CHILDREN’S CARDEN CIRCLE

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 79, Issue 63, 14 March 1936, Page 13

CHILDREN’S CARDEN CIRCLE

Dear Members, Owing many letters arriving this week I will have to leave a few things such, as weekly talks on diseases” this week. However, next week I hope to have some important news for all members of the C.G.C. so I would like all of you to be sure and see next week’s notes. It is the intention of the C.G.C. committee to endeavour to give the country districts tuition on decoration work. However, more about this next week. We have made a distribution of daffodils this year and I would be pleased to hear from any member wuo assisted with donations or helped in any way with our C.G.C. special show, and I will send along a parcel if none has yet been received —we want every member that helped to feel that they are entitled to some daffodils. Be sure and sign your name when you write. Till next week, Cheri-oh. “CARNATIC.” NEW MEMBERS 844. —Owen Priest, Makirikiri. 845. —Enid Grant, c/o Lismore Station. 846. —May James, Makirikiri. 847. —John Clements, Makirikiri. 848. —Patricia Howell, 28 No. 3 Line. 849. —Shrilei Stewart, 3 Churton St. 850. —Jean Congrieve, Churton St. LETTERLAND. Gwen, Enid, May, and John. To these four new members from Makirikiri we send a hearty welcome. This district is well represented in our circle. Mrs. Howard will attend to your requirements so we will forward some bulbs to her for your gardens. Patricia Howe. —A hearty welcome to you also Pat. 1 am pleaded to hear you are fond cf gardening. Our circle is certainly a very big one. A parcel awaits you at the • ‘ Uarouicle ” Avenue Office. Will you call for it? “ Honeysuckle.”—Your gladioli flowered very late. Evidently you did not plant them till late in December. 1 would suggest planting in early November for your district. Everlasting flowers transplant very freely. I thiffk they must have been attacked with slugs or slaters. Thank you for refunding the jrostage. Thio, was very kind of you. ‘ • Airy-Fairy-Thintle Down. ” —Thank you for the seeds you sent along. 1 have just completed a nice parcel ol bulbs for the members in your district and am forwarding it for distribution, “Syloian Queen.” —Would you cal. to the “Chronicle” Avenue Office foi a parcel. Very pleased to see the interest you are taking in your garden I hear your district is going tu tn very hard to win the chield this year 1 am sure you will do your part faith fully. “Yellow Tulip.’’—A welcome tc letterland again Voilet. It is pleasing to sec the continued interest so members are showing in the district. We hope to have better supervision in the country districts so all country members can Ic-ok forward to an interesting time in the circle. “Golden Daffodil.’’ —Jui-t as keen a? c\er Pauline. This is great you certainly have taken a great interest in your garden. Country members can expect some good news in a week or two. “Dogrose.'"—Well Bruce, it is very pleasing to us here to sec all our members taking such a keen interest. We are going to do a lot for our country members this year co hope this will please you all. “Margreta.”—Congratulations to you. Many of the C.G.C. members are exhibiting in various shows with great success. This is very pleasing. Hope you will try hard at our next show. “Eau-de-Cologne.”—l wat> particularly pleased to hear from you. I will fry and get the bulbs you mentioned. If 1 cannot get the ones you named I will send you two that are far better. Both have ceased to be exhibition varieties though they are still very pretty. Do you know any members in your clan that are still interested in the C.G.C. as 1 have some bulbs to spare. So few in your district write io letterland that 1 do not know who are still interested. “Petal.”—Well Nancy, I hear all the members are keen in your district and looking forward to the first demonstration class. 1 hope you will all be along. “ Aioonflower.” Sorry to hear of your accident and hope you are now quite recovered. I will send the seed mentioned if you send your full address. Will also send the gladioli ' you asked for, but do not plant them until next September or October as they have jutt been lifted. ’‘The Drooping Daffodil.” —You have had quite a big mail from the circle. L hope you will have some nice flowers. Have had some splendid reports of the members in your district. ‘‘Sunset Cloud.” —Yes we will be having the sweet peas and pansies again this year. Have made up a pared of daffodils for your district, and thin has been sent along. “Bonnie Bluebell."—Tour interest in your garden grows more each day. 1 am sending you a special collection of bulbs for the great interest you have shown in the circle. 1 am sure you will be very proud of them when they flower. Jean and Sheila—We have enrolled you as members of our Gardening Circle and have sent your first parcel along. We hope you will enjoy oeing “little gardeners.” “Ragged Kobin.” —If you send along a stamped addrcr-sed envelope for the seeds they will be forwarded immediately. Pleased to hear c-f the success you had with the other seeds. •‘.Mistv Mom.” —Will look into my big box and see what 1 can find for you. 1 am sure there will be something to please you. Mrs. K. H.—Hope to have something definite in a few days about the demonstration classes. Let us know if any more bulbs are required in your district. Audrey and Graeme Cooper. I lease call fcr parcel at ‘ Chronicle” Office. “Golden Lily of Japan.” i’ue members of your district are very keen. J think the first class will be held today fortnight. Hope you can all cum.: along. “Auscie. ’’—Posted the bulb to yc-u to-day, and hope it will please you. Keep the good work going. “White North.”—The preparation is known as camcide. It is very effective for both the white butterfly and diamond moth. The soil was evidently too rich for your nasturtum . Plant in stony poor soil and they wiii flower more profusely. Peas and beans would do to follow ground that has previously produced potatoes. Lime

heavily after digging the potatoes Mustard is very effective for soil infested with worms. Dig in when about two feet high. The mustard when dug in will free the soil of worms. De not leave soil barren except during hard frosts. Wincks ai’o the natural protection to prevent the useful prop cities being washed away. Wc are only too happy to help you with your gardening problems. SPINACH Spinach and silver beet are both valuable because of their immunity from the ravages of the caterpillar of t-iit diamond backed moth, which is sc destructive to cabbages and all that tribe. The taste i'c-r spinach must often be acquired, but when this vegetable becomes appreciated it is decidedly superior to silver beet, being, in fact, one of the most delicious vegetables, Certainly to be thoroughly’ appreciated it should be sent to table in its best form, and here lies the great advantage of hornc-grown spinach. The grower is able to thin out his plants so as io allow room enough for the strongest growth. Thus large succulent leaves are secured, which are gathered separately. When cooked they hav-e no fibre, such as is found in poorly grown stuff. The last -week, in February is a good time to sow spinach for the winter supply. Cooler conditions of soil and atmosphere are near enough to prevent risk of the plant’s bolting off to seed and yet far enough off for sufficient warm weather to give it a good start. It is common to grow the prickly variety for winter use because it is hardier and is grown as “winter spinach.” Gardeners of experience usually grow the round variety. Though known as “summer spinach,” it is quite hardy cuougn for our climate and produceislarger leaves than the winter kind. Spinach requires good soil, moderately manured. Sow in drills 12in. or 15in. apart, and thin the plants to 9in. or lUin. If the soil is dry the seed requires some assistance to cause it to germinate quickly, and if the soil is very dry watering as indicated above should be done. If not assiste in this way the seed would be likely to lie in the dry soil a long time before germinating. It would then be in the same position as if it has been sown later c-r even too late. GRASS GRUB IN LAWNS The activities c-f the grass gruu frequently disfigure the lawn. One means of coping with the problem is to apply arsenate of lead powder at the rate of per square yard of surface. The arsenate of lead is mixed with about twice its volume of mc-ist (not wet) earth or sand and it-, taen broadcast evenly and rubbed well in with the back of a rake. For very large areas the quantity may be reduced to a minimum of half an ounce a square yard. After the arsenate has been down a month give the lawn a good topdressing of manure. In sowing down new lawns on land that is suspected of being grub-infested, it is a good plan to work into the ground before seeding, one and half ounces of arsenate of lead, or three ounces of naphthalene a square yard. Dig well in and do not sow the seed till one month after the application. “If your liver is out of order, all sorts of cumplicatiuns arise,” says a doctor.. There was the bad case of the saxu'dion Ist who played the spots he saw before his eyes and was discharged by the conductor for throwing the whole band into tune. A Welsh plant-breeding expert at Aberystwyth has succeeded in producing a quick-growing grass which will give four good crops of hay a year. Those of us with lawns will be wonderin whether this scientist is a benefactor or just one of those men who couldn’t leave well alone.