The Flower Garden. 
The present month seems to be a true 
disciple of 1907, for up to now we have 
sampled all sorts and conditions of weather. 
The rains have done good, however, not 
only for the crops now standing, but for 
the soil also. 
Trenching. 
Many people with ground standing idle 
like to begin digging early in the autumn, 
and especially is this so when new land is 
to be dealt with, which when very dry is 
also very hard. I have had a good fill of 
breaking up pasture land at one time and 
another, therefore I know the labour it en¬ 
tails. The more fortunate would, perhaps, 
be disposed to hire a man to deal with 
fresh ground, but it is not always easy to 
secure a man who will do the work 
thoroughly. At the present time I am 
busily engaged in trenching a piece of 
new ground, or I should say bastard trench¬ 
ing. Trenching proper means delving three 
spits deep, but when the soil is only two 
spits deep on top of chalk or gravel, where 
are we with our trenching ? The thing is 
to do the job as thoroughly as circumstances 
will permit. The system of trenching I 
firmly believe in is to keep each strata of 
soil in its proper place, unless the ground 
has been trenched before. Some people will 
argue that the subsoil and the, shall I say, 
sub-subsoil will become as good as the top 
soil if it is brought to the surface and 
manured. It will, but not in one or two 
seasons. The general run of land has been 
cultivated at some time or other, and if it 
has been farmed, then depend upon it only 
the top few inches is of any great account. 
Even if the land has never been cultivated, 
the top soil is far superior to that under¬ 
neath as regards fertility. If the top is 
poor, then the bottom will be poorer, the 
reason being that the top soil has been 
worked by worms at some time or other. 
Furthermore, leaves and other decaying 
matter settle on the surface and so enrich 
it. Therefore do not put the top at the 
bottom and the bottom on the top. It is a 
scheme that won’t work. Those who swear 
by turning all land topsy turvy at the first 
operation do not rely on the dead earth for 
growing things. Not they ! One will find 
that they have a pile of manure and old 
potting .soil, etc., as big as a small moun¬ 
tain. This is piled on by the cartload and 
well mixed with the original soil. Conse¬ 
quently the plants .set out do not worry 
about the dead soil, but send their roots 
out hunting for the other stuff. Small won¬ 
der either. Of course soils vary. I know 
of places where one can dig five feet deep, 
and still find good loamy soil that will 
quickly become fertile. Then again, I have 
found places where a nasty greasy “elite” 
lies two feet or less under the surface. This 
stuff will take years to get into condition. 
I have known men to bring up such stuff 
after reading about trenching, or after hear¬ 
ing a lecture, and have heard them talk 
afterwards. 
Violets. 
Getting away from soil treatment, atten¬ 
tion should be given to the various denizens 
of the garden. Violets in frames have got 
over the shift and the lights should be kept 
off as much as possible. No decaying leaves 
should be allowed to remain, nor should the 
soil be allowed to become weedy. Keep it 
stirred freely, and dust a little soot around 
the plants. 
Roses and Shrubs. Taking Cuttings. 
I have found the present time to be good 
for taking cuttings of Roses and shrubs. 
These need no protection in the way of 
frames. Good sound growths, 10 to 12 ins. 
long, are first-rate, especially if they pos¬ 
sess a heel or portion of all wood at the 
base. It should be remembered that all 
harej-wooded cuttings need deep planting, 
and I generally reckon on placing them as 
icebergs float, viz., one-third .above and two- 
thirds below. 
Propagating Hardy Plants. 
Those who wish to increase their stock of 
hardy plants may set about the work at 
once. The majority of perennials have 
finished flowering, so that they may be cut 
back. Every single shoot will make a plant 
if detached with a bit of root. I rely on a 
small axe for splitting up perennials. It is 
more handy and does less damage than a 
spade. Some plants may be pulled apart 
with the fingers, but this will not do with 
such things as Asters, Heleniums, etc. 
Lawns. 
Grass seed sown last month has moved 
since the rains came, and I myself have 
found it necessary to use the shears. Early 
cutting induces the little plants to split up 
as it were. Last spring I observed a piece 
of ground well prepared and sown down to 
grass. Not once was it cut until mid-Sep¬ 
tember, when there seemed to be as much 
weed as there was grass. When mowed 
with a scythe, all the base was yellow and 
very thin. Had I had that piece of ground 
in hand, I should have made it fit for 
tennis by July. 
Laying Turf. 
This is a good time for laying turf ; in 
fact, there is no better time for this work. 
The land is still warm, and there is no fear 
of the turf drying out. Never be afraid of 
well beating turf after laying. It can’t hit 
back. 
Gladioli. 
This has not been a happy year for all 
Gladioli growers owing to the want of 
moisture. Two friends who devote a lot of 
space to this grand summer bulb report dif¬ 
ferent results. The seedlings of one have 
made very little growth, while those of the 
other have produced quite a number of 
blooms. It is not usual for Gladioli to 
flower from seed the first year, but this lat¬ 
ter friend always gets a large number to 
bloom, these coming in towards the end of 
September. Some of them have been re¬ 
markably fine this season. I quite expect 
Gladioli raising from seed to become 
general, now that the new German strain 
can be flowered without difficulty the first 
year. Why save, bulbs, eh? Lift all the 
corms that are fit. Green tops are no cri¬ 
terion, but do not cut them off until they 
have dried up. 
Pentstemons, Violas, etc. 
Get in the last batch of Pentstemons, 
Viola and Pansy cuttings. The former 
must b§ in frames. 
October 19, 1907. 
Dahlias. 
Dahlias, if frosted, should be lifted and 
taken under cover. 
Clear up leaves and other rubbish as it 
accumulates. 
The Fruit Garden. 
Planting. 
Ground for planting should be something 
like fit now. If not soon done, or if any¬ 
thing prevents the work, get the trees and 
bushes at once, and lay them in, even if 
they have to stay there till February. All 
fruit trees should be lifted in the autumn, as 
the sap .starts so early that those lifted later 
suffer considerably. When laid in, the 
tree9 take a rest, and are perfectly safe for 
planting in February or even March. 
Weeds. 
Keep down weeds that endeavour to gain 
a footing. Weeds never take a rest if they 
can help it. Their aim is to flower, and 
they will do so if given half a chance. 
Pears. 
Pear trees planted a year or two ago may 
be making a number of growths away from 
the head proper. Never allow such shoots to 
push from under the head, or they will 
eventually spoil the tree by the grossness. 
Nurserymen always lay in enough branches 
to form a good tree. 
There is very little other work to be done 
save that all fruit may be gathered now. 
Insect Pests. 
Do not forget that there are scores of 
pests ready to injure both young and old 
trees, and he is a wise man who sets to 
work right away to prepare for some of 
them. Horne’s iFruit Dressing is a sure 
standby. 
The Kitchen Garden. 
Things have steadied down in this depart¬ 
ment. There is small need for any rush and 
tear. What digging is being done should 
be done thoroughly. Trench, if possible, 
even if only a rod or two, but do not forget 
that trenching takes five or six times as_ 
long as plain digging. 
Seakale. 
Those who force Seakale should think 
about lifting a few roots and getting them 
ready. 
No roots other than Parsnips should re¬ 
main in the ground now. 
Celery Fly. 
I do not know how readers have fared 
with Celery fly. We had a perfect plague 
of it recently, and it took some time to cir¬ 
cumvent them. These late broods have not 
much chance of spoiling the stalks, but the 
maggots can make the foliage look, terribly 
sick. All Celery should be thoroughlv 
earthed up now. 
Asparagus. 
Asparagus tops may be cut away and the 
beds cleaned up. Do not mulch with 
manure unless the soil is very light. 
Cauliflowers. 
If Cauliflowers turn.in too fast, lift them 
and store in a cool place. 
Peas. 
There are some excellent crops of Peas 
about and the pods should be closely picked. 
Keep the hoe going among the young 
Cabbages, 
Clear away dead leaves among winter 
greens. 
Keep the bonfire on the go when possible, 
but remember the neighbours’ washing 
day ; 
HoExr. 
