GARDENING NOTES.

Evening Post, Volume LXVII, Issue 55, 5 March 1904, Page 12

GARDENING NOTES.

[By Exr-KitiKNCK.] PREPARING SOIL FOR BULBS. A coriespondont, who states that his soil is clayey and hoiuowhat lumpy, ahks for directions for piepaung it for bulbs. As this is a. matter that will intcicst. ninny people 1 will deal with it fully in its different aspects. To answer a question it is tirM. m-euju-ary to underbliind just what is wanted to bo told. In this e,i;«e the correspondent is not quite clear; ho docs not stato whether the bulbs fire to be planted on ground already occupied by oilier plants, or on a newly jircpared piece of ground. 1 will deal with both ciaes. I" I]iat,1 ] i at, as to preparing- a new plot.. The soil should be trenched to a depth of 2ft or more } if slilT clay is met with it is of liltlo uso breaking it up a* a mile, though somo clays that aro still before being worked often change- their character when exposed to the air, but real pug day never does get friable. It is of gieat importance 'that tho top soil shall bo kept on top, not buried at tho bottom. To do this requires thro* trenches to be ;tt> work at the same time. The way to do it is as follows : — Suppose the piece of ground lo be twelve yards wide, divide into two equal parts, then mark off with' a line 2ft 6in wido at the beginning of one half. The soil from this is to be removed to the depth \ determined on, laying it clear of the plot to bo operated on. It would bo of little use to tiench tho soil, if something in tho way ol manure or some permanent loosening material was not appliod. For anil of a ctayoy nature would soon run together again, and all the labour bo lost. The purpose of trenching is mainly to aeeuie a deep tooting medium and increased storage for plant food, so that plants may send their toots deep down into the soil, and find tUeie mft>lure which is not dispelled by every llerce wind, or the first few extra hot days of summer, and alsu abundant plant food. Nearly all decaying vegetable matter may bo regarded as manutc, excepting pine needles, gum leaves, aud wood in tho process of decay, though there is uo harm iv lho mould resulting from d(> caye/1 trees, but this is usually very small in quantity. Leaves of all other trees, weens, oxcept tho&e with pci'cnuiul roots, road scrapings, particularly the turfy stuff from tho sides of country and suburban roads, burnt earth, ashes, band of any sort, old lime rubbish — such as old or waste mortar — spent hops from ii brewery, stable muittiie, and manure from the cow y«rd are all suitable material to work in. A goodly quantity of some of these things should be placed In tho bottom trench before tilling in with boil. Nono of bhv material like sand, ashes, etc., should be put on tho bottom. Tho first tiench, then, having a good layer of somo of these things — a foot deep will only be wodeiate, though usually sufficient— proceed to mark out tho next strip tho same width as the first. The top spit must be thrown aside iw» wu>. tho whole of the first trench, to bo also kept till the finish of tho job. Next throw the following spit into tl« first trench on U>[> of the manorial matter, then throw ok that borne of the loosening material like ttand, burnt earth, a«hes, etc., but thore must be no stable manure on. thia spit if it is intended to plant NaroMssus, but a littlo bonedust or superphosphate will bo beneficial. Work tlu> well into the soil, then a layer, thinner than the first, of road scrapings or bobk> auch bluff, then more soil, ho aa to clean out the secoud trench to the samo depth an the firat. Mow lossoning mal«ruu, and it will bo ready for tke top spit. The third trench i» now marked oil, arid th# top spit placed in tho first trench fills it up with top spit ; the second trench i» now treated the Nuno as tho first, and so on to tha ertd of the plot. Than you Mart back with the other half, beginning th«a at the end whero tho other was finihhod ; the firht trench supplies the top spit for the last but on* of the other »trip---fu>r there aio two not filled- -th<* remimidti ol the trench fills the other, exco-pt tho top bpit. which will go from No. 2 in the second Mtrip, When the lost trench has been emptied out there will bo two lequiriug lo ho finished with the stuff Mivod iiom the firat two. No garden should bo without reserve lienpe of material to be used cither ah manuro or as letter rooting medium for choice plants, for seed-boxes, etc. Tor this purpose stable- and cow manure-, stored till it is like mould, is most important; sand and usltes from rubbish firee are always usofnl, and most necessary of all is turf from an upland pasture, or at least from a naturally well-drained position whero tho turf ia full of fibre. The readiest way for our correspondent to obtain this wfll bo to send a man with a horse and plough to skim over a patch about three inche»tdeep, and have it carted into a heap in an easily accessible- position; when this ban lain long enough to kill the gnww it iw fit for uso, mul is tho most valuable thing the gardener has. It forms tho staple of all his potting mixtures, it grow his Cucumbers and Melons, and pot Tomatoes; and, mixed with a litUe old manure, ashes, bonedust, etc., it i."» always useful where tho soil is not too good for planting Rose.s, Carnatioufi — everything, in fact, that requires a littlo extra care. For bulb-planning it would bo best lo remove, a spit of the clayey fitulf and replace it with tho compost as above. A good dressing of burnt earth and ashes over tho soil where it can bo removed will do much good, and over patches of bulbs it is a wise- plan to put a layer two or three inches thick of »ea or river sand — it marks tho spot, keeps tho surface loose, and so-ves weeding, for very few w«eds will grow in cleuu sand, as it is freo from seeds. varieties*ot"naroibsi. As the years go by it becomes increasingly difficult to compile a list of moderate length; where all aro so good it is difficult to choose. Yet this very difficulty makes a reliable list the more valuable, for to persons not acquainted with the. different section* in a pretty thorough manner tho ilorists 1 lists aro po&itively bewildering. ' In compiling a list for lho ordinary cultivator one naturally leaves out highpricfid novelties, and varieties that aro cliieily valuable to such as go iv for a. very largo collection, and selects such a« will cover tho longest time for the first to the last bloom, choosing the beat mod-erate-priced ones in each section, at the same time seeing that ojicli itupor-Uuit section is represented, so that tha small list would fairly well represent the family. The following list complies with these conditions : — Polyanthus. — Paper White, Bathuiwt, CUoricwus Superba, Her Majesty, White Perio, Grand Alonarque. Doubles. — Oriuige Pbconix, Silver Phoenix, Double Pcelicus, Double Roman. Corbulnria conspiciui, C. Monophylla. Trumpet Daffodils. — Golden Spur, Maxiuius, Johnstoni Queen of SiKiin, P. H. Barr, Santo. 'Maria (very distinct and fine-), Dean Herbert, Tuuprow, Grandis, HorwlkMdii, Priuceps, Cernuus. ALbicwiH, Torluosius, Mrs. Thompson, Willhun Goldring, 0. J. Backhouse, Cynosure, Frank Miiea, Gwyther, Mary Anderson (very distinct), tSir Watkiu, St*Jla. Naxeissua Barrfl. — Orpheo, Albus Boatrice JMurray, Flora Wilson, ConspicuuK. .NuiviaßUs Leeosii. — Duchess of Brabant, Leedbii, Minnie Hume, M.--Magda-liuo do Graai, Miw. Laugtry. Narcissus Hutnei. — Tlumc's WhiU*, Hume's Giant (extra g«od), Narcissus Odorous, Gttinpe-rnelle, liugiilo&ua, Tenuior, Jonquilla Major, Double Jonquill. Niuvijsufl Burbidgei. — Burbidgei, Ellen Bair, Little Dirk, John Bwiu. Poet's Daffodils.-- -Ornatua, Poetariun.