THE GARDEN

Evening Star, Issue 18093, 7 October 1922, Page 14

THE GARDEN

Work lor the Week. Our contributor, a well-known gardener, will be glad to answer questions, which must be received not later than Tuesday of each week. VEGETABLES. : Fine weather affords splendid opportunities for tho destruction of weeds, which will bo showing in great number. The hoe and rake ore not only good for this but of great value _ tn stirring tho soil about young growing crops. Tills loosening of tiro surface soil is most beneficial in more ways than ono —it ■ sweetens tho soil, admits fresh air, and -tends to {retain moisture in the ground. It is a good practice to run the hoe through the surface soil after heavy rains, though, of course, not until it is ‘ sufficiently dry to enable one to get about without the soil sticking to the feet. Early-planted cabbage will benefit by a little soil being drawn up about them. - Earth up potatoes as they appear. The main crop sorts should be got in at the earliest convenience. If tio.'groimd is dry and has been well worked - it is well to ; dibble the sets in whole, thus. yielding food for the young shoots until'they can find for themselves; though drawing drills to place the sets in is preferable on stiff soili, as it leaves the soil more free for the young‘"roots to_wcrk in. • Carrots for tho main crop should bo sown. The intembdiato kinds are preferable for this sowing. Early-sown snort hom varieties will bo making rapid growth" now, ahd should have a moderate or partly itblnipng'whilst they arc quite small. ' , -;V . 1 Sow. onions if. more.are Required. Sow a small;quantity 1 for drawing young. '*■ Leaks fpr tW main crop are usually sown about giowlSn beds of rich soil and. transplanted in Vrenches as soon as they are strong enMuhl ■ Peas for late' crops may bo sown any time , now.. The tail-growing varieties are best for tjjfs sowing, providing stakes are :procurable! 'ibp their {support; otherwise it is better td’rely OH, the dwarf kinds. 1 ■ Bow Fxb&Cif and runner beans, the latter ; ii\ doublq drills fiin'to 7in apart and 6ft ,between-thg.drills. .The,object of double i drills iVtMtHha Vines 'come into direct contaqtnWith the',Jong stakes that are driven "in foiil.theirisupport. From. 4in to 6ia apart foriHbb ;beans is close enough. -French .best sown in single drills, the seeds 4in to-6in ' a;*iwt&e to grow them too thickly. ; ■■Sow spinach'; The round variety is best for this sowing.' , , i,.Tho first early-sown celery saould. be neatly, iPady'for pricking out singly into boxes ipr rinall lbeds and protecting. _A 1 goodLpt'mf os to I ,place 4iu to 6in of nen soil Upon a fiat, hard surface, where the ' plants; calf to tended and watered. The objeCT'bfftihatd bottom is that in it they ' root.htore'.compactly and may he cut out in little blocks &nd transplanted. Celery ;should‘have no severe checks for want of water,, 6r_-ifc is’euro ‘to am to seed in the 'summer?- ‘ ' A'.,,- v L :i{- the; .vikery. • that have 1 been started off about the fimtVweek; of last 'month should be I pusmng hway freely now, and the work 'of disbudding or rubbing out surplus 1 ghoota must he' attended to. It is not [wise* to defer this too bug. Sometimes 'they show a lot of shoots at ono spur. Tn’''sdbh Casol-rub out all but two of tho* strongest 'and best-placed shoots. Later onp 'when the fruit bunches are well;seen,., and which are the best, reserve 'the'strongest and rub out the rest. Care must, bo) taken not to be in too great a hurry -in getting each shoot tied out to the wires,' or they may {break right, out at the base; therefore it-is well to have two strings to the how in case of a mishap, THo -danger is not only tho loss of the shoots Tor the. season if they break off, but'" that 1 tho spur will most likely die for want of a How of sap, which would he a serious and permanent loss. Keep.a moist atmosphere by giving tho inside border or surface soil or manure frequent waterings; The moisture arising from the" manure stimulates the leal growth 1 ; Ventilate only from tho top for the present, and that-only on hot days. Avoid cold draughts or chill. This is one“of the worst causes of mildew later ° n ‘ THE TOMATO-HOUSE. Avoid giving too much moisture to tomatoes. Keep them rather on the dry side, or they may damp off. I have seen

several go this way already, particularly in indicated' houses. With heat they are not so liable to damp off; yet'.it is a mistake even in such houses to give too much moisture, for if the plants escape damping they generally grow up soft. The Hung is to have them sturdy, not soft—they"'"ill give a. better return of fruit and of much better quality. Give plenty of fresh air on warm days, Lot no bottom ventilation for some time vet. Keep an eye on and remove .all side shoots as they appear, and keep the stems securely lied to stakes.

FLOWERS,

Ply the hoc and rake freely on all flower beds and borders to keep down weeds and give a tidy appearance. Lawns and pleasure grounds should be kept regularly mown, with an occasional rolling. Daisies, dandelions, Capo weeds, and such should he kept down and nob allowed to seed. Lift 'them out by the root. A daisy-lifter is the best and surest way of getting rid of them. But a little soil into each bole with a pinch of lawn grass seed. This will soon improve the general appearance. Keep grass verges regularly clipped and gravel walks hoed and raked and, if necessary, rolled. Plant*out pansies, violas, polyanthus, carnations, antirrhinums, and such like hardy perennials and others. ANSWERS. “ H.A.X.”—The best advice I can give vou for vonr friend in Auckland,'or people of any other place, is to trench the ground two spades deep. Being clay sub-soil is all (tho more reason why. it should bo deeply worked, partioulaiiy'as it is to grow fruit trees as well as vegetables. Tho way to do it is to open out a trench, fay, 18in to 2ft wide at one end, across tho strip to be worked, and wheel the top spit of soil to the other end for filling up at the finish. Then dig up the bottom of the. trench another spade s depth. Upon' this, if possible, place a dressing of manure. Then mark off another trenchof the same width; dig the top spit over into the first one, and) dig up tho bottom ns before. Repeat to tho finish. If it is grass land very little manure will ho required, excepting a little artificial manure worked in on the surface, though, of course, animal manure is always beneficial. Trenching is a somewhat slow' method, but will more than compensate for the extra trouble. Once trenched, ground will last for many years with tho usual cultivation. ' “ Sxmnyside.”—The Japanese plum tree branch forwarded is badly affected with black aphis, unite different from the grub found in the piece of wood forwarded in a glass tube, which is a species of borer or wood grub. Cut off all dead pieces of wood you can find, and spray tho tree as I previously advised. Tho black aphis is doing voiir tree tho most barm. “R..T.V.” —I feel satisfied that the putting on'of tho black silt from tho sewers on or around your polyanthus plants has been tho means of them going into the slate described'. Getting such a check would naturally make them weak and subject to tho attacks of the green fly. Scrape the black silt away from your plants at once, place a little fresh soil about them, and spray with 2oz brown soft soap in one gallon of hot water, and add a dessertspoonful of nicoticide. This should clear the green aphis from tho plants.* You cm’ do nothing more, as the mischief is done. You have apparently treated them well previously to get such good plants.

WART DISEASE IN POTATOES.

The wart disease of potatoes, which lias been known in Great Britain for the last sixty years, Ims spread gradually until it has'been recorded from every county except Suffolk and Cornwall. The Midlands, the North-western counties, and Wales are badly infected'. Scotland has a considerable amount in tho South, but the Northern counties appear to be free. Ireland is free except for _ a small district in the South. The disease is also spreading in Germany, and occurs in Holland, Norway, and Sweden; hut France is said to bo ■free. In 1918 it was discovered in three counties in Eastern Pennsylvania, and has been found in West Virginia. The United States authorities are engaged! in an extensive survey, with, a view to limiting its distribution, and are testing varieties for immunity. Ini spite of stringent precautions taken hy the South African Union, the disease has made an appearance in Natal. So far it has not appeared in Australia (says the '‘Australasian’), and it is to he hoped that it may he kept out. The disease is caused hy a fungus, Synchitrinm endobioticum (Percival), which appears to attack the potato at tho eyes, -which sometimes show onty a group of minute excrescences. As a rule large, wrinkled l , warty protuberances cue formed, which may bo larger than tho original tuber. If attacked at an early stage, tho tuber is converted into a misshapen mass, which soon decays or dries up. In dry seasons it sometimes happens that only the tubers in the immediate vicinity of tho stem are attacked, but when wet conditions prevail the tubers are often completely decayed. When tho infected) tuber rots the spores are released in the soil, where they have been known to reinfect plants after nine years. Tho disease is spread by means of infected seed, and also by feeling diseased tubers to animals, particularly cows and pigs, and may, of course, also be carried by other local means. No cure for tho disease has been found, the ordinary fungicidal remedies being useless, as also was deep cultivation and burial of tho infected surface spit of soil. Plots grassed for six years produced diseased potatoes when again planted. The spores of tho fungus passed through animals unchanged l , and were spread with tho manure. The only satisfactory method of combating the disease is by experimental determination of varieties which are ymmun© from the disease. In England, since 1909, eleven early varieties, twenty-one second) carlies, and thirty-one main-crop varieties have been confirmed as immune, and an order by the Board of Agriculture ju’ohibits the planting of any but immune varieties in infected soils GATHERING SEEDS. As a general rule the amateur should buy- the seeds lie requires from a. reliable seedsman; but most of us oomo occasionally across a specially fino color _or form that would be a sin to destroy without trying to perpetuate it hy means of tho seeds it produces. Many keem gardeners, by careful selection, hybridising, etc., build up a fine strain of some favorite plant, and by saving the seed carefully each season keep and improve tho original stock. All such, of. course, understand! quite well how to go about saving seeds they want; but there must be plenty of movicea who might find much interest and pleasure in gathering enough seeds of a few choice favorites all the plants they are likely to require. In saving mixed colors of any particular flower -the 'finest forms and colors should bo marked while still ini flower, and Beed them saved from theso alone. Samei lands burst' tho pod and scatter tho seeds the moment they mature, while others take a long time to reach that. stage. In th» latter case there is little fear:'of losing the. seeds, So they may bo allowed,.to main on the plants until they are rife. It is quite, ■different with tbbsa’which 1 open quickly. Speaking in a general way, v theso will ripen perfectly if cut while still a little green. A ‘watch should bo kept to see when each .species begins to show signs of. maturing.' Just before tho general' crop of pods is iripo, cut them and lay them.out in a shallow box to allow the! seeds,to complete tho ripening process. They .should he kept in a dry, airy piaca where ind ono will disturb them and where mice cannrit rearin' them.

Aftejr drying _ the eec da well, they can usually bo easily shaken out, ami this should bo don© over a newspaper. Place all the ’good seeds in paper bags, with, the name Witten on the back. Store them in a dry place. Kinds that require close watching to prevent loss' include sohizanthus, nemesia, polyanthus, aquilegia, delphinium, and lupine. The kinds that burst slowly are agrostemma, primula obconica, cineraria, pelargonium, begonia, gloxinia,

cyclamen, fuchsia, etc. The latter group may usually be permitted to ripen on the plants, butt the first-named' should bo cut a little before that stage, and will yet mature quite well. Violas are easily noticed. The seed-pod gradually becomes upright from its position at right angles to the stem. It always docs tlus before bursting, Tho pods of the viola family should be placed in bags or some: closed box, for tho pods, when they burst, scatter the seeds in all directions. If placed in- a shallow box the bulk would be lost, Antirrhinum and pontstemon take a long time to ripen, and must bo cut while green. The whole flower stem should be cut and hung up in a fairly warm place to ripen off. Something should be hung under them to catch the seeds that fall.— 11 Popular Gardening.’ HERBS FOR PROFIT. A PROMISING INDUSTRY. In the Royal Colonial Institute ‘Journal’ the cultivation of profit-yielding plants is discussed by Mrs M. 'Grieve, F.R.H.S. Before the war Britain was largely dependent upon foreign countries for supplies of various essential vegetable products, but with the inevitable cessation of these imports the fact was established that tho Empire is capable' of supplying its own wants. Recognising that if the requirements of tho various trades and professions—doctors, chemists, 'druggists, perfumers, dyers, confectioners, and manufacturers of essential commodities—wore to bo adequately mot, and an industry of herb-growing successfully established, expert knowledge of the business was essential, Mrs Grieve established an 1916, at Tho Whins, Chalfort St. Peter, a medicinal and commercial school and farm. Here many students have been trained to become experts, and to put to practical use the technical knowledge gained. Ordinary gardening knowledge, although valuable, does not supply the important information as to the right time for gathering herbs, drying, and preparation for market. To supply the necessary practical and theoretical work a course extending over twelve months was arranged. This_ industry opens up boundless possibilities (says the ‘Australasian’), for in the various parts of tho Empire all of the plants and herbs of economic value may bo successfully cultivated. Under proper direction, with an organisation for advising what crops are needed, and providing markets for same, a wide field should be open for workers upon the land, besides the extension of important and remunerative manufacturing concerns for dealing with raw materials. Much of the work is comparative! v light, and would doubtless bo suitable for women and for partly disabled ex-service men. It is suggested' that exservice men starting fruit farms could plant out herbs between their trees until they come into bearing. Marjoram, thyme, lavender, and clary (Salvia sclarea), which fetch a largo price for perfumery purposes, and also peppermint could be grown profitably. With the exception of buchu leaves collected from the various species of bavosma, there are few native South African dings employed, but tho amount of buchu collected and yearly exported from tho Cape amounted in 1915 to 150,00011) to Great Britain alone. Snob the importance of the drug that the Forestry Department of the Cape exercises a strict supervision over the collection of tho leaves, special permits being required for its picking and sale. Tho fullest use of the Empire's wide range of soil and climate should bo made. Canada, South Africa, and Australia should bo able to raise their own medicinal and commercial herbs instead of importing from Europe and America. America has supplied us with most of our raw herbal medicine during the past fifty rears:—Podophyllum pe!,latum, wild cherry bark, from Pn.mis serotina; cascara sagrada, from Bhamnus pursbianus; witch hazel, from Hamamehs virginiaria; gelscmium, euonymm, and hvdrastis, from Gelscmium nitidmn, huonvnius atropurpureus, and Hydrastis canadensis respectively. Most of these are already largely grown in, England as ornamental plants, and could bo successfully strewn in Canada and temperate parts ot South Africa and _ Australia, _ and in New Zealand. There is wonderful wealth ot essential oils in Australian trees and shrubs. The order Myrtaceae, which w c 0 widely represented; m our fkna, fur nisbes hundreds of oils for many of which some uso will, doubtless, ultimately be f0 Captain Adcock and Lieutenant Phimer, P both of whom worked for a wMoat The Whins, are the pioneers of the pcifume industry m Australia. They have established their enterprise on an area, of 50 acres by Penang Mountain, Gosford, N ew South Wales. Although begun only two yearn ago, considerable. progress has already been made. The principal object is to treat fruit and vegetable by-products, mainly for essential oils. The ‘Australian Forestry Journal gives a brief' account of this important enterprise. Captain G. J, Adcock, the manfiring director of the company, is a trained chemist, with a good knowledge of practical agriculture and t horticulture. -He operations in a cautions manner, importing small numbers of the best varieties of oil and perfume plants, and closely tested their suitability in propagation under new' conditions. He was soon satisfied that the prospects were excellent as mints, geranium, lavender, and other plants proved quite at home, and their continuous production on a large scale will he an easy matter. In course of time it is hoped that the cultivation of these herbs will be taken up by trio Residents of the district, who might devote areas at their homes to this P m T ose ' “ s numerous cottagers have clone in Southern Europe for many years, where thousands of families have in this way derived incomes sufficient* for their The principal product from the laboratory sd far is lemon oil, which was marketed at 60s, as against; 5s 3d per lb for imported oil. Ten tons of lemons were treated weekly, and it was expected to double the quantity very shortly. His confidently claimed that there is a local market of the value of £200,000 annually, Fino samples of lavender oil have been produced. Japanese mint (Mentha nrvensis, var. rascens) has been g row "- This is somewhat than Mitcham mint, its menthol value being estimated at 80 per cent. The Gosford product is equal to tho best produced in Japan. Tho roses treated are Bose de Mai, the variety principally grown in tho South ot France, and Rose de T Haij (produced bycrossing Rosa Damcscena with General Jacqueminot, with a much longer flowering- period than the Rose de Mai). Gaptain Adcock- mentions Gruss au ieplitz as another variety giving good results. Ihe essential oil of geranium, much used as a substitute for rose oil in lower-priced perfumes, is distilled from various species of pelargonium native to tho Cape. The most important is P. radula, var. roseum, the source of Geranium Eosat ot the Grasse growers. This has also been well established, and is giving good results. Rather poor, sandy-', dry, well-drained, sou, freely exposed to the sun, is found most suitable; if grown .ou,rich, irrigated flats the oil produced is of Inferior quality. For the cultivation of the_ rose the ideal soil ,is rich, heavy loam, with a clay subsoil. All the varieties of heppermint prefer sandy, well-Svatercd soils, such as river flats, although the roots must bo kept drained. Two crops a year/are obtained, and its cultivation may to recommended, because there is always h steady demand for peppermint oil, and it commands a good price. The Mitcham mint is considered the best variety. " Lavender has been largely grown m Australia, but Tittle attention has hitherto been paid to the production of oil. A sample distilled at Gosford was , pronounced by a leading firm;of Sydney chemists to be the very finest oil,.examined by them;being free from the cineol smell of lish lavender oil, and also from the borneol.of tho'French. Tho sample was regarded as ‘ ‘ the nearest thing to the flower, odor yet produced.” There should bo great _ opportunity for tho development of an industry in the growing, of herbs and plants for' essential oils, but before embarking in an extensive venture one would be well advised to be assured of a market for produce, and to regulate the variety grown according to demand and remuneration, arid also to provide for employment, and returns well distributed throughout-the year.