HINTS FOR THE AMATEUR

Wairarapa Times-Age, 13 November 1940, Page 9

HINTS FOR THE AMATEUR

Fruit, Flowers and Vegetables WORK FOR THE WEEK VEGETABLE GARDEN. Keep the onion beds well hoed and take precautions against mildew and pests. Give the asparagus beds a topdressing of fertiliser to .encourage growth. Cucumbers, 'melons and marrows require shade for a few days after planting. Thin the parsnips to six inches apart as soon as they are large enough to handle; firm the soil again afterwards. Make plentiful sowings of beans the seeds of which are required to be dried; these are a useful food crop< for winter use. Plant out celery, leeks and celeriac; the latter is an excellent crop for culinary purposes. FLOWER GARDEN. Lilacs may be pruned and thinned when the flowering is past. Lift the bulbs when the foliage has ripened; if left in the soil, rake over the beds to prevent bulb flies entering the holes and cracks. Lilies showing flowering spikes should be well mulched with manure. Polyanthus should be lifted and divided, planting on a shady'border for the summer months. , Thin the crowded shoots of'delphiniums and other herbaceous plants. Plant out asters,' zinnias, salvias, petunias, phlox, and the various types of African and French marigolds. Plant out dahlias and chrysanthemums. Sow seeds of perennials and biennials on a Ishady border for next season’s flowering. > FRUIT GARDEN. Keep a close watch on fruit trees of all ;kinds for attacks by caterpillars and grubs. Look over the raspberry plantations and reduce the number of base suckers by pulling lout the weakest. Any raspberry stools showing signs of mosaic disease should be grubbed out and burned at once. Pick over the gooseberries, taking the largest each, time; this will prolong the season. Spray the raspberries and loganberries with derris when the blooms show ( white, but are not yet open, to control the “maggot.” Thin the,fruit crops which have set too freely. Spray the apples and pears with arsenate of lead for codlin moth.