DUNEDIN GARDENING CLUB.

Otago Witness, Issue 3862, 20 March 1928, Page 11

DUNEDIN GARDENING CLUB.

The Gardening Club met on Tuesday evening, wheu there was a good attendance of members and others interested in bulb culture. Mr HollingwortO presided over the meeting. The subject for the meeting was “ Bulb Diseases,” and it was treated by Mr H. J. Trevcna, who dealt with his rabject in a very thorough manner, using the microscope and quotations from the latest literature on the subject to illustrate the various points of interest. In dealing with the dreaded pest, eelworm, he exhibited specimens, and explained its life habits, as far as they were known. Owing to its minuteness and easy transmission from place to place, and its deadly attack on bulbs, this worm was one of the most difficult to deal with. One diseas'd bulb was sufficient to pollute a whole garden. It did not confine its attack !o bulbs alone, as several of the herbaceous plants were not immune from it. As far as investigations had gone there was ouly one known cure. It had been found that large bulbs immersed in hot water at llOdeg (equal temperature) for -three hours were freed of the w jrms in them, and the vitality of the bulbs was not reduced to any great extent. Smaller sized bulbs required a shorter period of immersion. Care had to be taken that a steady temperature . was maintained, as 112tleg was fatal to the bulb, and under lOSdeg would not kill the eelwarms.

Several questions were asked and answered at the close of the address. A hearty vote of thanks to the lecturer, on the motion of Mr A. M'Carthy, was carried. Sir M'Carthy spoke of the great extent of damage done to narcissusgrowers by the eelworm, and urged members to use every endeavour to combat the pest. There was a large display of nowers oi show chief amongst the exhibitors were Sir E. A. Hamel and Mr Tait and Miss Robertson (begonia blooms), Sir J. Roy, one of our native or-bids— Earina autumnalis and Clethra A’.borea), Mrs Morris, Sirs Anderson, and Sirs Blair (cut flowers), Sir J. Fleming (dahlias and zinnias and specimens of tne apple, cucumber), Sir I. W. M'lntyre (sea holly and African marigolds), Mr A. P. M'Carthy (seven varieties of Moubretia), Sir Guy Pickard (asters), Sirs Sinton (sweet peas).