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

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 419, 19 October 1889, Page 3

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

The Paeonla. The rose is universally known aud its praise is on every tongue. It is a queenly flower, and perhaps, when in perfection, without a rival in the floral kingdom. But how seldom seen in perfection ! Like all the best things of this world, it is the product of a great deal of thought and effort. It is particular about its soil and climate and it is environed by numerous insect enemies. The Chinese pjeonia is almost a rival of the rose in magnificent beauty and delicate perfume, and surpassesil much in hardiness, vigour and freedom from insect enemies. Yet how few of our people and even of our amateur flower growers are well acquainted with our besD varieties of the pteonia ; its great size, its variety of colours and shades, and the fanciful forms of its petals.

oma o. Although the tomato does not belong to the orchard, and is usually classed as a vegetable here, still I think that a few lines on this most excellent and useful fruit will be of value. For the labour expended upon its cultivation, there is nothing that will give a larger return in such a short period as the tomato. During the end of August or beginning of September a few seeds should be sown in a seed-pan in good, rich, light soil, and placed in a cold frame, when the seed will soon germinate. When the young plants have attained four leaves prick out into boxes (in good rich soil) about four inches apart. Still keep in the cold frame till about the beginning of November, when they can be planted out in the open. The soil in which they are planted should, if possible, be trenched two spits deep, and well manured. Plant out in rows about six feet apart, and allow about s-ix feet from plant to plant in row. After the plant has attained a height of about a fooc, stakes should be driven into the ground opposite each plant and wooden battens tied to those stakes, thus making an espalier abouc four or five feet high, upon which the grovving plants should be trained up. As the plants advance in growth the shoots will require to be pinched frequently so as to keep them from overcrowding, pinching each shoot one eye beyond where the bunch of flowers has shown. Later all shoot? will likely appear on the pinched shont in numbers, but these must be kept under, only allowing the leading bud to burst into a ?hoot, and then again this must be pinched when another bunch of flowers has set. In fact, tomato plants should receive as much if not more pinching than the grape vine under glass — that is, as far as lateral growth is concerned — only allowing sufficient foliage to shade the fruit. Al 1 wood allowed to grow should only be «uch as will carry fruit. The soil in which the tomato plant delights is a highly culthated rich retentive soil, where it will flourish sometimes beyond expectation. The tomato, while it is growing and fruiting, is a gross feeder and will need, during the dry season, to be watered pretty often. If the soil has been made rich with manure Ijefire planting, clean, water only will bo required, as that t will dissolve sufficient food from tho man- re already placed in the ground. T Vhere the soil has not been heavily manured, liquid manure should be used °o as to be able to keep «p- a vigorous growth during the fruiting seasons.

The Sleep of Plants. The phenomenon called the sleep of plants was first observed by the illustrious Swedish botanist, Linnasu?. He remarked in the birds-foot trefoil the difference between the attitude of the leaver during the day and night. He almost immediately conc'uded that this would prove to be a general phenomenon in vegetable life. Continuing his observation?, Linnreus soon satisfied himself that this charge in the position of leaves during the night is observable in many vegetables. He regarded the absence of light, and not the nocturnal cold, as the principal cause of the phenomenon : for plants in hot-houses close themselves during the night, like those in the open air. He found the difference between waking and sleeping to be much less apparent in young plants than in more matured ones, being most clearly indicated among the compound leaves. The object, he thought, is to shelter the young shoots from the effect of the air. These strange phenomena ocour in all hvgrometical conditions of vhe atmosphere, and are uninfluenced by changes of temperature. De Candolle, supposing the cause of the phenomenon to be the absence of light, subjected plants to the action of artificial light with varied results. He conceded, from his experiments, that the movements of sleeping and wilting are connected with some disposition inherent in the vegetable, but which is thrown into special activity by the stimulating action of light, which acts with different intensity on different vegetables, so that the same amount ot light produces different results in different species.