BUSY TIME FOR GARDENERS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 3 November 1939, Page 3

BUSY TIME FOR GARDENERS

KEEP THE SOIL STIRRED. The present is a busy time in the vegetable garden, for not only have the sowing of the main-crop kinds to receive attention, but the early varieties will require hoeing, thinning, and weeding. Birds are very destructive among the young peas, turnips, lettuce, and beetroot, and strands of black cotton should be stretched along and above the rows as soon as germination takes place. Continue to plant second early and main-crop potatoes, cabbage and cauliflower, and make sowings of peas, broad, kidney, and runner beans, parsnips, beetroot, carrots, turnips, lettuce, spinach, radish, parsley, and mustard and cress. Small sowings of cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, leeks, and celery can be made in boxes, or in a special border to provide plants to be put out later on. Keep the soil stirred among all

growing crops, thin out seedlings as soon as they are large enough to handle, and water if the soil is very light. Mulch strawberries and spray them overhead on warm evenings. Hoe among all fruit trees and bushes to keep down weeds and where desirable to work in a dressing of artificial manure composed of super (four parts), bone dust (two parts), and sulphate of potash (two parts). This should be applied at the rate of three ounces to the square yard. Apply the cluster bud spray to apples, which is a combined one for both insect and fungoid pests." It consists of l|llb of arsenate of lead paste to 50 gallons of water and one part of lime sulphur- to 100 parts of the spray. This spray is important, for it catches the fungus spores on their first activity. Another spraying is given when most of the petals have fallen and these two under ordinary circumstances should be sufficient to control black spot and powdery mildew.