GARDENING.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 6, Issue 1675, 2 May 1884, Page 2

GARDENING.

. ; KITCHEN OiLUDEJ?. '. ' ■ For the cleaning and cultural opera-tions-incidental to tlio season the weather lias been very favorable, and nothing in the shape of the severe frost which usually cuts down marrows and other tender subjects in the middle of April has been experienced, Clearing away the the refuse of exhausted crops,"' trimming fences, and burning; tho clippings, together with tho important operations of double digging, trenching aud manuring vacant quarters forms the chief items of work for'the week. If asparagus, seakalo, aud rhubarb are wanted early, it is time to set about the formation of hotbeds, For these nothing is better for tho purpose of yielding a mild heat than a mixture of fresh stable litter and leaves. These materials should be thrown into a heap | and thoroughly mixed, In. ten days fermentation will have commenced sufficiently, to enable the roots to be placed upon the bed. A layer of soil should • then be spread over the heap, and roots planted,'any old frames and boards to cover them, being all that is required for rhubarb and seakale, which requires to be kept in darkness, For asparagus shallow frames with sashes will be required, aud the crowns ofthe plant should be so placed as to be, within Bin of tho glass, . ,^ (

FRUIT GARDES, Unless in specially favorablo aspects, against' north brick walls, there is little- hope of ripening outdoor grapes, and the fruit may be cut away at once to check the flow of sap, and cause the buds to mature for next season. Unfortunately the ill effects of a cold wet season are not confined to the. current year, but will he apparent in tho succeeding one in deficient crops and imperfectly formed fruit, Push forward tho preparation of the ground for new orchards, and let the trees be planted as soon as practicable. From the middle of April to the end of May tho best time for planting, and if the work is properly done and the soil well rammed upon the roots the percentauge of failures will ho small,

FLOWER GAHDEN, In regulating shrubbery borders a light forking is better than digging, which does a considerable amount of injury to the roots, It is not an nnfrequent oocurance to see the surface of a border covered with mangled root fibers after the first rain. Worms are now troublesome in lawns, and will cause an untidy look by the earth they bring to the surface, Fresh limewater will destroy the worms and improve the appearance of the grass, The single dahlia is proving an acquisition to the garden from its dwarfy habit, and the number of bright well formed blooms it throws up. For cut (lowers this is a plant" to cut and come again," and its value for the decoration of vases is beginning to be appreciated,