GARDEN NOTES

Waikato Times, Volume 94, Issue 14770, 8 October 1921, Page 13 (Supplement)

GARDEN NOTES

(By “Nlkau,") "no plant now knew the stock from which it came; He grafts upon the wild the tame," —A. Marvell, SEASONABLE WORK. As for last week. Continue sowing and planting all but very tender vegetables; even these may be sown in small quantity as an experiment. Spray early apples with the first lot of arsenate of lead to check the codlin moth. SPECIAL NOTES. The Wheelbarrow. —Every garden, however unpretentious it may be, is incomplete without a wheelbarrow. If Hie latter is made of wood, it should receive fair attention in wet weather; it should either he stored under cover, or turned upside clown. All soil should be kept out of the crevices, so as to allow the water to drain away. Another point to notice is that the wheel should be broad, otherwise LI will cut too deeply into lawns, paths or beds. Liming.—There ,i$ nothing more likely to improve the soil than the wise application of lime. It should never be done, however, unless the soil is in good condition. The use of lime on unmanured soil is sure to result in making that snii poorer, but the good gardener never allows his soil to become poor. The following are, briefly, the advantages which result from the judicious use of lime:—(I) It sweetens land by combining with the acids produced; this is specially so where land has been continually manured for years, and is thus liable to ho sour: the acids formed by the decomposition of organic matter arc; rendered harmless by combining with eme. (2) It changes unavailable plant fuel into an available form; naturally, if the soil is poor, time soon exhausts it. (3) Lime has an excellent mechanical effect upon all soils, especially those of a heavy nature. If breaks up clay a floccuicnt mass by precipitating it. (4) Lime itself is a plant-food, valuable ancil even necessary to practically all plants. f :>) It is essential to the important work of nitrification, by which nitrogen is placed in an available form in the soil. (6) II possesses important insecticidal and fungicidal properties; thus it reduces the damage dune by slugs, etc., and by

such peeks as club-root among cabbag's.

Parsnips.—lt is now about time to make the main sowing 0/ parsnips lor next winter’s supply. The crop is always a profitable one when grown in a fairly rich, deep soli. It also needs a long season of growth, though perhaps not so long as it is usually given. Fresh stable manure should not be used, as it always tends to inake the roots forked; shallow soil, fbad cultivation, and transplantign also result in forked roots. The seed should never be sown in wet soil or Covered deeply, as it is one of the quickest of alj kinds to rot; To obtain exhibition roots, deep holes may he made with a crowbar, and then filled with loose soli and leaf mould. If three or four seeds are sown over (he top of each hole, the finest of the resulting seedlings may be left, and the ethers removed.- Where rich swamp soli, perhaps upwards of three feet deep, is available, no special measures will be needed to obtain the splendid tapering roots that figure so prominently on the exhibition tables. There is a turnip-rooted variety* that will grow In shallow soils where the ordinary varieties would be failures. Radishes. —To grow' radishes successfully, a good, rich soil is necessary; the crop must be grown quickly, otherwise it becomes stringy and “hot." Any system of cultivation that docs not recognise this fact is worthless. The seeds are usually sown broadcast, as thinning is not then so necessary. Birds are very fond of the seedlings of radish, turnip, cabbage, and the like, but protection can easily be provided by a few strands of black cotton. Slugs also pay unwelcome attention, but they may be kept off by occasional sprinklings of lime or soot. Carnations from Seed. This is a fascinating way of obtaining a good stock of carnations, but only’ when the best seed Is obtained. This may seem expensive, as a 'small packet may cost half-a-crown, but such a sum would not go very far in buying plants. The seed of carnations germinates very quickly and surely, so it should be sown very thinly. A shallow seedbox, no more than 3iin deep, should be well provided with drainage-holes, and then filled with a mixture of sand, good soil and leaf-mould or rotted turf.

A stock of the ordinary Marguerite carnations may easily be vvorked up by sowing seed or by taking pipings. The latter are simply cuttings made from vigorous young shoots, which at present show no signs of flowering, but which would actually flower in the early autumn. These may be torn from the old plant, thus taking with them a “heel” of older wood, or they may be cut across just below a joint. The end should be split up for an inch, as this induces the formation of .(roots. The lower leaves should be removed, while some people also cut back the tip of the shoot; there is really no need, however, for the latter proceeding if sufficient moisture is supplied. Like all cuttings, carnation slips or pipings should be planted in a little trench with a layer of sand one inch thick in the bottom; the surface soil, too, may have plenty of sand added to it, so that frequent waterings will not cake the surface. Tlie cuttings should be kept moist, but not sodden.

Castor Oil Plant (Ricinus). This plant should be much more extensively grown, as its foliage equals that of the finest maples. One variety, Gibsoni, has dark coppery leaves that make it a splendid foliage plant. The fruits also are interesting, being really a kind of bean enclosed in a burr; this splits into three sections, each of which encloses a prettilymarked bean that reminds one of certain kinds of beetles. Though the plant is only half-hardy,' the writer has wintered two healthy specimens without giving them much attention even in the coldest weather. Castor oil plants may be easily raised from seed, and planted out like passion fruit, etc., though they must be protected from 'slugs. The plants are sometimes grown indoors, partly on account of their foliage and partly because they are supposed to keep flies away. Mixed seed may be obtained from all the chief seedsmen, so anyone who desires to grow these beautiful and interesting plants may easily do so.

Watering Plants. —Plants grown In rooms are often ■ made unhealthy through faulty watering. The far too common practice of giving a little each day to the surface of the soil soon makes it sodden, and the upper roots begin to decay. Besides, it often happens that while the upper soil is too wet, that below, where the roots arc, is dry. The correct way to water pot-plants is, first of all, to rap the side of the pot with the knuckles or a short stick. If the plant needs moisture, the resultant sound will bo a clear one; if not, a dull, muffled one. When water is required, the best plan is to immerse Hie pot with its contents wholly in tepid water, and let it remain therein for a quarter of an hour, then lift it out and stand it aside to drain. This plan ensures the thorough moistening of all the soil, the roots and the pot. Fuchsia procumbens. —Though our fuchsias are much inferior in size to those commonly cultivated, there Is one species at least which is worth a place on rockeries or in cool greenhouses. This is the trailing species known as F. procumbens to botanists, and as F. Kirkii to most professional gardeners. Until a few years ago, very little was known about the fruiting of this species, as the pollination of the several varieties of the species shows considerable differences. Kirk thought tiic plant fruited very poorly, but he seems to have been in error. In a recent issue of “Amateur Gardening” there is an excellent illustration of a specimen of F. procumbens crowded with grape-like berries. When in flower, the plant is very beautiful, because of the waxy yellow calyx contrasting with the intense blue of the pollen. Any other colour hut yellow is rare in pollen, and such a bright hue as this has probably some definite though unknown significance. It is of the same colour in the two other New Zealand species, and is also extremely sticky. In a later issue more descriptions of New Zealand plants will be quoted from English papers, to show that several of our plants are more popular in the Homeland than they arc here.

Hoop Potticoat Narcissi (Bulbocodiums). —For the last week or two these quaint little narcissi have been attracting a good deal of attention. Though there are three colours — bright golden, sulphur and white — only the first is at, all common in New Zealand. The (lowers are good for cutting, but they are still more beautiful when left in their proper environment, so that the bright yellow (lowers contrast with the dark green foliage.

Jonquils.—Every year the question arises; What is a jonquil? This flower is frequently confused with polyanthus narcissi, which it somewhat resembles.. It is, however, quite distinct, the flowers being always pure yellow, and though their scent is strong, it is never oppressive, like that of some polyanthus varieties. r l lie flowers of the jonquil are born in twos or threes early in the season. The foliage, too, differs from Ihc polyanthus group in being slenderer and darker. There arc double .p'liquils, but they are not so dainty as the common old ones; Ihc latter are probably the cheapest of all bulbs, so it is not, hard to acquire a large number for to grass.