Have You A Problem?

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 226, 24 September 1938, Page 18 (Supplement)

Have You A Problem?

H. asks : fl> / hare an earth floor which / iri-h to make hard and dustless. Tarring and concret ing arc too c.r/trnsi'r und damping doun is not suit tioh-. lh> aou know of any other tntfh oil? I hrlicrc that in Afrit a they make a mixture of cow dung, ant /nap and sour milk, which. when apptifd three inches thick, make * a good floor, and is used iti houses. .1 ft tuaji not being procurable here, what would be a substitute? Is there any other method requiring less material, as I have a hinge area to eocert

I .To nn? know of anything that would produe<* a dust less earth floor apart from tar. The African method you mention is simil-ir t«» im d in various parts of the world, but without skim milk. It is doubtful if >kim i:iilk is in sufficient supply in Africa t-> he used for this purpose. It is the <<]<l net bod of flooring used in cow byres, efc. it could not be called dustless. especially if it was outside where the weather could act upon it. its chief use being under com r. which is quite a different proposition. The ant heap could he sub stituted with tine soil or clay. Quantities will vary, but must make a stiff plaster which is tinned and parked till it becomes quite hard. <hir forefathers used this' methoii in their houses before the introduction of r.oMrefc, using a mixture of clay and cow dung.

/..til A UAHhF.T asks:—(l) The most suitable tape of laicn grass for planting a steep, narrow slope where a motccr cannot be used. As this bank is in a fairh/ exposed position, facing north. I would like grass that would stand the hot summer sun. (2) The most suitable tupe of laicn grass for plant ing a well drained, shaded site. (3) The best time for planting. (1 > The position is difficult to deal with; probably the only grass that would come tip to your requirements is buffalo grass. To establish this you would have to procure plants, which should not be difficult, as there are plenty about. CJI K°r shaded lawns a mixture of Poa momoralis and I'<>:i trivalis. in about equal proportions. (.",i The best time is as soon as possible. Seed ,-hould be in before the end of September.

F.J.F. (Ilrhnont) asks for the following information :—For curing lemons I tiarr heard of bluc*tnnc, coppcr suJphatc and potash. Which it the bent anil what in the amount required? CJ) II hat in thr best 'pray for black sprit on quinces? I have just sprayed them with 1 in 10 lime sulphur. Is bl-ucstonc and lime sulphur better.» (•;> / thought to put on fioo buckets of lime, i, rn buckets of fowl manure, _lb of iron and some rotten grass. ll 1 11 it he all right to put them on at the same timeT If so, it will save the labour of hoeing them in. The trees are mostly orange, lemon and quince. (1) Curinjr r.f lemons i R not done with any ~f chemicals j;jren. These could nnlj lie us"<l to wash the lemons to sterilise the skin nil.) prevent crowth of mould, etc. iho principle of cui'lng lemons is to store thorn i,, n moist, warm heat, bv which means the lemon loses a lot of its moisture. Tiro outside skin of the lemon toughens and has the feel of chamois leather Ihe colls of the inside white pith close up and practically seal the inside flesh, with the result that a cured lonion will reman, plump without shrivel,'in •'.' r n "r. ti,np „ < 2 > 1 J,,1e sulphur 110 ij? nil riiiht. (3) Do not use fowl manure and lime. if the ground needs Jime. apply it now. Then apply fowl manure a month later. Sulphate of iron you can apply at any time now, but use only ounces, not pounds. It certainly puts !,« " 0 ' , but its actual* value i;»M n ' ! ' n,lro is questionable, and it pronanuro C Tf nor r "1 a f, , ln S iclde than a manure. It can he mixed with lime or Hme U wi' °f applied by itself. To apply 1 me with fowl manure Is wasteful, aa the lime sets free nitrogen, which is the chief component of fowl manure.

E.J.R. —(1) Would you give mc the names of the four xpeeimens—Maori and botanical? (2) "Would picking the tips out of early broad beans ensitrt setting? If not, in a fine brush the only thing f H'r have tried shaking them together veithout sueeesst

(1) (1.) Griselinia littoralis (kapunka) ; (ii.) cannot recognise; (iii.) Knightia excelsa (rewarewa) ; (iv.) Pittosporum eugeiiioides (tarata). (2) Broad beans grow so vigorously, especially in Auckland, that the flowers do not set. Pinching out tlie tops certainly does cause the flowers to set. hut it may he due more to shaking the stems when pinch in? out the tops rather than to the actual topping. The best method to get the flowers to set is to go along the rows about mid-day on fine, sunny days, and give each stem a good shake -not sufficient to damage or break the stem, but as vigorous as possible.