WOMAN’S PLUCK AND ENDURANCE

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 232, 20 December 1927, Page 4

WOMAN’S PLUCK AND ENDURANCE

SNAKES, FLIES AND BOGS Sitting in the cosy comfort of the Lyceum Club Luncheon Room yesterday, listening to the soft voice of Mrs. Gladys Sand ford as she discoursed on her recent experiences in touring Australia with Miss Christie, it was difficult to picture this decidedly femininelooking person tackling so calmly tin obstacles and dangers the trip. Having mado a start with the car loaded well below the “Plimsoll mark” with petrol, water, oil and food sufficient for engine and passengers over God to SOO miles, we might consider ourselves good organisers. But which of us could have taken that engine down bit by bit looking for a mysterious knock, with the aid of nothing but a “book of words”? Or wrestled with a six-foot snake which refused to die under ten minutes’ application of the spade? But every good Australian kills every snake he sees, so it hsd to be done! These things occurred on the first stages of the journey, but there were greater difficulties to come . . . the flood waters that rose over the flooring boards . . . the bog holes that lay in wait every few chains between Port Augusta and the West, a distance of 300 miles. ARDUOUS TREK Then the arduous trek through Central Australia to the Far North, SOO miles with only 40 whites scattered through this desert land, lonely postmasters or educated townsmen answering the call of the wild, all of whom welcomed the travellers and treated them always with kindly camaraderie. To ford a river swarming with alligators, when it was necessary to dig an approach and then an exit, calls for more than ordinary courage, but these intrepid women tackled it as part of the day’s work. And so they reached the land of the Never-Never and found some wonderful Steele Rudd characters ready to offer their pathetic best to these two women from another land. But the travellers were both endowed with a sense of humour and the trip was crammed with incidents that lightened their burden, no matter how grey the day or how slow the progress over their self-chosen path. When heading for Darwin they proceeded at the rate of 30, 35 or 45 miles a day, as compared with 400 a day in the civilised portions of Australia, but thev i never despaired and they found the re- 1 turn journey much easier by reason of their early experiences. The vision of little Miss Christie struggling with rolls of coconut-mat-ting to make tracks for the car wheels over six miles of sand calls up a smile when Mrs. Sandford describes it, but we have a lurking fear that we ourselves would have sat down and wept half way through the task. Mrs. Sandford’s address was greatly appreciated by the many members who attended the luncheon talk yesterday, and Mrs. W. H. Parkes expressed their thanks in a cordial manner.

SPRING-CLEANING PLANT POTS HINTS FOR AMATEURS (By a FLORIST) If you want healthy, cheerful-looking plants in the house, greenhouse or porch, you must give them some attention now. Plant roots need to have their houses sprinff-cleaned just as much as we do, and they will repay you by an added zest In life and an appearance of cleanliness and vigour that will be good to see. Ferns: You will, of course, have rigged up some sort of work-bench complete with tools; gloves, scissors, pruning knife, trowel and hand fork, besides having provided yourself with some fresh loam, a little silver sand and some powdered chalk and charcoal. You will also require a bucketful of hot, soapy water and a large watering-can full of fresh water.

Invert the fern and, holding the plant with gentle but firm grip, tap the pot on the edge of your bench. This will release the plant. Lay down the fern and scrub the pot outside and inside with the soapy water. While it is iraining attend to the fern. Carefully out off all dead and weakly fronds, taking care not to injure the tender baby shoots. Then loosen the roots, pull out any worms, remove all mushy and rotten fibre and generally “tidy them up.” To re-pot proceed in this way: Place over the hole in the bottom of the pot some pebbles or pot-chip-pings; not just one piece, but sufficient to form a good draining bed. Over this sprinkle charcoal and chalk to keep worms and other creatures from crawling into the pot. Then, holding the plant at the right height with its roots dangling free in the pot, fill up with loam and soil mixed with a little silver sand. Press gently round the roots and seo that they are not turned up in all directions. Be careful not to bruise them; at the same time be sure to pack them firmly or the plant will make more root than leaf. Water well after potting. This method of re-potting applies to all plants. Amateurs generally make the mistake, when they repot, of choosing a pot several sizes too large and neglecting the other and more essential points which I have stressed above. Ferns which have propagated mujvt be carefully divided, well-formed little ones being put by themselves into tomthumb pots, or the size technically i known as a ”60.”

The fresh green tips of broad bean plants when boiled have a delicious flavour, especially if a knob of utter the size of a walnut is mixed in after the leaves are strained. foiling a billy at a picnic and no lid is obtainable, a piece of clean paper placed on the water will entirely prevent its being smoky. When frying cutlets, brains, etc., they are delicious if prepared with crushedup Sao biscuits instead of the usual browned bread-crumbs.