GARDEN NOTES.

Digger (Invercargill RSA), Issue 17, 9 July 1920, Page 13

GARDEN NOTES.

THE KITCHEN GARDEN. With the lengthening of the days we shall have to he up and doing if we are to reap the full benefits of a successful season. Digging, manuring, and trenching where required should be pushed on with all possible speed. Those of my readers who took time hy the forelock, and got their ground trenched and dug up to the action of the weather, as I advised them in the autumn and early winter, will, I am sure,. find their ground in quite a different condition to that which has been only recently dug, and it is as to this , diverse condition of soil that" my readers will have to exercise judgment in the sowing of early vegetable seeds. Ground that was dug up early will be found to break down quite free and light,and will be in a fit state, and qnite safe for sowing ' of early peas, broad beans, sprnach, and a small sowing of early turnips; but care should he taken not to sow for a week or two yet, unless the position is open and sunny and the ground in a free condition. One must be guided hy circumstances. If cold and wet, it would be a mistake to spw seeds for a few weeks yet. Make a small sowing of lettuce in a wafm border, and if a spade's. depth of the soil be thrown out and the spac,e filled with barrowload of warm stable manure with the soil on top, the seeds will come away very . much better and quicker. A few radish seeds may be sown in such a position, and those who are fortunate enough to possess a sunny place should get in a few early potatoes, though for most positions this is rather early. Plant cabbages and ca.uliflowers, but where the latter are at all weak they are better left in the seed beds for a while yet. THE FRUIT GARDEN. Continue to plant all fruit trees, weather permitting, if the soil is in a fairly dry state. It is better to delay the work a little than to rush the trees in irrespective of the condition of the soil, so if the weather keeps up seize the opportuntiy for getting this work completed. THE VINERY. Pruning of the vines should now be done as expeditiously as possible. The sooner after the leaves have fallen the better it will be for the vines and the less risk of their suffering from bleeding in the spring. When late :pruning is adopted the wounds oc cuts have not time for properly healing up before the sap commences to flow again in the spring. In some cases the bleeding is so severe that the soil is quite wet and sloppy from this cause. It stands to reason that a very great amount of energy is thus' wasted. Of course, the bleeding will stop of its own accord, hut not until sufficient young growth is made to.utilise the flow of sap that is forced up the cane Sp do not on any account delay t-his work too long. Young vines that have been plant-ed one season may have made strong growth, 10ft or 12ft long. In such case they should 'be pruned back to about 4ft. On the other hand, if they have made only about 2ft or 3ft, which is often the case, they should be cut back to about lft. They will then break away much stronger than if left too long. When they do break, and the young shoots from the eyes have each made one foot long, pinch off the points of each shoot, except the top one, which should be allowed to make as much growth as possible to form the future cane, unless only one or two canes have been planted, and these are expected t-o fill a house ; in this case, instead of pinching off the points, some at the bottom of the cane should he left and trained along the wires and carried upwards at a distance of 3ft 6in from cane to cane. By this means one is enabled to furnish a vinery. with one or two plants. But this way of planting is not to be recommended. Now we will touch upon pruning oldestablished vines. It is necessary that. sharp knives be used so that the cut is clean. Firstly, cut the strings and let the vines down to the ground-; then proceed at the base of each cane, cutting back each lateral close to the first plump eye next to the old wood, and if these are cut off with pruners shave off a small piece with a sharp knife. This is a safeguard against rough or bruised cuts. Out all in this manner from the bottom to the top, but if the cane has not reached the top of the vinery then you must leave the top shoot to continue up the wires until it reaches the top, only shortehlng the leaders back accoriting to the strength of the growth, as with the young canes, as described above. •