Farm and Garden

King Country Chronicle, Volume III, Issue 188, 6 September 1909, Page 3

Farm and Garden

PREVENTING SMI.T IN WHEAT. From the 01.io cxpcrimi-nt station comc3 advice about treating seed wheat to prevent smut, Reports indicate that smut is widespread in this state. Whcr.t growers arc adv'sed to treat their seed if smut is present. A perfectly clean crop can be grown from smutted wheat if either the formalin or the hot water treatment is given the seed wheat. —The Formalin Treatment.— Formalin or 40 per cent, formaldehyde solution in water, may be obtained at most drug stores. Mix one pint or pound of this thoroughly in 40 gallons of water; this makes the solution to use, and is enough to treat 50 bushels of seed wheat. Place seed wheat to be treated on clean swept, tight floor in piles of convenient size to bestirred thoroghly throughout. Sprinkle the formalin solution from sprinkling can or nozzla upon the pile, while stirring to bottom of pile until all possible is absorbed. After a few minute 1 interval, repeat the operations of sprinkling and stirring these are again repeated until a least three quarts of the solution per bushel of grain has been absorbed. One gallon per bushel is not too much. The pile is then covered with cloth or canvas for about two hours; the covering is then removed and the grain stirred at intervals by shovelling over to dry it. It is then ready to sow at any time. —Caution. — In handling treated grain do not get it again smutted. The shovel, the drill, the garin bags and any other portions of floor used should be sterilized by use of the formalin solution. The bags may be soaked in it for half an hour and the others treated by sprinkling. —The Hot Water Method.— A less convenient method, but just as effective to kill smut, is to dip the bags of grain for ten minutes in hot water at a temperature of 133 degrees, then dry. KITCHEN GARDEN. Seeds to Sow: Broad beans, cauliflour, cabbage, carrot, celery, leek, lettuce, onion, parsley, parsnip, peas, radish, spinach, tomato and turnip. What to plant: Asparagus, cabbage, cauliflour, lettuce, horseradish, potatoes, seakale and shallots. The recent spell of cold, wet weather will retard the growth of vegetables, and may prove injurious to some of the small seeds lately sown. Parsnip is one of the first that suffer from a wet spell soon after the seeds have been sown, and on heavy land they may even perish. Examine the rows somelimes and should the seed be found lo be more or loss rotten make another sowing. There is plenty of time for one or two further sowings. Peas just up should have some protection to keep them on the move. One of the best protectors is easily made from boards eight inches wide by one inch thick, and six or eight feet long. Cut three pieces twelve inches long and fasten together two boards on edge by nailing these, putting a short piece at each end and one in the centre. Next cover the top with sparrow proof wire netting, and you have a protection that will last for a number of seasons. The sides will protect the small plants from cold, cutting winds until the peas are ten or eleven inches high, while birds can neither cat nor scratch tbem up. These home made protectors are much more useful that the wire guards. The latter are oval in shape, and when the pea plants arc two or three inches above the ground their tendrils take hold of the wire, necessitating their removal before the plants arc safe from birds. Wire guards do not protect against the cold, cutting winds as the wood protectors do. The latter can be used for quite a number of different crops. Try tbem over a row of caulifiours that has been planted recently, and note the progress the plants make compared with others not protected. Dwarf beans, cucumbers, vegetable marrows, etc., when small, will also get away much faster and better if covered with these protectors. Seakale—lf this is to be forced where the roots have grown take care that the manure is thoroughly prepared by turning it several times before putting it over the crowns. Seakale cannot endure a high close temperature. Too great a heat will destroy the growth instead of making it develop fast. Rhubarb may have a high temperature, but sixty degrees is quite enough. Potatoes that were put in early in sheltered situations will need watching and protecting on frosty nights. If they are once frost bitten it not only checks their growth but also reduces the crop to a greater extent than many would think. Therefore watch the weather and cover them when conditions suggest frost. Keep off the ground when it is wet. Light land is not seriously affected by treading on it when wet, but heavy soil will cake, there fore wait until the surface is dry, and put the cultivator between the crops to break up the surface that ha i been more or lessbeaten down by heavy rains. Do not plant large crowns when making a fresh bed. Small crowns are more useful and valuable than large; they form stronger plants give larger and more stalks, than the larger and older ones can.