The Garden (By Hortis in "Auckland Star.")

Te Aroha News, Volume VIII, Issue 394, 17 August 1889, Page 3

The Garden (By Hortis in "Auckland Star.")

, - Kitchen Garden. ' Tub 'fine w,eather that we have experienced, during last weqk and the beginning of this will havo given a splendid opportunity to get work in this department in a forwardcondition. Continue making small sowings 1 of carrots and turnips for early use. Defer ■ sowing the main crop for a fq\v weeks ( yet. • Early polotoes : Plant a few more rows in a warm, dry situation. Peas : Continue marking fortnightly sow- \ ing, regulating tho length of the rows so as to suit the requirements of the house. - Mustard and cress and radishes : Keep .'up continuous sowing, so as to have thevn. nice and crisp fbr salad. , .. Cauliflower and Cabbage :-, Plant a fow orery two or three weeks so as to keep up a succession. \ Earth up the crops that aro advancing! aiid clear away tho debris of i spent orops-as soon as the heads are cat, as •the debris of cabbage and cauliflower are one of tho best hiding places forslugs and snails. The break of ground for sowing the main crop of onions should be prepared now to a depth of v about thvee inchest. The soil in which the spring crop of onibns are sown, should be a piece which wasiachly manured last autumn. -Onions: do, not like ground into which rank,, long jnanuie -has been, placed immediately before sowing, if there is a small heap of wood ashes they should be sprqad over the byeak -immediately aafterr r it is forked ov.ev } ;as~aH crops aro' very fond of wood, asnes. " • ; Lottuce : Priqk out another "batch ; tie up advanced plants tor 'blanching, and sow' a. small pinch of fresh seed for later spring plan tiri g. All green crop 3 which were sown in the. late autumn, and are not .wanted for green, feed, should be dug down when they attain a height of about two feet, as they are then in a soft, succrlent state and^ will "rot quickly. If permitted to attain a much greater height they would be very inconvenient to dig down. At the same time, straw will be becoming hard and firm ; it will take a long time to rot, and will greatly retard operations while cropping the ground, while if dug in now, soft 'and green, it willact as a manure at once. 'All vacant-pieces of ground should be manured and dug roughly, even. 1 if not wan-ted. for .Immediate, cropping, ,as it will ijien becomovpidveris.cd and sweet; for plater » cropping, taking care •-at the garne.tiuae n.ot-^P touch fche'^oil when it is. wet and jclayey, 4 s working it in thi\ state will do. greater iftjury than'good. • Keqp the ground free of all weeds as 'much 'as-possible, as. they nob 'only *take'-a large amount of labour to get rid'ofvrS'altojved'-fcQ ( grow large, but they give shelt&i'.ahdtfoo"d> forslugs, which is the cause- of the -lossjof many a crop. All .seeds coming through, the ground should be frequently sprinkled with lime in the evening after dark, so as to keep the slugs off them.

Flower Garden. Every endeavour should be made during fine weather to get work forward in this department. AlKevergreen shrubs which are grown ,for their foliage shoald be cut "b,iick this month. If 'done now new buds will' burst and ccfme, .away 'with' g"reat< vigoui*. 'The new shodt will-also produce much finery laiger, and better coloured folv age than the old ' wood- would -have" done. The main lot of rose bushes 'for'^rodfictng' the i intermediate flowers should now 'be pruned, only leaving a tew unpruned as yet to producelaterilawprs. . When pruning.cut hard back, only leaving two or.,threa buds on „ lastseason'&wood. Where possibleeach plant should receive a-goodmulcpingof welL- rotted ' manure immediately around the base oE the plarib. This 'will give strength to the new shoots, and consequently better flowers. . All box edgings which require renewing should be done at once. Try and choose good weather while'doing thie'work. ' Gladioli bulbs plant about- onbe 'a fortnight for succession. All . liliunv, and •amaryllis should now. be planted, as they will soon begin to grow. Now is the time to transplant the different ■old favourite^ such as violets, pansie^, pinks, penjsfcemensj lobelias, etc. ; the earlier these are'movecCto their flowering quarters now, 'the betfer they will do. \ ' \° '? ' '. Hardy bedding plants raised frbftl cuttings, or seed should now te planted • out in the' mixdd bolder. Hardy annuals' can now be qiown. Sow them in small patene's*- ' Where tho ground is wet; stiff"-and cold, itis best to make' up a cornpdst of Tich light soil, and just before sowing take out a* little of the' old soil from the border, replace with the compost and sow. The se.eds.will. germinate better in this, and will also make roots better till they gain sufficient stire.nglli to I'ponetrate the more "uncongenial 'soil. _ The first favourable oppqrttfnrfcy^glioulcl" ' also" be taken while the weather is ''tine to gee all the different beds' a-r/d borders forked ' over. If they werenotTnanured lasfautvumn they should get plenty 'of toamtre. .-this spring. It is almost impossible to ,\g'et satisfactory results, in .any department of. the garden without .a liberal .supply of manure being used every s,easqn. Spring bulbs and tubers aWc^rcceive attention/ The y surface, soil slidu|d bo frequently stin'ed^bbujbthejiii, 'and liquid manure applied frequently^ Somet)imob r l think that many of the' spring flowers are the brightest and best' -coloured flowers that we produce, and it is a pity " that) more attention is not given them, but great things are expected from -the. camellia shows in promoting a better acquaintance with thes6 flowers. > t \ , Camellias- and. azaleas : .Give, , liquid _, manure; it, will strengthen the colouring^ of the flowers. „Apply Itijie." frequently to,, seedlings coming through the, soil, ■* as-slugs a'rq-vejry "^lentiful, J 'and'otie slug' can qafe'ija gobd' number 'o^'small" seedling's in a' , night. u "'' ' J Lawn's: The gras< is "ncwbeglnntng-'to grow.' Kee,p iV cvt • closely and^roll. frequently so as 1 to get 4 all v inequalities under before the dry weather sets in. Uo'ntinue paring airgra§s edgings. Ttiose' 'parings make splendid potting' soil. When" the grass and weeds are Killed, always put in. a place by theniselves where 1 they will be. handy for potting as required: Where edgings have been pared for a ,few years and have become too narrow they should again be brought to their proper dimensions by refcurfing. All debris^.ol grass, flowers, etc., should at once be taken away to the rot heap, as they supply cover for slugs. After being placed on the 'heap give a good " dressing of lrrhe rind' salt, 'which will assist in rotting them quicker into mabure.

Greenhouse. Giyo plenty of water to all plants Goniing into . flower, using occasionally a . s little, liquid manure. Cinerarias.and' calceolarias that", have. become established '-in their, flowering p'fcts, ke'ep^near the glass, so that, they do not'becom'e "drawn, also give plenty of room for each" plant to spread out its' foliage. As the'succession planbs come on, repot them/, also keeping them near the' glass. Where a grower has 'more plants' than he can conveniently flower under glass, planboub in the open, where they will amply repay him for the trouble. Some of the' finest • cinerarias 'which I have* I ' 'seen' here were I grown in the open border. The calceo-

• lariasalso.dg -w.ell in the open if in a warm, sheltered position. Camelliaa in pot past • flowering r<ep'ot atid pia/qe 'out in-; the open ' in their summer quarters.^ Azaleas coniing? "into flower^n pot, give liquid "fflanuVe arid, keep pretty moiSL. Every" l av&,irable '^lade in thp house should now be' 'ddvofced to the raising of seeds &nd striking of cubting3 of flowering plants- to plant pv\t in the^penborders later op in the spring. Give the house plenty of,' air on all favourable occasions. ' '

Shrubs and Trees. All shrub and tree-.planting should be brought fco a clqse as soop as possible, as the season is. advancing. 'Lato. planbod things do nob, do 1 so well as early planted -ones, especially if we receive a .dry spring. When shruhs a-nd trees haye been planted early the, winter's * xains -settle the' soil -about -the, .root?, and as 'the warnier : weatheV se.fcs iri'those roots, having already a hold, of the 'sbil, 'b'6gih\tovpush..ojub*in sedi-ch' of food 'with vigour ,a.nd oause the plant ' to' k b l o^in,' to^g^ow, the early spring'; whereas la,te planted "ones, to get the' same (ihanco, inusfc 'bb" Watered, and that, 'whei-fe l M>our-'is seaiKje, makes a lot of work, and is nab so safciafap.tory,

•' .Covering Secfls., , 'Complaints., are- pf ten?, made as to. the equality d£ seeds when thp fault is tobo found 'in fche-mode 'of sowing j they aro frequently covered-, tp,b; deeply, or 'when 't.hat is- not 1 the, cage the -covering! is'pr.esse'd down,. too . firmly, the/rjbanlfe.be.i#g,>thp,t,whengermina'tion, common cG3 , the seedlings, are unable to push .thrash" 'the soil ;' % they in many in-'-sta^^ce,^ i 'r^ise bhe'wfrole mass up slightly and then damp off, while the same kind of'goed covßl'od^hirilyxiTid tjia>soil sprinlsled .lightly over it A has Sucjcep^ed. . ,Fpr v covering I prefer*''X^^ \fepp sandy soil, as after ''watcring^'it, do'e^ not sottle down so •firmly* as '< ivlhdk ' heavier material as used. < Very .3xiia'iTit:e' 7 seeclB''ido-'.-be,?t -without any covering of {soil-, but & pang of.gl 4 ass should bo laid Qver to insure a uniform' ainouu^ Q^moi^tui-4"; it must-, however, be taken'off as -scion as germination commences. The gerrflinatioa of hard seeds, such as those of caunap, will be greatly assisted by soaking them for a few days in water. Before beih^ sown put them in a pan of water and set 4 ' it on the hot water pipes until the seodsshow signs of growth, when they must be at once sown, prior to which the soil should be warmed, to the temperatui'e of tha,t of Hie, house, or a check will be the result. — Alpha.' j

Tfe'esr a's Fence Posts. •' Atternpbs td utilise trees' tb tako tho place hb pqjst&';4n 'ConsiruGbing-fencos were wniicte.'bQfbj'e plain or barbed wire came into -»nse"'asf*£i|bstitute for boards." The boards -were'BiwJej:! to the .trees in the same nianner ■bhey^werVbo posbs.' I'hfs method "of "supporbin^fohaoufeQMls did not often prove to be sjvtisfnbtpasy,, lfC Th.c- boards needed a support"e.vgry, eight' feet, tiricf the trees generally eeb'qttb for 1 ornamental purposes' were 1 ord^n^fly ti fei-xteeri v feet apart/ "It,, wa's ( a"6coydittgly^2i3ece6sary to set a^oetot strong! sbajie #ebw.,een the tr,ees. "' A' fence bhas, s^inporbed generally presented an unsightly 1 appearance". It /was" rarely 'the* case that tKe' fries all atdod -in line. There were other diffioulties.inthe matter. Many of tho troeswera, inclined by the action o*f the win'd^ . Some,, of them had crooked trunks, 'which" made 1 it difficult to fasten boards" to th'eiM. ' 'A largo jpro'portion of the trees used v fo*Kp\kts were lo'casts or white nia'ples, whjsbjweftjs liable to bo destroyed ■by 4>oi ers. ' „These>,aud some other kinds of troeS* p blew over during' severe storms and "bijoke'j^lie^oards^ that.. wore.,, attached , bo them. "In'some casesijiainjiu'^ clorio to. the trees by driving nails into them caused' them to become deformed or die? When wire ws introduced as a substitute "for boards in making ifarm fences more at-tempts-were macJe to use living trees instead of posts. There, was not as much difficulty in attaching wrfe as bbards 'to them, as supports ( are only needed once a Tod. With wire ib.isnot ned^ssary bo.bave the supportb ■at a uniform distance apasb. Still difficulties were found, tall trees were swayed!to fhe-wMncl so that' they broke the" wire that was fastened to them. In some' cases the staple^ .were- drawn out, and Jo others the wire wa>s stretched sp that it hung loose between ' tfie trees. Oi "course the amoitnt 'of land i( thab could be inclosed by using- growing Wees' ior'-supports for fence' wire was comparatively small, as trees had 3\oh been, planted on the lines where fences •were 1 !- -wanted. In R the newly settled por--tioaaf-the'Wi3stSj4iere'the greatest amount of fences was required; the trees, except , th,o?e. in tended fat produce fruit, had been set out. Suppoi l^ for fence wire- wore in gredb demand rn, those' places^ and cedar or other - wood -suitable' tor lasting posbs is expensive. Experiment? 1 were accordingly made in putting-down pieces of the trunks WLpoplar or white yillow trees, with .a view of. having thorn itafee i-qo6 and grow. In •Northwestern Iowa" many miles of, fence .have been made by fastening -wire bo green poplar or willow posts, which will probably take root ami gro^ , • , . Several landowners h ( ave set cuttings of willow or cobtonWOod on' the lines where 6tiey expect bo matfe fetitees in the coitrse ot a few years'..." .Thayi.plac&/thorn on an exact line at fi distance of a rod apart. They think" bhat they will be of a sufficient size to support fence wire in bhe course of about five- years. They will remove the limbs <from the trunk's foi> the^space of five'or six ■feet fronx the giound, and endeavour to mjiko.thom grow'sbraiglib. ' ' T.hey will cub offtlie torjs'of bhe trees, so th'ab "they will 'nob , grow m&re • than ten^ feet high. By keeping tliom shtnb bhey will/foe loss likely to be swayed, by. the, t wind. The portions cut off can be.'usod for forming moro supports. ' Farmers ' who have large quantities of land-and are in no need -'of inclosing !all of it would, find it to .their advantage t,o set gu t trees Qf •slower growth, but of: nioro" lasting qualities, than, any variety of poplar or, willow;- 'I^he kind" of I tree should be f suibed to the^foil and'climate' of the. locality: where ib is wimted. Trees bhat have sbraighb trunks,, fyn/l whicjii^are, nob likely to be splitjor. ihjured" by ipaects should fee selccbcd, Trees- tßafc*will"fnake, good supports fdr fence wire^willbe in^de-^ ma>nd in all tho Western Sbates and Territories within a few ye.ara. ,; , ; - ••_ t