GARDENING FOR FOOD

Marlborough Express, Volume LXXVI, Issue 243, 15 October 1942, Page 4

GARDENING FOR FOOD

HELPFUL TALK YESTERDAY FEEDING OF SOIL DESCRIBED. VISITING EXPERTS' ADVICE. Practical advice on many aspects of home gardening, particularly in the production of food plants, was given in a lecture yesterday afternoon by Miss Marian Cocks Johnston, who is touring Marlborough under the auspices of the Women's Institutes and the Women's Division of the Farmers' Union. Although the talk was given indoors, In the Masonic Hall, Miss Cocks Johnston contrived to make it most interesting and helpful. She plans to give an actual garden demonstration to-mor-row week, on her return to Blenheim after visiting the Sounds and other districts. Having dealt the previous day with the use of vegetables and fruit to supply human dietary needs, the lecturer went a stage further back and spoke of preparation of the soil to feed the plants. She explained the varying requirements of different plants by the use of a coloured chart, and how most of these could be supplied by the use of organic manures, while specialised ones could be added in the form of inorganic manures. The principles of plant feeding she outlined as follows: Plants forming green leaves required nitrogen, supplied by humus, by farmyard manure, or_ by preceding the crop with a leguminous one; plants grown for their roots needed phosphates, supplied by the addition of superphosphate and bone manures; plants produced for their fruit, bulbs and seeds required potash, supplied by wood ash, and this also improved the quality of root structures. In addition, all vegetables liked plenty of lime in the soil, except for potatoes, in which it produced a scabby disease. Miss Cocks Johnston said that from stuaying local soil maps she had found that the phosphate and nitrate content here were good, and the potash fair. She also referred briefly to deficiency diseases, such as curl in the leaves of fruit trees from lack of magnesium in the soil, and rot at the heart of apples from deficiency in boron. The preparation of several organic manures was then described by the lecturer. Droppings from the poultry yard, she said, should not be applied direct, but kept in an oil drum for two months, then mixed in equal proportions with soil, with a handful of super-phosphate added if desired, and applied not too heavily to the garden. Cow manure could be applied more heavily, and sheep j manure was also good. I SCHEME FOR MAKING HUMUS. J There were a great many different % methods of making compost heaps, the speaker continued, but she would explain one evolved by Mr E. T. Petty, of New Plymouth, Its great advantage being the speed with which the waste material was decomposed into humus by the use of a draught. The heap should be built on a bank or mound, with a pipe through to serve as an air vent, connecting with a tw'elve-iiich-square hole dug in the j top and covered with an iron grid or j piec-e of heavy wire netting. Around J this sides should be constructed of M wood, iron or boulders to form a pit, one side being removable if possible.® Light, open material, such as long^B grass or h-edge cllppings, should bc® used for the first layer of six inches® after which layers of garden wast^B and house refuse could be addjH with occasional one-inch layer J® soil followed by an inch of ar®

manure or sulphate of ammoni j dried blood. Lime could also bJ| occasionally if desired; it assisw composition and in the elim® of insect pests. ® When filled the pit should® for a month uncovered, then® into a second pit (which did r® the provision of a draught) ® for a further month befor® used freely — ^either sprinkled® ground or dug in six inches. ■ the summer or dry spells the® should be hosed twice a th-e second pit once a wee^H latter shoulcl be covered di^^| cessive rain. Superphosphate manure Cocks Johnston said, suitab® in this locality. She des® three grades— the now unS fossilised droppings from Island, "nitro-bat," consisting® bat droppings from Fiji, an® chemical phosphate. Bone i® served the same purpose, ar® preferable, but took longer ts® Pure blood was excellent, ai® soot was good applied in liqui® after six or eight weeks. Fish® was particularly suitable f® fruits, and basic slag for lax® SEED-BOX CULTUI® The lecturer gave advij^® suitable vegetable seeds fo® now and in the near futu® spoke also on the checking r^® pests. She then turned to ® culture, and demonstrated t® paration of a box for "sucb® seeds as celery, tomatoes and ® A box about four inches de® good drainage, was ideal, sh^| Soil in the proportion of one^H loam, half of leaf-mould, aij^| a quarter of sand should and moistened with wate® pudding. It could be ste® baking or other methods ® or treated with Condy's however, would not che® l After broken crockery, s(® ; charcoal had been placed ® tom of the box to assis® land then rough soil or ® '.about a quarter of Ihe ® the prepared soil shoulr® ; workecl well. and fiatter^B ■ board at a high irve'® [light sprinkling of soil f®

I should be added, and \the box could be v/^^H lCondy's in the prflporti'® Leaspoon to two gallons^B * The seed should Carefully in rows, and ® !jfcne variety were u:-, ® ^lith a stick across the aJt, a fine dusting of si® sleved on, and the box ® Aom drying winds and® ^Lodlice. A cover of glas® wafe excellent, but scri® gam-ze would serve. Whe® lingis appeared the cove.^® be b\taken off gradually® ghoiJld be done from belc® ing fthe box in a tub. By t® wat J[rinS was needed less ® and f here was 'no danger ® ing tir^ seed. Bienl\e^nl ha(^- the very 1 ditions Vor the growinsM Miss Cocrks Johnston coiM her hear»,rs should all ® produce M^eellent results^B