GARDENING NOTES

Nelson Evening Mail, 22 September 1916, Page 2

GARDENING NOTES

i Soil for seedlings oani be sterilised .'better with formalin than; in any other way. . Use 1 tuiart, 40 per cent, formaldhevde jin 50 parts of water. Water the soil and cover it for a day or two with bags to keep in the fumes. 1 Deep; digging, in heavy So-ami laaitd | where the sub-soil 'is of a clayey fori matiou is a very bad practice. It- does :more hannl .'than (good. Cutting too deep in the ckv\; breaks the water | connection, or capillaries, by which tlie ' moisture in the lower str-atas ia brought to the surface. Dig thoroughly the top. I .spit, and the next one too, get down j to the clay jf you Jike, but leave the ; sub-soil with a cracking uip such as can j be done with a mattock or three p-rongecL i hce. Let any draining that is done go ' down into, the clay. Six inches into the j heavy material will not be deep enough; I that would only give the tojp of a four- .; h : pa two inches of head room. Get ihn bottom of .the pipe anything from; 10 to 14 inches into the clay sub-soil ✓ If. you. can arrange that your land will bo well drained, and' well supplied with air as well, for there is no success ahead 1 of you unless you get to work and tacklethe question of draining land that r,& too heavy, or so -badly placed as to hold . ail- the water it catches. Liine. onust. bo used carefully. Used too freely the mineral has a bad effecton any kind of la.ndi. i'omato i'ianting.—Always puddle the roots oif the young- plants before yen place them in- their new-feeds. . Dry roots are object iona-ly wet ones give the-small; things a good start. Where the plants are fairly -large, try .this method- of.planit--ring :—Make a- trench and lay the stem and roots horizontally., -bringing nip a few inches of the stalk and tuft oi leaves. Cover t-he stems well. Placed in this fashion! the young tomato makes a set of roots at every joint. The top. -will straighten out in a few days and will then continue to grow .upright. The, more roots one' cam secure the better for the plants-—The Amateur Gardener.