ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXV, Issue 129, 2 June 1934, Page 6 (Supplement)

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS.

COPELAND (Auckland) asks: (1) In lifting liliums to replant, should the roots be removed first; also would fowl manure be of any benefit to them? (2) In digging up my soil I often come across streaks of white in it. Is it mildew? —(1) Do not damage the roots of liliums any more than is necessary, and do not keep them out of the soil (longer than possible. Fowl manure, except in very small quantities, is of no use to liliums. (2) I expect it is some form of mould growing upon decaying vegetable matter. It is not the mildew that appears on roses, sweet peas, etc. READER (Palmerston North) asks: What is the disease on the enclosed tomato leaf. The plants are in a glasshouse. As soon as they get the disease they cense growing, and gradually wither and die. What is the best thing to do for it?— From the description it is possible that there is some disease present in the roots, and without them it is not possible to give an answer. Lift an infected plant, keeping roots as intact as possible. There is no need for soil about the roots. Ihe plants can be cut into suitable lengths for' wrapping. Please add name and address in any future communications. — (Ed.) •CARROTS (Onelmnga) asks: What, arc the enclosed carrots suffering from, the cause, and how to prevent it?— Due to wireworms. The use of naphthalene; scatter it on the soil when digging, using one ounce per square yard. If you cannot use- it all over the garden, treat the ground on which you intend growing root crops, such as carrots, etc., a month before you sow or plant. The naphthalene can be scattered on the soil and. dug in, or it can bo scattered on the surface after digging and raked or hoed in. Scattering before digging is probably the best method. INQUIRER (Brown's Bay) asks: (1) Can grass seed be sown successfully in winter, or is it better to wait till spring? (2) Can you please give me the common or popular names of the weeds enclosed? — (1) If' weather is favourable it can, but as a general rule it is better to wait till about August. (2) Specimens were very small, but three of them were sow thistle. C.E. (Whangarei) writes: I have nn orange tree that hears' a fairly small, rather thick-skinned fruit, which ripens in July. This tree was grown from a seedling, and it was approximately 20 vears before it bore fruit. .Could you advise what manure to use, and when ? — The use of manure will not alter the character of the orange. It is only a seedling, and most seedlings are small, thick-skinned fruits. The following is a good citrus manure: Super, 3 parts, honedust 2 parts, sulphate of potash 1 part, sulphate of ammonia 2 parts. Apply one to six pounds per tree, according to size, in August-September, and FebruaryMarch. AMATEUR (Milford) asks: Which month should tree tomato seed be sown, and whether in boxes or the open ground? Do they require a rich soil, nnd how long after sowing before they bear fruit? —Sow tree tomato seed about November. It is best sown in boxes; it can be sown in open ground but will need care, or you will lose the seedlings. They require a warm and comparatively good soil. They will fruit the second year frctn sowing. M.F. (Bavswater) asks: What month of the year is the best time for transplanting a lemon tree? —September is the best month to transplant citrus. The next best time is March or April. The worst time is mid-winter when ground is cold and wet, a conditio/i that is fatal to citrus trees. Of course, soils, situations and weather conditions all make a difference. /

NOVICE (Ponsonby) asks: The reason for figs not ripening this season. The tree is ten years old. Would it bo on account of being too old or the cold summer we had?—l do not know of any particular reason why the ligs did not ripen. It is certainly not the age of (ho tree, for a fig tree is not old till it has passed the century; it is more likely to he due to the dry autumn and cold, wet period since. T.T. (Birkdale) writes: (1) I have a lot of second-growth tobacco I hung in a shed in single leaf, and it has all gone mildewed. is there any way I can get the mildew off it, or is it not worth the bother? (2)-1 have a lot of carrots. Can I pull them and keep them, as I do not want them to go to seed?—-(1) I am afraid the tobacco is spoilt for anything but fumigation purposes. It moulds easily during winter, and should have been dried and packed before this. As it is second-growth it will be very sappy and of such poor quality that even if properly dried it would not be wortli much. All you can do now is to dry it and pack hard, although you will not be able to remove the mildew entirely. (2) Pull' the carrots nnd store in a dry shed, covering them witli soil, or you can store them outside in a sheltered place, but you must cover with dry soil or sand to keep off insects, and also cover with a sheet of iron to keep off wet. RTJNA RUNA (Hokianga) writes: I wish to manure scene fruit trees, apples, etc. I have the following manures : Bonedust, superphosphate, basic slag, sulphate of potash. Could you give me a mixture of some or all these manures that would be suitable for most fruit trees, and how much would one give to each tree?— The following is a fairly good mixture for fruit trees suitable for most soils: Super, 10 parts; bonedust, 5 parts; sulphate of potash, 3 parts. The amount to apply depends on the r!zc of the tree. Four ounces would be enough for a small tree planted the year previous, but a large, aged tree could do with six or seven pounds. One rule is to allow about half an ounce to the square foot over the area covered with the spread of the branches. F.B. (Knitaia) asks: (1) Can you tell me the correct situation to plant Dielytra spectabilis (Bleeding heart), nnd the soil it likes best? (2) Also best situation for Ilippenstrum ; would it hurt to move it now? —(1) Dielytra. or more correctly Diccntra spectabilis, commonly known as bleeding heart or Dutchman's breeches, is a hardy perennial which thrives in a sheltered, sunny.site, und in a light, dry soil with ample leaf mould in it. They produco a mass of fern-like foliage, above which rise the long tapering stwns. from which hang the charming heartshaped flowers of a red and white colour. The leaves and stems are very brittle and easily broken. The same applies to the roots, hence the need of a. light soil. EDGING NEWLY-SOWN LAWNS. When forming a new lawn, probably the most dftficult part is making a good edge. Probably the best method is to procure some turves-, place these round so as to form an edge about a foot wide, found the side of the path or bonier. This is firm and can be kept true, and the sown surface kept within this, it is quite easy to get a good true edge and to keep the loose soil and seed entirely confined to the position where it should be.