FARMING NOTES.

Shannon News, 13 August 1926, Page 4

FARMING NOTES.

•In the garden finish any pruning Avork as early as possible, and plant fruit, forest and ornamental trees, shrubs and hardy annuals. Start the young groAvths of the chrysanthemums in foiir-inch pots, and propagate any bedding plants needed by cuttings. Continue to prepare the ground for summer crops in suitable working Aveathcr. Where a hot bed or house is available sow primula, lobelia, cineraria, coleus, tuberous-rooted begonias and seeds of all half-hardy annuals. A few gladioli may be planted for early blooming. Tulips are commencing to make growth and if any wellrotted fasm manure is at hand, they Avill benefit largely by a light topdressing. Give the garden a good tidying up; rubbish only harbours slugs and other pests. In the Vegetable Garden. Birds and slugs are particularly tryng this month, and a close Avateh must be kept on peas, turnips, etc., as soon as they appear through the ground, and preventive measures taken for their well-being. A little poisoned Avheat mixed Avith chaff placed here and there is an effectual aid in keeping birds at a distance. As weather and soil permit, seeds of almost all vegetables may be sown, Avith the exception of maize, sAveet corn and the melon \ family. Destruction of Slugs. Undoubtedly the most trying element to contend with in spring gardening is the multitudes of slugs Avhich nightly appear to devour all young and tender growing plants, to the great discouragement of the gardener. Last year the Agricultural Department of the University oi Seeds undertook to investigate the best methods of dealing with • the destruction of this pest. Tests carried out Avcro designed to discover the best substance or mixture of substances that Avould not only kill slugs, but which Avould not injure growing crops. These were carried out on a laboratory scale, Avhich repjoduced field conditions as closely as possible, upon Avhich A’arious substances Avere applied. After very exhaustive tests being made it was found that a combination of ropper sulphate and kainit in the proportion of 1 to 20., he., 51b. of copper sulphate to lcAvt. of kainit. appeared to be the most deadly ,and field. trials were accordingly carried out Avith this particular mixture. Trial plots of every size and of different crops Ayer© prepared with the mixture referred to, and 'the results definitely confirmed the laboratory tests previously The mixture Avas applied late at night after slugs had made their appearance, and In every case on the folloAving morning those slugs Avhich Avere not dead were found to be in a dying condition and finally succumbed. Readers should note that it is essential that the solution be applied to the ground late in the <wemng, after the slugs have appeared on the surface, so that the mixture comes into contact with che .back of che slimy creatures. It was .definitely discoA r ered that when spraying Avas done earlier in the evening the slug Avas able to exude its protective slime and crawl axvay safely and easily. Throughout the tests no harm was done to the crops, and it Avas found that copper sulphate is undoubtedly the best medium that can be applied as a slug destroyer. Anemone Fulgens. There is rather a diversity of opinion on hoA\ r to successfully groAV these favourites. These beautiful scarlet blooms are so brilliant and yet so graceful that few can withstand their charm. The. general advice given rc their culti\ r ation is that on no account should the conns be disturbed or lifted, but one gardener Avho is a lover of these natures of the Pyrenees treats: them in quite the opposite direction, stating that for years he Avas unable to groAV anemone fulgens satisfactorily, until one day a friend advised that the corns should bo taken up, dried off, and broken in pieces every second year. FolloAving this advice, the anemones increased enormously. They arc allowed to seed, and their site is changed on replanting. This gardener states that he -has picked as many as five hundred blooms at a time off one bed. Those who tuwe failed in groAving this particular plant could do worse than give it a trial, folloAving directions as above. Clematis Montana. Clematises that .bloom in late •spring and early- summer are not so commonly met Avith as the larger-floAvered sorts that give of their best throughout the autumn. In C. Montana, with its starry Avhitc flowers, we have, one of the former, Avhich is most useful for festooning pergola, arch or wall, and it grows so rapidly that any space desired is oon covered. It is possible to Strike his .clematis from cuttings, taken rom half-ripened shoots after the P ants have flowered. Another place where they appear to advantage is in a cool greenhouse, grown in pots where they come into bloom somu Avoeks before the outdoor ones.