326 



Gardening for Amateurs 



produce roots from their stems just above 

 the bulb, and for this reason when potting 

 the bulbs early in the year they are placed 

 sufficiently deep to allow of top-dressing 

 being carried out later. This can now be 

 done to plants that have been coming on 

 slowly, and very rich soil should be used. 



Climbers. Frequent attention in the 

 matters of tying, thinning, and regulating 

 growth will now be necessary with climbing 

 plants under glass. If alloAved to become 

 overgrown, not only do they deprive the 

 plants growing beneath them of light, but 

 a home for all kinds of insect pests is 

 formed. 



Vines. Continue to stop sub-lateral 

 growths, and thin the bunches well. Fre- 

 quent damping down is necessary in warm 

 weather, and ventilation should be free. 

 Close the house before the sun goes off it, 

 but admit a little air very early in the morn- 

 ing to prevent scalding. Never throw the 

 ventilators of any house wide open all at 

 once. The object of ventilation is to prevent 

 the temperature rising too high, not to 

 reduce it after it has risen. 



Peaches and Nectarines. Keep the 

 growths tied in regularly, and remove any 

 for which there is not room. Expose the 

 fruits fully by removing any leaves that 

 cover them. The trees may be fed with 

 weak manure-water occasionally after stoning 

 has taken place. This is easily discovered 

 by cutting a fruit in half. Any thinning of 

 fruits which may have been deferred until 

 after the stoning period should be completed 

 without further delay. 



THE FRUIT GARDEN 

 Assisting Heavily-laden Trees. Trees 

 carrying large crops of fruit will suffer from 

 the strain if they are not assisted in some 

 way. In addition to the mulch previously 

 recommended for the purpose of lessening 

 the labour of watering, but which will, of 

 course, also be of considerable assistance by 

 reason of the nutriment washed down to the 

 roots, frequent applications of weak liquid 

 manure should be afforded, and this will 

 help to sustain the trees. Such applications 

 should always follow rain or artificial 

 watering, and see that they are applied to 

 the full extent of the roots. 



Forced Strawberries. Instead of dis- 

 carding these plants when the crop has 

 been gathered, use them for making a small 

 bed in the garden. The soil must be good, 

 and the plants carefully inured to the open 

 air before planting is attempted, or failure 

 will result. Such plants will need frequent 

 attention in the matter of watering through- 

 out the summer. 



Thinning Growths of Raspberries. 

 Raspberries and similar fruits, when doing 

 well, invariable produce many more stems 

 than are needed, and instead of allowing the 

 plant to waste energy in developing such, 

 only to be cut out in winter, it is preferable 

 to reduce the number now by pulling out 

 the weakest. Half-a-dozen growths may 

 be left to each root now, and the weakest of 

 them may be removed when pruning. 



Gathering Gooseberries. Gooseberries 

 required for tarts, etc., are often gathered 

 in a very haphazard manner, especially if 

 the crop is good. The object should be to 

 thin the berries on much the same lines as 

 other fruits are thinned, with the difference 

 that in this case the fruit removed is utilised. 

 By this means the berries left have ample 

 opportunity to develop into fine fruits for 

 dessert purposes, a result which is im- 

 possible when one bush is cleared, and 

 another left, perhaps to break down. 



Syringing, Tying in Growths, etc. 

 All wall fruits will benefit if at the close of 

 hot days they are syringed with clear water. 

 Growths so placed as to prevent the sunshine 

 reaching the fruit should be tied back, and 

 if necessary remove leaves, or half-leaves, 

 with the same object. Any thinning of the 

 fruit still remaining to be done should be 

 completed without delay, always removing 

 the smallest, or those so placed that it will 

 be doubtful if they will ripen, even if left. 



THE KITCHEN GARDEN 



Planting Various Winter Greens. 



The work of planting out the various green 

 crops for winter use should be proceeded 

 with now. If possible choose rainy or dull 

 weather for the purpose, but if this is out 

 of the question see that all are given a 

 good soaking of water immediately they are 

 planted, and at intervals afterwards as may 

 be necessary. Freshly manured ground is 



