ON THE LAND

Kaipara and Waitemata Echo, 7 February 1918, Page 3

ON THE LAND

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS

(Fromriilie Journal of Agriculture).

DEALING WITH OX-EYE DAISY

H.E.8.—1 have a paddock that the yellow ox-eye daisy has taken almost complete control of. It has been top-dressed with super-phosphatethis-sprihg. Can you suggest a remedy ? The Fields Division—lf the ox-eve daisy has got a hold of the land your best course would be to break up the paddock and cultivate at intervals during the summer months, and re-sow in the autumn with grass-mixture. If breaking up is,very inconvenient keep the weed well fed .down —with sheep particularly. Erad ication can be effected only by breaking up and thoroughly cultivating the land.

GROWING THE TEA-PLANT H.E —Can you tell me whether the tea-plant has been grown or is growing in N.Z, I ajn trying seed of two varieties, but germination seems very slow. The Horticulture Division — Tea-plants (Camellia thea) have been grown in New Zealand for many years, but no attempt has far been made to grow the plant commercially. It is extremely improbable that the leaves would acquire the requisite aroma in our climate. The shrub itself is fairly hardy and will bear a few degrees of frost.

RELATIVE VALUE OF DUNG MANURES B.N. —What are the relative values of horse, sheep, cow, fowl and' pig manure for ordinary vegetable garden use ? The Horticulture Division —It is impossible to definitely state the values of these manures. .The rood the animals live upon has to be reckoned with : thus the manure of stable-fed horses is more valuable than that from grass-fed animals. Cow-manure and pig-manure is valuable for light sandy soil, but acts injuriously on heavy or medium heavy soils by rendering them too' tenacious. Horse-manure is valuable to all soils, as it can be applied in varying conditions. Fowl-manure should be dried and applied in the way of artificial manure, Speaking generally, fowl-manure is the strongest, next pig, then horse, with cow manure last.

PROPAGATING POHUTUKAWA H.W. —Kindly advise me how to propagate the pohutukawa tree : also say whether there are two or more varieties. The Horticulture Division — The pohutukawa belongs to the family Metrasideros. There are a number of species of this family, including the tree commonly known as rata. There is but one pohutukawa—Metrosideros .tomentosa, also known as Auckland rata. The tree can be propagated by cuttings. To do this, side shoots 4in. or sin. long are taken with a heel of the old woood. The cuttings are placed close together in boxes of soil with lin. depth of sand on top. Water well, and place in a semishaded position. The time to take the cuttings is April or May and they take nearly a year to root. The best way to propagate is by seed, which is fine as dust. Sow in autumn or early spring in boxes of sandy soil. Cover the seeds very lightly with fine soil. The young plants will be fit for transplanting into small pots or other boxes the following autumn.