GARDEN NOTES.

Waikato Times, Volume 122, Issue 20510, 28 May 1938, Page 24 (Supplement)

GARDEN NOTES.

nir Seasonable Work . TT i- fi maEgMIG (By **Nikau") VEGETABLES AND FRUIT Plant cabbage, cauliflower, silver beet, perpetual spinach and herbs. In raised beds sow broad beans and dwarf peas. Few other vegetables ran be sown now in the Waikato because of frost. Examine marrows, squash and pumpkins in store; also examine onions and potatoes. Sow spare ground with lupins or oats, otherwise dig it deeply and leave the surface rough. Cut down asparagus and clean up the beds; take care not to injure the crowns or the roots. ibarto With rotted manure. A liquid manure may be made by stirring half an ounce of nitrate of soda into one nof water. It is advisable to keep all manures away from the foliage of vegetables and flowers). Earth up leeks and celery "hen the soil Is fairly dry. See that all parts of the vegetable garden are limed once every three or four years. Plant all kinds of hardy fruit-trees, especially apple trees. In a fairly sheltered position a citrus tree should be planted—either a lemon or a New Zealand grapefruit. Plant strawberries and bush fruits such as ourrant, gooseberry and loganberry. Spray fruit-trees with Bordeaux at the rate of lib. of powder to six or eight gallons of water. FLOWERB Clear away zinnias, nasturtiums, French and African marigolds, cosmos and other plants cut by frost. Cut down dahlias to within six or eight inches of the soil, and tie labels securely to the base of the stems. Plant anemones, ranunculi, freesias, montbretias, tritonlas, tulips, bulbous irises, daffodils, watsonias, hyacinths, etc. Plant only hardy plants now, such as herbaceous perennials, trees and shrubs, and pansy, viola and primrose. The last three appreciate a fairly rloh soil. Plant various kinds of lilies which are still dormant. It Is too late for L. eandldnm -Madonna; and rather late for L. longiflorum (White Trumpet). On the other hand, it is rather early for L. sulphureum the sulphur Lily). Full instructions for lily culture were given last week. Scatter bonemeal around various bulbous plants such as narcissi, anemones and ranunculi. Some superphosphate may be applied, but its use can easily be overdone. The safest manure for most plants is rotted compost or cow manure that has been stacked for nearly a year. Dig out bad roses and prepare the ground for good new ones. If the soil is light, add a few barrow-loads of clay to the bed, also rotted stable manure. Plant out sweet peas in trenches that have had rotted manure well mixed with the soil. Do not overdo the manuring, as it leads to ‘•streak” In the flowers and leaves. Put In cuttings of hardy trees and shrubs in the open garden. Plant hedge plants, a list of suitable varieties will be given soon.

HOW TO SPRAY | Whatever spray wc are using it is j generally necessary to apply it with ; great force in order to drive it into I cracks and crevices, where both in- j sect-s and fungoid pests may hide. » Another important matter is to do the work thoroughly by going all round the tree and making sure that every » bit above the ground has been reached, i It is also necessary to see that the j solution is applied in the form of a fine spray; when every bit of bark j •ad h Date has been covered with a th n Aim. it Is time to stop. Naturally, j a dry day should be chosen for the j work, and if there is no wind, so much : the better for the evenness of the j spraying, and the safer for the skin j and thf* clothes of the operator. There is generally a fair amount of i latitude in the strength of the solu- ! tion cr mixture, but it is wise to use the proportions recommended by the Mken Another itl to note is ; Um proper cleaning ol the spray-pump ; after nee; some mixtures are harm- j ful to the metal, others to the rubber, while seme enuse trouble in the next ( solution employed. For example, Bordeaux mixture, or lime, or nicotine, if Belt in the pump or vessels, will spoil red oil solution by preventing it from emulsifying. It is therefore an »xc dlent plan to flush out the pump end lit** vessels with clean water imred t!» I *uv spr.iyiixg is finished. As II- I . Mixture spoils both itself rrd tli" *• in! wner when put in »o----l i n' vessels, a wooden tub or » the i roper tiling to use for . A;.*)!! the work should be * r -I ' * proper season. The pres- »; s suitable for spraying with B 1 i - I’flr leaves. This spray will I • . . jTt y fungal diseases which are nl over from season to season i . n s on leaves, bark, and n i;n : <1 fruits left on the tree or allowed to lie on the surface of the ground. With red oil and other substances wh ch have to be made into emulsions, d i: necessary tj soften "hard" waters. The "hardness" Is due to the presence of xnlnexai*. such as lime or magnesia. These curdle the soap that Is usually added to oil sprays, but ordinary washing soda unites with the lime or magnesia, forming compounds which arc neutral to soap. A small quantity of washing soda should therefore be added to oil sprays which are to be emulsified with "hard" water. Half an ounce to three gallons Is usually enough. An emulsion, by the way. Is an intimate blending of oil or oily substances with water, the water and oil being held together with soap. Some sprays (such as arsenate of lead) have to be kept stirred, otherwise the heavy matter held In suspension may settle to the bottom. Even an emulsion should be stirred and churned, otherwise the oil may separate from the water and may do harm to the plants touched by it. This is a real danger with kerosene emulsion, which is one of our best insecticides when made and used properly. Kerosene Emulsion This came into vogue as an insecticide especially for the control of scales and woolly aphis, but has been displaced by the use of emulsified red-oil. A formula recommended by the Department of Agriculture is: Soap (or soft soap) 8 ozs., kerosene (150 deg. test) 2 gallons; water 1 gallon. Heat the water and to this add the soap cut into shreds, and stir until dissolved; remove from the Are, and immediately add the kerosene; agitate until completely emulsified, either pouring several times from one vessel to the other, or preferably by passing through a small spray pump. Use in the dormant season at flic strength of I part to 6 parts of water; but during the growing reason at a strength of 1 part to 15 parts of water. WATERPROOFING CALICO Two or three weeks ago we gave an old recipe for waler-prooflng calico for covering frames. Here is a newer recipe recommended by the Auckland Horticultural Society. Soften ounces of glue in 81 pints of cold water; then dissolve ssme fvt a boilerful (*> gallons) of warm water with 2i ounces of hard soap: put in the cloth ond boil for an hour, then wring and dry; then prepare a bath of I pound of alum and 1 pound of salt, soak the prepared cloth in it for 2 hours, rinse with clear water and dry. One gallon of the glue solution will soak about ten yards of cloth—enough to cover three or four propagating frame*.

LET IN THE AIR Most gardeners who have had a lawn “down” for several years realise that it has become packed too hard by frequent use, cutting and perhaps rolling. Often a special machine with spikes is used to aerate the soil, but the perfect machine has not yet been seen In New Zealand. A slower but better contrivance is the ordinary garden fork thrust in at an angle of about 45 degrees and pushed down so that the turf is raised gently but flrmly. If the lawn is marked off by strings, it can be done in strips. The holes should be left open for a week or two and then should be filled with screened sand scattered and brushed over them. These tubes of sand allow both air and water to pass down through the turf, thus aiding the aeration and the drainage. An alternative method is to drive the fork In vertically to the full depth of the prongs, and* then to fill the resulting holes with sand. THE WINTER SHOW Readers are reminded that many features of horticultural interest may be seen at the Waikato Winter Show. A special exhibition is being made by the Agricultural Department, while there will be the usual competitive classes and the displays made by the leading nurserymen and seedsmen of llie North Island. Once more we remind local gardeners to make sure that any of the plants bought by them are hardy enough to stand Waikato frosts. Last Saturday’s frost of 8 degrees did a good deal of damage to more than the ordinary tender plants. It was no surprise to see pumpkin and bean vines cut in the vegetable garden. and French and African marigolds rut in the flower garden, but even plants as hardy as hydrangeas suffered. This was because they had been encouraged by the mild weather to make new growth instead of slowing down and resting for the winter. AUTUMN TINTS Last week a list of autumn-tinted plants was given, but a further note on this subject may do no harm. Here are a few specimens which deserve special mention: The pin-oak trees in River Road, notably one at O’Neill Street and one at Piako Road; avenues of liquidambars in Stanley Street and Kitchener Street (both in Claudelands); the poplars at the river end of London Street; the maidenhair tree in Piako Road In Cleudelands, and the many tinted trees in Memorial Park, perhaps especially the elms, ashes, viburnums and species of rhus. The richest-coloured shrub seen this year by the writer Is an Enkianthus Japonicus In a London Street garden. Readers will probably see a good assortment of autumntinted trees at the Winter Show. They should ask if a specimen of a maple named Acer Davldil, is to be seen. It has flne, tinted, large leaves, and really wonderful bark. It is a recent introduction to New Zealand brought from Central China. The writer has seen it only in a Tauranga garden, but it is hardy enough for most parts of New Zealand. In Von Tempsky Street and Grey Street there are many trees showing fine autumn tints. Mention should also be made of the golden ash and the other trees in Oakley Avenue, Claudelands. Of course, other parts of Hamilton have flne exhibits, too; for example, the trees in Ulster Street, Gwvnne Street, and those in the various schoolgrounds. A BEAUTIFUL GRASS Just now a beautiful grass Is at its best; this is the plant named Eulalia iaponlca zebrina (or MiscanIhus). The green leaves are prettily barred with yellow, but the chief beauty at this season is the large number of plumes reaching a height of about six feet. This giant grass succeeds quite well in partial shade or at the edge of the shrubbery, but it appreciates a rich soil. It is usually propagated by division of the clump, but it can also be raised from seed.