GARDENING NOTES.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 7 September 1928, Page 8

GARDENING NOTES.

(By “Waratah.”)

LEAFiCURL. Leal'-curl or blister is a very pro-' valent fungoid disease which attacks peach and nectarine trees. Diseased leaves become fleshy and distorted and covered vyit'h a grey bloom, eventually turning black and falling. New leaves are put forth and the effect is to weaken the vitality of the trees, with the result that fruit formed drops off, and in bad eases the trees eventually die. When a branch is once affected the fungus continues ito grow in the tissues and passes into the leaf buds formed each season. Whether a tree is badly attacked or not, depends on the presence of spores that pass the winter in the angle formed between the lpaf buds and the branch, in the scale of the buds, or in minute cracks in the bark. To prevent these spores infecting the. young foliage it' is necessary to spray with a funguidc as soon as the leaf buds 'commence to swell, and again' as soon as the leaf btuTs burst. When the attack in previous years has boon very bad it will ‘be necessary to give another spraying after the fruit has set arid when the first leaves are about half-formed Bordeaux solution is' the best funguidc to use and should be used at the strength of one pound of Bordeaux powder to live gallons of water unti lthc buds have burst and afterwards one pound to ten gallons of water, BLADDER-PLUMS. This disease appears to be becoming more prevalent each season; it, is closely allied to the leaf-curl disease mentioned above and is caused by a minute fungus that lives in the tissues of the young branches. In the. spring just as the trees are beginning to blossom, this fungus extends and enters the ovaries of the flower. It then spreads through the fruit and .prevents the formation of the stone, and instead <)£ developing into normal plums, the fruit becomes deformed and hollow, hard, furrowed, and generally curved and flattened. They eventually dry up and fall from the’ tree. 'ln the earlier stages they appear to be covered •with a grey, felt-like bloom; this is the fruit of the fungus. As the -fungus .penetrates the tissues of the young branches external application of fungicides are not entirely satisfactory in preventing the disease. Trees which’ are not badly diseased should have all the .affected branches cut back a few inches beyond the point where the fungus shows itself, and if the pruning be systematically performed the perennial fungus will be destroyed and the disease eradicated. All prun.iugs and diseased fruit should be raked up and burnt, while all very badly affected tree's should be -..destroyed, as it. is impossible to .cure them, and the infection will spread ,to any other healthy trees in the vicinity. Any affected tree should be sprayed with Bordeaux .mixture (one pound of Bordeaux powder to five gallons of water) before the buds expand, and at intervals of a week afterwards with a solution of one pound to ten gallons of water until the fruit is set. SUMMER SPINACH. This is a vegetable which should find a place in every garden. It is a very valuable article of diet, as it; contains iron in a form easily assimilated, and is especially good for children. To obtain a succession of this vegetable make sowings 'at intervals of two or three weeks from August t'o November. To do well spinach needs rich soil, and the seeds must be sown thinly and the seedlings thinned out as early as possible, or the young plants will bolt to seed. The seeds should 'be s'.own in drills fifteen inches apart, one and a half i ire'll os deep and the plants thinned our to nine inches apart. It is a good plan to grow spinach between rows of peas or beans, which give (protection against Cold winds and. later on from the hot, sun. When the weather becohies hot it is better to grow spinach in shallow trenches (about three inches below the surface), water may then be readily applied just where it is needed;; in ionic rto grow succulent, spinach plenty of water is necessary during p prolonged drought. The grass grub : sometimes attacks the hoots of spinach. When this is the case the plants should - • be watered once a week with a solution 1 ,. 'of nitrate -of soda, one 'ounce to each gallon of water. This will keep the' ;grubs in check ami also increase the. size of the foliage. '' TURNIPS. ; 1 i Turnips come quickly to .maturity, so 1 it is therefore not. .advisable to make a 1 large sowing at any one time. They should be sown at intervals o'f three weeks from .September to the end of < March to ensure a good succession. Tur- j nips should be grown in fairly rich soil . and in .an open sunny position, when 1 grown, in the shade they will run to , leaf and the bulbs will be small. The drills should lie one inch deep ail'd fi'fteen inches apart. 'Sow the seeds thinly j and cover with about 'half ail irieli of ] soil. The .soil should be made firm by ( treading before sowing. When the plants have made about four leaves they should be thinned out, and when ) (his work is done gradually there will q be some small turnips for use. When r finally thinned the plants should be <. six inches apart. ■;

ROUT INK WORK. Finish planting all kinds of trees, shrubs and rose 'bushes. Plant cabbage, cauliflower, lettuce and 'onion plants.. Plant sprouted sets of seed potatoes and place seed potatoes in .boxes to sprout. Clive established asparagus 'beds a dressing of nitrate of soda at the rate •of one ounce per square yard, or in a solution at the rate of one ounce per gallon of water. Sow when weather iconditions are favourable beet, cabbage, cauliflower,carrot, cress, lettuce, mustard, onions peas, parsley, parsnip, radish, silver beet, spinach, turnip. • Sow under glass: Cape gooseberry, celery, -cucumber, melons, tomato and ha'lif-bardy and tender varieties of flowering plants. Sow hardy annual flowering plants it* warm sunny positions. Sow sweet peas.