use the thinnings at present, thus getting a supply for the present and giving more time for the permanent plants to further mature their foliage before they are touched. Onions : If the usual autumn patch is not already sown it- should be done at once. To procure large onions the seed should be sown in the autumn and transplanted in the spring. Plant out a few more cabbage and cauliflower plants. Earth up earlier planted crops. Sow a few rows of broad beans for early crops. Attend to the fortnightly sowings of mustard cress and radishes for salad. Frequently stir the surface soil between the rows of growing crops, and earth up those that require this system of cultivation. Sow all vacant pieces of ground not at present required for crops, in green crops. Ib is much better bo have soil cropped during the winter than vacant. All weeds should now be taken to the rot heap, putting them in layers and giving a good dressing of lime and salt, so as to kill both animal and vegebable life. The rotted weeds and debris of a garden make one of the best manures that can be used for the reproduction of either flowers or vegetables, and should never be allowed to go to waste, &$ they contain all the elements that plant life requires so as to give vigorous life. Where slugs are beginning to become troublesome give frequent dustings with lime in the evening after dark, as they are then out feeding and will get the full benefit of the lime. Soot, if ib can be easily obtained, will be equally efficacious. Keep overybhing in a neat, tidy condibion. The kitchen garden should be made to look as well as the flower garden.

Flower Garden. Mo3b of the late autumn flowering plants will now be over, and every endeavour should be made to get the borders manured and dug while the present fine, genial weather lasts. While manuring see that plenty is used, as the quantity and quality of next season's flowers will mostly depend on the richness of the soil. I have seen many pieces of flower garden manured, and have never seen the manure too heavily applied for the general run of flowering plants. Most of the best of the annual and perennial seeds that are imported are raised from plants growing on soils specially made up for them, and it is useless to expect those seeds to grow plants that will give satisfaction unless the soil is made rich enough. Often have I been shown different clashes of plants that the owners have told me weie a special 6brain of seed imported with the object of getting something out of the common, and disappointment resulted through the soil not being of a sufficiently good quality to bring the perfections of the strain out in all its beauties. I have heard old leading gardeners in Brittany say that if they saw the yard where the compost heaps and the mnnure heaps were they would be able to tell if they were properly u«ed, and what kind of produce was grown in the place. Now, in New Zealand we have got in many places rich virgin soil, which will grow ordinary crops well, but when we attempt to grow some of the finer strains of flower seeds the ground will have to be prepared in much the. "a rne manner as the soils that produced their parents. Dahlias : As the haulm becomes nearly ripe, lift tubers and place in the sun to dry, before they are stored pasl for the winter. All late flowering gladiola bulb 3 should now be lifted. Do nob allow them bo make a fresh start, as they are apt to do in the nice genial weather we have had. Plant out a few bulbs now for early flowering in the spring, and also continue planting a few out monthly till the main lot is planted about the end of August. Camellias should be watered occasionally with liquid manure or mulched with litter manure This will improve the quality of the flowers. The camellia here is apb to produce too many flower buds. A judicious thinning out of them will greatly improve those that are left. Herbaceous plants can now be lifted, subdivided, re-arranged and transplanted, putting the tall-growing varieties at the back of the border. The same may be said of all evergreen shrubs that it is advisable to remove- to other situations. In fact, if moved now, before the cold wet weather sets in, they will do much better next tpring than if planted later. Winter and spring flowering bulbs and tubers should receive attention. The soil around them should be stirred occasionally, and liquid manure applied frequently. This will strengthen the colour of the flowers when they blossom. Cyclamens should be mulched with cow manure, co as to bring out their beautiful flowers in profusion. All spring bulbs and tubers retained in hand for late planting, iei c not already out, should be planted ab once, so as to give them a sfcarb before the cold weather sebs in. Sbili conbiriue sowing and planting out hardy annuals and perennials. Where slugs are troublesome use lime frequently in the evening after dark. All lad deeaves and obher debrit> should be collected once a week and taken to the rubbish heap. Walks that showed signs of being -weak should receive a slight dressing of gravel and should be well rolled co as to bind the old and new together.

Greenhouse. All woodwork of the house should be washed afc once. Camellias and azaleas in pots for early flowering should be occasionally watered with liquid manure. Syringe the foliage with clear water occasionally. Be very sparing with the water on the general stock plants and just keep the soil from getting dry, as some of them will be I apt to damp off. Growing calceolarias, cm -i

rarias, etc., should bosliiftedintolargorpofcs as they require moro pob room. Harden off any of the above which you wish to plant out in the open border. Give plenty of air on every favourable occasion and give water only in tho mornings.

Lawns. The top-dressing of all lawns should be completed at once. Where possible, see that all hollows or depressions are properly filled up. Sow a little tresh grass-seed, and apply the roller frequently, so as to compress the soil as it swells with tho moisture. The grass should also bo cut as short as during tho summer. This will holp to thicken the soil. The edging should also receive- attention. Givo tho usual win tor paring, so ns to define tho edgo in a sharp, clear manner. Re-turf those that from frequently paring are leaving tho walks too broad Tho turf cut from tho edgings, if stacked in a heap to rot for a few months, will make capital potting soil, «s it is generally full of fibrous matter. Nothing looks better during the winter than wellkept lawns.