TO CORRESPONDENTS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22250, 26 October 1935, Page 8 (Supplement)

TO CORRESPONDENTS

"Parae,'' Taumarunui.—Winter cress (Barbarea praecox), sometimes called American cress. "Border." Bay of Plenty.—The plant is a herbaceous perennial, Linaria dalmatica, and will make an exoellent plant for the border. The average height is about 2ft., and it flowers for a lengthy period. The flowers are golden yellow, and are shaped like those of the antirrhinum, with twin spurs at the base of the bloom. F.P.E., Epsom.—Bore plenty of holes in the stumps with an auger. Fill them with saltpetre, add a little water, then plug with clay. Leave for a month or two. It is an advantage, when the first lot of saltpetre has disappeared, to add some more with large stumps. To fire the stumps, pour a little kerosene on the top: a small heap of paper lighted will ensure a good start. Thanks for your remarks. ' "Koke," Kaikohe.—The peach aphig is best controlled with an egg-killing "spray in winter. But considerable control can be effected by spraying with nicotine sulphate, two teaspoons per gallon of water, with plenty of soap added to make a good lather. An alternative spray is kerosene emulsion, or white oil. The strength of the solution from soaked tobacco stems varies greatly, and is not as effective as the manufactured preparation. "Panmure Jack."—Helleborus orientalis, a native of Greece, commonly called in the Northern Hemisphere "Lenten Itos«." The white variety is the Christmas Hose of Britain (Helleborus niyer). Verntrnm album is the False Hellebore, and the kind from which the well-known Hellebore Powder is obtained by drying and powdering the roofs. This stomach poison ie now to a large extent superseded by the use of arsenate of lead. "Iris." Remuera.—There is net a better time than the present to move the Iris stvlosa. The shifting may possibly be the best method to adopt, as these plants fail to flower if growing too luxuriantly. If excessive growth i 3 made, reduce the foliage by cutting in half about Marcl. Choose a sunny, dry spot and we that the soil contains plenty of grit. It is a good idea to drop a quantity of coarse sand or road grit in the centre of each clump. "Citrus," North Auckland.—The principal spraying for the control of Ihe verrucosis disease takes place when the main blossom has fallen and the young f;-uits are just visible. There are nearly always a few flowers out on the lemons, and the effect of the epray on open blossoms is to prevent them setting. It is sometimes necessary to sacrific a few for the good of the many. Use Bordeaux mixture, 4-4-40. or the Bordeaux powder, loz. to one gallon of water. The latter is much simpler when a small quantity only is needed. "Anemone," Takapuna.—(l) When the foliage of the anemones and ranunculi has ripened off, the tubers may be lifted, dried and stored in paper bags till next planting season. They may also be left in the ground without injury if the position is not required. The best results are obtained by planting fresh young plants or tubers each season. (2) Lemon seedlings may take- years to fruit, and even then be worthless. It would be best to bud the seedlings with a known good variety. (3) I have no knowledge of a vegetable of that name. K.M.R.. Kswau.—(l) For the black fly on the tree tomatoes, epray with nicotine sulphate, two teaspoons per gallon of water, with plenty of soap added to make n good lather. Spray well on the undersides of the foliage. (2) The best way to treat the grass cuttings is to place them in a pit as they become availnble, covering each lot with a layer of soil. They will make good material for digging in when rotted down. By covering with soil the decayed matter will be drier to use. It will also prevent the fermenting material horn breeding flics.

"Grec-n Ixia."—The small lumps will possibly be the seed pods, and it would be advisable to open them when dry to ascertain if they contain any fertiJo seeds. If no, the Heeds are best sown at once. The volcanic soil and silver sand would be suitable, but if you can obtain a little leaf soil to mix with it, a better compost will result. The game remarks apply to the lachenalia seed. Nearly all of this class of plant hava seed which germinates much more freely if sown as soon as it is ripe. If allowed to &et hard snd dry, germination may take 12 months.

"Anemone," Epsom.—The condition is the anemone rust (Puccinia prunispinosae). There is no cure for the affected plant?, which should bo lifted and destroyed. The spores will be seen on the undersides of the leaves. These cannot affect other anemones, but pass on to plum trees on which the summer and winter spores are formed. These are therefore the originators of the disease, and any plum trees in the vicinity should be examined during the summer, and the spores destroyed by spraying with lime sulphur, 1 in 120. After the fruit is gathered is would be advisable to give a stronger dose of 1 in 60.

"Novice" (Kaikohe).—The wattle bark should be dried before use. This will not take long in sunny weather. Use ljlb. of bark, broken into small pieces, to each gallon of water, and soak for one day. Onethird of this solution is added to one gallon of fresh water and the skins allowed to lie in the weaker solution till tanned through. When the skins are the same colour right through, as can be ascertained by slitting a portion with a small knife, add the re-st of the liquor and leave for another week. The skins can then be taken out and placed in the shade to dry, after being lightly scraped. During the drying process the skina should be well worked by hand to ensure softness.

X.Y.Z., Hauraki.—The cause of the yellow colour of thtf leaves is what is called "chlorosis," duo to general debility of the plant through mineral starvation, usually lack of iron. The remedy is sulphate of iron applied to the soil round the tree. About 40z.. sprinkled round the spread of the branches, 'where it will be dissolved by rain, would be sufficient. Unfortunately, it has been found that trees in some soils cannot obtain the necessary iron, ulthough it may be present in the soil in sufficient quantity. In this cas? the method has proved successful of boring a hole with an auger in the trunk or main limbs and inserting citrate of iron. One-twentieth of an ounce is sufficient for a branch of a diameter of 4in. to 6in.

"Jason," Ponsonby.—Most plants like a fair share of sunlight, but there are some which will thrive in a shady position. If the soil is likely to be impoverished by the roots of the tall hedge, remedial measures should be taken occasionally, by digging a trench along the hedge and cutting the encroaching roots. As the soil is inclined to be sticky, do not attempt to work it when it is wet, or it will become so hard in summer that little can be done with it. The following shrubs would do in the position:— Butcher's Broom, Jlnhonia Acuifolium, Aucuba japor.ica, Laurel, Eucmymu*. Viburnum Tinus, Laburnum, Dogwoods, Forsythia and if some peat or leafmouid can be obtained to put round them, some of the hardy rhododendrons would be successful. Hardy perennial-flowering plants: Aetilbe japonica. Anemone japonic*, Aconitum, Afjuilegiaa, Artemesia lactiflora, Campanula latifoha, lactiflora and persicifolia. Solo-

mon's Seal. Doronicums, Epilobium, Funkias, Lupinus polyphyllus. Tradescantia virginica, hardy "Primulas, Polyanthus and Trollius. By digging out holes and filling with a peaty compost, gome of the lilies, such as L. Henryii, which is better in the shade than in the sun, would do. Among the annuals suitable the following could ho used:—Bellis perernis! Cineraria, Mimulus, Pansies, Violas and Myosotis. Kifob.