THE GARDEN

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27259, 9 December 1949, Page 10

THE GARDEN

Contributed by D. TANNOCK. A.H.R.H.&. = . == == ======a===J

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS " Crimson Glory.” Oamaru.—Grass grubs do attack the roots of roses, and it is very probable that they are the cause of the failure of your plants. Dust some horticultural napthaline, or arsenate of lead, round the plants and lightly fork it in.

" Gentian,” Miller’s Flat.—The specimen arrived in bad condition, and I regret that I cannot name it. It looks like a hardy verbena. Gentaina caaulis forms basal rosettes of deep green glossy leaves. The flower stalk is about three inches long. The calyx tube is about half an inch in length, the lobes are about half the length of the tube,, and have sharp points, and are constricted at the base. The corolla lobes are ovate, with sharp points, about two inches in length, and deep blue, with deeper markings within the tube and many spots. It flowers in late spring.

" Cameron,” Berwick.—The name of the plant is Arun Dracunculus, dragon or snake plant. It is a native of South Europe, and has a disagreeable odour. E. R., Mosgiel.—The brown bettle eats the buds of roses, and as the beetles fly at night, you are not likely to see them. Spray with arsenate of lead, half a pound to 33 gallons of water. The splitting of carrots is due to rapid growth during moist, warm weather. There is no advantage in sowing any but a small row of the stump-rooted varieties early in the season. You should sow superphosphate along with the flower seeds at the rate of four ounces to the square yard. To encourage growth after germination dust with blood and bone manure, or water with liquid made by dissolving an ounce of sulphate of ammonia in a gallon of water.

M. 8.. Kaitangata.—You should spray your climbing rose with lime sulphur, one part in 125 of water. This disease is no doubt the cause of the dead branches. For the fly, spray with soapy water, to each gallon of which add a teaspoonful of nicotine sulphate. The green fly will do considerable harm by sucking the juices ouftof the plants. This causes the buds of ramblers to drop. CARROTS

Daucus carotus is found growing wild on the roadsides in England, and the cultivated varieties are most valuable garden vegetables, being in demand in the kitchen all the year round. So valuable is this crop, that during the war the Minister of Agriculture in Britain, asked farmers to grow 30,000 acres of carrots. Its outstanding dietetic value lies in its sugar content in addition to a little starch, pectine, saline matter, malic acid, volatile oil and carotene. A generous quautity of carrots in our diet will give colour to the cheeks, lustre to the eyes and gloss to the hair.

It should be noted that lengthy cooking destroys the vitamin content, and that young carrots are the richest in vitamins, hence the advantage in making frequenl sowings during the growing season to maintain the supply of young roots. Carrots can be grown in most soils, but are most satisfactory in a sandy soil, or one of a peaty nature. They prefer a position which has been well manured for the previous crop, and not one which has been manured with fresh animal manure or compost, which is liable to cause the roots to fork.

Where the soil is a heavy clay, and not suitable for carrots, it is better to grow them in holes made with a crowbar 18 inches deep, three inches wide at the top and tapering to the bottom. These are made at six to nine inches apart in the rows and a foot between the rows The holes should be filled with a good light soil, old potting soil, or that used for growing annuals, with the addition of some beach sand, and a five-inch potful of bone dust and superphosphate to every barrowful of the mixture. When filling in the hole make the soil firm with a slight depression in the top, in which some carrot seeds are sown and covered. Later on the seedlings are thinned out to one at each station, and this carrot should grow down into the soil. This is a lot of work but it is worth while taking some trouble to secure good crops of this valuable vegetable. USEFIfL VARIETIES

For early crops, the stump-rooted varieties Ea'rly Horn or Early Nantes are sown and as the roots are short it is not worth while making holes, but a trench six to eight inches deep can be taken out and filled with the soil mixture recommended for filling the holes, the seed sown in drills an inch deep, covered and firmed. If cloches are available, they are very valuable for hastening germination and sheltering the young seedlings from frost and rough weather for a few weeks in early spring. The seedlings are thinned out to two inches apart as soon as they are large enough to handle conveniently, subsequent thinning being done when the roots are large enough to be of use in the kitchen.

For the main crop in an ordinary garden soil, which should have been double dug or trenched in early winter and left rough on top. forking over is required, and the surface made fine with the iron rake. Drills are drawn with the hoe an inch deep and a foot apart, the seed sown thinly, dusted with superphosphate, covered, and then firmed with the head of the rake. Thinning is done to four to six inches apart, and the summer cultivation consists of frequent hoeing with the scuffle hoe and weeding. To provide young roots in early spring, seed of a stump-rooted variety is sown in March, the seedlings being covered with cloches during the winter. Another method of obtaining fresh young roots in early spring is to make up a mud hotbed with strawy stable manure and leaves in a frame and to cover this with nine inches of a soil mixture, similar to that recommended for filling the holes, but with the addition of some river sand and leaf mould. This is firmed and when a gentle heat has developed the seed of a stump-rooted variety is sown m drills six inches apart. The sashes are then put on and the frame kept fairly close until germination takes place, when air is gradually admitted. The sashes are pulled off altogether during the day when the weather is warm and favourable for growth, and the seedlings are syringed daily in the morning and early afternoon with tepid water. The principal pest which attacks carrots is the greenfly, and it is often undetected until considerable damage has been done. A sure indication of the presence of aphis is the older leaves taking on autumn tints. Spray overhead with warm, soapy water, which has been reinforced with a teaspoonful of nicotine sulphate, once a fortnight, and dusting with derris dust is recommended. CAUSE OF SPLITTING

Splits in carrots vary in size or depth and mav extend from top to bottom, exposing the central core. In some seasons nearly all the roots in a particular crop may split. The reason is that the roots suffer from extreme dryness, after which, when rain comes, the rapid growth causes the prematurely hardened outer layer to crack, and the subsequent growth will increase the split, both in length and depth. No doubt the modern varieties, which have been bred for much flesh and small cores, are very sensitive to extreme drought in certain soils. Excess of nitrogenous fertiliser is also a contributing factor.