GARDENING NOTES

Nelson Evening Mail, 2 October 1916, Page 2

GARDENING NOTES

BEANS. .Beans should he planted now. Select the sunniest place in the garden, make the soil yery rich, that the texture of the soil is goodT Beans are very particular, and unless spurred on by good conditions, and plenty of water, the plants make tout' little progress. -A patch of soil new to beans .will give the best results. Never follow ,beans -with beans.; a pod- vegetable should follow a root crop, or cabbage. ' The main thing is to provide plenty, of manure, and to dig the material well into the soil. Beans and'peas are sometimes coated with red, lead, by dampin gthem, and .then shak-_ ing them in a tin containing red lead. If spread out for an hour will dry sufficiently for sowing. Sow the dwarf v seen in rows, hot more than 24 inches apart, dropping the seed about every four inches. * The pole sorts require more room, say rows four feet apart, one seed every eight inches. Stake the climbers as soon as the "olants begin, to put out their feelers. Never let the rows eet dry. Chip the surface often, and hill up the plants as they grow. As a precaution against rust and spot, spray occasionally with dilute Bordeaux mixture. SWEET PEAS. Water the growing sweet peas occasionally with a permanganate of potash liquor that is rose red. It should not be strong. Streak disease can sometimes be _ checked by using this chemical. ,- Any plant that becomes streaked-, or mottled with vellow has caught the disease. Although streak is known to 'besfin in the seed, spraying the foliage will keep the • haulms free of any of the 'disease that gets flvinjT about in the air. See that you • keep the peas "well tide to the stakes or support." Cut every spike of flower as ' ;flOon as the first flower is well out. Peas iopen nicely indoors, and it- is a mistake to let the spravs stay too long on" the vines. For.mildewy foliage dust . ■with j plain sulphur or snray with lime-sulphur solution. It is better to purchase a small quantity than to bother boiling the stuff. ■ ' GLADIOLUS. Bulbs or conns are planted this month. | Select a sunnv place, and make soil as rich as you can. In a light soil the corms'should be .nut down not less than - six inches, for they are' heavy-headed things when in flower, and when planted shallow they 'blbw down 'or have to be "tied up. For heavy soil a shallow planting will do. Place the bulbs a span , apart. /

SULPHUR FOR. ASPARAGUS - - . Is the latest manure recommended. This mineral is not a direct/ fertiliser,but like Aime it serves the very,.important ' function of assisting" soil bacteria to render* more soluble nitrogen, 'pTiosphdric - •acid, and potash. By breaking down the staple foods the elements are.,more readilv assimilated by. the., 1 growing plants. This' fact was.discovered"'by, two • French agricultural chemists; who made extensive tests on sterilised, soil _with. > and without sulphur. .If-sulphur is-so, good for asparagus it should foe, good fpr.flow-ex-s too, so try a handf.ul here and-there, and see if it is of any- gain.'. The old-time gardeners used salt for- asparagus, but up-to-date ones scorn, the salt idea, for ■ it does or ho 'good, 'except to kill the surface weeds.