GARDEN AND ORCHARD.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19550, 1 February 1927, Page 16

GARDEN AND ORCHARD.

i CULTURE OF ENDIVE.

•A USEFUL SALAD. , 1 r.Y S.T.K. ; 'After the. batch of summer lettuce has i •been used a good supply of endive will l>e much appreciated. This may be i secured quite 'easily with very little ; trouble, provided that reasonable care { and attention is given to the growing 1 crop and that 'lie important rules gov- ( erning its culture are observed. One j of the. most important of these rules is < the blanching, which will be described '' later. This blanching of the leaves is essential in order to bring them into an edible condition. Originally the endive plant was a native of the East Indies. It is of a somewhat tender constitution and the crop is often spoiled by neglectful ior wrong treatment. There is no reason, .however, why this crop should be i neglected, for it demands no more than 1 ;a reasonable amount of attention. More'over, if the following directions concern- « : jnp the culture of endive be adhered to, -.there will be very little, chance of the t •wrong treatment being meted out to tne I •crop. . „ Soil Requirements. a

The soil requirements of <>ulho 1 ° f " fsist of a medium, well-drained loam, •containing copious supplies of I It is not much use attempting g •this crop on poor soil for, if starvect ■iis encouraged to send up seed stalks, and thus become valueless a jege t able anyhow; the flowers, , very attractive, and might be considered ■worthy of cultivation. This is a. second, y -consideration, though, foi the endive •plant is primarily a vegetable. The soil is prepared tor endive by ■working it deeply and enriching ciously with rotten stable ra.m e or •ronmost. Loose, sandy soil does not , 3 to be entirely suitable for endive Sure and if this crop is to be grown thereon, it is advisable to firm the soil (somewhat before sowing or plantmg. A .heavy, retentive soil " also such ■suitable for growing end've and n such S case it is a good plan to toim low, rounded ridges on which to place tho enZf<iop. When this plan is adopted it will be found that the are com-well-urained and the soil in .£mounds «ill be much better smted to produce a good crop. The best time to sow this crop is fiom tho middle of January until the .end o TTpbruarv A very popular variety is the .Batavmn behig particularly tender and ensp The seed may be sown in 6in. dulls in a seeci bed or directly in the P^^ nenfc teis of tho crop. Some gioweis pieiei Jheformer metU »hU= 0 hers ad- ■ cato the latter. Each method has Us merits, and therefore it is loft to the ' grower to decide which system he will ' Endive Seedlings.

When adopting the, former method the cardener will require to be caieiui Sen performing the trau.plant.ng opera■■Hons so that no cheek is given to tne .I°"V plants." Sow the seed thinly because the, seedlings have a spreading Sit, and when in a fit condition, o •transplant each seedling covers an aiea iqidte 2in. square. If the seed should Happen to be sown too thictdy a prc luminary thinning should be made m •order to prevent overcrowding. As •well known it is impossible foi over 'crowded seedlings to gain strength. I ns ■is one cause of the numerous plants that .■are seen possessing large outer leaves and (Such poor hearts. Every plant should be £ig P and compact from the seedling (Stage onwards, for straggly, plants are invariably poorer producers than stuidy the young plants are large enough -thev should be planted out into their .permanent portions. In doing this do ; not forcibly pall the tender seedlings up ■and thereby needlessly mutilate the roots, "ibut ease them by means of a fork, or some •other efficient tool. It is aavisable to -water well 'wth the seed-bed and the igrouiicl oti which the seedling plants are to bo planted out. If this be done the .likelihood of ..the plants being given a ■check is made very remote. Set the plants •out in tdws 15in. apart, allowing lain* t between tho plants. . , _ When the second method is followed the seed is sown thinly in drills loin, apart, A preliminary thinning may also be necessary with this method. In fact it is deemed advisable by wise growers •to make a practice of doing so. _ , .1 he fewer the plants the more rapid is their development. Therefore the writer would advise the grower to thin the plants to say 3in. apart early on in their development, and then, when they are largo enough, thin them to 12in, apart. Producing Tender Endive. In order to produce tender endive it is essential that the plants should not lack moisture during a dry spell or else the stems toughen and they do not lose that toughness afterwards, no matter how favourable the conditions for growth may be. Ail application of liquid manure may also be given at the discretion of the gardener, and tho plants should benefit From such. The space between the rows should' be kept weeded and hoed, but the soil should not be loosened up too much. All this tends to the prouction of big hearts that are crisp and more or less blanched, and having few outer, useless leaves.

As was mentioned previously, it is essential to blanch the stems and leaves in order to make them edible. When ■well-grown and well-blanched endive has a "nutty" flavour. There are several methods of blanching the leaves, and the jgardenef is free to make his choice from :among these. One way which answers •.the purpose, quite well consists of gatherring the leaves together and tying them ;nt the top hi a maimer similar to that in which lettuces are tied, in order to make 'them "heart." In some varieties this : :-method does not answer altogether satisfactorily, however, bub the grower will ! ]have to ascertain for himself, by trial, , which method *is the most efficient for the particular variety. Covering With Pots. The second .method is to tie the leaves raj) as described above- and cover the plant with an inverted pot or box. For the .purpose of tying the. leaves together, wool ior raffia should be used, so that the leaves are not cut through. The pot should be ■,pressed down firmly on the earth so that ■the light cannot enter the interior. For ;a similar reason the hole in the bottom .of the. pot, which will now he 011 the top. :as the pot is inverted, should be blocked up or covered over. Another method of bleaching the leaves consists of earthing the plants tip in a :manner similar to that in which celery is earthed up in order to blanch the stems. 'The leaves of the endive, however, should -first be gathered together and tied in •place. .This ; system of earthing up is ■ practicable only on a dry soil. Otherwise the leaves will rot in vet weather. A fourth, manner in which blanching mav be effected is to cover the plants with straw or hay. But this method is not nearlv as convenient for blanching single, plants as the foregoing are. on account of the fact that it- is difficult to .rover one plant with sufficient straw for •it to blanch effectively without covering its neighbour. . One of the best and perhaps most common wavs of ; blanching is to place n slate or board over the centre of the plant. The leaves are all straightened out from the centre and the piece of_ slate or board is placed on .the plant. Where the soil kof a clayey, retentive nature, the gardener may .have some difficulty in preventing "loss through decay when this method of . blanching is used, owing So the excessive ' rmtusture. It is a good plan, in such .cases, to scrap© away carefully a small .ouanfity of soil si - om the surface immediately underneath the basal leaves. This iran be done without disturbing or damaging the plant in the least, and it will tee d airily jxxnain idrier iand .blanch .better.

In every method of blanching it is of vital importance that the leaves be thoroughly dry when the blanching is commenced. If this rule is not observed the moisture on the leaves is liable to cause them to rot when blanching, which naturally renders them useless. In the. ordinary course of events the process of blanchthe leaves takes three or four weeks. It°must be carried on in such a way as to ensure a succession without any superfluous plants at any time. If there is a superfluity the unused plants are no good for when sufficiently blanched the plants decay if they are not used up. In conclusion it may be stated that two or three sowings of endive may be made at intervals of about three weeks, although one sowing will probably suffice for the average garden. growing borecole. A WINTER VEGETABLE, Borecole, or kale, as it is also called, is a most useful crop for the purpose of providing winter "greens." It is perhaps the hardiest member of the cabbage family ami will»withstand the most severe winter that is likely to be experienced in this country. leather thaiii harming the plants frost improves them for culinary use. In the matter of soil requirements also kale shows great hardiness for it will produce a good crop on very poor soil. Although it is not particular in this respect, it thrives best on a good loam; and good results are also obtained from a well-tilled clay soil. To prepare the soil for the kale crop work under some decayed stable manure, but do not. enrich the ground to too great an extent, at least not before the planting takes place. The seed is sown about the end of October and the beginning of November, and the plants will bo ready for setting out in January. One small sowing will be sufficient for the average garden. A variety which the gardener should find will give good results is Sutton's A 1 or curled Scotch kale. The seed is sown in the seed bed in drills 9in. apart. The seedlings should be thinned out if necessary to prevent overcrowding before the plants are put out into the permanent plot. The young plants should not b(s allowed to remain in the seed bed after they aro large enough to plant out, for their development is hindered in the seed bed after tney have attained a certain size. A long season of growth is desirable, and, therefore, early planting is advocated.

The plants should bo set out in rows 2ft. apart, and the same distance should be allowed between the plants in each •row. Tha planting Out should preferably be donD during showery weather, but the plants will make a rapid recovery in dry weather with only a slight watering. This is but another way in which borecole exhibits its great hardiness. It requires little attention throughout its development beyond hoeing and weeding. An application of liquid manure might bo given to advantage once or twice during the growing season. If a dry spell should be prolonged an application of water may be advisable. Sometimes the gardener' desires to have a supply of kale for spring use, besides the lot grown for autumn and _ winter supplies. In a case such as this it is necessary to malio a later planting, and, in order to prevent the plants from being ready before they are desired to be, the ground should not be made as rich as for the main crop. Even then there is a likelihood of the crop "bolting" and being ready before time if the winter is mild and the conditions therefore more favourable for the growth of the plants. If the stumps are left in the ground after the main head is cut, numerous side shoots will arise and provide & further supply of kale. ROUTINE GARDEN WORK. THE SUMMER SEASON. The spell of dry weather which has been experienced for some weeks now is still prolonged; and although the present indications are for a change, yet there is no guarantee that there will be any rain or more than a sprinkling of moisture, which, of course, is of very little value. The moisture conserved in the soil has been slowly draining away, until in many cases the supplies have been taxed heavily. Quite a number of gardeners have had to resort to artificial watering in order to keep theif crops supplied with sufficient moisture. It should be borne in mind that, to make the most of these waterings, the surface of the soil should be loosened up when it dries sufficiently, in order to prevent the surface from forming a crust, and thereby permitting evaporation to go on unchecked. Another factor is connection with the moisture supplies of the soil is the control of weeds. These plants, as is known by most gardeners, transpire a considerable quantity of moisture, which is thus lost to the crop. Therefore if the gardener is wise he will see that there are none of these undesirable plants in his garden. A final sowing of French beans may be made now, but it is advisable to let this be the last, as a further later sowing is not altogether* satisfactory. It is a much better plan to rely on the runner beans from now on. These are now coming in abundantly, and must be kept pulled, in order to prolong their productive period. This also applies to the dwarf beans, although to a lesser degree. Now, at this time, when the potato crop is lifted, it is a good idea to sow the plot, if not required for another vegetable crop, with some crop to be dug under as green manure. In this way the ground may be put in good "heart" for. the ensuing spring cropping. For this purpose the gardener has a good choice of crops. Oats are often sown, and are quite good, as vhey also "clean up" the plot, i.e., they smother weeds to a large extent. Lupins are also a very good green manure crop. Tares and vetches are likewise use- ! ful.

■ THE FRUIT SECTION. CURRENT ORCHARD WORK. The prolonged hot, dvv weather is having the effect of ripening the fruit crops off rapidly, and harvesting operations should be kept in hand. The harvest _of nectarines has commenced, and the ripe fruits must bo pulled before they drop and bruise or else they will develop brown rot in the bruised area. Other fruits may develop brown rot while they are. quite firm, .and these must be destroyed as they are useless. The spraying, pruning, and other operations should be continued and performed carefully. To combat the leaf-roller caterpillar a spraying of arsenate of lead, lib. in 70 gals, of wafer, should be given, and for this it is essential to use a highpiessure nozzle on the sprayer, so that the spray penetrates to where the caterpillar is rolled tip in the leaf. If the spray be applied sn a mist it is not very effective. A look-out should be kept for the appearance of the leaf-hopper of the apple. These insects, in the larval stage, collect along the midrib of the leaf on the under surface. They vary in colour from a pale g.reen to a yellow tinge. It is a comparatively easy matter to control this j'p-t beiore it passes into the adult stags, but when this occurs it is almost impossible to take control measures. An application of Black Leaf 40 is used to combat this pest. Grape vines are now being weighted cl< wn considerably by the crop. The" sun-pwt-a should be overhauled and strengthened where necessary, so that there will be little chance of the vines collapsing u?! th , e Ave! § ht , and being damaged " iiero shoots with bunches for a second crop develop these should he pinched' at the .next deaf jpast .the .second JjuucU,