IN THE GARDEN

Press, Volume LXIX, Issue 20828, 11 April 1933, Page 5

IN THE GARDEN

WORK FOR THE WEEK. (St'ECIALLY WRITTEN TOP, THK PKBSS.) [By J. T. SINCLAIR.]

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. T.S.S.—Do not lift the few begonias you have growing in the bed until they arc cut down by frost. After this happens, lift them and place them ia pots or boxes with a little soil. You must then place them in some sheltered position, such as a shed, where they will get neither rain nor frost, until they dry off. Linwood—lt is not a good plan to dig in the old vines of tomatoes. This is only courting a repetition of the trouble you had with black spot. Not only that, it also means that if you have had eel-worm in the roots you are infecting the soil in which you have dug the old stems. These plants are best dug up and burnt as soon as the crop is gathered. Amateur—The damage done to your savoys has been caused more by the diamond moth than by aphis, although both have had a hand in it. If the hearts have been destroyed the plants will not do any good, and can be dug up and burnt. Many plots which looked promising three weeks ago are in- a bad plight now. A.G.—The best fruit for a wall facing south is the morello cherry, which does quite well there. Plant this winter. If you want to nlant two. trees they should be planted 10 feet t:part. It is a cooking variety; other fruits are red and white currants and I gooseberries. These should be trained a:-, upright cordons. Naturally the fruit is much later when grown in this aspect, compared with the same kinds grown m a sunny position. CURRENT WORK. All tomato plants growing outdoors will need protection at night, if late fruit is desired. Fruit showing colour can be gathered and laid on a bench in a shed. They will ripen there nicely. Dig up and burn the old plants from which the fruit has been picked. Keep the hoe moving through all growing crops, and, if not already done, thin late sowings of lettuce, turnips, and spinach. Until the soil has had a thorough soaking of rain, these plants must have plenty of moisture. All old stumps of cabbage and cauliflower and pea and bean straw should be cleared off and burnt as soon as the crops are cut or picked. Marrows and pumpkins should be stored at once, or some of these will probably get damaged by hard frost. All fallen leaves from fruit trees should be raked up and burnt. There has been a great amount of insect and other pests this year, and it is only necessary to examine some of the fallen leaves to see the danger of collecting them up and putting them on' the refuse heap. Continue to gather late crops of fruit as these become fit. Less water will be needed in greenhouse and frames. At the same time, when water is needed it must be given in abundance. Water begonias sparingly when they show signs of becoming dormant. Keep the atmosphere as dry as possible where chrysanthemums to carry large blooms are growing.

VEGETABLES. Itoot crops.—These crops are grown largely for the purpose of keeping up a continuous supply of this kind of food over the winter months, and until the next season'? crops are available. This being so, it is necessary to store them well in order to keep them in a fit condition over a long period; in the case of those roots which are easily damaged by frost, greater precautions are necessary in storing than in the case of those of a hardier nature. Beet.—ln lifting for storing, great care needs to be taken in order to avoid injury to the roots, for if they are cut, broken, or they will bleed and loose colour, and will be of little value. For the same reason the leaves must not be cut off at the crown' of the root, but twisted off by hand a little above it. All extra large and mis-shapen roots should be discarded, as they are usually coarse in texture and pale in colour. The roots should then be stored in sand or fine soil, not necessarily dust dry, in some shed or sheltered place outdoors where they will be quite safe from frost, as beetroot' which has been frozen is practically useless. A layer of roots and a layer of sand or soil alternately is the usual method, and they may be built up in the form of a cone by placing each layer of roots in the form of a ring, with the crowns outermost. Outdoors, a layer of straw or old sacks should be placed over the heaps. On a large scale, beet may be stored in the same way as potatoes, and the roots should be lifted before the end of April, for after that the weather may injure them. Carrots.—The storing of carrots is much the same as that of beet, but there is not the same liability to deterioration of the roots from injury in the operation of lifting, although they should be damaged as little as possible. The leaves may be cut off close to the crown, and some recommend that a thin slice Of the crown should also be taken in order to remove the buds which are produced there, and prevent them from growing while the roots are in store. The roots should be lifted on a fine day and allowed to lie a few hours on the ground before storing. They should be lifted about the end of this month, and up to the middle of next month, for if left too long in the ground they deteriorate in quality. Parsnips.—These are very hardy, and unless the ground is wanted otherwise, the roots may be left in

the soU and dug up as they are needed. If the ground is required to be cleared, the roots may be dug up and stored like beetroot and carrots. An easier way is to dig a trench in any odd corner of the garden and set the roots closely in this in their natural position and covered with soil, which should be made moderately firm as each row is put in. Before growth begins, they should be relifted about the middle of August and stored m a heap so as to check growth. Jerusalem artichokes are best left in tm. ground and used as required, but 11 it is necessary to lift them they can be stored like potatoes ma clamp. Potatoes.—These are of course, the main root crop, as they are in use all the year round, and as tne early varieties are not wf*?"* fore November, we have to Keep the late sorts until the early ones are fit for use. Small quantities may be stored in a shed or otnei suitable place where they can be kept safe from frost, but when late, long-keeping kinds in large quantities are to be handled, the clamp or pit is the best method of storage. Small pits may be circular in form, but the usual shape is oblong for large quantities. In the oblong pit the tubers are built like an inverted V, while in a circular pit they are built like a cone. It is seldom that the diameter of the pit exceeds three feet, this being because there is a danger of fermentation when the pit is made wider. The tubers are built up with a slope, the top being at an angle sufficiently flat to prevent the tubers rolling down. The pit should be on ground on which water does not lie, even when excessive rains prevail, and the bed of the pit should be made quite firm, either by beating with the back of the spade, or by treading. After the tubers have been placed in position, a layer of straw—this layer being thick or thin according to the coldness of the district, taut usually about six inches thick—is placed over them, and this is covered with three or four inches of soil. The soil is dug from a trench a couple or so of feet trom the base of the pit. If this trench i is dug completely round the pit; a dry bed for the tubers is assured, especially if an outlet from the trench to lower ground can be arranged. To prevent fermentation and sweating the- pit must be provided with ventilation. This is arranged by leaving "vents" every yard or so along the ridge. The vents are simply wisps of straw sticking out from the apex. Another method consists of a narrow ridge of straw running along the top, but this is not advisable in very wet districts. The soil on the sides should be made both firm and smooth by beating it with the back of the spade. During the next two months digging the main crop will have to be undertaken. The tubers should be lifted in dry weather, bagged up when sufficiently dry, and can be taken to their storage quarters as soon as convenient. If left exposed to the light for any length of time they soon become green. Again if left on the ground overnight there is a danger of their getting frosted, which spoils them completely for food purposes. The following is stated in a North American exchange: "Potatoes keep better in storage if they are kept comparatively warm for the first few days, according to recent findings of the Cornell University Experiment Station. Three years of test have shown that nearly half the losses by rots and much of the water losses are obviated by keeping the temperature at about 65 degrees Fahrenheit, for the first 10 days in storage, but the customary practice is to hold the temperature at 40 degrees Fahrenheit. The reason for the reduction in losses at the higher initial temperature lies in the fact that the thickening and toughening of the skin are hastened. As the greatest losses in weight of stored potatoes are due to losses of water, the thickened skin reduces this loss early in the season. After the first few days of warm temperatures the usual cool temperatures should be maintained."

Potatoes should be carefully examined at the time' of storing in order that no decayed, stabbed, or diseased tubers may find their way into the pit. It is surprising how short a period of time elapses when decay is set up in sound tubers which come in contact with diseased ones. The straw used for covering should be quite clean and dry. Small tubers about the sige of a hen's egg are usually set aside for seed. It does not matter if these become green in colour, as greening is not at all detrimental to seed sets. All tubers smaller than those are usually known as pig potatoes, and are considered valuable as food for the porker. It is thus seen that there is no waste in potatoes, the three grades being valuable, each in its own way. The storing of seed potatoes is nowadays different from what it used to be. The idea is to induce them to produce strong, firm shoots from the "eyes." This is done by laying them out in layers in a cool, airy, well-lighted place where they will be safe from frost. Swedes.—-Where it is necessary to clear the ground, swede turnips can be lifted about the end of May, and after the bulbs have been topped and tailed, they may be stored in a pit the same way as potatoes.