GARDEN NOTES.

Waikato Times, Volume 121, Issue 20272, 14 August 1937, Page 20 (Supplement)

GARDEN NOTES.

VEGETABLES AND FRUiT, Every part of the vegetable garden and orchard should be limed once In three or four years. Turn In green manure; cut It with the spade In the bottom of the trench to aid decomposition. Also mix It with the bottom soil. Plant cabbage, cauliflower, onion, rhubarb, shallot, herbs, silver beet and some early potatoes. Sow lettuce (in boxes), peas, radish, broad beans and an early kind of turnip such as Early Milan or Early Snowball. Sprout potatoes In shallow boxes near a window; the end with many buds should bo uppermost. Use leeks and artichokes while they are In good condition. Continue to prune apple-tree 3 and grape-vines. Plant all kinds of fruit-trees; a splendid kind of apple to add to the brief list given last week Is Frlmley Beauty; last week It practically' topped tho Auckland apple market, and It has proved Itself well In at least ono Matangi garden. Spray fruit-trees with Bordeaux (ilb to Sgals.) or lime-sulphur i In 15. Tako scions for grafting—of healthy wood nearly as thick as a lead pencil—and put them Into the ground In a cool plaoe until they are needed In September for the grafting. FLOWERB. Plant pansy, viola, Iceland poppy, antirrhinum, calendula, stock, etc. Finish pruning roses—out out all dead or unhealthy wood, also j the shoots that crowd the centre. An old bush can be renewed by hard cutting. (These remarks apply equally well to hydrangeas). Plant roses, hydrangeas, ornamental trees, shrubs, hedge plants and herbaceous plants. Make alteration to paths and borders while shrubs and other plants can be safely transplanted. Construct a garden frame to raise plants from seed. Hoo the soil round the many kinds of bedding-plants, and work a little of a general manure around them. Stooks especially need some help, as they have suffered from the wet weather of tho last few weeks. Plant out nemeslas In beds sheltered from frost, otherwise leave their planting for some weeks yet. If the plants are spindly, nip out the Ups. If polyanthus leaves are rusted or spotted, spray with lime-sul-phur at i In 15 or 20 before the flowers appear. Scatter a slug-killer round hyacinths, pansies, etc. Powdered alum or a pink solution of Condy’s crystals will serve very well. Plant gladioli; they will flower in about 100 days If planted now. Sow sweet peas In boxes If the trenches are not ready (deeply dug, and manured with compost and farmyard manure ) Put In cuttings o 1 chrysanthemums.

GRAPE VINES. In spite of the fact that Albany Surprise and Isabella grapes succeed admirably here in the Waikato, oomparati\ely few vines are to be seen.. They will grow In the open, as at Te Kauwliata, but they are better when sheltered by a sunny wall, lonoo, or hillside. At present the main tiling is to prune the established vines. (New ones can be planted for some weeks yet). There are two ways of pruning big vines: (1) outtlng back Bomo of the rods every year in order to get new ones; (2) keeping the old rods for many years and pruning back the laterals to within two or three inches of the rods. When fully pruned, a vine treated in the second way will have long rods with strong, short spurs every foot or so. From these projections or ilting l it' rals will form, ir they will be out back in t ur n. As recommended some time .. .. ; ...l ioh are hare for several *,.,»t from their base should be laid flat ■some ks. They can be lifted ; d trained as before when their ,buds have started Into growth, to spi i> the vines now with t In 15) to kill scale insects, ibout three pounds of a general V, , -miser should be scattered and v k.>d In round the base of each vine. Siiiblo manure is oven better. PLANT RESEARCH STATION. By the end of next March it Is an r.-ipated that Auckland’s new plant r , *,< nvh station, now being established ct lon of the Kerr Taylor estate. Mount Albert, will begin its full acl vitirs. Although tenders for tho erection of tiie large laboratories to be erected on tho site have yet to be calI. d work of experiment and research has already begun, but it will not r c ;h Its full soope until next year, With their plans completed, the architects are now working on specifications for the laboratory building. It will contain 35 rooms which will provide accommodation for a staff oi twenty- five. Of a series of glass houses to be established, six will bo erected this year according to tho latest principles of scientific design, all being fitted with air-conditioning plant and built tc specifications which render them insect proof. Air circulating throughout th< laboratories will also be washed ant conditioned and kept a constant relative temperature to assist the efficiency of tho staff as well as to provide a uniform background for delicate experimental work. Under tho contro of the director of tho station. Hr. («. Jl Cunningham, five research worker; have already begun their work it Auckl md. and a start has been made it tho of sixteen and a^tial by tho Government for experiment;! purposes. Since till' Department assumed control of the area In December, the lam has been put under the plough am In a I’n' it crop of lupins on the lovve. slope*. a p-im.d.'u'M. Mr C. K. Woodhead. has bou'im the planting of 2001 varieties which were forwarded Intel; rnent at Auckland. Twenty or mori As the carefully selected trees np tlflo comparisons will be made of ththity. FURTHER EXPERIMENT?. experiment s an.Mv n] - a y wlVh Vhe Object of disinfecting see,

Investigation, and a similar area of half an acre Is to be a location for passion-fruit plants. Near the pro- . posed laboratory buildings small fruits suoh as raspberries and currants will find a place, and citrus fruits will be laid out in another section on the flat. [ Research into problems of agricul- ’ tural crops will be carried out. Pos- [ sesslng four distinct soil types and a* many of an intermediate class, the area offers opportunity for the purJ suit 1 of almost every class of work. 1 Well sheltered and gaining the full \ benefit of sunshine by reason of its • northerly aspect, the section possesses 9 at least ten natural soft-water springs. *• It has been found that the temperature y of this water is 10 degrees lower than 9 the borough supply, and as a result, 3 it will be employed for air conditioning. On the highest elevation a reser--5 voir with a oapaclty of 10,000 gallons V Is to be erected, and from it will radir ate hundreds of feet of piping for use i, with a stationary spraying plant, n I*t is obvious that this new station e Is likely to bo oven more useful to us i] In the Waikato than the Palmerston t North and other stations have been, n because it so much nearer. The conr dilions there should resemble ours lt fairly closely except for severity of I, frosts, and besides, It will be easy for gardeners and farmers in tho Walj koto to visit tho Mt. Albert research A station. , Incidentally, It Is to be noticed that Hie enlomologlenl (Insect) division of tho Plant Research Bureau has been lr:r:s‘Vnvi| in tho Inst week or so to fhi Niwllirori Institute, Nelson, so that cm dr’.'s and specimens are to bo fort -.i d there after this, d AUTUMN TINTS. e Whilo wo are looking forward to - warm weather It is probably unpleas- | h ant to bo reminded of autumn tints. >t still, If we wish these to adorn our I r. next autumn gardens now Is the time J 1- to plnn and plant, i- Where a good deal of space is avail - It able, the red oaks must be considered: i- the finest are purpurea nnd rubra >i 'with large leaves), and palustrls (the pin-oak, with dainty leaves). Then ie '•omes tho Uquldambar. Other fine but Is largo trees with autumn tints are >s ordinary beech, copper nnd purple h beeches, tulip-tree (turns a pure )o golden colour), various poplars, Canot ndlnn maples, willows, ashes, and ie birches. t u, I.ess vigorous and therefore more ! suitable for ordinary gardens, are: j f_ Fnklnnthus Jnponlcus; various Rhus or i sumachs (especially succedanea, tytG phlnn, cotlnus, and verniolfera) : azalea | ol mollis: maldon-halr tree (Ginkgo. | I rivals the poplars nnd the tulip-tree for ■ rs golden mlnur! ; Japanese maples (with i n j finely divided leaves!; Amelanchier; j n j Amnia; Guelder rose; Forsyllda If vlridisslma; dogwood; various haw>d thorns: Japanese cherries; and Rerh- ! a l eris Thumbercil (Japanese barberry'.] Certain conifers should be added to this list : Cryptomeria japonica. Taxo- ; ~i dium ilislicluun nnd Thuya (Arbor 1 id Vitae!. WEEPING TREE?. HI Fv.’i-v f.lr-slzi-rl mrti-n shmil.i Imv ’" one or more weeping trees, hut the •yj writer holds no brief for planting ‘“ weeping elms nr ashes on ordinary fi“ nimrfer-nere sections. The kind of ro weeping tree must suit the section. l'i I Hi th p ?outh Island great and effec- ' j ( Uve use Is made of pendulous frees 1 nnd shrubs. \ weeping apple-tree with (>s j r ifrly largo fruit Is common there: ij |'s named Elsie Ralke. Weeping crabP i apples and weeping peaches are also •I- more common. Tn view of (he difficulty of pruning weeping peaches, readers t so, ’Uon or public garden the weeping jy'id horizonlal rims and weeping j elmrries. hawthorns, nnd many "s ••■-[•'••s and r.-ses. Vs pointed out a , b-d. good NEW?. be the dog-rose).