HORTICULTURE.

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume XL, Issue 3, 20 March 1930, Page 209

HORTICULTURE.

The Tobacco Crop.

Last month’s notes dealing with handling of the late crop have now a special application while the last of the crop is being harvested. The process of curing is a very delicate operation, and great care and attention is required to turn out good leaf at this season of the year. The leaf is very sensitive to changes of temperature and humidity, and adverse conditions quickly spoil its texture, colour, and aroma. Only by the closest attention to detail now may these qualities be obtained and preserved at their best. To leave well-cured leaf exposed to adverse conditions for even a short time results in serious damage. Its bright colour is lost, and a spongy condition of the leaf is acquired. Also the conditions in the bulking-room must be up to requirements, or the finest cured leaf will be spoiled. A wooden floor that is damp through being near the ground and unventilated has often caused serious loss through moulds developing. The same thing happens when any decayed organic matter is present ; the pleasant aroma and flavour is lost and a musty flavour is acquired. As before stated, the room in which the bulks are made must be sweet, clean, dry, and free from sudden changes of temperature. The leaf will then not only retain its desirable qualities, but greatly improve with two or three years of such storage.

Planting of Small Fruits.

Preparation of the land for planting these fruits should be completed as soon as possible, so that the ground may be settled down before planting commences. A good dressing of organic manure should be turned well under, with a dressing of bonedust and basic slag to follow. Black currants prefer a cool moist position, and are best planted 3 ft. to 4 ft. apart in the rows with 6 ft. to 8 ft. between the rows. Raspberries require similar conditions ; 1 ft. between the plants and 5 ft. to 6 ft. between the rows is good spacing. Gooseberries and red currants require a more open position, and are best planted 5 ft. to 6 ft. apart both ways. Where plants have to be purchased they should be carefully selected . now, and arrangements made for delivery as soon as they are ready for removal the month of May.

In the warm climate of Auckland it is said to be inadvisable to plant out strawberries before the month of May, but in most districts it is best to plant them as soon as possible now, so that they may become established

before the cold weather. There is one point of special importance in connection with this subject, and that is the utter futility of planting small fruits in land that is infested with twitch” or similar bad weeds. It is not uncommon to find this done. The eradication of these weeds is difficult when the land is clear of crops, but it is impossible to do it after planting. They may not then even be controlled, and the result is a serious loss. The mistake is generally made, of course, by people with little experience, but they are usually those who are least able to afford it.

The Market-garden.

In most districts late crops of potatoes and onions should now be harvested ; great damage is sometimes done by allowing them to remain after they are mature and a second growth has commenced. Spring-sown carrots also should be lifted before they are spoiled by cracking. Beet, parsnips, and autumn-sown carrots are often allowed to remain in the ground until a favourable market demands them.

During the month of April a piece of good land in a warm sheltered position should be chosen for planting out spring cabbage and cauliflower sown in seed-beds a couple of months previously. This is usually a valuable crop and worth careful attention. To avoid the attack of slugs and other insect pests it is often advisable to destroy them before planting by broadcasting a bait composed of i lb. of Paris green and 28 lb. of bran thoroughly mixed in a dry state and afterwards made damp with water. Broadcast lightly of an evening it is a very effective remedy. If this is followed with a dressing of lime, the ground may be marked out and planted with every prospect of success.

Seed-beds of lettuce, main-crop cabbage and cauliflower may be sown now for July planting ; they should be sown thinly and the lettuce given some shelter in rough wet weather, or rust disease may be troublesome. In cold districts these sowings would be more satisfactory under cold frames.

Asparagus-plants should be cut down to the surface of the ground, and burnt as soon as the foliage ripens and before the seeds fall. A good dressing of well - decayed organic manure and 3 cwt. of kainit per acre turned in would now be very beneficial. Where new beds are to be made in the spring, commence now by giving the land thorough preparation by cleaning it, giving deep cultivation and turning in a heavy dressing of organic manures or cover-crop. A sandy loam, moist but well drained, is very’ suitable for extensive planting.

Hedges and Shelter Belts.

This subject is of special interest to all who have to do with gardens or orchards of any kind, as suitable shelter is a wonderfully big factor in successful cropping. The land to be planted should be cultivated and cleaned as a rule, and indeed -kept so for a year or two until the plants are established. Plans for this should now be prepared and the ground prepared for planting in May. Poplar and privet, planted alternately and close, makes a most efficient breakwind in rich moist ground ; or the privet may be replaced by barberry. For a higher evergreen shelter-belt, Cupressus —Lawsoniana or sempervirens— planted 2 ft. apart, requires comparatively little attention, and is most satisfactory on average land. —W. C. Hyde, Horticulturist, Wellington.

Relation of Electricity to Agriculture.— A committee has been specially set up by the Research Council to investigate the possibilities of utilizing electricity to a greater extent in agriculture. At present relevant data are being secured from a wide series of sources, and the position is being explored with a view to the issue of a report in regard thereto as it affects New Zealand.