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

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 410, 12 October 1889, Page 6

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

Kitchen Garden. Continue sowing main cronof vegetables, as the season is now advancing?. Autumn sown onions should now be ready for prinking or transplanting. The onions which are transplanted will make equally pood bulbs as those left where sown. Spring-sown onions should now be well through the soil. Keep the weeds under between the rows. Teas : Keep sowing short rows for succession, sow about once a fortnight, choosing the dwarf varieties so as to save the trouble of procuring stakes. Earth the early sown crop as they advance in growth. French and running beans : Sow for succession. It is almost useless sowing the running varieties unless provided with stakes or some other structure, so that they may have support. Mustard, cress, and raddishes : Sow fortnightly, so as to provide a succession of crisp fresh saladings. Potatoes : Earth up the early crops as they advance in growth. The late crop should be planted out early this month, especially if the soil be warm and dry. Where the soil is cold or wet, planting can be deferred for a week or so. Cabbages and cauliflowers : Small rows should be planted every fortnight, so as to keep a succession. Those which are advancing in growth, earth up ; clear debris of old crop from the ground as soon as cut, as it provides harbour and breeding places for sluers and snails. Prick out another patch of lettuce, sow another patch of seed, tie up old plants for blanching, sow a small patch of leeks for future planting out. Celery : Sow a small patch under glass : it will soon be ready for picking out. Prepare places for planting out tomatoes, melons, cucumbers, pumpkins, etc. Dig a pit about four feec in diameter and about eighteen inches deep. Place good soil in the bottom, then, on top of that, about halfabairow load of well-rotted manure, then cover up with the balance of the soil, making a slight mound. Lee this lie for about a week or ten dave, then plant your plants on top of the mound. Tomatoes, melons, etc., under glass: Begin to harden off, so as to be ready for planting out whenever the soil and weather are suitable. As pointed out previously, pieces of ground intended to carry summer crops should be trenched two spits deep, so as to give a greater depth for roots to get away from the fierce rays of the sun during • the summer months. At the same time where possible place green fermentinsr manure or fresh-cut grass from the lawns well down under the surface. Those materials will keep the soil moist for a long time. Many of the early sown crops will be growing quickly now. See that they are properly thinned out before the little plants beffin to draw one another up, for if they are too much drawn they will iniure one another. Keep stirring the surface soil between the rows of different vegetables, as good surface tillasre is better than a good mulch. Slugs : This is now about the most 1 troublesome period of the year for the depredations of the slug, and every possible means should be adopted to keep them in check. In the open garden dusting frequently with lime is the best.

Flower Garden. During the last few weeks everything in the garden has presented quite a different appearance. Plants are now growing very rapidly, especially all the early spring flowers, ixias, sparaxis, babianas, etc., are now showing their spikes of many coloured flowers, making a splendid show. Other winter and early spring bulbs are still producing good flowers, but every day when the sun's rays are strong makes them hang their heads, clearly indicating that their blooming period is nearly past. All hardy bedding plants should be placed in their summer quarters now as soon as possible. Hardy annuals : Still continue sowing out in the open. Those that were grown under glass, harden ofly so that they also may be planted out as soon as possible. When sowing, if the soil be stiff, wet, and uncongenial, get a compost of rich, 1 sandy soil made up. In the place where the patch of annuals i 3 to be sown, take out a little of the cold soil and replace with the comport, sow the seed therein, and it will give the plants a better chance when they corns through the soil. All summer ilowering bulbs, such as gladioli, etc., should now be planted out. If the planting is deferred much longer, the flower spikes will neither be so large or so fine. See to the providing of stakes for those which are beginning to show flower spikes. Also, where the soil is liable to get caked, stir it up frequently with the hoe, so as to keep it loose around the bulbs. Continue sowing tender annuals under glass, so as to get them pushed on for early planting out. Dahlias should now be started co as to get then", divided early. Weeds will now be growing very fast in the different borders. See that they are kept under with rhe hoe while in .the seedling state. Seeds coming through the soil will require constant attention, so as to keep the slugs off. Lawn : the grass should bs kept quite short now, so that the bottom may get thick and close before the. dry weather properly sets in. When grass is allowed to get long during the spring, it gets drawn and the weaker parts are killed. When thin, cut the extreme. Drought will not allow of it growing close again, and as the drought continues it will soon assume the appearance of being dried up, as there is not sufficient foliage to protect the roots from the hot rays of the sun. Keep ing it cut closely forces' the grass to spread along the ground, thus giving a better covering. Where it is possible, cut the grass with the lawn mower and allow the debris to fall as cut. This debris forms a mulch which will still farther assist in keeping the grass longer in good order. This debris will also make the lawn in much better order, as the cut debris not only returns all taken from , the- soil, but also those parts which the grass takes from the air as well. Where lawns are thus cut. and the debris left year by year, they will get richer and richer. The roller should also be frequently put over the ground bo as to press down any swellings that may have occurred during moist weather.

Greenhouse. Continue re-potting permanent plants as opportunity occurs. Strike coleus cuttings for planting out in the borders later in the season. Look after the green fly and other insects as they make their appearance. To keep them under use either tobacco water or smoke them. All hardy annuals under glass harden off so as to plant out. Tender annuals continue sowing, and nrick out those that are large enough. Plants coming into flower keep near the glass and give liquid manure. Give plenty of air during bright, sunny weather. Water in the afternoon.

Thin Out Seedlings. In the growing of flowers and vegetables, ib is scarcely possible to impress on amateurs thab bo get good resulta thinning must be done whenever the ground plants begin to interfere with one another. Sometimes the cultivator is pressed for space, and he thinks that he will make out of his garden by growing too many plants. Therefore he crowds his plants ; forgetting

that every living thing must have room to grow so that it may properly develop. Where such is not the case attenuation or dwarfing must be the consequence. Ot this there can bo no doubt, and yet how often do we see, not only flowers, but vegetables, grown so closely together that it is impossible to obtain fair specimens. With good seed thick sowing is a waste, and neglect of thinning at the proper time will result in injury to the crop. The young plants get drawn up, long, lank, and tender, and, when the thinning does take place, they receive a check which takes them a long time to recover. Whenever seedling flowers or vegetables make from two to four leaves they should be thinned, unless those which 'aro required for transplanting, and they should be sown at a greater distance apart and allowed to grow a little larger and stronger before being thinned. When thinning vegetables, estimate what dimensions each variety will attain, and thin accordingly.