SEASONAL WORK

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 8, 9 July 1931, Page 24

SEASONAL WORK

BEGINNING OF GROWTH BULBS ALREADY BLOOMING NOTICE TO READERS. This column is Intended principally far gardeners with small plots, and the aim is to make it as practical and useful as posilble. . Inquiries on any matter of gardening Interest will be welcomed. The rule for correspondence is that all communications must bo accompanied by the name and address of the writer, not for publication, but as a guarantee of good faith. This rule will bo strictly adhered to. This is your column—make use of It. "P.N.lt."—-Hydrangeas should bo pruned as soon as they have flnlshed-flowering, but they may bo cut back now. Remove all weak growths and thin out Hie rest so that tho bush is not overcrowded. Reduce Ois balance by about one-third of tho new growth cutting to a strong eye. To keep the plants pink, add plonty of llmo to tho soil; for blue flowers add sulphate of Iron, abont 3oz to ench bush, aud about lib of alum. You omitted to "sign your letter.- Please remember to observe tho rulo lv future. In this climato tho seasons overlap to a great extent. For instance, ; at tho present time, in sheltered gardens in warm localities chrysanthemums are still in bloom, and at the same time many o£ the spring flows'—anemones, narcissi,' violets, etc—are. blooming well. For this reason it is hard to lay down hard-and : fast rules as to dates for different operations. Seasons, too, vary to a groat extent, and the procedure followed ono year with success would probably prove quite a failure the next year. July is usually considered tho beginning of a new year as far as •Mi-don- operations aro concerned. Many plants aro put out and seeds sown this month. A spell of mild weather such as was experienced last week-end is apt to 1 deceive us into the belief that spring has arrived and summer is fast following on its heels. It is well' to romember, however, that wo invariably got the worst of our winter weather from now on. Bearing this in mind, hardeners should make every .effort to get all work well under way whenever conditions are favourable. - The preparation of tho ground for the main' sowing and planting is the most important work for tho present timo, as upon it depends to a very large degree tho future success of the crops. It is really far .moro important to make tho ground good and rich than to get the crops into it early. In many instances very little is gained by early sowing or planting, as tho ground, not being warmed up, growth is very slow. Quito a number of crops fail altogether if planted before their Hime, cold and damp conditions proving fatal to them. If the soil is either trenched or dug at the present timo plonty of decayed vegetable mattor being incorporated, it will have time to settle down and consolidate before the plants are put out. Many of the failures with seeds and plants might be traced to tho fact that the soil has been too recently worked, with the result that the roots have no adequate hold. . -■ CLEANING UP. ft There is always a lot of cleaning up to bo done at this season of the year.. Spent crops to be removed, tho tops of perennial plants to be cut down, and quite aUot of trimming and pruning. This all occasions a considerable amount of burning, which is not easy while everything is green and wet. However, almost everything which is unsuitable to bury may be burnt with comparatively little trouble if a garden incinerator is used. This can be made quite simply from a large-sized oJ drum. The top and bottom should be cut out and a few bars put across about 6m or Bin from the bottom to form a grating. Some short lengths of old water pipe answers the purpose .quite well. Over the bars place some wire netting. The incinerator should be stood on three bricks to allow tho draught_to get through freely. If a fire is started in one of these home-made incinerators with some dry materials, any ordinary garden refuse will burn, but it 18 best, if much is to bo destroyed, to intersperse it with rose prumngs or other twiggy material to prevent the flic being entirely smothered. I tod, ono of those drums most useful, especially at this time of year, when it is so difficult to keep an ordinary rxibbish fiie burning. The drum is not heavy and may bo moved round to any part of-the Sen which saves * lot of carrying, £& good potat. about it it is possible to burn up the lubbisn without having to have a large vacant plot- the incinerator may bo placed on £ path or anywhere where there is sufficient space "to accommodate it, ioi Sere 'to not suffiiient heat to damage surrounding plants. ,

OVERHAUL OF TOOLS. Another work which should be attended to is tho overhaul of tools, etc.—a wet day job. It is most annoying to be obliged to suspend important work later on to repair some tool. In many instances handles requiro ronewing, all edged tools should bo sharpened and thoroughly cleaned. Work-can bo done botter and with much less labour if the tools are sharp and clean. Anyone Who has attempted to dig with » blunt ■ rusty spade will realise the truth of this. Tho same applies equally to tho Tiush hoes. Wheelbarrows aro all the better for-a coat of paint each year, and some oil on the wheel axles. Hoses very soon decay if allowed to lie about tho ground in all weathers. They should he, carefully rolled up and laid flat on the floor oi a shed.. If hung up they get out of shape. Hoses often require repair, and by using the brass cylinders sold for the purpose any amateur can repair his own hose without trouble. Lawn-mowers require a thorough overhaul before tho spring cutting commences. The machine shouUV be taken to pieces and every part be thoroughly cleaned and oiled. It most casos, whero sharpening is necessary, it is wiser to got the work done by an expert, although most machines can be sharpened fairly easily by anyone who is handy with machinery. In no case should tho blades be touched with a file. This is most important, as it is impossible to sharpen them Sv that tho revolving blades touch tho bottom plato uniformly. - Some carborundum pasto should bo procured and spread on the lawer plate and the blades revolved on ,o xxan, adjusting them by means of tho set screw at tho side as the work proceeds.' It will bo found that in most machines there is a hole on tho outside of the driving wheel into which a piece of wood may be inserted to act as a handle to turn tho blades. When completed the blades should be adjusted so that they will cut. a shept of,paper cleanly. INK DISEASE OF IRIS. The disease known as bulb scab, or more commonly "ink," of Iris reticulata, is one that is fairly easy to recognise on tho dormant bulbs. Its presence may be suspected among plants in the ground if on their appearance in spring gaps are noticed in tho bed. In tho normal growth of healthy plants in suitable soil tho number should iucreaso each year so that any falling off is a subject requiring investigation. This necessitates lifting the bulbs when _h£ te* yellowed °ff care-

fully examining them. It has beoh' recommended that the bulbs should be lifted and replanted in fresh soil every two years. Bulbs affected with ink disease aro soon recognised by the inkyblack stains on tho reticulated outer skins. This is the result of attack by a fungus .identified by Massu as Mys trosporum adustum. The black maiks on the outer sheath or skin may vaiv from small spots to large patches in volving almost tho whole area of the skin. The trouble gradually spreads, and travelling inwards will attack and destroy the bulb itself. At first, small lesions having raised margins and bhek centres appear, but severely aff( ctcd bulbs are blackened over a largo part, if not all of their surfaco area. Such bulbs shrink in size and the outside becomes hard. If the disease is pie sont, all bulbs bearing tho above symptoms should be picked out. The soveie ly affected ones—i.e., those <«with the bulb itself badly attacked —should bo burnt immediately. Slightly affected ones should be treated with formalin For this purpose they must bo allowed to dry and then soaked for two hours in a weak formalin solution made up of one part commercial formaldehyde to three-hundred parts of water. They aro then allowed to dry off and after wards replanted. As little is known of the way in which this disease suryives,replanting in fresh soil i. advisable, so that small fragments of diseased plants may not bo lying near the bulbs after treatment and subsequent planting " — D. E. Green, M.Sc, Wisby.