Evening star., 1930-06-15
GARDEN ITEMS

One of the leading home gardeners of
the Woodbridge section informs me that
he has secured excellent control of
plant lice with one Of the new pyre-
thrum products. These materials have
the advantage of being non-poisonous
to man and can be rinsed of quite cas-
lily, hence are desirable on lettuce, snap
beans and other vegetables that are
eaten without removal of outer coat.
Pyrethrum compounds are recommended
by the Department of Agriculture for
controlling the Mexican bean beetle on
plants the pods of which are maturing
and will be eaten without shelling.
Last year mention was made Of the
desirability of the lantana as a bedding
plant on account of its sturdy growth
and bright show Of scarlet and yellow
shades. Another point in its favor
Is evidently early blooming, judging by
the newly planted beds in front of the
old Agriculture Building. These beds
already are making fine show Of color
Chrysanthemums are in many cases
infested with black appearing aphids or
plant lice. These creatures congre-
gate on the soft tips and draw the life
sap from the tender tissues. A spray
ing with tobacco extract, pyrethrum
preparations or even weak soapSuds
made of pure soap will rid the plants Of
these enemies.
Applying fertilizer to the dry soil is
useless and even dangerous because
there is not sufficient moisture in the
soil to thoroughly dissolve the fertilizer
salts and distribute them. Hence the
roots are apt to come into contact with
the raw fertilizer and injury results.
1t is advisable to wait until after rains
before applying fertilizer and then work
1t into the soil with the subsequent
cultivation. Rotted manure wins out
In competition with concentrated min
eral fertilizers in dry seasons because it
brings organic matter or humus into
the soil and helps hold the moisture.
Gladiolus bulbs planted June 18 at
the New Jersey Experiment Station
bloomed on September l, which in itself
Is OF no particular Importance except
to show that this very desirable flower
may still be planted In this vicinity
with assurance of blooms. However,
the late-planted blubs did not repro
duce very well, developing smaller bulbs
or cormS than were originally planted
The recent inventory lists of new
plants sent out by the Office of foreign
plant introduction of the Department of
Agriculture contain the names of many
species, some related to our common
OH uDc VI JAlC BdLQcIiSy ouCIl dS JI1e
deutZia, Philadelphus syringa, and the
like. These plants have been intro
duced for their possible value in them
selves or as parents for developing new
varieties. These new acceSsionS promise
to further enrich our gardens, which
already contain species from the four
quarters of the world. These new
plants were gathered in many cases by
plant explorers who penetrated into wild
and dangerous locations. Thus came
the Regal lily and other wonderful
plants into our gardens, drawn by
brave plant hunters from the remotest
parts of the earth. One would think
offhand that the explorers would soon
complete their task, but there are still
vast areas in the interior of China and
Northern India and elsewhere that have
been scarcely penetrated as yet and
may confidently be expected to yield
many plant treasures in the future.