TO CORRESPONDENTS

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 147, 24 June 1933, Page 6 (Supplement)

TO CORRESPONDENTS

W.G. (Epsom) asks: Will an orange tree grown from seed, about nine years old and which has never flowered, have to be budded? (2) A damson tree from seed, two years old, will it have to be budded? (3) Can seed pods of Mina Coloata be picked when green or do they have to ripen on the plants? (4) Some iris come up every year and grow well, but never flower. Do they require shifting or discarding?—(l) Seedling oranges do not fruit until they are a good age. The tree can be budded or grafted with a proved variety. Actually you would probably do better to cut it out and plant a named sort. (2) The damson will fruit in time, or you can graft or bud a plum on It (3) The seed pods can be gathered when fully matured and ripened In a dry warm position Indoors. (4) Apparently Iris tingltana. for treatment see answer to P.E., Ellerslie, in this column. IVY (Waluku) asks: (1) Can yon tell me the best time to move a yellow kowhai? (2) The name of the purple flowering shrub enclosed? (3) When would be the best time to move it? (4) When to plant rose cuttings that were planted last year?. (5) Can a fig tree be pruned like an apple. When is the best time to move a small fig tree? (6) How to stop the sap running when I cut off some branches of a walnut tree?—(l) Transplant the yellow kowhai now. (2) Laslandra Macrantha. (3) Spring, about August. (4) Transplant the rose cuttings now, the few leaves will not harm. (5) Fig trees can bo transplanted now. You can prune a fig tree, but not in a similar manner to an apple. Fig trees, under ordinary circumstances, do not need pruning. (6) Very little bleeding will occur if the walnut is cut now, not enough to harm the tree. The only way you could stop it would be to wipe dry and dress the wound with a quick drying varnish or Stockholm tar. P.E. (Ellerslie) writes: I had some Japanese Iris bulbs in my garden. They have been tried three or four seasons, making plenty of foliage but have not bloomed. The soil is volcanic. What treatment could you suggest?— From your description I should say they are Iris tingitana, a native of North Africa, and not Japanese. These need to be lifted about December and allowed to lie in the sun to ripen thoroughly, they 6hould then be stored where they can be kept dry until about May, when they should be replanted. They grow well; but do not bloom profusely. V.M.S. (Bay of Islands) asks: I would like to transplant some winter rhubarb, do I keep the crowns above the ground? Do the old plants have to be dug and young ones planted? The few I have (three years old) seem to be bearing well, and I would like to move them to another place?—(l) The old roots can be dug up now, and if you. wish to increase the number you can divide them, cutting the clumps so as to allow a crown to each planting piece. The old roots, if of a proved quality, are better than young plants of an unknown quality, and I strongly advise you to retain the old plants which have done well.

MANDARTN (Whangarei) writes: I have a mandarin orango tree. Last year it was loaded with fruit, but they all split before ripening, so we got very little off the tree. This year they are doing the same. Can you tell me how to prevent it? There is also a red fly about the size of a blow-fly.-—I cannot give you any direct cause. It is probably due to the ' hardening of the skin of the fruit during the dry weather, a wet autumn following, which causes expansion, hence the cracking. The remedy would bo to keep the tree well watered during the summer. I do not know anything for or against the fly. MOERA (Birkenhead) writes: T am sending you a twig of m.v Albany Beauty apple. Will you kindly tell me what is wrong with it, and how to combat the disease? —It is duo to "die back" or apple scab. When pruning cut away all dead twigs, and collect and burn. Spray the tree as soon as pruned with caustic soda solution:—Caustic soda lib, water 10 gallons, nitrate of soda 101b. Spraying will be necessary throughout spring and summer. Spraying hints are given periodically in these colwnns.

E.M.JI. (New Lynn) asks re Cape gooseberry : (1) Can the red spider be controlled on these plants, and by what means. Can any other remedy be used Instead oC red oil? (2) Around Auckland where the plant!? are liable to be nipped by frost, what method is advised and will the plants recover and bear again the following spring or summer? (3) Is there anything else that attacks the plant or fruit besides red spider and borer. What treatment to use for such. (4) Can you give any other information re soil, treatment, cultivation and distance apart for easy working?—(l) Spraying or dusting with some form of sulphur is most effective against red spider. Wcttable sulphur is good. (2) Growing from seed every year. It is questionable whether old plants are worth retaining. (3) A blight similar to tomato blight, but sulphur sprays will control this. (£) A warm, well drained position, with a rich well worked and thoroughly pulverised soil, will give best results. I'lant in rows about four feet apart, and plants about ISin apart. H.M. Te Puke) asks: (1) If ground is ploughed now would it be in a suitable condition to plant lemon trees in August? (2) What number of lemon trees can be planted per acre? (3) What distance apart should the trees be planted, and what distance should there be between the rows? (4) Do they require manuring?—(l) Yes. (2 and 3) Twenty l'eet apart, giving about 109 trees per acre. (4) It pays to manure citrus fruits. As the trees nre surface rooting they respond to mulching and also to applications of nitrogenous manures about twice a year.

N.H. (Wellington) asks: (1) What is the value of manure gathered from grass-fed liorsos and cows; it it like half-rotten manure? If mixed with the second spit down, what other artificial manure should I use for growing peas? <-) I was thinking of using it for Brussel sprouts. I have trenched about two feet deep, and if I dig n hole and put in a kerosene tin of this gathered manure, would that be sufficient, also the same with perennial broccoli? I am after good crops. (3) 1 have a pear tree about twenty or twenty-five feet high with very little undergrowth. It will become very difficult to gather the fruit If allowed to grow any higher. The bark is also cracked up the trunk and branches of any size, and in pulling off some bark I saw some small white grubs sticking to it. What is the best thing to do witli this tree? Will grease bands around the trees catch the female of tiie codlin moth as slie crawls up to lay her egg? (4) I have sown onion seed, and when ready I will transplant the seedlings. What would be ,Ilie best manure? The ground is on tlie heavy side, although I have dug It over several times; (lie first time I trenched it.— (1) The manure is valuable, and can be scattered over the ground and used for every crop. You should need little further manure for peas unless you like to add a little superphosphate at about the rate of four ounces to the square yard. (2) Sow the Brusscl sprouts and broccoli in September, plant out in November fir December. They do best on firm soil, and can follow on onions or early potatoes. Your system of manuring would give too much leaf and cause the sprouts to hurst open. Perennial broccoli needs plenty of manure, but I think you would get better results by spreading the manure over the surface rather than putting it into tlie holes. (Ji) You could do nothing to (he pear tree; it will not get much higher, and to cut it would probably put it off fruiting. Grease bands prevent the grubs from ascending the trees, hut they need to he taken off and burnt and fresh bands applied before spring. Spray the trees with caustic wash as advised "Moera," Birkenhead, in this column. (4) If you add a good dressing of the cow manure as above, working it well into the soil, YOU should only need to give a little "sulphate of ammonia, say ar ounce to three vards of row, about three weeks after planting, and again a mouth later. ST. HEUKR'S asks: What proportion or caustic soda and water is needed for winter spray?— See answer to "Moera," Birkenhead, in this column.