Practical Gardening by Dianthus

Auckland Star, Volume LII, Issue 216, 10 September 1921, Page 20

Practical Gardening by Dianthus

- 111. ■ .1 1-11 , T Correspondents will greatly oblige by tfbterrlae the fellowinf rtfies In smdisi questions for publication In these columns:*- -- Letters should bo addressed (Urdcii KdlMr, "Star" OSes, Auckland, 2 ; J^ rite ou oSo sWe of tne Paper, and make M cotnmonieations as concise v possible. S. Flowers, etc., sent tot fiamlne must bs sent separately, and, If possible, packed in a tin or wooden box—cardboard boxes are »erjr liable to be broken In transit and tlto contents damaged. 4. The full name and address of tie state most always bs Mat, felt « ussi * pjpme or Initial may be siren for publication.

TO CORRESPONDENTS. rAtotSJIA asks:—What csn ! flo with Potatoes that are showing blight? 1 t-pruyed with hue-sulphur, 1 in SO, as soon as 1 noticed It, and again a Week later, but it does hot appear to stop It. I thought to ipiit Tomatoes where tho Potatoes are, but would It be wise now that Potato blight has appeared?—Yott <-iin do nothing but continue the spraying. The point to remember Is that Spraying is not n cure; it Is a preventive. Oiice blight has got hold, all that spraying can ho expected to do is to check It. Those that are nearly ready to dig can be lifted as you require them. The later sown ones, if kept sprayed, will mature. I should not advise you to plant Tomatoes on Wio ground, especially if you can get another piece. The Potatoes can be foh lowtd by Peas or Beans. AMATEUR (Grey Lynn) Writes:—l have two blood red Plttm trees. Which bore a large crop of fruit last yenr. When the fruit started to ripen I noticed a brown spot on the surface of every Plum. What as the best mixture to spray with and when should it be done?—Ffbnl the description it aippears to be brown rot, bdt you do not say whether the fruit beeamo bad or whether the brown spot was only a surface fflnfkrag, and did not affect the flesh. However, sp-ny every fortnight from the time the fruit has set, with lime-sulphur 1 part, water 70 parts. FLORA (GJenfleld) asks:—Which Is the most economical and best manure to u«e on poor gum land, when growing flowefs for market Is nothing to equal bonedust for a good general purposes manure. A dressing of basic slag when the ground is being worked, during autumn of whiter Is also good. DIGGER (Mount Eden) asks: (1) How to grow Tomatoes on volcanic soil? (2) The best method of planting seeds, and whether to sow sufficient to do the Whole area, or plant at weekly intervals, so that the crop will not have.to be g.'i"">i-od at the same time? fil) What are the best eornmereiii] varieties? (4) How to gro'.v Watermelons in the same class of soU7 (5) The best varieties for commercial pur-poses.-Ml) Tomato growing On Volcanic soil presents no great or peculiar difficulties. The ground should be Well prepared by digging or ploughing as soon as possible. The question of manure depends upnn the Soil, but the average volcanic soil should be rich enough for planting, and if manure is lidded after the plants are fruiting It Will be the best method. Plant about eighteen inches apart, in rows three foot apart, (2) Seeds should he sown in shallow boxes. 86\Y thinly and Cover the seed lightly. Place: the boxes In a warm position, protected from cold Winds. Cover with glass Until seeds have germinated. When largS enough prick out into other boxes, and grow on until large enough to plant out. It is unnecessary to sow at weekly inter' vals; It may be more convenient to make perhaps two or three sowings at Intervals of three weeks, but as the early fruits are the most protitablo the flrgt sowing should he the principal ons; tho others only for oiling in or complefins the area.

S ? wd ._ aaa P lail =ed at weekly Intervals win have no material effect ou the nicklag of the fruit. (3) The best all-round Market tarlety 4s "Market Favourite." Ihefe are many selected stocks of this, and every market grower seems to have "special liking for some particular one. (4) ihe growing of Watermelons is similar to growing Pumpkins, etc. Prepare the {(round as advised for Tomatoes. The seed is sown on small hills about six feet apart, two or three seeds to each hill. At the time of sowing a good dressing of bonedust and superphosphate should be given, say, a good handful of each to ever? hill, and well mixed In with the soil. The hills are usually, made by dfawing up the soil with the hoe, and are about eighteen inches across, and sis or eight inches high. It Is n great advantage to protect the young plants By placing some material such as boards or scrub on the windward side. The coid winds of late spring often spoil the plants uhless protected. (Si The best varieties for commercial purposes is questionable, but the following are considered good: lee Cream, Cuban Queen, Dixie, Klobs Gem. J.D.A. (Devonport! writes: What Is the most suitable manure to Use Ih preparing heavy sol! for a lawn? Would a good sprinkling of lime on the freshly turned ground be of benefit? The ground has a lot of Couch Grass In it. Would It be advisable to use basic slag when sowing the Grass 66ed7—The most suitable manure for a lawn is well rotted stable uiahure. Failing that, use bonedUßt and basic Slag In equal quantities by weight When sowing the seed. A thoroughly °™\Z ''"ling should be given on the newly ting ground. The Couch Grass n 2 \. w , itbout question eventually take possesslofi of the lnwn. Whatever Is done, rhe only means of eradicating it would year's 7 cultivation of the soil for a few GREENHOUSE WORK fOR SEPTEMBER. With the advent of September the greenhouse should present a most attractive appearance. Cyclamens and Cinerarias should be at their best, proVidlag a wealth of bloom. Chinese and other Primulas are in full flower, and a few Pelargoniums are out. Pots filled With Freesias have a charming effect, emitting a delicious perfume. StreptoCafpUS are profuse bloomers, and Cypripediums and other Orchids add to the floral attractions of the month. SehizanthUe, With their butterfly blooms and perpetual Carnations, Lac'henUia ß with their spikes of bugle-shaped (lowers and gorgeous colours are exceedingly quaint. The scarlet flowered Tydaea is "most attractive, either grown in pots or hanging baskets. A few early potted Calceolarias are in floWer. The recently potted Ferns are throwing tip new fronds, those of the AdiantUms ate prettily coloured 1 !

The Ivttteriiig may be changed from the morning to the afternoon, Shading must be attended to, also venlll.tting, A iiiiwt gonial atmosphere e'nould be kept, and 4pore and ventilators cloeod early in the altornoon, A careful lookOlit mint be kept for Insects) ac noon a« mealy bus makes its appearance it dhouid be destroyed. Syringing or fuml. gating will probably bo oecceeury at intervak to. Keep down fly and other aphldee, Afteml to potting eccdlingx And rooted cuttings c* soon ac they am ready, Place tho tubers of Achlmonos In shallow pans, and nlso etart eonio in hanging baskotej they are most effective basket plants. BLUE KYDRAWOEA. Tho blue of Hydrafigeas may bo brought about by the use of ammonia alum. Di»solve half an ouueo in a gallon water, and apply onco or. twieo a week, comtnencing when the plant It starting freely Into growth, and keeping on all through the growing ecueon. The plants ehould not be fully cxpoaed to eungbitic, whether grown inside or outdoors, ROSE PRtmiHG. The first thing is to cut out all weakly sliuots and those that block up the centre of the plant, and then to shorten tJlio remaining growths. The extent to whioh theso ougfht to bo cut appears to present diiflcirlty to amateur gardeners. There is, however, one thing Ifertain; in the spring following planting all s'hoote ought to be cut back to witlun one or two buds of the base. In subsequent years the problem is not co easily solved, a-tid probably no two profeseioiuil Igfttdeners would prune exactly Alike. If

PItUXtS'Q HOSE BUea OF AVmVrARTt SHAVE. one excepts the Tea Roses, of which the ehoots may be shortened by about half, it is Wise to prune moderately severely each spring, otherwise the plants become bare at the 'base. "The more weakly a shoot is, the more severely should it be cut buck; the more vigorous it is, the less cutting does it need.

CUT OUT WEAK SHOOTS AMD SHQBTEX I OTHERS. Shoot* of the average thiekneSß of the top of one's little finger snay be left ftom. six to dijfht • inches long, the remainder 'being shortened to within from one to four buds of the base. Some of the really strong growing sorts, such, for example* as fitigii Diclcsoh, I'ra.u Karl Drissc'.iki, and George Dick Son, need little pmnihg'; the eon-Cct way is to treat them as Pillar Roses, or to peg down the long shoots so tfiat they form a low arch, the end of fcac-h shoot being Secured in the Soil.

OYPiOMULA, Oypsophlla olegane is certainly one o tho beat flowers for tho garden. Ite elc gaiiit and light appearance makes > suitable lot uslnj» in conjunction wit! all flowers, especially Sweet I*ooß, 1 should be sown on good land that'ha been well manured, otherwise wo do no get the length of stem required. VHiei ready for cuttlng.it ehould be pulled U) by tho roots, Batchee ehould be eowi every two or three weeks, while meain should be arrangod so that tho drills maj lie soaked during dry weather, POTTINO ASPIDISTRA, This is the licet tlmo of the year to re pot or divide Aepidietra, which is ko valu ible for indoor decoration. If the plan' Iβ to be put in a larger pot till that i> needed is to take away the dralnagi irocks at ll)o bottom, and ,i« much of th< old 801 las can be done without inter Fcring with tlio roots. Wlien dividing inoro soil must be take.fi away, when i , ivlll be seen that tho plant forme 1 rhlzomo or underground stem. Jn sonn crises it will be necessary to cut thii through with a sharp knlfo before division can be carried out. RUNNER BEANS. These arc probably the most prolific :>f summer crops, nnd should havo 1 place oven in tho smallest garden. Thc\ will grow In almost any position, ant under any treatment, but will amplj repay it llttlo special caro and atten tioh. They havo to do * lot of growing and fruiting in a very short time, ant L-onscquently are very gross feeders Tho ground should bo prepared S good timo before using, but if thai h»a not been done tho work should b< performed as soon ai possible. Tin work shoicld be done by deep digging or trenching a strip about 4ft wide at long as required, add to and mix witl bottom Rpit all green.stuff (weeds, grass etc.) and manure, "rotten or fresh," ob tamable; liberally" ton-dress with lime washing soda, and salt; in a few weeks timo dig again, and plant beans ir double row, 2ft Oin between each bean and 3ft between ro-ws, planting a few ii a box in case of gaps in row. Ah aoor us beans show keep them well sprinkict with lime or lime and soot. Aβ soon a> tendrils start growing stick the row, leaving about 7ft of stick above ground: brace the sticks well along top and across from row to row. If more, than one tendril shows, choose etroneoßt and pinch the others off. When vines have 1 crood grip of sticks, earth them up bj rakine , soil towards them, thus forminc 1, sliebt hollow or gutter between rows When watering 19 necesnarv. do it alone the putter: if frround bnd a fall to i< i few buckctfuls poured in at highel snd does the row. When vinee reaoli ton of stick, pinch back, and pinch ofl ill laterals up to 3ft from sronnd foi convenience in watering ftml honine, and keep till side shoots pin(»hnfl back whpr necessary, ro that vines may have all the air and sun possitdo. Tn vorv dry iireather a good followed h\ pVntr of weak linnid manure, wll l aWfttly assist th# blooms to get and •(Uir-Icens the growth of benns. About In?! of wnshinflT eorla and n fc.oMpenonnfill of salt to t*ree enllon? r>f ivrttfir Riiits beans tveli. Ijnt. \\st ■■bicken. horse, flnrt Cow manure nnil snot, wlipn olitainnblo as well. Snvt ill Wnnrl fttitl panflr ashfiS. STtritiVU ■>rn«wl ztvA >i»twp<«n vines, and 15»hfl* fnfk in. After n phowpr. or when the Pn'ifiov ia rlow, E'ive a &nfttl \«-!tii limp hv itai'nir a ttti (wi'Mt li'll (n of wl,Ml A IMtmbof n( liol.ie l.flc hppn niorlp with smell *tvl fil'lnff it with lime, standing tr n'inclwnvfl o f row α-tvl shakinir viaor. Ml»lv Thii ift pflstly riono. if, keen? Hi« vinci free from neßts. Tn »urn Mγ in a few words: Tiie dfiPD. diar oftpn lon't crowd, and feed well fs th« plat to follow -n-itli all vegetables.

CUTTING IRIS BLOOMS. Nothing Iβ better for decoration than these, as they last woll in water. Tbey should be gathered, -however, bivforo they are fully open, as tho buds oiwn best whon cut as soon us the colour shows, and placed In a warm sunny window. Hero they will unfurl their petals in a few hours. They will travel wifely in a bud etato if rolled in paper and placed in a canMxfanl tube Push them into it stalks first, for UlO buds will then bo quite safe. An inch or so of tho string which tics tho stalks should l>3 left hang-ing out at the end so that the recipient can pull them out at tho right end, which is the opposite from which they wcto put in. PLANT MAIN CROP POTATOES, Tho planting of maincrop and late Potatoes ehould bo completed us soon as possible. It is now recognised that Potatoes should be planted earlier than at 0110 time was considered necessary. They should bo committed to the soil before thu sprouts are too long. It is not good policy to break off tho first and strongest sprouts, because tho next produced will be later and weaker. TO DESTROY CATERPILLARS. Caterpillars possess a pair of biting jaws With which they eat. the solid portions of plants. For this reason the moßt effective treatment in to give tho leaves a pood coatinp of poison, which the caterpillars must devour to their detriment. Lead arsenate is the best known nnd most satisfactory of such sprny fluids, and can be obtained in the form of a paste from nurserymen. Half a. pound of paste is required for every ten gallons of water, or for smaller quantities use a tcHßpoonful to a kerosene tin three parts full of water. CUTTING ASPARAGUS. I To beginners and tunatoure ""ho may know but little about the growth of this plant this ie the part connected with its growth wlhivh worries them more than anything else. The 'best way to obtain information is on a dry day, to clear away the soil with a trowel and tho , hand from over the crown of one of the j'pla.nts. and so find out tor themselves lite construction: it will do it no harm. Jlt will be found to be a large cluster of plump buds closely nestled together in a group. Bach of these buds will in good time develop and grow into a live Asparagus. The reason tjhnt it is necessary to explain thie matter ao fully is

CUT ONLY .LONG SHOOTS OF ASPARAGUS. because readers will understand how easy it is to destroy such buds if the cutting of the grass is not carried out with knowledge and understanding. The grass should never be cut ho low as to expose the buds to injury. Asparagus requires to ''oe very carefully cut, whether a. special Aspa-rague knife is used or not. In cutting those shoots that arc long enough for use, take care not to cut che. shorter ones closo by, and perhaps still 'hidden in tho soil. The illustration shows .how near to the base of large sprouts other and yowngei" ones may be situated. Keep the knife as closo as possible to tho base of the shoot being cut. Gut overy jlndc of grass, large and small, until t'liere are oibuncXntc of green I'eas to be had. Cutting a,fter about the middle of November ia inimical to the sucees3 of the

I plants the following year, 'by reducing tlio nunrber and strength of tho grtt-«s •nfliioii afterwards grow, reducing the number of buds in blio crowns for the production of a crop the following year. Eaoli grass that ia permitted to grow to its lull strength, to ripen, unU to die, forms a bud and produces a head of ', grass the following year. RECENTLY PLANTED FRUIT TREES. Very little rain, compared with past years, lias fallen In Auckland during July 1 nnd August, r.nd many fruit tree's I planted recently will be very tardy In breaking into growth on Recount of the dryness of the soil. In all such cases see thnt the soil is trodden firmly over the roots. Then hoe the xurfiire nnd apply a J mulch of rotted garden rubbish or n pood I coiit of lawn mowings if nothing Letter iis available. This will do much to preserve the moisture that rises from the . lower j>arta of the soil. In some cases. where the soil is light, it may be ad- . visable to give a good watering occasion- ; ally till the trees start into growth. It must be remembered (hat newly-planted trees have very few roots, or practically 110 young and slender feedinp , foots at tills lienro the necessity for assisting the : trees hy keeping them moist till they j can make fresh roots. ! A HOME-MADE SPARROW TRAP I Get a piece of boa-rd one inch thick and eighteen inohos square; this forms the bottom of the trap. Xext get four pieces each one foot lon£ arid one inch tliiok, and nail these oiie at each corner; Mien S;et four simitar pieces, these to be nailed across the top. Obtain soma ■hniMndh wire netting for the sides and top. This will " then be a cage with a 'board floor, wire side*, a.tid wire roof. Now cut a holt! in the centre of tlho roof, lanre enough to <yet your hand in. After this, cut some thin wire into pieces eleven imilies lons, and hang tiliese on-e inch apart around the hole, so that they ju»t swin? clear of the floor. A little com rihould be placed on *li e floor «s badt. Dozene of birds can be oasijrh* at a time in this trap- The swinging wires prevent the birds from escaping. I ' j