TO CORRESPONDENTS.

Auckland Star, Volume LV, Issue 76, 29 March 1924, Page 20

TO CORRESPONDENTS.

HOrPt (Morninjrstde) sends n g,rub for Identification, and asks for life history and habits.—lt is the larvae of one of the "hawk moths." They feed on the leaves of cultivated, plants. Wlien fjiHy-grown they liescend, pome entering the earth, some creep beneath leaved and other rubbish, n-here they change Into a chrysalis, from which eventually conies the moth, which lays czgs on young leaves. From these are liatchetl out the grubs which rapidly grow and continue the circle. K. (Waiuku) asks: fl) The name of enclosed specimen of shrub? (-) When is the best time to plant it?—U) •'Oleander," or as it should be called "Neriuin Grandillorum plenum." (2) Plant iv May or June or August. It depends somewhat on weatiier conditions. E.D. (Mnnurewa) sends a specimen of grass and says It is growing in an orchard, and wishes to know if it is of any value for stock?—lt is a variety of Millet, and could be cut and given to stock. E.A.H. (Mount Roskill) writes: I lave been told that the enclosed Orange is called "Paramatta." Is this correct? Some of the fruit appear to have the navel.—The Orange is certainly a "Navel" variety, and probably the "Washington Navel." GLADIOLI (Oue Tree Hill) writes:—l thank you very much for past information, and your weekly notes have been most helpful to mc. Will you advise mc about my Gladioli bulbs? I planted them at intervals, pit-king out and planting them ns they began to shoot. All came up well and strong, but a large number did not flower. This was the case -with all plantings. Is there any cause for this, and will the hnlbs. if carefully lifted and stored, do for next season?— Until the bulbs arc lifted it is impossible to tell in what condition they arc, but it is not unusual for Gladioli to go blind, especially in dry weather. . If when lifted the bulbs are Bound, they can bo stored for planting next season with confidence. You will Dnd that Gladioli planted in late winter give the best results. DRIVE (Epsom) writes:—There are two apple trees here which have been neglected. They bore heavily, but the fruit was badly infected with eodlin moth. I have been advised to wrap a piece of sacking around the trunk to catch the grub of the eodlin moth. I should be grateful of answers to the following: (1) Would you advise heavy pruning and root pruning? (2) When should the socking be put on? (3) When fn commence spraying, and with what. Would heavy liming arouud the tree assist? I may say your notes are very helpful to amateurs. I intend to beep many for reference.—(l) If the tree is hearing well do no more pruning than necessary. Neither pruning of the tops or roots will have any effect on disease. Cut back any very lons whiplike growths half their length, and the lateral shoots made this season, cut back to three or four eyes. Any growths which are in the centre of the tree or cross one another should filso be cut back. I would not advise root pruning. (2) I'nt the sacking on at once. It will be necessary to smear some old grease on it. It must be renewed once or twice during the year. (.") Spray for eodlin moth ns soon as the petals fall off. and every three weeks ready. Advice on spraying is given in these columns periodically. M) Liming the soil around the tree would do good. L.O. (Brown's Kay) asks if it is best to leave Horse Carrots and Mangolds in the ground or is it best to pull and store tljem _The Horse Carrots and Mangolds are best left and pulled as required, unless the ground is required for other purposes. jB (Kingsland) asks the name of crass 'forwarded, and (lie l>osr way to got rid of it. The ground has been dug several times, and the grns-< pi'-ked nut. Still it grows?— The specimen is .i variety of rush. Cultivation is the only method of eradication. Constant cropping and working Of the soil by hoeing will get rid of it. It always takes time to got down <i creeping weed, which has been allowed to grow at vfLJI for ;i nmnlior of years, but eventually it must give in, if cultivation is continued.

A.1 , . (I'onsoubyl writes: Last winter I dug nnd left in the rough a neglected lawn, and later I put in potatoes, which Wure overgrown with a wild convolvulus. Now that the potatoes are brine: lifted the s<iil is permeated with white string-like routs. ■\Yhat can further lie ilone so as tn sow (jrass sf-ed this nutnmn. Fork overgronntl nnd pick out all tho roots of the i-ourol-vulus. Then prepare the surface and sow the seed. You will not flnd whnr convolvulus roots happen to lie left much trouble, provided you keep the lawn well mown aucl roiled.

AMATEUR (Brown's Bay) asks: When to dig Kumaras, bow to store them through the winter, the best seed to pick out for nest season and when to plant? — Kumaras should be dug now before the wet and cold weather comes. Store them in a dry, cool place. They must be handled carefully, aa they are easily bruised find must not be allowed to beac. To procure plants for next season some of the tubers are placed in soil on a hot bed or In a frame. They will produce shoots, which are pulled off for planting purposes. These tubers are bedded about August, and the plants are then procurable for planting out in October. LAVENDER. Lavender may now be propagated from cuttings. Well ripened shoots about four or five inches long, taken off with a heel, and inserted rather deeply in sandy

soil, either in boxes or directly into a bed, will root during the winter, and be ready for planting out in spring. Water the soil through a rose to settle it.

CYCLAMEN. These are valuable for growing in beds. They succeed in a rich, moist, loamy soil in slight shade. The shading is perhaps not 6O essential during winter, but in early summer it is necessary. The shade from tall trees is sufficient so long as the roots of the trees do not rob the ground too much. The beda should be enriched with -well rotted cow or stable manure, and if the soil is inclined to be heavy, work come coarse sand into the top few inches. Select good, strong, healthy plants that are lree from thrips and red spider, the two most dreaded enemies of the Cyclamen. Should there be any eigns of these insects, dip the plants into a solution of black leaf 40 before planting. The plants should be put about nine inches apart. When planting place the conns so that they are not covered but with the top just slightly above the surface. Many people recommend to keep the conn well above the surface, but the conn is a very tender part of the Cyclamen and if exposed to the sun it becomes hardened and dries up. If plenty of sand is used round about the conn and the conn kept down in the moisture and away from the sun's rays it will be found to be much better. A top dressing of leaf soil or sand to give effect to the same result U a very good scheme. The Cyclamen is a native of dense, shad}', damp woodlands, and the nearer to this natural condition they can be grown, the better the results. RUNNER BEANS. Supplies of Runner Beans may be had ; for another month or more if the weaj ther keeps mild- The best way to ensure their continued production is to keep picking the pods as they get large enough and before the seeds beiin to fill out. The surplus, if any, may be bottled and kept till vegetables" are scarce in winter. A slight frost may be ■warded off by covering the rows with shading.

ANTIRRHINUM CUTTINGS. The gTeat advantage of taking cuttings is that one can increase any particular plant that shows especial merit, and rely upon the cuttings taking after the parent in every detail. The end of March is the best time for this work, and the pieces to select for striking are the young unflowered shoots which spring" from the base of the blossoming stems! See that they are bearing no flower buds, choose those about four inches long, and detach them by giving a sharp pull in a downward direction. This -will give you a cutting with a "heel" of the older wood attached, and it is from this "heel" that the roots will be emitted. Prepare a mixture of two parts loam and one part sand; place some drainage material in the bottom of a bos which is not less than four inches deep. Fill to just below the edge with compost and make firm. Cover the

•surface with a coating of sand and insert the cuttings, four inches apart, about one-third their length. If necessary the

"heel" of the cutting should have any long pieces of bark cut off and the low er leaves removed. The cuttings must be pressed in firmly, particular care being taken that the base is resting on and surrounded with firm soil- Give the cuttings a good watering, and place them in a frame or where they can be kept shaded until they callus, which will be in about ten days. Once they commence growing they can be planted out. PEIARGONIIIMS. Regal and Decorative Pelargoniums that 'nere dried off and cut down some [ time ago will now have sprouted freely, ■ and it is time to repot them. It ia not' desirable to give them larger pots but ' rather to reduce the balls of soil con-. siderably, so that they may be put into smaller sizes- All the fibrous roots were

killed in the operation of drying off, and for that reason a smaller amount of soil will suffice until they have filled it wth fresh roots and made substantial growth, under cool and airy conditions, on a shelf close to the glass. Pot firmly in a compost of three parts good loam, one part leaf-mould, and half a part of sand. ROSE CUTTINGS. I The season has now come round for the making aud insertion of cuttings of Roses. All the Hybrid Teas, Teas and Wichuraianas arc easy to root in this way. Well ripened shoots must be selected, and they should be taken with a heel of the old wood, where possible, or cut below a well-ripened joint. Shoots that have flowered are amongst the best for the purpose, being mature and firm. This does not apply to Wichuraiana Ramblers, which have thin flower stalks. Of this class short side-shoots that have not flowered are best. If the cutting are to be inserted in pots, six inches will be long enough, but for dibbing into a bed of prepared soil in a franje, or for an outside border it is better to get cuttings eight to nine inches long, because they have greater vitality and are more likely to root. Much longer cuttings have been taken for outdoors, but they give better growths from the base if only nine inches long. They should lie inserted five inches deep, leaving the remainder exposed. Whether put in with the dibble or in trenches it is imperative that they should be made firm. Plenty of sand and leaf mould should be mixed with the soil. SPINACH. Spinach sown during February should be thinned before the plants get crowded. Winter Spinach grows slowly and makes a larger plant than that

I sown during the heat of summer, if thinned early and properly. It is desirable to get strong plants, because only the leaves are picked, and one can the more quickly gu lh Pr a dish from strong

HOW TO TRANSPLANT IN DRY ■WEATHER. Give the seed beds from which you intend drawing the seedlings a good soaking of water the afternoon or evening before you intend to plant. Now procure some stiff soil or clay, make a. small hole near where you are working, put the clay in the hole, and mij; it with water until about a3 thick as cream. As the plants are Laken up they should be well dipped in this puggle before planting. It will be found that plants so treated will take hold more quickly and the results justify the extra trouble. HOW TO GATHER FRTJTTS. The illustration shows how to gather Tears, but Apples should be handled in a

similar manner. Too much care cannot tie exercised wth fruit. CELEEY. Examine Celery that is making etrong growth and earth it up as required ia the usual way. Where it is being blanched by paper collars it may be necessary to apply an additional length or to substitute larger one 3 instead. Continue to remove pieces of leaves badly infested with Celery Fly before the maggots pass into the soil and pupate.