TO CUT A ROSE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 20058, 22 September 1928, Page 5 (Supplement)

TO CUT A ROSE.

Cut a rose with as long a stem as possible. The long stern not only facili tates the arrangement of the flower in the vaso, but helps toward the production of the lator summer rose 3.

TO CORRESPONDENTS. &if.E.Cy.E., Rongotea.—The unhealthy condition .of the Pittosporum eugenioides hodge live years old is evidently duo to soil con ditions. You do no £ state the quality of tlip »oil or whether tho ground around the hedge is cultivated. Digging on each side of olio plants and applying a liberal dress rug of boneflour should put fresh vigour into them. This variety is not suited for & close dwarf hedge, but ia all right for a breakwind or ornamental hedge, where tho pliattts are arranged ample distances aparf and only occasionally clipped. ; 8.W.8., Te Aroha.—Nome of flowering pljxnt is Epacris purpurascens. It ia a New South Wales plant that has become naturalised in some localities hero. W.C.. Avondafe.—Flower to name is C&lendula officinalis prolifera. a proliferous garden form of the common marigold. . S.C.M., Kaitaia.—Tho glueing together of tca-trce branches of the variety Leptospermiii erecoides is caused by a species of leaf roller caterpillar Aa only a small area is affected, take immediate measures and spray the affected trees with a solution of arsenate of lead paste..

C.8., Silverdale.—Woodlice are very troublesome this year. Moth balls broken [ up and placed near their haunts will keep them away. Establishing hedgehogs in your garden would clean up these pests and also slugs and beetles. Out a parsnip into squares and boil in an old pot with a small portion of arsenic in the water: Boi! lons enough to cook the parsnip soft and then placo whore' tho woodlice infest the ground. They soon attack the dainty morsel and pay the penalty with their lives. Great care must be taken with this dangerous poison, but it is a most effective remedy. Woodlice aro partial to horse droppings in a half-dry .state. Placing some in receptacles where they congregate and emptying into boiling water about onco a week and refilling will soon reduce their numbers. M.M., Ayr Street.—Flower to identify belongs to Bignonia vemißta, a native of Brazil, one of the most prouise flowering of tho genua. It is an evergreen. 11 requires a warm northerly asuect and is slow to make a good start, but eventually under favourable conditions attains a large size. Its gorgeous orange-coloured blossoms are borne in great profusion all over the plant. It flowers in tho autumn and continues to do so throughout the winter. This beautiful climbing plant is largely grown in India. The other specimen is Biibergia nutans (drooping). Its graceful drooping greenish yellow flowers aro vory distinct. It is a good plant for pot culture and for growing upon tho rockery. It also la a native of Brazil, the homo of so many of our best dowering plants. t'.A.T.—To propagate hydrangeas and grow them 111 sin. pots to produce one (lower head to each plant: Take of) cuttings of young or partially-ripened ahoota during the summer and insert them singly in srnali pots When well rooted, pot into tin pots and in the spring into the sin. or 6in. flowering poia containing a good rich coinpost of loam and decayed cow manure. When the plants are half-grpwn apply liquid manure about every 10 days and keep them well watored. Hydrangea flowers of some varieties vary in colour, according to soil constituents. To retain the normal pinks and rich pinks, incorporate lime in the soil. For tho normal blues add a small quantity of iron or iron filings in the compost Water ing with alum water has the samo effect. " Acacia." Waihou.—Leaf to identify belongs to the biennial herb Conium maculatum (tho common hemlock), a poisonous plant. It has long been used in medicines " Inquirer " —Phenyl is a crude form of carbolic acid (syn. pheiiel), and 6hould be procured from any of the wholesale druggists. " Novice," Hamilton.—Fresh hen manure contains from 18lb. to 251b. of nitrogen, 121b. to 241 b. of phosphate, and from 6lb. to 12lb. of potash per ton. When allowed to dry in the air its value is about double that of the fresh droppings. It should be kept out of the rain and stored in old sacks or barrels. It will be found to be a valuable garden manure, equal to about four times that of farmyard manure. A dressing of lib to 21b. per square yard is a safe quantity to use. Owing to its hot fermentative nature, it must be used with caution A.K., Remuera.—Jto best method of ex terminating slugs, which have recently been so destructive: Keeping two or three ducks to roam over the garden is the best of all remedies. Trapping, by laying cabbage leaves hero and thero about the garden, is also effective, while little heaps of bran to attract the slugs can also be used. Examine tho traps every morning. KEPO3.