GARDENING NOTES.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 5 December 1924, Page 6

GARDENING NOTES.

(By “Waratah.”) MULCHING. At this time of year, when the wea- ; ther is usually very dry, those who J have no water available for garden purposes are faced with the necessity' : of some means of conserving in the • soil the moisture from rains which 1 have fallen earlier in the season. One of the best methods is by means of < mulching, which consists of applying ; to the surface of the soil some material which will prevent excessive evaporation of moisture. When available the 'best material that can be used for the purpose is half-rotted stable manure that ha 6 decayed sufficiently to be easily cut through with a 6pade. Unfortunately this material is getting very difficult to obtain owing to the increasing use of motor-propelled vehicles and the raipd diminution in the number of horses, and when not possible to obtain it recourse must be had to lawn mowings, out grass, spent hops or any other form of vegetable refuse which can be procured. If sufficient material cannot be obtained to cover the soil about the plants in the garden, the next best method of conserving moisture is to keep the top three inches of soil frequently hoed so that it is in ae fine a condition as possible. If this is done before the moisture in the soil has been evaporated the majority of plants in the garden will survive even a very dry summer without sustaining damage. It should be borne in mind that a mulch, whether of vegetable matter or of fine 6oil, is only a preventive of the effects of drought, so that to be effective plants must be mulched before dry weather sets in in earnest. Current Work.—Remove faded flowers from azaleas and rhododendrons to prevent the formation of seed pods. They should also be removed from roses, sweet peas, and in. fact all flowering plants, to prolong the flowering period. As soon as seed formation commences most of the energy of the plants is devoted to it, and they will gradually cease to oroduce flowers. Dahlia roots may still be planted out; only one strong shoot should be allowed to each .tuber planted if flowers of good quality are desired. Put in a strong stake at the time of planting, and keep the main stem tied to it as growth advances. The stems of dahlia plants are -very brittle, and it does not require a great force of wind tobreak them. Dahlias already planted out and growing must have copious supplies of water in dry weather. •Chrysanthemums may still be plant-; ed. .Sow hardy and half-hardy annuals; .for succession. , • :So.w .biennials suoh as wallflowers,! Canterbury bolls, sweet Williams, etc.,; .in a prepared seed bed. Sow; in drills; nine inches apart, and shade the bed' from strong sunshine. Plant out tuberous begonias. Take up bulbs -of tulips, hyacinths and tubers of anemones and ranunculi, 'clean them free from soil, dry •thoroughly and store In a cool, dry place until the autumn. Hoe the flower beds and borders frequently to ;keep down weeds and retard evaporation. Thoroughly water the roots of frees, shrubs, etc., planted •recently. -Shade any seedling plants transplanted in hot, dry weather until they have recovered from the check of I transplanting. I VEGETABLE GARDEN. Sow long-rooted beet for nse in winter and .the turnip-rooted variety at intervals for use during summer and autumn. So.w dwarf French and butter beans for succession. Sow funner beans. Sow main crop and Igte broccoli’.and Savoy cabbage for use in winter. Sow carrots (Early Horn) for succession. Sow lettuce, mustard and cress, and radishes for saladings. Sow turnips for succession. Sow St. John’s Day or Succession cabbage for late summer and autumn use. Garden swede should be sown now. Sow spinach for succession. Sow peas and sugar peas for succession. Salsify may now be sown. Plant out celery in trenches prepared as advised in previous notes. Shade from hot sun- till established, and keep supplied with plenty of water in dry weather. Tie up stems of tomato plants as they advance in growth, and keep the side shoots which appear at the junction of leaf and stem pinched off. fc>pi ay nt intervals of three weeks with Bordeaux mixture as a against the attacks of the various fun;ga»- dl , seases which affect this plant. 1 inch off the growing points of peas, as so°u as the plants are well covered an bloom by checking the upward •growth the energy of the plants is diverted to the formation of pod 6, and the peas will be ready for use much, sooner -than if the plants were allowed .to grow at wjH. Such subjects as lettuces, beans peas and spinach should now be sown in shallow trenches; it will then he much easier to keep the roots supplied with water, and when the plants attain maturity the earth can be placed back in the trench, and will protect the roots from the effects of strong sunshine. & CHAMPION DAFFODILS. AUDIT OF 1924 SHOWS. ■. . ~^ ie appended audit of champion blooms at various bulb shows held in the Dominion in 1924 has been compiled by Mr W. Simpson, of Nelson, in the belief that it will be of great interest to all daffodil growers.. The compiler has had to depend on the reports oi' shows as they have appeared in the daily newspapers, and in a great many cases the name of the exhibitor of a champion bloom has been given but not the name of the variety gaining the honour. The list, therefore, for this reason, is not as complete as could have been wished. Had the names of champion blooms been published in all cases the list would have been very greatly extended, for a. large number or show reports were: perused in which the information sought for was not given. The outstanding feature of the audit is the remarkable success of the old variety, Lord Roberts, which figured as champion at no fewer than lb shows. The next best records are those of Renown and Great War ley, each of which won three 'championships. Then followed Michael, Victory, Felspar, Macebearer, and Yellow Poppy, each with two championships. The list of championship winners is as follows: Auckland—Renown. Atawhai (Nelson) —Trumpet, Mrs. H. J. Veitch cup, Michael Angelo. Blenheim—'Michael. Christchurch —Seedling. Eltham—Leontes. Hunterville — Trumpet, Volunteer; other than trumpet, Victory. Hutt—Trumpet, Lord Roberts; other than trumpet, Sirdar. Invereargil I—Seed1 —Seed ling. Inglewood—Weardale Perfection. Kaponga—Orange Warley. Kaitangata—'Best trumpet, Lord Roberts; best incomp. Croesus; best

Barrii, lied Beacon ; best Leedsii, Felspar ; best poeticus, Cassandra. Marton—Open class: Trumpet, Lord Koberts; other than trumpet, Macebearer. Amateur: Trumpet, Lord Rbbcrts; other than trumpet, Miss Wilmott. Mo tuck a—Lord Roberts. Nelson-Trumpet, Michael; cup, Victory ; red cup, Lady Amhurst. Palmerston North—Trumpet, Renown ; cup, Poppy. Palmerston, and Waihemo—TrumpetLord Roberts; incomp. Robespierre. Leedsii, Hypatia; Barrii, Queen of Hearts ; Poeticus, Horace. Raetihi —Great War ley. Rakaia—Lord Roberts. San don—Macebearer. Taihape Lord Roberts. Tauranga—Lord Roberts. Ternuka—Trumpet, King Harold ; cup. Great Warley. Timaru—Great Wa.rley. Tokomaru—'Lord Kitchener. Waitara—Lord Roberts. Wakapuaka (Nelson)—Trumpet, Lord Roberts; cup, Tamerlane. Wanganui—Trumpet, Lord Rbberts ; cup. Felspar. Wanganui East—Trumpet, Lord Roberts; cup, Pink ’Un. Wellington—Open class: Trumpet, Moira O’Neill; other than trumpet, Wellington. Amateur class; Trumpet, Renown; other than trumpet, Yellow Poppy*