Old Ways and New

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22444, 13 June 1936, Page 10 (Supplement)

Old Ways and New

iQOMIL of the principles that govern good gardening have been hrmly ostabhshed for generations and defy interference. for the reason that they are based on sound fundamentals, and have been proved, under scientific test and general practice, to be consistently reliable In these cases, endeavours to find simpler methods of arriving at the desired ends have met With disappointment Instances ot the kind are tamiliar, perhaps none more so than the fact that deep digging or trenching is essential to th«* production ot flowers, fruits and vegetables of first quality JNo one has yet proved by actual results

that produce of equal quality to that grown on well-dug soil can be obtained from a shallow-rooting medium, resting upon harsh undisturbed subsoil It was customary among sweet-pea growers to open deep narrow trenches across plots of undug ground, filling these with an enriched compost, in the beliet that the root run thus provided was ample for the requirements of the sweet peas and saved • labour and material Progressive growers anxious to improve upon their achievements, have satisfied themselves, however that narrow trenches opened in hard ground do not make healthy quarters for plant roots an«' that broad areas, well and deeplj <lug throughout are warmer, sweeter and more fertile, because of their more satisfactory drainage With chrysanthemums it has long been the custom to take cuttings of exhibition kinds an soon as they could

When it Psys to Depart from Precedent

be the object bemp to allow the plant a maximum growing season. This has been so conclusively proved to be the means of accomplishing the desired end that it would be folly to suggest that it is a wrong policy Gardening is, however, no exception to the rule that research and experiment reveal that there is more than one way of securing a desired result. In tho caso under notice is has been definitely proved by some of the most successful growers of exhibition chrysanthemums that blooms of first-class quality can be produced from cuttings struck in September, the plants being frown on the produce one flower each, large numbers of amateur enthusiasts have limited accommodation and facilities for early propagation. Their time

is also limited, and the late striking of cuttings will be a boon to hundreds, if they find themselves able to postpone the propagation until genial spring weather arrives, and can reduce tho labour of cultivation to a period of eight months instead of eleven. Another possibility of alteration from established custom occurs in the treatment of gladioli It has been amply proved that corms planted at a reasonable depth in autumn cannot only survive the average winter in the open ground, but will produce an abundant crop of flowers the second year, a marked difference being recorded in the earliness of the flowers With this in mind, is it unreasonable to suggest that newlv-purchased corms might as well be planted in autumn as in the spring? Earlier and stronger growth, and flowers a fortnight or so in advance of the usual dates might be advantage enough to justify the practice