WHEN THINGS GO WRONG.

Otago Witness, Issue 3912, 5 March 1929, Page 11

WHEN THINGS GO WRONG.

One of the charms of gardening is its uncertainty, for the undesirable is at times bound to happen, and, when it does, then it is that the genuine gardener pulls himself together and become more han ever determined that he will not be the victim of circumstances, but will, in one manner or another, eventually conquer. Now, as every gardener knows, there are innumerable ways in which things gardening may go wrong. At times it may be that the gardener himself is to blame, at others it may be the weather, occasionally seedsman or florist may be the real culprit, while very frequently it is natural pests that are at the root of the trouble.

When anything is wrong, the first thing, of course, is to discover the cause, and the second to apply the best remedy, or in some cases a palliative, that is possible. In some instances, as in damage by wind or frost, for instance, it is quite easy to detect the cause, but in others, as when a plant refuses to thrive, it may be difficult to tell without going to a considerable amount of trouble in the matter, and yet, unless the cause be discovered, it is quite possible to so treat that more harm than good is done. The weather is usually the most obvious reason for things going wrong, and, so far as is possible, the gardener should ensure against the weather by seeing to drainage, staking, and other protection, supplemented by mulching, watering, and the keeping of the moisture in the ground by shallow surface cultivation, as far as dry weather is concerned.

As a rule, seeds are good, and when they do not come properly the last thing to be done is to blame the seedsman. In very many cases the seeds are attacked by wire-worms, or other insect pests of the soil. A frequent cause is that the germs perish by reason of wet or cold, and gardening beginners at times put in the seed at the wrong season, or it may be too deep or too shallow. Another factor sometimes applies —there are some plants, perfectly hardy eventually, the seeds of which need to be sown under glass. The most obvious natural pest is probably the slug, for both the damage and the delinquent are usually plainly visible. Greenfly and various other smaller pests are also usually to be seen when thoroughly looked for, and caterpillars, even the smaller ones, are not particularly difficult of detection. The enemy being found, attack must be made accordingly. There are many ways of dealing with slugs, but in any case such are best supplemented by hand picking, and this line is, too, helpful in the case of caterpillars. With the smaller pests there is nothing better than the popular one, that of spraying. In dealing with dressings and sprays of every kind that are being used against pests, always be careful to follow instructions implicitly, and to do the work thoroughly. With respect to matters going wrong, when no above-ground reason for the happening can be discovered, the best plan is to lift a plant and examine the roots; this will frequently disclose the reason by the presence or indication of one or other of the soil pests. Just what remedy should be then applied depends upon what is disclosed, but in every case no harm can be, and much good may be, accomplished by stimulating growth as much as possible, for healthy vigour will frequently bring a plant successfully through a host of enemies. The plant that hangs fire is the plant most likely to succumb. Apart from parasites, however, plants are subject to a host of diseases, though, fortunately, as a general thing, these are not much to the fore in a wellmanaged garden. As with parasitic pests, it is the vigorous plants that best resist disease, but when once disease appears, endeavour should be promptly made to find out for certain just what such disease is, and next the most up-to-date method of treatment should be followed until completely stamped out. Also see whether it is to be found in neighbouring gardens; if so, try to rouse interest about it.

No one can entirely prevent things going wrong, but constant vigilance and prompt treatment may' save serious trouble;