Gardening Notes

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 48, 25 August 1923, Page 19

Gardening Notes

(By "Experience.")

THE VEGETABLE GARDEN,

Wet weather is,still causing delay in sowing and planting. .There is, however, the advantage that days are lengthening, and the sun is gaining power. A few bright days will make a' great change. Where the. soil is well drained and deeply trenched, and not overloaded with humus, whether it be stable manure or decayed humus of any kind, the soil, though it may be unworkable, does riot really become very wet, because unless the sqil is clayey the surplus water drains away. Stable manure and decayed humus hold water like so many sponges, and.keep the soil wet and cold. Fur this reason it is always best to bow arid plant for early crops on clean soil, using artificial fertilisers where necessary. A plot that last season produced a good crop of peas, cabbages, cauliflowers, or celery, and for which stable manure was used, will this season, without further manuring, produce a good crop of any of the root vegetables. Celery ground, because of the deep working in making the trenches, is the best possible place to grow parsnips. If, however, the previous crops were grown by the use of artificials, and these were, as they should be, used in moderate quantities, some fertiliser should be used for the root crops, superphosphate being of the greatest imtiort'ance, and blood manure or blood and bone unsuitable. Scot is useful for crops that have to make a good deal of green growth; also for onions and leeks. Soot is best'kept for v few weeks before applying it to crops, and only moderate quantities should be used. One application of about seven pounds per square rod is sufficient for a crop. 'It should be stated that the .remarks about.manure and humus making the soil cold are not applicable ! to the sandy soils of the various bays. The methods suitable for such soils are the reverse to those wanted for ordinary soils, where exposure to sun and air in the early part of the season will do more good than any manure, or any other means that can be devised. I ' FRUIT TREES.

Planting should he finished during the "next two or three weeks; the trees begin to grow early-in next month." The operation of transplanting reduces the roots, and this loss of roots, together with the disturbance of .lifting, destroys the balance between root and top. The top_ must be correspondingly reduced or satisfactory growth will not result If ths shoots are not severely shortened very little growth will be made, and the consequential hardening of th» wood, caused by this check to growth, will result m fruit buds being formed instead of wood buds.. When this occurs growth rarely follows- any future pruning; the trees are, in fact, rendered useless. This is a simple statement.of a fact, and should be accepted. Cut every growth back to two or three buds; !then other things being right, good growth may be expected. , .. Treatment for the eradication of insect pests should be undertaken at once. The pests requiring present attention are the mussel scale and woolly aphis In I.many cottage gardens. apple trees are [ badly affected. To a large extent this is became very few have suitable spraying machines, and effective work is impossible with makeshifts. It happens, however, that spraying is not the best means of controlling woolly aphis, as it is impossible for any spray to reach them all. The present position" regarding wopllyaphis is that the/only insects now alive are the breeding mothers, and these are sheltering in the rough excrescences previous insecte have caused The best way/to deal, with them is to paint these rough places" with spraying oil, using for the purpose a small halfworn pajnt brush. Very little oil should be used, not much more than a damp brush. Employ some force, so as' to thoroughly damp-the places treated. If the I work is carefully done, the whole of the aphis will be killed.. The brush, holding a little oil, may be passed over parts that are infested with scale, and they also will be killed. This method is. of course, not Bui'/.ble for use in large orchards. Spraying with red spraying oil, 1 in 17, is the usual" remedy in such places, increasing the strength to 1 in 10 where tjie Infection is bad. Peach trees break early, into growth, and they will very soon require spraying for leaf-curl. This is a disease that frequently destroys ■ crops when spraying is neglected, yet ■there is no other disease so easily controlled—control is, m fact, certain. .The trees should •be sprayed, just as the buds are breaking, with Bordeaux mixture, as follows: Bluestone 13oz, lime lOoz, water 4 gallons. This is the formula, 8, 6, 40, used in orchards. .

, CARNATIONS. "'' ' .', August is usually considered to be the month to plant carnations. When » speciality is made of these plants, they should be giyin a plot to themselves. The preparation of the.-.-plot has been dealt with in earlier notes. Good drainage and deep trenching are essential. A fair amount of^stable manure should be ■worked into the lower spit. It should be deep enough'in the ground to enable planting 'to be done without the roots coming in contadt with, yet near enough to the surface for the new roots to quickly reach it. Failing stable manure, vegetable mould , may be dug if.to the top spit, unless thY soil already contains humus in sufficient quantity. The amount need not be great. It is always best to roughly prepare the plot a good while before planting time; then, by keeping th c surface free of weeds, and loosening it tip occasionally, the soil settles and sweetens. Very "firm soil is best, and the" measures to take to secure it depends on its character. A medium heavy loam i"b best;- if it contains a fair amount of sanu, so much the batter. Before planting tread the-surface firm, so firm that the operator's feet will not sink in it. If -the soil i 6 stiff the treading would cause it to set, and to prevent this, give a coat of sand^ eld lime rubbish; burnt earth, or-a mixture of alf Road sand must not be used unless it comes from where there is very little motor traffic. After treading firm giv ? a dressing of bone-dust—2oz per square yard. To plant, open a. hole deep enough to allow the bottom grass j to rest on the surface of the soil, press the soil firmly-against the roots* and finish by lightly raking the surface. The time of planting can be extended into the forepart of next, month, but it should be remembered that:the plants early show a sudden acceleration of growth; they should be planted before this:occurß. * GLADIOLI. j _The large-flowered gladioli should be planted within; the next two or three weeks. The bulbs should be planted to a depth of from four to six inches, according to, their size. Soil prepared as advised for carnations, but without the treading, will suit them. Plant in clumps or lines as desired. All that is necessary is'to keep the bulbs three or tour inches apart. Readers are referred to trade catalogues for varieties. Liliums will be among the things mentioned in the next notes. _ . * V OLD MANURE: v Old, or very old, manure is a material frequently mentioned; because it nag-many uses. It seems necessary jto explain \vh»t ia meant by old nunui-e, »b questions have been tsked. The inn-

terial usually meant is stable manure at least one year old, two years old being better., But it is not merely that. If the manure has been properly prepared: and used as a hotbed,: it will mak» better material-than if just left' in a heap. This -shall be explained in ill* near future. Any amateur* gardener, eaii make, good use of a frame on a hotbed;' taking good value out of the -heat of," the manure, and having the. use of the manure afterwards. To prepare the ■' manure it should be thoroughly shaken over, so'as to remove all tangles in the straw, thrown into a compact neap, ad left till vapour rises from it: then turn it again. The heap: should be turned at least four times, taking nearly a fortnight. , This will be referred to again next week.