GARDENING NOTES.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 14 November 1924, Page 6

GARDENING NOTES.

(By Waratah.) Irrigation.—At the time of writing the soil is getting very dry near the surface, and it will be necessary to supply water to seedlings and shallowrooted plants unless rain falls soon. When watering it' is most important that the ground should be thoroughly soaked; it does more harm than good to only sprinkle the surface. If the soil is thoroughly soaked once a week the roots of the plants will be encouraged to go deep down in the soil out of reach of hot sun and drying winds. The best time t-a apply water is in the early morning before the sun is too strong, and the next best in the evening after six o’clock. To conserve the moisture in the soil after watering the surface should be thoroughly hoed as soon as it is in a suitable condition, or the soil will c-ake and crack. When in this sLate evaporation is rapid; the finer the surface soil is the less rapid will be the evaporation of moisture. In places where water is scarce and it is not possible to apply it in dry weather, the moisture in the soil may be conserved by covering the surface soil to a depth of two inches with well-rotted manure —leaf-mould or grass cuttings from the lawn. If a sufficient supply of these materials is- not available, evaporation may be retarded by keeping tire surface soil in as fine a condition as. possible. FLOWER 1 GARDEN. Gladioli bulbs may still be planted. Plant six inches deep in rich soil in a sunny position. Stake carnation® and other plants needing support before they begin to fall about. Dahlias may now' be pi anted out. Leave a basin-like hollow round each, plant to facilitate watering, and put in a stout stake at time of planting to tie the main stem to. Tub e rou s - rooted begonias may now be planted in the open. Sow.--sweet peas for late flowering. Sow hardy and half-hardy annuals. Sow biennials and perennials in seed beds in drills 9in apart. Thin out seedlings as. soon as they can he handled, to 3 inches apart. Shade the seed beds during the hottest portion of the. day with calico or scrim. Plant out rooted runners of violets 9in apart in rich, firm, soil, rows to be 12iu apart. VEGETABLE GARDEN. Potato Blight.—This disease has made its appearance much earlier than usual this season, and the writer has noticed- several patches ol potatoes already badly affected. Early and second early crops are hot usually attacked, as the blight rarely makes an appearance until the time they have reached maturity. The disease spreads with great rapidity in warm moist -weather, and if no steps are taken to check it, the. crop will be seriously affected. The disease can be controlled by efficient spraying with Bordeaux pow-der, winch is prepared ready for use and has only to be made into a solution by adding water- ai; the rate of ten gallons to. each pound. A little water should first be added to the powder to make it into a thin paste, and the rest of the water added. For spraying on a large scale, it is better to make the mixture as required, using 4ibs of sulphate of copper (bluestone), 41b s of fresh burnt lime (the lime must be fresh or the foliage will he seriously damaged) to each 40 gallons of water. The Sulphate of copper should he first dis' solved by placing it in a piece of scrim or strong, muslin- and suspending it by means or a pi&ce of string attached, to a stick laid across the top of. the utensil used, (which must he made of w r ood), : so that it is immersed to half its ! depth in the water, as it dissolves ■; more quickly when in contact with air. i Make the lime solution in another Wooden Vessel and pour the tw-o solutions simultaneously into a third w-qod-en vessel. These directions may seem to cause a. lot of trouble in making the mixture, but it is the only way to make it chemically correct and efficient. Use a, spray pump with as fine a spray as possible, and cover the whole of the stems and foliage, underneath a-s well as on top, with lie solution. Spray a second time a fortnight after the first spraying, and if the -weather is favourable to the spread of the fungus it will he necessary to -spray again. Tomatoes.—lf tomato plants are growing near potatoes affected by blight,, they are liable to he attacked and should be sprayed with the Bordeaux mixture mentioned above as a precautionary measure, as the disease is far more easily prevented than it can be cured. Plant celery in trenches 9 inches deep. Work in decayed manure or garden refuse in the soil at bottom of trench, trenches to he one foot wide for single rows or l.Sin wide for double row's; plants, to be 9in. apart. Sow runner beans and French and butter beans for succession.

Sow r beetroot, carrots and turnips for succession.

Parsley may still be sown. Sow parsnips in ground iree from fresh manure. Sow cucumbers, melons, pumpkins, and squashes. , Protect young plants on cold nights. Sow spinach for succession in a position shaded from sun after mid-day. Sow rhubarb £in. deep in drills 18in apart. Thin out seedlings to loin, apart. Sow cabbage for succession. St. John's pay or Succession are the best for summer use. They are blightresisting kinds, and stand up to dry weather well. Sow radishes, lettuces, mustard, and cress at frequent intervals for use as saiadings. Sow sweet corn 2in. deep in drills 4ft. apart; thin seedlings out to lOin. Use the space between the drills to grow lettuces, spinach, cucumbers or pumpkins, which will benefit by the shade provided by the corn plants during hot, sunny days. Pinch out the top of broad beans when oven- two feet in height. These tops may be used as a vegetable, and will be found very palatable. Sow the beans again for succession where necessary.

Sow peas for succession. Sow in shallow trenches, which will facilitate watering in dry weather..

.If not done make a sowing of winter vegetables such as leeks, broccoli, savoy cabbage. Brussels sprouts and ; kale. Po piot have an empty garden in the winter when vegetables are very scarce and dear. The average amateur gardener has more vegetables in summer than can be used, but fails, to make provision for the winter months. WOOLLY APHIS. Apple and pear trees are very much affected with woolly aphis (also known as American blight) this season. The trees affected will display small patches of greyish substance resembling cc-ttou wool, on the bark. This is spun by the aphides under death as a protection. When it is removed the insects, which are dull red in colour, and resemble lice in appearance, may be seen. Where there are only a few trees the best-

plan is to use a solution of “red oil,” 1 part to 10 parts of v-ater, and apply it to each colony of the insects with a stiff brush (a half-worn paint-brush is a very suitable one to use). The solution must be rubbed well into the crevices of the bark under the woolly covering, and must not be allowed to touch the foliage. If a large number of trees are- affected, this method would be too tedious, and the trees should be sprayed with “Black Leaf 40” (a nicotine extract), 1 part to 800 parts of water (a one ounce bottle of “Black-leaf 40” to each five gallons of water), adding 31bs of soft soap to each 100 gallons of w'ater. The spray-pump used must have a. iet sufficiently powerful to penetrate the wooly covering in order to destroy the insects underneath.