GARDEN NOTES

Press, Volume LV, Issue 9993, 24 March 1898, Page 2

GARDEN NOTES

"Weekly Press ard Referee."

It is stated in the report of the Agricultural Experiment Station of the University of California that attention has been widely called of late to the desirability of the Camphor tree (Cinnamomum camphora) for growth. in California valleys and foothills either as an ornamental tree or as a possible source of profit for its timber and for the gum and oil which are derived from it by simple distilling processes. The Camphor tree was introduced to California at least twenty-five years ago, and was among the first plants distributed from the University. There is therefore at the present time ample demonstration of the hardness, drouth-re-sistance, and beauty of the tree, and, so far as its growth is concerned, it is an eminently safe tree to plant for ornamental or forest purposes. Concerning profit to be derived from its planting we do not undertake to give assurance. The tree is a handsome, broad-leaved evergreen, attaining' large size and noticeable by the characteristic light green of its foliage. It endures in California a temperature as low as 20° Fahr., acd is probably about as hardy as the Olive. If the above statement is correct, the Camphor tree would live, possibly not thrive well, in the district north of Cbristchurch. In the North Island it would prove a great success, and few trees would be planted which would be more profitable, should it prove to contain even a less amount of the valuable gum than is found in the wood of trees grown in Formosa or Japan.

The Gardeners' Chronicle of January Bth contains the following letter from a Mr Morgan, of Pakekohe, Auckland :—Your issue of September 11th last,: which has just cotfte to hand, contains a paragraph on the subject of Barberry and mildew on Wheat. It seems that in consequence, as it is supposed, of the common Barberry serving as the host-plant of the mildew of corn (Puccinia graminis), the Royal Swedish Agricultural Academy in Stockholm, and other authorities, have requested' the railway directors in Sweden to grab up all the Barberry bushes within a certain distance of corn-fields. Nurserymen, too, are told to notify in their catalogues that Berberis vulgaris should not be planted in the vicinity of arable land. Now, the question arises whether the mildew found on Wheat is the Bame as the mildew to which the Barberry is subject? This is a matter which very

much concerns many districts of New Zealand, as of late years the common Barberry has been planted by millions for hedges. It is admitted to be the best all-round hedgeplant that has been tried in northern districts. But if it is about to prove a nuisance to growers of Wbeat.iufosteringthe development of an injurious parasite, then a great mistake has been made in planting so large au extent of Barberry. The possibility, however, is that the Swedish authorities have made a blunder in regard to the particular mildew. On referring to Stephens's • Book of the Farm,' I find the following statement about mildew on Wheat, a statement that upsets the common notion existing, that the mildew on Barberry is the same species:—'A notion prevails in England that the Barberry bush (Berberis vulgaris) has the power of causing mildew in Wheat, probably from the well-known circumstance that the Barberry itself is very subject to mildew. But the mildew of Barberry is occasioned by the Erysiphe berberidis, whereas the mildew of Wheat arises from a Puccinia, and no possibility exists of transforming the one fungus into the other.' We have thus~two opposite teachings on the subject; and I should be glad to have the opinion of a competent expert as to who is correct—Mr Stephens or the Swedish authorities ; and especially as it is a matter in which the settlers of New Zealand are deeply interested." At the foot of Mr Morgan's letter the editor of the Gardeners , Chronicle appended a note, stating that it is proved beyond dispute that the Wheat mildew is a stage of the iEcidium of the Barberry.

In a succeeding number of the same journal, a letter appeared from the pen of Charles B. Plowright, M.D., perhaps the best living authority on the life history of these minute but highly injurious vegetable pests. Dr. Plowright saya :" It positively makes one feel quite young again to hear any person expressing a doubt about the connection between (Ecidium Berberidis and Puccinia graminis. Mr Morgan speaks of the common Barberry being planted by millions for hedges in many parts of New Zealand. Whether the Barberry plant will act differently in New Zealand to what it doee in Europe, our friends upon the other side of the globe will soon see for themselves. It is just possible, however, that the teleutospoie of the Pucciuia may not germinate so freely with them as they do with us, owing to their " winter " temperature not being sufficiently low. I have tried on two occasions to get the teleutospore of Puccinia graminis from Australia to germinate in England, but I have not succeeded. The first attempt was made nine years ago, when Mr D. Macalpine was good enough to send mc material, but I was quite unsuccessful. Last year he was kind enough to send mc a further supply ; but although I kept the straw out-of-doors during the latter part of last winter and the spring of 1897, I was equally unsuccessful. Iβ it that like the seeds of some of the higher vegetables, the teleutospores require not only a period of rest, bub also an exposure to a certain degree of cold? Perhaps one should not be too positive because of having had two failures, but the point is certainly one worth attention by the numerous practical botanists who are now to be found in all quarters of the globe."

There are two good reasons why the seed of .Tuberous Begonias should be sown early One is because such very small seed always germinates more surely before the sunshine has gained greatly in power, and the other is that unless the plants are raised early in the year they will not have attained a serviceable size at bedding-out time. Most seedsmen now supply reliable strains of Begonias for bedding out. Those with flowers borne on erect steps are rightly preferred, the drooping varieties being better adapted for vases, window boxes, and hanging baskets. If proper precautions are taken every seed should germinate, a small packet yielding 200 or 300 plants, or perhaps more, thus insuring a good display before the summer is far advanced.

Prepare pans, in preference to pots, by carefully draining, covering the crocks with moss, on this placing some coarse soil, • and finish off with about two inches of a very fine mixture of loam, and either leaf soil or peat in equal parts, a little sano with added. The soil used ought to be.perfectly free of worms and insects generally, even if this necessitates well roasting it over a fire Make the surface perfectly level and firm, and then well moisten it either by partly immersing in water or by gentle syringings. This to be done at least six hours prior to sowing the seed. Do not surface over with sand, as the latter does not afford the tiny seedlings, newly germinated, any root-hold, and numbers of them perish accordingly Sow the seeds as carefully 'and thinly as possible, for patches of seedlings are extremely liable to damp off wholesale.

Hotbeds, unless perfectly free of worms, are bad places, though most often selected, for Begonia raising. An upheaval of any kind or souring of the soil is likely to prove fatal to many seedlings, and the safest and best place for the pans are shelves suspended, not far from the glass, in a warm house. Cover them closely with squares of glass and the latter with a good thickness of moss or brown paper. Also protect the pans from sunshine. Never once must the soil in the . pans be allowed to become, dry, nor should they be watered throiigh a can. A short period of dryness would prove fatal to the sprouting seeds, and however gently water may be applied on the surface, the chances are this would have the effect of dislodging and spoiling many of the seeds or tiny seedlings. Whenever the soil is approaching dryness immerse the pans in a bucket or tank of tepid water just deep enough for the moisture to soak upwards without at the time actually reaching the surface. The seeds sometimes germinate in a fortnight or so, the time being largely determined by their age, and directly the tiny seed leaves are detected admit light gradually, and also slightly block up the glasses, taking good care though that no sunshine shall reach the Begonias. By way of a preventive of damping either* wipe or turn the glasses every morning. The seedlings will require to be pricked out long before they are large enough to be picked up with the finger and thumb.

Do not allow the fruits of Vegetable Marrows or Ridga Cucumbers to attain a large size, medium sizes ate best for table use, and seed-bearing immediately checks the production of frnit. Thin out Turnips as early as possible, as there is danger when they are left in a crowded state of the roots bulbing on the surface instead of being covered with the soil which is to form their protection daring winter. Free thinning and frequent hoeing while the ground'is dry is of much assistance to the Turnip crop. < The hosing should follow the thinning as it fill* up the cavities in the' soil and keeps the roots firm. Shorten the tall stems of Jerusalem Artichokes. When about to cle*j off Cabbage beds, which have already been ont over, the following remarks are worthy of consideration :—" 1 consider that a Cabbage bed once cut over has not done half its work aad that the rooting up of the stamps, at that period is altogether wasteful, as there are but few things for which the ground thus clearest is suitable. I grant that a, young Cabbage bed looks better than a sprouting old one, butt this appears to be the only advantage. Th« old bed gives two crops as the result of ono preparation."

Plant Bulbs—plant quickly and as many as possible. 01 all garden flowers no plants are so easy to grow, none which display their varied charms when they are more welcome, none more accommodating for various positions. On the matter of early planting, the Journal of Horticulture writes:—" Of all the varied practioes which people of various tastes and fancies indulge in, surely none is more fallacious than waiting till the spring before procuring bulbs that should be potted and planted in the autumn. Apart from the fact of the best going first in variety, sub stanoe, and quality, even the finest samples deteriorate by being kept unduly long out of the ground. Soft, shrunken, dried, and exhausted bulbs planted too late may or may not flower iv a miserable sorb o! way once. Tens of thousands fail even in this, and those whioh have strength to produce puny stems and attenuated flowerb perish in the attempt, or, in other words, they make no new bulbs for producing flowers in the following season and subsequent years. This is a most important matter where it is desired to establish them permanently in grass or other positions in gardens; and even bulbs which are grown and flowered in pots, if reasonably treated afterwards for the production and maturation of good leaves, are in better condition for outdoor planting in the following autumn than is much of the cheap rubbish by which so many persons are deluded into buying late in the spring." Wβ in New Zealand have the advantage of being able to grow many bulbous plants out of doors which do not succeed, or rarely so, in Britain., The Ixias may be oited as an example of this. Among the Bulbs not often seen, but whioh are worthy of cultivation, attention may be drawn to the Erythroniums or Dog's Tooth Violets, purple, rose, and white, and which have most beautiful foliage. They thrive beat in a peaty, sandy soil, where, if not interfered with, they spread rapidly. The Fritillarias present a great range of form, colour, and size, the largest and probably the handsomest of the group being the well-known Crown Imperial. Once planted the Fritillaries should be left alone, and when necessity compels that they should be lifted, the roots should be treated with the utmost care. They like a rich loamy soil, and should be surrounded with sand when first planted. No garden should be without the late flowering bulbs such as the Montbretias and Gladioli. Writing in the Garden on the subject of Tufted Fansies (and the same remarks will apply to all the members of the Viola group) Mr Burrell, of Claremont, recommends the taking of cuttings at a rather later period than is usually the case. In this country the present time is the equivalent. The use of bur native Cotulas as garden plants to be used in bedding has been long since recommended in these columns, and it now appears probable that these little plants will become well known in Europe. M. Gorrevon, of Geneva, received seed 3 of Cotula Squalida and C. Fyrethrifolia from Mr Cockayne five years ago, and remarks on them as being "nice little composites, which are very hardy. They are quite dwarf creeping, growing exceedingly rapidly, spreading everywhere over the Boil and covering it with their pretty foliage, like a little fern (Asplemumfontanum), although much smaller. The flowers are without interest, but the growth of the plants and their charming foliage gives them value." M. Correvon has also successfully acclimatised one of our Alpine Coprosmas and a species of Corokia, neither of whioh possesses any attractions to the ordinary non-botanical gardener.

Although seeds form a certain way of increasing the stock of tuberous-rooted Begonias, cuttings will strike easily now if made from the short eide-growths, which are of a harder nature than the etrong points, whioh, being very suooulent, are liable to decay. Having made the cuttings, place them to the number of four round the sides of a well-drained 64-pot, filled with light sandy soil. If the pots be plunged in a mild hot-bed, roots will form in the course of a few weeks. Pot-off the cuttings as soon as they have plenty of roots, and keep them growing in an interniediate-house throughout the winter and spring. If bushy plants are desired, the points of the shoots should be nipped off in the early stages. Standards are easily formed by taking ap one strong shoot, and stopping it at the required height. From this forward throughout the winter care is needed not to give Streptocarpi too much root moisture, or the plants are apt to die right out; no more water should be given than is enough to keep the foliage from flagging. The earliest sown batches of herbaceous Calceolarias can now be placed in 6-inch pots, keeping the neck or collar of the plant slightly elevated. 'When well established give occasional waterings with weak liquid manure. Keep-the plants clean and have an nnremiting watch against slags. Young Fuchsias that are rooted should be placed singly in moderate sized pots and kept near the glase. If these plants can be kept steadily growing throughout the winter they will flower early and prove useful decorations. Plants that have been outside daring the summer will need to be removed under shelter, No plants should be housed that are not perfectly clean. The greenhouse should be cleaned for their reception, creepers tied in or regulated, and all insect pests destroyed, •_ ' v*