THE GARDEN.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIV, Issue 278, 21 November 1913, Page 11

THE GARDEN.

(By DIAXTHUS.)

•TO CORRESPONDENTS. 0.P., AUCKLAND. —There Is no slffn ttJ disease upon the leaves or fruit sent, and, from your description, we should etty that either the roots have put into a pat. h of unsatisfactory soil, or they have received an lujury which has caused them to cease tv perform their proper functions. It may tie at the point where the tree was budded or grafted that the trouble lies. Youii; trees will sometimes live and prow for two or three years, and. then suddenly collapse, and upoa examination it will be found that the ! union was defective and the roots are 1 desd. It Is impossible to do iimch at 1 tbf» present tlul-, but If there is life in the roots, the best thine to do will t.e t" remove all fruit, and give a dressing of sulphate of ammonia at the rate nf : one ounce to the square yard of zrnund nrnnml the tree. This application should be repented at intervals of about a week Kach application should be followed directly nfterwarrls tiy a (rood watering. I This will clvp the tree n fillip and e»eonraee a free crowth and Increased root action. TTTBEH.OTTS BEGONIAS. I Tl> i= very beautiful anj extensive : genus is well known, and yet i> rot reI presented in the majority of our jrar- j ! den.--. At one time begonias were eonJ siJ«red tn be tender, and even at the ptwent time are often looked upon as. trail subjects, lit o;ily for the green- | house or where protection can be given. This may be right in the ci>i' of some of the specie?, and also the doubleflowered varieties, but there are no better summer boddinaf plants than the single ! flowered tuberous rooted varieties. ! Those are as easily grown as dahlia, j and will fiowcr longer and stand the weather better than many of the more ! popular plants which are planted out !at the present time. Begonia- like .1 i rich liirht soil, but most garden soils can he made to grow begonia* well. If the soil i- heavy, it can 'be miide more lining by the addition of sand or road grit, and by having !e.if>oil or well rotted manure added. Begonias like a position quire their roots to be in a. con] moist medium, and it is for this reason that the addition of a larg--- quantity of humus in nc.o-ary. This humus iri | added in the form of manure or leaf-oil, or any decaying vegetable matter. Begonias having large succulent stems mid | large leaves', it will be obvious that j strong winds will be a disadvantage to I them: hence they should receive proteci tion from heavy windu, but this protection needs in no way tn he too elaborate, too much beinpr a= bad as too little. A row of climbing plants, runner be.ins, or any plants a' little taller than the Ijejroni.is, and planted on the windward side, will be sufficient to break the force of the wind. There are several methods by which ft stock of begonias can be obtained, but the most common are by seeds or dry ■ bulb-. 'With a little care seeds can be i a success, but begonia «eed being very minute, and a> a rule expensive, that, unless one is prepared to give attention, it is test to buy dry tubers. Dry tubers can be boujrht very cheaply, and if a few are bought, these ran be propagated by outlines of the young shoots which rout very readily, or single leaves will aiso root and produce tubers. To raise from seed, the best way is to obtain a flower pot, the size known a = -rive-inch" will be as good a size ai any. ll.ilf fill the pot with broken potshreds or ecoria. place on this a thin layer of rou;:h leafsoil or moss. Then obtain pome very finely sifted lenfsoil and sand, and mix in proportion of about half of each. Fill the pot, present;; the = oil firmly with the lingers until the soil i* within half an inch of the top; then put on a dusting of fine >and. and prws the surface level with the bottom of a tin or some such article, many people having a disc of wool with an upright handle for this purpose. Having prepare-.i the l'.ower pot and soil, place it on the uoor, and give it a frond waterin? with a fine ruse-can. Allow the water to thoroughly soak the soil, then sow the seeds very thinly, but do not cover them. Procure a piece of glass sufficient to cover the top of the pot. Place the pot in a phady bit warm po<i tion. Should the .-oil get .it all dry. uo not water over head. h\\\ dip or stand the pot in water, allowing aoout onefourth of its lenglh our of the water. A few minutea will be sufficient to damp the soil through. When the seedlings have made two or three leave* they should be dibV.ed out cue inch or -o a .part. The =oil should be Rimilar. and the '.reparation of ihe pot or bix Siinuld be a" recommended for sowinir the seed. The littie eeeil'.in&s will be found to be very small, and the best method of handling them ;s to procure two small ."ticks —one pointed and the nth"r being forked. Use the forked *fsek to lift the. plant..'by i-ateh-nrz the le.if between t.ie . ■ - ji M 1 ],-,.-,-n thr , roots wltV'tn" V'hued «"i.'k. an.l it will be. found that the smV.l ».--l mjr '»" ">"' be lifted easily. Then make a lief.c with the pointed .-tick in the -0... p.a.e l.:e plant, stick the fork gently in h le li"htlv press ;iie soil around tne root*, and withdraw the fork. This will be found a much better method of han.Hing «mll fh.in trying to use the f.-C-s. -lake care In Keep the small seedlings "• being ? °;s n^Hm: 'asjN-| r^'^ n ;- r Jv make'niee plant, before the autumn. (or once starfd they are quick TTrV tub.- are procured, the., should be pl.i-. .i r.u >ome damp mnm in n Sl-adv ph ti! : prowth eminences. j They should llien b- planted out ill i their permanent positions or pmted. atl,e r-i"-e nmv In , Wlieti plant iir_. put [he tuber |v.l b.-,w the ...rferr nf the soil. A space of ISm should be allowed between the plants, and if the soil is rrood and the position favourable 2ft would h" b"t'er. When in full growth frequent waterings should be given and an occasional pinch of sulphate of. ammonia around each tuber will be beneficial. For beddinp purposes the single varieties aie best, being freer flowering than the double vari.ni.-s. The i double varieties are very fine, and any?,,,dy who ha* n p-eenhou«e or a ' verandah which is sheltered shou!>l try •i (~« in r"'s. Regonias can be easily n»>ted from citrines during tho summer. The fide shoots, with two nr throe |oinn taken 1 off with ;i sharp knife, and placed ii siirr," >nndy «->il in a shady place, wi! 1 soon root iin<l m:i!.-i nice plants. They can also be -if '-" f-o-n leaves. The older, fully-deve-•■•■. I leaves are best. These should be t,|.-i off. and the fleshy midrib severed about halfway up the leaf. Lay th» bat on some sandy soil in a shady place, where it can be kept moist, but not wet. Place two or three small pieces of broken pot, scoria, or broken brick upon it to keep j it on the soil. In a short timp a small plant will form where the nSidrib has

been severed. Leave it until it is large enough to handle safely, and then treat in the same way as recommended for small plants. The begonia is not sufficiently hardy to stand out all the winter, so in the autumn, as soon ag the foliage begins to turn yellow, or directly after the first frost, the tubers should be lifted and dried. When the sterne have dried off, the tubers should be stored in a dry. cool place, where they are protected from wet or frost, until the following spring. The best time to plant the tubers outdoors is about October or November, unless frosts are frequent, and in that ease they should not be planted till all danger from frosts is over. Begonias are mo«t effective when planted in beds or group?. The flowers and foliage arc Mich that they do not harmonise with the majority of plants. As pot plants for the greenhouse there are few plants which will give the same display as the begonia. By potting on during the season, plants can easily be grown 2ft in diameter, and which will be a mass of bloom for several months. They nre also very free from disease. The chief trouble usually is that if snfliripnt air is not allowed to get I between the plants a fungus will nttiiclj the stpms and cause thorn tn rot off. j This can easily I.c avoided by giving plenty of air and sunlight when the plants are growing. If growing begonias in pots, do not press the soil I too firmly, and Übp plenty of leaf soil in i the compost. They will also require abundance of water during the erowine period. . I WOOLLY APHIS. This .post. which is very common on apple trees in tins country, i=. an a rule : very hard to control. Especially is this i so with the nmatenr who. only having one I or two tree*, spraying outfits, etc., are I out of the (juratinn, and eoiise<|nently ! one often seei tree- in a very bid condition. Jn the.-c ea*e 3 , „:„,■, there is only a tree nr so, the boc-t way to keep ! it down is to go over the tree" occasionally with a small brush, and some kerosene, mkl wherever an insect i- t-cen, i give it n dab with the linwh dippiM in the kerosene, [f this were done several times during the year ir would he found I •mite possible to keep the pest entirely ! jimler cnntr.,l. and once under control ' it would not be found tn be such a hard ! matter to keep t!ie tree clean. The I trouble usually is th.it the pest is allowed ; to have its own way until the tree is' r.ne mass ..f canker, and although it may ! then I.c pos-ihle to control the pert, it | is not possible to cure the effects In the treatment of nil pest* or diseases the most effective means of control i< to start .lean, and then by watchfulness to keep the pest or ili*ea«e from obtaining a foothold. " Prevention is better than cure." is nn o!,l ->ing which w.ns never so true as it ir. ivlien applied to plant pests ami diseases. Many a tree could have been a good specimen if thi» ppst had been watched for an<l eradicated, which to-day is only fit for the axe. "When thi- p,*t ha« got a iron.] firm hold of a tree, it i< queationabie whether, with nil our pre-cnt-day remedies, the best and cheapest is not to cut it out and Tfplant ami knep the young tree VEGETABLE MARROWS. A t'SEFIT. AND rROLJFIC CROP. .Among the mo*t useful o f all the ' culinary vegetable nius; be mentioned the vegetable marrow: they are .-aeily I crown and are in every nay" Gllitahle f■ »V { the grower whose space' is limited I Almost any soil will suit them, though a ! deep rich soil \< best, while plenty of moisture an,! abundant sunshine are lir-: essentials. There are two classrs the runner, and the. bush. As their name indicates the bush marrows <!o not occupy much space, but tbev are very — prolific. The vines ~f t I,V runner's - ramble, Pometimes :<, a surprising ex- I ' tent, and occasionally it i< neei>:;nrv t" j ?)' pinch out the leading points to prevent ■'! encroachment on ncighboiirinsr er>ip«. .1 Any open sunny spot will do for the bed. which may consist of either manure. " f ranging irom a barrow tn .1 c.in loud matter that has been alln.veil to iuvil- j" mulate in a heap for some time. Kvi-ry ° scrap of rubbi'h may be used for the '.- purpose, and if a little fresh manure !)■• ' ll ndded to it. also v .-mall qiumity of ) = linie, and the whole thoroughly niixel together, ex.'client niit.riil will be at hnn! for ihp formation of the i>■ ils. With the bush varieties ii is a good \ plan to die a row of holes aboir. 411 ' apart, and from H to iiu inci.es deep. These should !:e Rlmo*t filled wiili the manure or compost and topped ufT -.xitii ,i dressing of 2<k>,l. 100-n foil. After fn'ir seeds shouU! be sown in each hole I when nil danger from fm-r U over. j Another method moiv puitible f-ir tbe I runners is to make :i broad trench to j i :ake the plac P of the holes, frling it j with mnnure ns described, and planting the see !« in .i row anotit 3ft apart. In good warm weather the youn:r plants fhould he up in b npek. One of the most common pl:tn* f r growing marrow-; is to collect into a n.-.it heap all the ,_ decayed vegetable an , ! roadside refuse j _ available, at.d |>1j;i: ;h.- n"irrnn rred.t I on the top. Thi- is ii capital method, ! — provided abund-v.i c of moisture can h• \ given at the root*. ;>.s naturally ni"ii | water will he required on such nn elevated position than wouM be the ( case if the plant" wore growira on '.!■■ flat. " I With some growers lame marrows :ip- | pear to be tiie main object. On economic ground-, however, tliis i~ a : (rreut mistake. A jii.int cannot devlop | m.ire than two or three of tho-M" immense • I fruits, which arc after al! of little val:ir for the tdb!e. But -cores of small ] marrows of thp hiahe>t i(:ia!ity mny be. perfeotinn tliev ougl.t i:^-t t" evceed n few inches ; n Ipnstli. ami when cooked! entire and pr>rvpd with melte.i butter,l the whole of the deiic-uc flavour is | — retained. P.i[i<- frui-s are nl-o cut into i ; slices, and used in soups, while «ome — people mike an evrolicnt jinn from " them. Wl,cn the plants ..re in bearing ' however, the fruits need to be cut :ire to be as ,i vegctftbh'. If not wanted, give them away- by this prac-l tice, iind tlie ftrcnatli "f the [ilant being weak liquid manure, prn.hic'avencfs imaintained over a lung period. As growth proceed* the strongest shoote should be pinched to the slow of sup. until nn c):.:il Imlanei of «hoot« is obtainel in all the plants wlien thi'v may he allowed tn ra:n!'l'' away nt will. It -"lu-tinu-s happen* J though, that the plants at the start throw out -o many shoots ;is tn beconi: , j overcrowded. These should he thinned. allowing ppsiee for the stronfrer to develop Fully, a= ;he c-rop is guided I>\ the condition of the foliage; one fully developed mature. leaf is worth half a dozen rendered weak by overcrowding. It sometimes happens that the first fruit .