MISCELLANEOUS. FUMIGATING FRUIT.

Otago Witness, Issue 2317, 28 July 1898, Page 8

MISCELLANEOUS. FUMIGATING FRUIT.

Since the Brisbane Contereuce, tie chcmi&fc of the New South Wales Agricultural department has been engaged carrying out expesimtnts in iunv'gating acale-afftcteti fruit, with various eubstanccs, and has iound, so far, I hat fumigation with hydrocyanic acid g*s (prosaic acid) ia qui'e efficacious in deel/oySiig rca'.e without causing the fmii, to be dangerous in any way. This procfS3 has been piovcd also afc'lue'Capo oi' Gocd Hope to answer satisfactorily ia the (reitment of fruit. Mr Sydney Pmitb, the New South Wales Minister for .Agriculture, has decided lo parmio of the treatment of fruit for txport by this process. Holies musb be sent to the department when the fruit, is ready, and an inspector will htUnd ?r,d furnish a certificate after he U satisfied thai; proper fumigation has been camod out. It may bo explained that hydrocyanic acid gas is the same thing ac pnusic acid, and it is one of the most; deadly poisons known tc science. Fortunately, it ia very volatile, and eoneequently, while effective in destroying insect pesis on ftuifc, it doe 3 not appear to render the fruit dangerous for human consumiitiop, f.s the gaa fccon passes away. The work of fumigation, however, would be attended with great danger if strict precautions are not observed to prevent inhalation o? the fumes.

WATERING HOU.SE TLXSTZ.

lam satibfiecl that not one pcr £ on in 20 is aware tliat 100 much water is. more dangerous to tho plants than too little. Some gardeners seem to have the idea that to take a wateringpot in hand to supply the needs of plants is an easy duty, and that to givo a clash here and to'^oalc the soil there i- all that is needed. One thing is to be observed : All plants under all chcuinslancot!, and indeed tho same plants vr.ider different civciim'-Uu.eci, do not require tho same amount of water. It is nece-.&ary. therefore, to fehuV tlio naluro and "habits of kincU, feo that each may be Ucatod according to its needs. A li^orous blooming plant, say a fuchsia or pelargonium, might be said to represent the maximum need of water ; the same when in a slato of rest, in cool, damp weather, the minimum requirement a* to this. Therefore, to give exactly the same quantity of water in both conditions named would be to cause harm by not giving' enough water to some and too much to others. One safe rule is to wait until Iho ball of earth begins to get rather dry, and then to give enough water to moisten the coil through and through. Then do not water again until he former slato of drynecS is readied, be that time six hours or six days. — Vick's Magazine.

ZONAL PELARGONIUMS IN' WINTER,

Elsewhere- than at Swanley, where a splendid bhow of zonal pelargoniums is a standing attraction, I have nowhere seen such a truly beautiful display of these tender flowers as Mr Salter has produced at Woodhatch. For plants in 6in pots and for splendour of bloom the house of these there now really represents a triumph of culture. No wonder visitors, gardeners or othorwise, on looking into the .«pan house where these beautiful plants are aro amazed at the wondrously rich and lustrous colouration seen. There are white, pink, salmon, carmine, magenta, rose, scarlet, crimson, and other shades, the trusses large, and pips of the finest. It is, all the same, very e.vsy to have- such a show of zonal pelargoniums, for cuttings taken from the old plants aro put in in early spring, rooted, grown on, finally get into 6in pots, being firmly potted with a good, comgosti gtood, outdoors jn tha

sunshine, kept pinched and watered, then let come away and house in early autumn. — A. D., in the Journal of Horticulture,

simußS in ro-is.

For the decoration of balconies, porches, lobbies, and entrance halls, at any season, but more [mrtieul.u ly during the autumn and winter, nothing can surpass (he employment of a lew good evergreen shrubs for that purpose. Visitors to London and other groat cities mutt have been lavourably impressed with the specimens u^ed to embellish the entrances to suing ol tho largo holels, restaurants, ami cafes during the past summer. In such (losi lions flowering |>/a.nU' Arc out of the »|>ii«tiou, siiico. ajKirt funn the f;>< t of their liability to Im stolen, their fnigilo bloonits would bo quito unable to withstand the dry atmosphore, (Inniglils, etc., ini'idental to our crowded citi.ss. Tho foliage of mot.t overgreeii shrubs is, howover, tough and «iry, :\ui\ will withstand \'n« vicissitudes of a town atmosphere better (h.in flowers. Moreover Use plants are noi so liable to be broken by person.-- pushing to and fv ■. ami so altogether nre infimtoly better than {lowering, or, imlcod, ordiir.uy tender folu\»o plants would be. Tho kinds usually grown nre commonly called conile.rs. Cnpressm Lawsonian.j represents one of tha beat of them Tl-e others are: Tliuia Ivobbi. Thuia occidentiiiis amea, }3ioUi oriontalis aure:», Retino.-pora plumcis.i. and Thuiopsis dolobriUA. The three are likely to gne th» most satishicLion. The^fo may be obtained from lft I" bfl or 6ft in height. Of oilier e\ergreen shrubs worth growing, Awulu japonicu, euonymus, green a;id vcuiegateti, and bos am noteworthy for their dwarf habit and adapt u bility for growing in Avindow boxes or on win clow sills.

Plants of any of tho foregoing- can i.c obtained of any florists already plaeetl in pots. Those, however. \\ho have tho pots and mould may purchasa tho plants from :i nurseryman in the autumn, and put them in pots themselves. Provide good drainage, usu clean pots, and ram tho soil down firmly in the pots.

Tho «geuoral manaqjeiiKMit of shrubs in pots consists of keeping tho ."nil moderately moist. During autumn and winter wutor will not be required oftener than once in ton days, and then it should bo applied liberally. l)o not adopt tho evil practice of giving a little every day, this renders tho soil sour and kills the roots. J'Jvery now and then 'syringe the foliago with water to removo dust, etc. In sove.ro veather surround the pot witlc matting to prevent th« frust freezin« the soil and aplittiEig iJio [>!it after >■. ar<ls —" T<i\sn Garclenei," in Amateur tlnrdoiiing.

'iWO ItU>M>KKD TONS- Ot SEKH FOX IXPI \

It will be rememborcil that this large quantity of seeds was ordered from Me»-";rs Carter and Co. by the Government ot India la 1 -*, winter, with Ilia idea v! ameliorating the distress in districts threatened with famine. Tho firm ha-* recently inspected sumo trials madw v.'it.li foamples. of bced from the various parrels s-hipped t'> India m tucn ground? at 7\lnrfclake, tlio wliolo showing rc-^uhss that were comsidcrcd imv»t satibftvrtory Bir t^cor^o B-.rd wood. K.C.I.Tv. ol tho inchan Oflico. wsus pro sent, and expressed his approval of all h« s:tw.

J KHUSAI.KM AKTIOHOAKS.

The Jerusalem artichoke is a vegetable we!' known in largp gardens, but rarely grown in .small ones. Small growor* look on it as too choice a subject t<i Im grown profitably or cooked acoepL.tt;lj. J-Jotli assumption* ara wrong. It is as easily grown as v potato, gmw as great, a return, and is quito as easily cookwl and almost as niuuli relished on the talila it. lifts often been suggcMevl a? » substitute for that, intjispenssablc roc>t \\\wu much deslrov«.l I>y dibwisa, an<) th« idea cjiiilc approprinto. The Jerusalem arliclmLe has it very btronjr Siinflfavw-like sf wn. It grov. sa« high sv 6ft. or 6ft. Th« rooL-> are tubeious, of irregnl:tv form and about tho sizo of medium potat' '(=••». It will grovr in any kind of soil and in all pnrt.s of tho country. The* grown! should bo moderately manured before planting, and. ■wliilo rows may be kept 2fl apart, tho sel.s iicod nut be farther from each othoi* in t'io rows tl>;vn Ift. It is a winter vegetable, and is. mo^t acceptable in severe weather or after that, when all green ,stufl l>a? been dc^lroyCM.l. as it L absolutely hardy, and if thawed in cookingit would still be as> good i\* ever. Then: w:i3 a little f'])inpse variety inlroduc«d not li,ng ago, but it is no inipnnomenl on tho old sort. Neither i? ibe v. hite-ruott»cl Kuul, and the old one only should be grown.