PORTULACAS.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXVI, Issue 20483, 8 December 1934, Page 32 (Supplement)

PORTULACAS.

A DRY WEATHER PLANT. At the end of this month the opportunity should be seized for sowing portu>icas in the open. These brilliant little flowers revel in dry and sunny weather; there are few plants which will more enjoy such conditions. Seed should be sown in sandy soil, and if possible on a raised border. Excellent effect© are also to be obtained by sowing this subject in cracks in stone paving which have been filled with sandy soil, nor should their use for sunny window-boxes be overlooked. Just sufficient water to encourage germination should be allowed and no more. Not the least fascinating feature about portulaca© i© that flowers with widelycontrasting colours occur on the same MULCH RHODODENDRONS. Rhododendrons and azaleas should have a good layer of old manure or leafsoil applied as a miWch to the plants. Although in some 6oils old-established plants will go through a dry season quite safely without any assistance, they are much better if a mulch can be applied. Now that the plants are going

out of flower cut off all the seed pods. Any pruning required should also be done. A spraying with a white oil spray is aleo advisable, as this will control red spider and thrips, the latter the worst enemy that the plants have, especially during summer, and the cause of the rusty foliage so frequently seen on a pla*it that is not growing properly.

THE CONTROL OF RASPBERRY BEETLE. The following article appears in the “Annual Report of tli© Horticultural Superintendent for Norfolk County Council,” and will be of interest to raspberry growers:— Very satisfactory results have been obtained by using Derris Root powder. The weight of crop increased by one ton of fruit on these plots, which is due partly to potash dressing but mainly to absolute control of beetle. The dust was applied at each application to both sides of the rows. The powder enveloped each part of the row in a cloud of dust, and thoroughly covered each part of the canes. A geared hand blower was used for this purpose, and the deposit of the dust was found on every leaf inspected and in all parts of the canes. The dustings were carried out as follows: First Dusting.—May 25, 1933 (November, New Zealand), green bud stage. Second Dusting.—June 6, 1933 (December, New Zealand), just as flowers were opening. Third Dusting.—June 15, 1933 (December, New Zealand), advanced petal fall stage. The first dusting has a pronounced toxic effect, while the second and third dustings caught beetles that had emerged from the soil after the first dusting, and also destroyed any larvae which had come from the beetles that has been missed in the operations. A careful search among the plots revealed a few beetles that had either been missed or were late in emerging, but it was very difficult to find either beetles or larva© after the dusts had been applied. One row of raspberries was left untreated as a control. This row showed an average of 31 per cent clean fruits. On the dusted rows the fruit was 97 per cent clean. All the early pickings on the treated rows were absolutely clean, but towards the end of the season a few larvae appeared in some of the berries. This infestation probably resulted from a few beetles that were‘found, but this lat© infestation is quite contrary to our experience in previous years, as we found on untreated plantations a great reduction in the infested berries at the end of the season, and this actually happened on the control row this year at Burlingham. One cwt of dust per acre | was used for each of the three dustings. The cost of the material for the three dustings was £5 14/. The actual increase in the crop weights on the trial plots was 13J cwt, and selling these at £2 per cwt, the extra receipts came to £27 10/. PRESERVING DWARF BEANS. During the next few weeks the dwarf bean crop will be nearly at its maximum. This bean crop, under good conditions, is most prolific, and it frequently happens that the householder cannot use all that are grown. Since the bean pods rapidly become unfit for th© table, and, furthermore, injure the plant if left ungathered, some plan of preserving the beans for winter use will be acceptable to many gardens. One of the simplest methods of preserving beans is to put them down in salt. A large earthenware crock or a small, wooden tub is the best receptacle. Simply tip and top the beans, which should, of course, not be too old, those suitable for the table being the best. Put down a layer, as few or as many as are available at the time, and cover with salt. The salt ■will dissolve and make a brine, which will keep the beans for several months. As more beans grow, these can be added, together with more salt, until the crop is finished. There is no waste if this is done, the plants are kept in good growing condition, and a valuable vegetable is added to the winter food LOBELIA IN DOTS. Blue flowers are none too plentiful in the greenhouse, and a few pots of lobelia will be appreciated. If lobelia is raised from seed for filling flower beds, th© strongest seedlings should he ©elected, and potted separately in small pots. They will soon cover‘quite a large pot with dark green foliage and deep blue flowers. Use a good compost, with a fair admixture of sand, and give plenty of water when growing.