IN THE GARDEN.

Taranaki Daily News, 7 October 1922, Page 11

IN THE GARDEN.

WORK IN VEGETABLE PLOT. BROAD BEANS (By "Agricola.”) Where the demand is extensive a planting of broad beans can be made to supplement the earlier raised crop. The seed should be planted rather than sown in deep, rich soil, placing the seeds in pairs three inches deep and five inches apart in the drill. Remove the weakest growth of each planting if both seeds germinate. Space may be economised by forming double drills nine inches apart, allowing three feet between each pair of drills, if more than one double row is required. The seed should be sown at the same depth and intervals in the drills as for a single row. Pinch off the tops when early raised plants are flowering freely, and apply liquid manure twice weekly, stirring the soil about the plants an hbur or two after each application. The depredations of the bumble-bees are often responsible for the failure of the crop, more so in some seasons than in others. There is no effective means, as far as the writer is aware, of preventing the insects from settling on the bean flowers. CABBAGE. Make all further seasonable plantings in trenches three or four inches deep and twelve inches wide. On almost every class of soil during cultivation of cabbages by the foregoing method is advantageous, as it ensures effectiveness, economy and con? venionce in applying liquids; a cooler, and consequently a more equitable, root run, and a surplus of soil for mulching, and thereby conserving moistule at the roots of the plants in dry, hot weather. These important factors are inseparable from successful vegetable cultivation during the hottest months of the season, not only in regard to cabbages, but also in the instance of beans, celery, cauliflowers, lettuce, leeks, peas, spinach, turnips, cucumbers, marrows, melons and pumpkins. All of these are adaptable to cultivation in trenches, which should, however, be made deep or shallow in accordance with the requirements of the vegetable grown. In gardens where lack of space has not permitted a successional planting, the stumps of a cabbage crop can be left in the ground to furnish a supply of sprouts for summer use. It is not advisable, however, to retain the stumps if the ground is required for further cropping, and they should be pulled up immediately the heads have been cut. As a stimulant to a bed of cabbages that are backward or stunted in growth nothing surpasses nitrate of soda. When applied in liquid form, by dissolving one ounce of the nitrate in each gallon of water, it has a marked effect, the plants forming hearts much quicker and taking ’ on a dark, healthy color.

CAULIFLOWER* Give liquid manure twice weekly, particularly in dry weather when the crop is “heading.” The best- way to apply the stimulant is to draw the soil away from the stem of each plant so as to form a shallow basin, making each of these large enough to hold a good quart of the liquor, returning the soil when each application has drained away. Cauliflower stems should not be allowed to remain in the ground after the “heads” have been removed, as they will continue to grow and extract the nutriment from the soil. VEGETABLE MARROWS.

I Vegetable marrows are much valued as a summer vegetable, and as easily grown as they are acceptable. An error commonly made by cultivators is to allow the fruits to attain large proportions before they are cut, instead of using them in a young and tender state. Large-sized marrows, apart from being more difficult to prepare for table, are coarse and inferior in degree of flavor and economy in use. Another important point in this connection is that when the fruits are cut in a young state, the vines scarcely feel the strain of producing them, and will therefore go on growing and bearing for a considerably longer period than would transpire if the marrows were allowed to become fully grown. In small gardens, where the production of a winter supply has to be considered, the best plan is to grow a few plants, preferably of a ‘’bush” variety, for a summer vr-p. Later on, when more space becomes available by the removal of some other crop, the ground can be prepared and a planting made to supply mafrrowp* for winter requirements. With regard to the cultivation of marrows, very fair crops may be secured by sowing the seed, or planting, in ordinary garden soil that is fairly rich and has been well cultivated. To obtain the best returns, however, large or small beds, according to the space available, should be prepared by removing the top soil so as to form a small pit rS feet, square and eighteen inches deep. Place about a nine-inch layer of rotted manure, or a mixture of decayed leaves or lawn cuttings and manure, and return about eight inches of the soil. The seed may be sown, or a plant set out in the centre of the bed. Longer beds may, of course, be prepared, and when this is done, three feet should be allowed between each plant. It is not advisable to apply liquid manure, unless in a very we.ak state, until the fruits are setting, as otherwise a rank vine growth will be encouraged at the expense of the crop. Water should be given liberally twice weekly in the absence of sufficient rain, and syringe the foliage of the plants in the evenings of fine days. LEEK. This is a useful and health-giving vegetable, and looks much more inviting in the dish than the ordinary onion. In order to secure good growths for autumn and early winter use, it will be necessay to sow the seed now in drills half an inch deep and six inches apart on a richly prepared bed. Thin the plants out well when two inches high, so as to have strong growths for transplanting in December. PEAS. Where soils are of a light and sandy nature, all further sowings of peas should be made in trenches or furrows about three inches deep, preparing these in precisely the same way as was described in these columns recently. In addition to the foregoing, plant the mid-season crop of potatoes, and tomatoes in warm, sheltered positions, start kumaras in sandy soil, and set out cucumber or marrow plants that have been raised under glass and are thoroughly hardened off. Sow broad beans, celery, endive, lettuce, parsnip, turnip, pniuu, laditili, spinach, mustard aud

cress; and in warm situations a few seeds of cucumber and vegetable marrow. Thin out seedlings and afterwards hoe between all growing crops, SLUGS. To diminish the number of elugs which infest gardens at this season of the year, dressings of soot and lime, alone or in mixture, can be .used, but they must cover the slugs to have any effect. Even then the slug has the power of exuding sufficient slime to carry 1 away a first 1 application of soot or lime. ’ For these reasons, dressings should be ! given at night when the slugs are out 1 feeding, and again early in the foliow--1 ing morning. Heaps of bran, laid on ' pieces of tin or boards, and moistened ’ with vinegar, will attract both slugs 1 and snails. Frequent hoeings act splendidly against Vhe increase of slugs by killing their e<7gs and exposing the creatures themselves to their natural enemies, the birys. THE FLOWER GARDEN. * PRUNING .SPRING FLOWERING SHRUBS. The beauty of many flowering shrubs depends on the way they are pruned, and the best time to do this, in the case of many spring flowering shrubs, is just after they have made their display of flowers. It will be noticed that most, if not all, of the spring flowering shrubs bear their flowers on the previous season’s growth. If such growth has been vigorous and ripened well, the display of bloom is in proportion; if, on the other hand, the growth has been poor and stuntea, the number of flowers will also be poor and meagre. To obtain a strong growth for next season’s diSplay it will .be necessary to use the knife freely among quite a number of shrubs during the next few weeks. The winter flowering heath, botanically known as Erica pyramidalis gracilis, should be cut well back when it has finished flowering. To do so will quite renew the plant by promoting a growth of strong shoots. If, on the other hand, this shrub is not pruned, it is likely to stunt owing to the presence of seeds, which form in tens of thousands on this heath. To bear seeds, and bring them to maturity, is a severe strain on the plant, and it will be understood why, as a result of seed-bearing, this winter flowering heath wears a very matured look at an early stage of its life. With regular pruning after the flowering season, fresh growth and a youthful appearance are assured. Here it might be added that a top-dressing of decayed turf or rotted leaves helps this plant, but on no account apply stable manure, especially if fresh, as a mulch to this family of plants. The spireas require to be freely pruned after flowering, also the prunus family, particularly prunus -treloba, P. sinensis, alba and rosea. The true glory of these prunus is seen when treated yearly in this way. The exochorda, or pearl bush, should be thinned out and pruned back,

in some cases from one-third to onehalf. Where it is desired to have large plants of this beautiful shrub, the pruning should not be so severe. Pruned trees, however, give the finest quality flowers. The flowering currants, the eurybias, the forsythias, should also be attended to. Double flowering peaches require to be cut back severely after flowering. A GENERAL LIST. The following instructions for the general pruning of shrubs, though terse, may be of service to amateurs: —Abelia, shape up after flowering: Amygdalus, after flowering, but the thinning out of shoots may be done in winter; Andromeda, shape up if necessary after flowering; Arbutus, give very little cutting, as the flowers are followed by fruit; Aucuba, cut straggling shoots only at any' time with a knife; Azalea, after blooming if necessary; Berberis, only needs shaping; Buddlea, cut straggling shoots only in winter; Camellia, after flowering if necessary; Ceraeus, very little, just keep shapely; Chimonanthus, shorten back straggling shoots in winter; Choisya, after blooming; Cistue, after blooming slightly; Cotoneaster, shape up old or straggling growth if necessary, otherwise little cutting needed; Daphne, trim into shape after flowering if necessary; Hibiscus, thin weak wood after flowering; Hydrangea paniculata, shape up when dormant, hortensis, cut back weak shoots after flowering; Indigofera, when dormant ; Kalmia, shape up if necessary after flowering; Kerria, winter if straggly, in summer shorten weak shoots; Ligustrum (privet), depends on season, sometimes twice autumn and late spring; Magnolia, after flowering, evergreen sorts in spring: Nerium, after blooming; Oleria, after flowering if necessary; Philadelphia, after blooming; Rhododendron, after flowering if necessary, old straggly specimens should be severely pruned in early spring; Ribes, after blooming; Rhus,

when dormant, or may be shaped up after blooming; Syringa, shorten the branches that have flowered well, unless room can be spared for a spreading growth; Tamarix, winter, shorten stragglers only; Veronica, make, shapely in spring if necessary, old, leggy bushes may be cut back severely; Viburnum, after flowering; Weigelia, ditto. SWEET PEAS. It is frequently found that the support provided by a trellis or wire netting for sweet peas is inadequate when the plants have made an excessive top growth. The inevitable result is that a greater portion of this growth sags or falls over either by the weight of bloom upon it or by the influences of boisterous weather, and the stems become badly {broken or bent in consequence. One way of providing protection, when risk of damage by the causes referred to is present, is to fasten lengths of strong cord along the outer portion of the top growth in a position that the strands of string are a few inches above each other. Each of the cords should then be drawn in closely at intervals of two feet along the row and made secure by means of short pieces of string attached to the wire netting or trellis. The longer strands should be drawn in as tightly as may be done without injuring the plants.