150 GARDENING DIFFICULTIES SOLVED 



Clubbing among Vegetables, Application of Lime 



Q. Cabbages and other vegetables of the Brassica family are 

 badly attacked by club. I thought of applying lime to the soil to 

 improve matters. Is this right ? if so, how much should I apply? 

 H. A. I?., Newport. 



A. You are certainly contemplating the right thing, for nothing 

 will tend to check the ravages of this widespread disease more than 

 lime. Scatter freshly slaked lime all over the surface of the soil in 

 October or November. On a large scale it may be used with good 

 effect from 5 to 7 tons per acre. The lime should be dug into the 

 ground after the lapse of two or three days. Do not apply the lime 

 so near to the fruit trees that it is brought in direct contact with the 

 roots when digging in. 



Young Marrows Failing to Develop 



Q. Can you tell me why Vegetable Marrows, when 1 inch or 

 2 inches long, refuse to grow any bigger and are worthless ? 

 E. W. M., Chester. 



A. The reason for the young Marrows turning yellow and 

 damping off when about 1 inch or 2 inches in length is their not 

 being fertilised. The Marrow plant produces two kinds of flowers 

 the female which bears the Marrow fruit, and the male which 

 pollinates the female. If the female flowers are not pollinated, they 

 are in consequence unfertilised and therefore undeveloped. As a 

 rule bees are responsible for the pollination of Marrow flowers ; 

 in order that bees and other insects should perform this work it 

 is very necessary that the male flowers should not be removed, for 

 it sometimes happens that the male flowers are picked off under 

 the wrong impression that they are false blooms and of no use to 

 the plant. The very damp and much colder weather which we 

 have had may also have a good deal to do with the Marrows failing 

 to set their fruits. 



Club Disease in Cabbages 



Q. Please tell me what causes these knotted lumps on Cabbages. 

 My crop is badly attacked by this disease. The leaves are much 

 eaten by caterpillars. W. 8. T., Malvern. 



A. The plants are affected by club disease and attacked by the 

 grubs of the Cabbage butterfly at the same time. As soon as you 

 can manage to do it the allotment should be given a heavy dressing 

 of lime, for this is the best known agent to ward off the club root 



