The Wilmington morning star., 1947-10-26

plantS, Wn1cn are growing AlCe-
ly SO far.
The best conrtol of both ants
and mole crickets in the seed
bed is to treat the soil before
planting is done. The newest
method is to sprinkle or spray
with a solution of IL pint of
an emulsion containing Is per-
cent DOT and 100 pints of wa
ter, applying to tn seedbeds
several days before planting at
the rate of l gallon to each 10
square feet. Spray both length
wise and across to insure even
distribution. Pour the solution
down into the ant nests, open
ing up several holes with a
sharp stick.
After plants are up, use poison
bait. You can buy ready pre-
pared poison bait containing So
dunn fluosilicate that is very eff
fective against moles. Or you
can mix one. Mix thoroughly 2
tablespoons of Paris green or
white arsenic or sodium fluocili-
cate with / quart of wheat or
corn bran. Put 2 tablespoons
cheap molasses or syrup in l
pint of water and moisten the
bran until it is crumbly. Scat
ter bait thinly in late afternoon.
Remember it is a poison and
take proper precautions. This
bait will control cutworms,
other crickets and grasshoppers
as we'll as snails and slugs.
To get rid of the ants use a
poisoned syrup. There r many
on the market, Or you can make
a small quantity by boiling l
pint of water with ID teaspoon
of sodium arsenite, allowing to
cool and then stirring in l pound
of sugar. These are all extreme
ly poisonous.
To get rid of worms in pots
stand pots in water Up to the
soil level for IL hour and
worms will come to top and you
can take them out. Or if you
don't want to try this with the
African violets, dust the surface
of thesoil with hydrated lime
and water it in. The earth
worms do no harm except that
they may clog the drainage
holes in the pots.
FALL PLANTING OF SWEET
PEAS
1t is time now to make a
trench for planting sweet peas
this fall. Fall planting is a risk,
but for those who are willing
to take the risk of their being
killed by a hard freeze in
winter there is a chance to have
earlier and finer blooms with
longer stems and a longer sea-
son of bloom if the plants come
through the winter all right.
And there is always time to
plant again in early spring.
It is when hard freezes come
when the plants are just out of
the ground and not more than
a few inches high that they are
most apt to be killed. If tops
are killed back a few inches
later, the plants will usually
grow from the lower buds and
make strong branching plants.
Seed planted in spring are
surer of growing, but because
they will be less deeply rooted,
the plants are more injured by
droughts and the blooming sea-
son will be shorter.
It is much the best method
to seed in a trench and to pre-
pare the trench well. If posi-
BILE get it ready two weeks be-
fore planting the seed. Seed
should 60 in soon after the first
of November in the mountain
regions; the middle of Novem-
Der in the Piedmont; and the
latter part of November in the
warmer parts of our section.
Planted too early, they get too
much tender top growth which
will be badly hurt by heavy
freezes. Later planting makes
for slower and more hardened
top growth.
The following directions may
be a help to those who have
not used the trench method of
planting sweet peas in fall. If
they seem impossible to carry
out IN their entirety, try to fol-
low them out as nearly as you
can. This method produces
Large blooms with long stems,
extends the blooming period,
and necessitates the least wa
tering.
1t takes 2 ounces of seed to
plant a double row Is feet long.
Run the trench north and
south to get the maximum SUM-
llght IN winter. Dig the trench
Il feet deep and 2 feet wode.
Lay the topsoil to one side and
remove the clay. Break up the