GARDEN NOTES

Manawatu Times, Volume 67, Issue 206, 29 August 1942, Page 6

GARDEN NOTES

(By Ngaio.) Gardeners should have got a lot of work done during the mild weather last week; the cold spell during tho last few days will check growth somewhat, but as soon as warmer days come thore is bound to be rapid growth. Weeds of course are included in the rapid growth, so it will be necessary to get down on them while they are small and easily dealt with. Now that everyone is so busy and there is not much spare time to be squeezed out of the days, it is most essential not to let the weeds ■get away from you; whenever soil conditions permit, keep the hoe going—a few minutes a day with this valuable tool will save you hours of much harder labour later on. Besides keeping weeds ,in check, hoeing keeps the ground | aerated; and in dry weather the top soil can be broken down finely to form a dust mulch on the surface which helps to conserve tho moisture beneath, j In the vegetable garden it is easy enough to use the hoe among straight j rows, but not so easy in the flower 1 garden. When you are putting oi(t seedlings remember this, and allow sufficient space between plants to get the hoo through and your gardening will j become much more simplified. I Chrysanthemums are sending up i plenty of shoots now, and some of these should be taken for fresh stock for next season. Choose short strong pieces and lift them with just a thread or two or root, in fact it does not matter if they have none as. they will soon make fresh ones. Line them out in a shallow trench in a sheltered spot and put plenty of sand at the base of each one. Some varieties of chrysanthemums do not need dividing each season, in fact are much more effectual when left to grow into fair-sized clumps; these include the pom-poms and the newer Korean types and any singles which are not going to be disbudded can also be left for two seasons. But if you want good individual blooms then of course you must replant each season and attend to vigorous disbudding at the proper time. \ Delphiniums aro growing now and the tender shoots are particularly attractive to slugs; in order to circumvent them, knock the bottoms out of some tins and place them firmly in the ground round the plants—this definitely discourages tho pests and gives the plants a chance to come away strongly. | The first batch of gladioli can be put in any time now; they bloom about ; ninety days from planting so work it out and see that you do not arrange to have your blooms out when you will be away on holiday. If you have a good supply of corms, make several plantings—some can be put in just before Christmas and then you will have blooms at a time when flowers are not so plentiful as they are in midsummer. Keep constantly pricking up the soil round spring blooming plants and add a pinch of blood and bone at the same time to help them on. Anemones and ranunculus in particular, dislike sodden ground round them, and as they bloom over a long season it is worth while giving them some attention. The ground is rather wet and cold for seed sowing in the open but make your plans for stocking the garden well ahead, so that when suitable conditions arise you can go straight ahead without wastng valuable time. Steps to ensure that great care is exercised in keeping bicycle tyres inflated hard have been taken by several business houses who employ boys as cycle, messengers or for light deliveries. Post and telegraph oflices throughout the Dominion are impressing on their messengers the need for inflating tyres hard and tho avoidance of wear-aud-tear through excessive braking. It is stated that the greatest cause of tyre failure is nor. the wearing out of the tread but the breaking-up of the interior linen fabric, caused by undue flexing when: the tyre is not inflated enough. Ife is the custom of most manufacturers to have the words “inflate hard’' moulded on their tyres, and the question of whether the words could be made more prominent was referred in Auckland on Tuesday to the New Zealand tyre manufacturers, Reid Rubber Mills. The managing director, Mr G. C. W. Reid, stated that the engraving for the mould was copied from a standard British tyre, but in view of the necessity tor impressing the desirability of hard inflation the firm would certainly consider making the warning more prominent when any alteration of the mould was required. The firm had already circularised all dealers, asking them to impress on customers that a cycle tyre was a comparatively frail thing when soft.