Vegetables, Small Fruits, and Flowers.

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 58, Issue 2, 20 February 1939, Page 169

Vegetables, Small Fruits, and Flowers.

HPHE full enjoyment and economical THE full many vegetables depend use of many vegetables depend not only on a wise selection of varieties and careful culture, but sound consideration must also be given to harvesting and storage if there is to be no loss in quantity and quality and the stocks are to be available over a maximum period. Under most conditions in New Zealand such crops as celery, parsnips, salsify, Jerusalem artichokes, autumnsown carrots, and beet may be left in the ground during the winter with quite satisfactory results, and lifted in dry weather, as required, until about August, when growth is about to recommence. What remains must then be lifted and stored where the conditions are cold, well ventilated, and not too dry. Main-crop carrots, maturing about April,. split if they are left in the ground and become coarse and fibrous, as do main-crop beet maturing at that time. These should be lifted in fine weather as soon as they mature and given the storage conditions mentioned. A lean-to shed with a southerly aspect is often a suitable place for storing produce of this kind, especially when shaded by plantation trees and having ample means for ventilation in the higher part of the roof . Such a place is also suitable for potatoes stored in bins, sacks, or boxes if it is clean, well drained, and dark, but not so dry as to cause the tubers to shrivel. Considerable losses from decay occur if the stocks are contaminated by the presence in the store or its vicinity of decayed tubers or waste carried over from a previous season. This can readily be avoided by the methodical disposal of ‘decayed waste at all times and a thorough annual clean-up of the store, which may very well include a careful spraying of the interior with a reliable fungicide.

Contributed by the Horticulture Division.

Vegetables for the Winter Season.

Losses from decay may also occur through infection caused by decayed tubers being overlooked when bagging up in the field. Or an abundant crop, to all appearance sound, may be placed in the store and in a month may be in a useless condition due to the attack of the potato-moth (Phthorimaea, operculella) . This attack, which is most likely . to occur in warm, dry localities and seasons, may be avoided by picking up and bagging the tubers the same day as they are dug and placing them in a clean store. In this way the night-flying, egg-laying moth is unable to deposit on the tubers those eggs which later hatch out into caterpillar larvae which tunnel the flesh and make the tubers an early prey to organisms of decay. Doubtful stocks should be picked over after a month or two in storage, and if infection is fairly extensive they should be used up as soon as possible. Potato Storage. Large quantities of potatoes stacked in a compact manner are liable to heat and sprout, especially in warm districts and in a store where attention to ventilation is neglected. In such localities they may be stored satisfactorily in slatted bins to a depth not exceeding 3 ft. or 4 ft., but in colder districts 6 ft. may be a maximum depth so long as good ventilation is provided, except when there is danger of injury through frosts. Where stocks are large and storage accommodation limited a quantity for late use may be satisfactorily held in a pit or clamp outside if the tubers are quite sound. For this purpose a welldrained, cool position should be chosen and the potatoes piled as high as possible in a ridge 5 ft. or 6 ft. wide and as long as desirable. The tubers are then covered

with clean, straw to a depth of about 6 in., and to keep this in position it is covered with soil at least 3 in. deep. In doing this a trench is formed about the pit to drain it adequately during wet weather. To allow surplus moisture to be given off and to prevent the potatoes heating the pit should not be completely sealed for the first few weeks, but should be covered up to within a foot of the ridge only. When this object is achieved sealing should be completed and the depth of the soil covering increased as may be found desirable. If these conditions are observed and the crop is carefully dug in fine weather as soon as ripe and allowed to harden off afterwards for a few hours before gathering it will be used to best' advantage. Special care is required in storing seed potatoes. They require light, without being exposed to the sun, and plenty of air. They are best stored in crates. If in sacks they should not be piled up, and a space should be left between each row to allow air to circulate. At intervals the sacks of seed should be turned bottom side up to ventilate and dry off. They are sometimes spread on the floor with satisfactory results, and special lots may be spread in wooden trays stacked in tiers to sprout in preparation for planting. Any of these methods will prevent sweating and the formation of unseasonable, excessive, and useless growth. “ Certified ” seed should be obtained as soon as it is available and carefully stored in order to obtain - the best results, c 1 Curing and Storing the Onion Crop. The onion crop requires somewhat similar storage conditions to that for the potato, the chief difference being a drier

atmosphere. The bulbs should be lifted as soon as —-this is of special importance in districts inclined to be humid and warm—and placed in windrows, consisting of five or six rows of bulbs, until the tops wither completely. If wet weather is experienced the windrows are turned over by means of a wooden ' rake. When the tops and roots have dried off the bulbs are trimmed with shears, bagged up, and placed in an open shed for a few weeks to cure thoroughly before storage or shipping. When cured, the bulbs are cleaned by removing the dry outer scales ; bulbs which are split, have “ thick necks,” or are damaged in any way are removed, and the remainder graded for size. They will then store satisfactorily if placed in a comparatively dry atmosphere and given thorough ventilation at all times except in wet or humid weather. If packed in slatted boxes they are stacked, like fruit, with i in. space between tiers and rows to permit of circulation of the air ; or they may be spread 6 in. or 8 in. deep on slatted shelves ; or small quantities may be strung in the old-fashioned manner and hung in a dry, airy place. The third method is particularly suitable for shallots held over for another planting season. All bulbs of this class deteriorate very quickly in a close atmosphere. Pumpkins and Kumaras. Vegetable marrows are best used in a green state when of a suitable size, but pumpkins and what are known in America as winter-squash, such as the Hubbard varieties, should not be harvested until they are thoroughly ripe, but before they have been frosted. They are cut with a portion of the stem attached and left in the field to mature before carting. They must be handled and carted with care, as it is easy to injure them seriously at this stage. When they have been stored in a warm, dry, airy place for a few weeks their shells harden, and they can then stand somewhat lower temperatures and rougher handling if that is necessary.

In the warmer districts, especially where there is also a heavy annual rainfall, the ordinary late potato crop is rather difficult, but the sweet potato, or kumara, generally grows well. For this and other reasons it is increasing in popularity in such areas. While the crop is best left growing as late as possible, it must be lifted before there is any frost; otherwise the tubers immediately under the crown are liable to injury. If frost kills the vines the kumaras should be dug immediately, as decay sets in on the dead vines and may pass down to the tubers.

Digging must be done with the greatest care, as the' slightest damage at this stage prevents the tubers from keeping, and storage losses are due chiefly to faulty handling before curing. Curing, which occupies about a week, is usually done by gathering the tubers into heaps and covering them with sacks every night to dry them thoroughly before storage in a warm, dry chamber which can be ventilated in suitable weather. Small quantities may be kept successfully by storing in sand, so long as it is perfectly dry.

In the southern States of America where sweet potatoes are grown on a commercial scale, the tubers are stored in crates and stacked to allow ample ventilation, and to enable the air to circulate through them, in chambers that are heated to a temperature of about Bo° F. for the first fortnight or so of the storage-period. When the roots are well dried off the temperature is allowed to drop to 55°, and is held there for the rest of the storage-period, giving ventilation freely when weather permits. In this way, the garden, together with fresh vegetables, such as celery, savoys, cauliflower, broccoli, leeks, &c., and also dry beans, pickles, and chutneys, makes valuable contributions to the larder during the winter as well as the summer months. Onions for Salads. To provide young spring onions for the season when, salads are so much in demand a sowing should be made during March — the end of the month in the warmer districts. For this purpose the Rocca or Tripoli types are most suitable because of their mild flavour and tender flesh. In warm districts with a considerable annual rainfall the sowing should be extended to provide young plants for setting out in early spring that ripen their bulbs about January. This is more satisfactory under such conditions than sowing the main crop in early spring, as is done in the drier districts. The land selected for the seed-bed

WHERE trees and shrubs for shelter or ornamental purposes are to be purchased, a visit to the nurseries should now be made and the requirements carefully selected and ordered for delivery as soon as they are ready for removal, which will generally be towards the end of May. They can then be planted at once with great advantage or they may be " heeled in ” and so be ready for planting whenever the weather or other circumstances permit.

Trees and Shrubs for the Planting Season.

should be well drained and thoroughly cleaned of weeds by shallow cultivation for some time before sowing.

When the tomato crop is of considerable importance it is sometimes advisable to select the seed under local conditions, so that while the fruit is of a type suited to one’s requirements, the plant is also thoroughly acclimatized. Time and care* ful consideration should be given to the selection of plants from which seed is to be taken. They should be free from serious disease (including mosaic), of good constitution, and carrying crops that are as satisfactory as possible in regard to quantity and quality. Fruit that is likely to be coarse or small should be removed from the bunches and the remainder allowed to ripen naturally on the plants, which should be flagged to enable them to be readily recognized. When the fruit is ripe it should be cut open and the pulp dropped into a vessel containing a little water. This should be stood in a warm position, and as soon as fermentation commences it should be poured into a strainer and washed well under a tap of running water until only clean seed remains. The seed is then placed in a position where it dries quickly, meanwhile stirring it frequently to prevent the seeds sticking together. If the seed is stored afterwards in tins or other airtight containers it is as well to redry it after a short period to make sure of its condition. It should then retain a high germination percentage for at least five years. When conditions are favourable for a good seed harvest a generous supply should be taken to provide against contingencies. Another method of saving tomato-seed is to scoop the pulp from the fruit and let it drop on to sand which is quite dry and has been passed through a fine sieve. The mixture should be well rubbed through the hands for some time and then spread to dry. When it is dry it should be rubbed again ' and sieved to remove the sand. / —-Wm. C. Hyde, Horticulturist, Wellington.

Most spring-flowering bulbs are planted during the first four months of the new year, but the earlier this is done the better so that they may be well rooted before winter sets in. Exceptions are hyacinths and tulips, which appreciate a period of warm storage, and also anemones and ranunculus tubers. These are usually planted during April, and are all partial to a soil well supplied with lime. Many plants of this class provide an early

display of 1 blossom of excellent quality with little labour,,and thus deserve every consideration. In addition to high culture in special beds, many kinds may be planted in grass or the foreground of shrubberies, where they will flourish for many years before requiring attention. Established lawns may now be given any extra attention that is necessary, such as returfing worn places and looseningup hard places with a fork, or thoroughly raking the whole area and, after cutting, sowing such grass-seeds as may be desirable before applying a light topdressing composed of fine soil and manures. Where the lawns have been in constant

use for games this attention is urgently needed and should be begun as soon as the playing-season is finished, so that the most may be made of the interval between seasons, which is generally all too short for this purpose. A sharp look-out should be kept for insect pests. This is the season when serious damage may be done to lawns by the common earth-worm or subterranean caterpillar (Porina), or grass-grub (Odontria zealandica) . Damage is best avoided by giving the matter prompt attention as soon as the attack is perceived.

—Wm. C. Hyde,

Horticulturist,

Wellington.