MANURING

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 29, 4 February 1932, Page 21

MANURING

LIOUID AND ARTIFICIAL

ECONOMICAL METHODS

NOTICE TO READERS.- j Thlt column It Intended principally for ■irdtntr* with imall plots, and tho aim li slblt. Inoulrlej on any matter of oarden- , l>f Interest will be weloomed. The rule fir eorreipondtnoa li that all eommuniea- I .*??• "•"»* be acoompanled by the name if* *i ir'v °» «he writer, not far publication, but at a luarantea.of food faith. taw..™1' I""' ■"• »»fle«y adhered to. This li yaur ealuvnn—make use of It. ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. -'•Boot Crop.'l—Carrots should do quita well In ta« 801 l you menliAn, but It would be as well to fork out the worst of the unrotted grass, ... ? you sow "Shorthorn" carrots they would be less liable to fork, and really are tfie best variety for present sowing. r Gardener."—(l) The celery plant which'has run to seed will be no use. Cuttins off the seed head would not savo the Plant. The cause of plants bolting or running to seed .prematurely is obscuro, but generally due to dry conditions, followed by rapid growth, due to watering or ralii. (2) Agricultural lime is quite good for-garden purposes, but is .slower In Its action. It has the advantage of not burning out the numus, and also that it may be used In conjunction with manures. (3) Your Canadian Wonder beans have most probably been caught by a cold .wind or slight frost, They are very tender, and are affected by any cold. (4) Arscnate of lead . paste should lie mixed at tho rate of loz per Ballon. C Nairn Street."—Tho suray submitted was a potato haulm, probably a seedling. Some varieties form fruit. ■ Banford."—Although it it impossible to say definitely whether your carnations, etc., are Being destroyed by earwigs, It is probable. Earwigs are difficult to exterminate, the usual method being to trap them in flower pots,filled with hay. Tho "Ideal Insect

Exterminator" Is-claimed to destroy them. m* ■S'SJ'*'* 6 not Wed It personally. ' ■u\Z r*! M uob^ of earUHne "P; celery if»™ 9' -S *aoh. tte Bte?»- After the Plants W«f"f to a good size tne soil should m«ff'& Ui Uy.<£i"ra,l0Un(1 them. The:earth 5? vept fr' )m tto hearts, and for this jm^wo. brwnr paper collars are sometimes rK&ui

The most economical method of applying manures is in liquid form, and «n the whole no liquid manures : are more effective for general purposes or less expensive than those made from tor.se or cow manure and from soot.

Soot'water is made by putting a Shovelful of matured chimney, soot in a canvas bag and suspending the-bag in a tub or other vessel of water. The soot being very light,, it may be advisable to-insert. a large stone' ia the bag v 6?J UrB uwnersionu.; Animal manure should b« made in the same way. In both oases the liquid should be diluted before_use, to a weak state... • Liquid, horse or cow manure is beneficial for almost all gardea crops and flowers, but ia no ease should it be should be moist before it is applied. at? *** as a spray for most hardy plants to keep off various ST* Xt * al «o valuable aH *nd. <L may with advantage be with the o.ther liquid manure. The material in the bags should be"el oe sept filled with water. -.tJ^ I*.? 8*1116 is often more readily obtainable m sma ii quantities than torse or; cow manure and also makes Led Plant food, but it must be used with caution. Half a buck«tfi,i 30 gallons of water we'SrS and allowed to settle will make : a va?uSd flS™lll3ll^ 6 io' mos* >egetable 8 Pdressuig dahlias, &J snt 1 hemumB J T fweet peas,'and any hardy, plants. If sprinkled over the ground aid lightly raked iathlre -will be Tery:Kttle trouble about smelL ,„ 2™ - or cow. l«a»ure; should be used w/ Po^ible, the former being best for heavy soils, while cow manure is more^valuable in light sandy ground moistS* t0 tlna the B°* and t0 «tain' Artificial manmes are invaluable in their .proper place and may with advantage be applied in conjunction with animal manures. Chemical manures by themselves are of little use unless the humus content of the soil .can be maintained. In a garden where the soil is;being 'constantly cropped the ™8, 18 \*\ SOOa Used UP tfa^w6^ 0! 8 fflaintained it is essentiai that the humus be replaced. Green cropping is the best method failiag organic manures, but this is not practicable in ordinary flower gardens. COMPOST HEAP. The only remaining method then is to iiaye a compost heap where, all vegetable rubbish; leaves, grass clippings/and weeds which have not gone to seed may be rotted down. This rotted' vegetation is humus and when applied to the soil which has become impoverished will restore it to good conditwn. When making a compost heap it is a great mistake to put cm anything which is diseased. Mildew snd all fungoid diseases increaso rapidly in the moist humid conditions set up by the decaying vegetation and the Testing spores are transferred with the humus to-all parts of the garden. The value of the compost will be greatly increased if, as the heap is formed, a light dressing of sulphate of ammonia is sprinkled over each layer of material. During the summer plenty of water shouldbe thrown over the heap to keep it moist and encourago decay. ARTIFICIAL MANUEES. Artificial manures are specially useful because thej mag be applied Jo

ground already occupied by crops and at any- period when they may be required. This is one oC their chief advantages. The greatest disadvantage is that it is so difficult to tell what particular variety is required. For the average amateur gardener the safest thing to use is bone dust or bone meal. Thoro is very real danger in using chemical manures in excess; They are highly concentrated and if applied too heavily may entirely ruin an otherwise good crop. Always give too little rather than too much. Tho amounts to give vary, from one to four ounces per square yard. An ouuee is approximately two teaspoonsful.

flowering period. Liquid manure is excellent. Attend to the tying up of all tall-! growing plants—chrysanthemums, dahlias, etc. The gales lately did lots of, damage where this precaution had been i neglected. Some of the tall-growing annuals re-' quire staking—zinnias, giant French marigolds, and cosmos being specially, liable to damage. Bulb planting may be commenced. I Ground to be used for bulbs should be well dug and manured with bonedust. Animal manures should not be atlowed to come into contact with bulbs. If this ia to be used it should be dug into the ground fully a foot below the surface. Vacant plots should be- well dag, and cither manured "or limed. Allow it to remain unoccupied for two or three weeks to sweeten.