IN THE GARDEN

Wairarapa Times-Age, 8 March 1940, Page 8

IN THE GARDEN

HINTS FOR THE AMATEUR Fruit, Flowers and Vegetables WORK FOR THE WEEK FLOWER GARDEN. Disbud chrysanthemums. Spray for aphis and caterpillar, using arsenate of lead. Prepare ground for sowing anemone and ranunculus seed. Continue the planting of spring-flowering bulbs. Sow a plentiful supply of annuals to replace those already in the beds. Layer border carnations. The beds for planting should be trenched and prepared. Dahlias will need feeding, disbudding and thinning. Keep the plants securely staked and tied. Carnations layered in January should be ready for severing from the plants. Prepare the site for new lawns long enough in advance for the soil to settle. Lift gladioli as soon as the foliage turns yellow. 1 A light shading during the hottest parts of the day will be helpful to any young seedlings. Cut dead blooms off roses and other plants to prevent seeding. This is the latest date for transplanting or dividing Lilium candidum if they are expected to flower next season. VEGETABLE' GARDEN. Lift and store onions, shallots and potato onions. Sow early varieties of cabbage and cauliflower for cutting in early spring. Lettuce should be sown for winter use; also make a sowing! of endive; it makes a welcome change from lettuce. Keep celery and lettuce well watered. A slight shade, such as a few macrocarpa branches, will help to retain moisture. Lift and store potatoes as they mature; do tnot leave exposed at night to the attentions of the tuber moth. Feed advancing crops of leeks and celery with liquid manure; any more plantings of these crops should be attended to without delay. Spray tomatoes; keep tied to supports and pinch out lateral shoots. Gather runner beans every few days; do not let them get stringy. Cut marrows as soon as.ilarge enough to use. Make sowings of carrots, beet and turnips for pulling while young. Deep cultivation is essential in the vegetable garden and a portion should be trenched each season. FRUIT GARDEN. Cut out the old canes of loganberries and raspberries. Gather peaches and nectarines before fully ripe. Young stone fruits often make a lot of vigorous growth and a check' is needed at the roots; the earlier this is done, the better chance of fruiting. Gather some of the early pears each week; by this means the'season will be prolonged. Peach and nectarine trees from which the frtiit has been removed should have the,branches thinned out. Expose later peaches to the sunshine to colour and ripen them . Continue summer pruning of fruit trees. Thin fruit, as circumstances warrant; better less quantity and greater quality. Layer gooseberries and currants or take cuttings six to eight inches long. Continue spraying for codlin moth and brown rot. Cuttings of bush fruits such as gooseberries and currants can' be inserted during March. Apples sweat for some days after being placed' in store, therefore spread out thinly for the moisture to escape. '