GARDENING NOTES

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 13, 16 January 1926, Page 17

GARDENING NOTES

(By "Practical.")

INTERESTING QUERIES

BUMBLE BEES AND BROAD

BEANS

HUMBLE BEES AND BROAD

"G.A.H.H." (Lower Hntt).—The mystery as to why flowers sometimes fail to have scent is still unsolved. The loss of scent in musk has been investigated for gome years among horticulturists at Home, but so far without result. As to the lavender you enclosed in your letter, it is not entirely devoid of scent, although it ia certainly rather faint. There may be something in your soil which affects it, but .what it would be I cannot say. How about trying some from a different source^ White heliotrope is not usually so strong scented as the lavender ones, but there should be some perfume. "A.J.H." (Lower Hutt) writes in reference to humble bees destroying broad beans:—"l am quite sure that the trouble is planting too close. If planted one foot apart and three feet between the rows, no trouble will be experienced. This applies to scarlet runners and case-knife beans also." There is no doubt most of us" err on the side of planting too close, and where space is limited this is easily, understood. However, if close planting means loss of the crop there is obviously no economy. The space between the rows may safely be utilised for some root crop or cabbage, lettuce, etc., so that as much may be got from the ground, and with better resnlts. Most authorities advise sowing peas and beans with the rows as far apart as the average height of the variety to be grown. For instance, dwarf peas which attain an average height of 15 or 18 inches may be sown in rows that distance apart, while tall growing varieties which attain a height of three feet should be three feet from row to row. Why the wider spacing should have] any influence on' the bumble bees is another matter, and one which is hard to explain, but we must, in this, as in other matters, be content to accept the experience of other growers, and at least give the matter a trial. Our thanks are due to "A.J.H." for his information, * "J.E.W." (Lyall Bay).—You certainly seem to be having quite a fair chare of trouble with different i pests, but it may be some consolation to know that we all have them, and each season seems to bring along a fresh batch. Regarding ants in the lawn. Ttie little pests may be destroyed in various ways, all of which are more or less troublesome.' (1) Dissolve 2oz of cyanide of potassium to a gallon of water, and, choosing a hot day, pour this into the ants'.nest, and then cover thi nest with in old sack. (2) Mix two'parts of sugar with one part of arsenate of lead powder, and scatter aboutf thVrteßt *nd <irn the track* of the ants. 'Care should be taken to keep these mixtures out of the way of children or domesticated animals, as they are violent poisons. (3) Ants nay be trapped by means of cooked bones, which attract them, and when the bones are covered with ants they may be scaled with boiling water. (4) Camphor dissolved in water and poured into the nests will kill ants. (5) Another Method of trapping is to smear over the inside of a flower pot with honey or treacle,' and invert the pot over the entrance to the nest. The pots may then be lifted, and dropped into a. bucket of boiling water when covered with ants, and the trap reset.

Long-Awaited Bain.

We are still waiting for the muchneeded and long-promised' rain, and gardens, especially invocations where the ground is sandy or very light, are beginning to show the effects of the dry sptfll. In seaside parts lawns are looking particularly burnt up, while many cf the flowers have prematurely run. to seed. At' this season of the year, deep hoeing or forking is an important factor in, maintaining growth. Keeping the soil loosened up to an adequate depth, bo that hard crust cannot form, is most necessary, as rain and air cannot penetrate through a imxH sfust. and growth is therefore retarded.

By regularly removing flowering heads as soon as they are spent, and by keeping the surface soil stirred, plants, may be kept in good healthy condition, although the season is dry. Watering is better postponed until absolutely necessary, and then should be done very thoroughly, soaking the ground to a depth of at least a foot. As so frequently stated in this column, sprinkling the surface is worse that useless, as it draws the fibrous roots of plants to the surface, where they get -burnt up with the hot sun. To water individual plants, it is _ a good plan to make a hole alongside or a depression round the plant, and to fill with water, renewing the 1 application two or three times as tne water soaks in. It is better to thoroughly water a section of the garden than to attempt to get over the whole plot at one time. Rhododendrons and azaleas, being surface rooting, are very liable to suffer during a dry spell, especially newly planted ones, and these should receive a bucket of water, and 'be mulched with any suitable material which will retard evaporation.

Carnations, Dahlias, and Chrysanthe. mums..

Carnation-layering should be proceeded with as opportunity offers. The layers will root more freely while the ground is thoroughly warm, provided a reasonable state of moisture is maintained. Dahlias are coming away quickly now, and should be kept growing by watering about once a week, and when the buds appear liquid manure will help largely to produce first-class blooms. To get large blooms disbudding must be severe, but for ordinary garden display this is not necessary. Where the old clumps were left undisturbed it would benefit the plants 4if the growths were thinned out to 5 or 6J at most, of the strongest and even-ly-spaced shoots. Chrysanthemums should be staked without delay, and where they are I running up too tall without branching, the points may be nipped to make them branch out. The plants must not be allowed to get so dry that they droop, but if the ground is kept cultivated between the rows and around the plants, and some mulching material applied there will not be so much I trouble in keeping them healthy and vigorous. Keep watch for aphis and leaf-roUar caterpillars, and ipray at

the first sign. Black leaf 40 for aphis j and some arsenate of lead may be added for the grubs. Work in the Vegetable Garden. The spell of dry weather has had the effect of retarding the growth of vegetables in localities where the soil is light, and unless means were adopted to keep the plants moist at the roots, either by mulching or watering, many have bolted, Le., run to seed prematurely. Frequent cultivation: between the rows is necessary to keep the surface loose, a condition, which helps materially to prevent evaporation of moisture. < Mulching is also a good practice and if a mulirh. of light material is spread around the roots of growing crops after watering 1, moisture will remain in the ground much, longer. As soon as potatoes are ready they. should be lifted, as, if allowed to remain, frash growth will start as soon as the ground becomes moist. The fresh growth spoils the potatoes and ruins them for keeping purposes. As soon as the tops start to turn yellow the plants are ready to dig. Keep pnmr&ins and marrows in a flourishing condition by freqnent watering during dry weather, and give occasional doses of liquid manure. Nip the leads of these vegetables as aoon as the first fruit has formed. This encourages side-growth apon which most of the fruit is borne. Peg back the growths as necessary to prevent other crops from being smothered.

Tomatoes, although requiring very little moisture in the early stages, require a certain amount as soon as frait starts to form. Very rank growth should -be avoided as this, is liable to contract disease. The plants should be sprayed regularly with Bordeaux mixture es % preventive to blight, which, so f«r, has not been tronblesome in most parts. Damp, humid conditions encourage this scourge. Keep the tomato plants well tied to the stakes and remove all side-

growths,