ENDIVE.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXIV, Issue 940, 9 December 1933, Page 23 (Supplement)

ENDIVE.

SPLENDID SALAD PLANTS. Endive forms a splendid salad plant, which is as wholesome and palatable as lettuce. There are two kinds of endive, namely, the broad-leaved and the curled, and both require light, deeply-worked, sandy coil, which must be well drained and liberally manured. The seed should be thinly sown in drills Ift or so apart, the seedlings being thinned out or transplanted 10in apart. Water the seedlings during dry weather, and also see that

the plants do not lack moisture at any time during growth. The plants ought to be blanched when the hearts are a fair size, but it is important to commence blanching only during dry weather. The foliage of the broadleaved endive should be drawn together and tied at the top, as shown at A herewith, while the curled varieties must be covered with pieces of wood or slate, as at B, or even inverted plates, as at C. Another method is to cover the plants with inverted pots or suitable wooden boxes, as shown at D and E respectively. A nicely-blanched leaf of curled endive is shown at F.

TABLE DECORATION. I have often asked myself, and I am sure you have, why a certain tabic decoration, or a basket, or a vase, at a flower show has been awarded a prize in preference to others which have made a more personal appeal. In awarding points to a horse or a log. or even a baby, we have certain definite lines to guide us, but, as regards floral decorations, every judge has his own standards of valuation, particularly when it comes to colour blending. What one person calls execrable taste may appeal strongly to another, and wliat the more robust may term “potty” may appear aesthetically beautiful and right to an artist. This being so it may not greatly concern us what an individual judge looks for in awarding points, but it seems to me that Mr. Bolton, in judging at the Penge show, has given some excellent general advice, worthy of careful consideration by all competitors in floral classes. “You need constantly to impress it upon people that what we look for every time is lightness of display and the flowers arranged in proportion. For example, one should be able to look right through the centre piece. Exhibitors should attend more to arrangement and not try to put so much in.” This last warning is, I think, particularly needed. Many table decorations are so crowded that any attempt to dine at a table so decorated would be sheer agony. There was one beautiful orchid table at the Southport Show, consisting of a large centre piece, four vases of slightly less in size, and six ‘or eight small receptacles, the whole interlaced with trails of foliage. The orchids were fresh and of first rate quality, the individual vases faultlessly arranged, and as a display of orchids it was really grand. But tlie competitor had completely overlooked the fact that the competition was for a dinner table arrangement, not an orchid display, with the result that, in all. probability he (or she) was sorely disappointed at so worthy an effort being passed unrewarded.—“ Garden Work.” DWARF BEANS. The dwarf bean requires a warm, welldrained, moderately light soil, and pays for generous culture. It is best, if possible, to dig and manure in the winter, and apply plenty of stable manure on heavy soil, pig or cow manure on light soils. A good place to sow is between the celery trenches. If the ridges run north and south the soil will soon become thoroughly warmed by the sun and the plants will be found to thrive much better than when grown in the ordinary way. Beans should be sown in drills, 2in deep on heavy soil, 3in on light, and if the seed can be relied upon they may be dropped Sin apart. During s, prolonged drought it is advisable to steep the seeds in water for a few hours before sowing. One of the host varieties is Canadian Wonder. It bears fine, large pods, and is excellent for exhibition or general culture. Ne Plus Ultra is an enormous cropper, very early, and has a splendid flavour. The stringless buttei bean is a very prolific plant, yielding large pods entirely free from strings. CANTERBURY BELLS, In order that they should flower well, Canterbury bells ought to be sown outdoors some time in December. It is well to sow early rather than late, because it gives the plants time to got strong, and they can be put in their flowering positions by March. If sowing lias to be delayed until January it is best done in boxes in a cold frame to hasten germination and growth. The ground should be dug and raked to a fine tilth, then a furrow drawn about half ail inch deep. After the seeds have been dropped into the furrow thinly, draw the soil over them with the back of the rake and lightly pat it down. If they are sown in a line and marked with a. peg there can be no difficulty in knowing where they arc. When the seedlings are lin high they should be transplanted into lines 12in apart and 4in between the plants. A sunny situation should be chosen, especially for the final shift into flowering quarters.

STRIPED ROSES. Mention was made recently in the “ Star ” of a novelty rose with striped flowers, raised by a well-known Melbourne rosarian. Knowing the grower responsible for its introduction, it Is safe to bank on the rose being worthy of notice. It has originated as a sport or freak branch, and been perpetuated by budding; and the novelty of its colouring, pink and white, will doubtless be appreciated. It is, of course, not the first striped rose by any means, as there are at least three roses with parti-coloured blooms that have been in existence for many years, Roger Lambelin, 11. P., was popular years ago,, but is now not often seen. It is a dark maroon, flat open blooms, c-ach tipped with white in a curiously attractive way. Rainbow, H.T., a sport of Papa Gontier, has pink flowers striped with crimson, while another rose in popular demand years ago was the single damask, called York and Lancaster, after the fact that this variety, in its red and white stripes, combined the colours of the two old English feudal parties. They say there is nothing new under the sun, but evolution and development are ever striving to improve on the past, and most likely in this case will prove they have done so.