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Gardening for Amateurs 



the plants under some bushes, or to sow 

 in heat in January and transplant the seed- 

 lings when 6 inches high. The Onion sets 

 offer an alternative course. 



Asparagus. That brown fly seen about 

 the Asparagus bed lays her eggs on the 

 tips as they appear through the ground. 

 When the grub is born a fortnight later it 

 eats its way into the heart of the stem, and 

 so destroys the succulent stalks. Hand- 

 picking of the fly is advisable in a small 

 garden, but soot dusted on the tips kills 

 the larvae as soon as they hatch out. Apply 

 fresh soil to the bed each November. 



Lettuce. Slugs are the worst enemy of 

 the Lettuce ; we will talk of them under 

 "Soil Pests." 



Potato. How many varieties of the 

 Potato have fallen into oblivion ? One of 

 the reasons for this is that some are highly 

 susceptible to the dreaded Potato Disease. 

 Perhaps the present-day system of hard 

 forcing of this plant has much to do with 

 the virulence of this fungoid pest. Yellowish 

 spots on the foliage are the first indication 



Pests Found in the Soil and a Friend. 



A and B. Wireworms: C. The Leather Jacket (grub of the Cranefly or Daddy Long: Legs) ; 

 D and E, Millipedes; F. The Ant: G, Centipede (a friend of the garden); H, The Grey Slug. 



of this trouble ; these turn brown and 

 finally black, giving off a bad smell. On 

 carefully examining the fungus, a greyish 

 band is noticed encircling the affected part, 

 and this serves to distinguish the disease 



from others. The fungus is encouraged 

 and spread by close planting, which pre- 

 vents full access of sun and air, free manur- 

 ing, and the bad practice of leaving diseased 

 haulm about the ground. Infected plants 

 should be immediately pulled up ; all 

 haulm must be burned and plants grown 

 from healthy tubers. The disease spreads 

 quickly in close, damp weather. The only 

 remedy is to spray the plants with Bordeaux 

 Mixture at the first signs of disease ; spray- 

 ing should be made from below as well as 

 from above. In Potato districts plants 

 are treated with this fungicide twice each 

 season, whether disease appears or not, 

 and they benefit much, while crops are 

 increased by the treatment. 



Lately gardeners have started to spray 

 the Potato sets before planting, as the 

 spores of this fungus are carried on the 

 tubers. The seed Potatoes are spread out 

 and soaked with the Bordeaux Mixture ; 

 sprouted Potatoes should be hardened a 

 little first, and they will not suffer. Such 

 a method of sterilising sets is most advis- 

 able with new 

 varieties and 

 tubers from 

 an unknown 

 source. Scab- 

 bed Potatoes 

 are too com- 

 mon to re- 

 quire descrip- 

 tion. The 

 corky skin 

 renders the 

 tubers un- 

 sightly, and 

 they do not 

 market well, 

 though they 

 are quite fit 

 for food. 

 The disease 

 is carried by 

 the seed Po- 

 tatoes, hence 

 the remedy is to employ fresh tubers 

 or to kill the fungus by spraying the 

 tubers with a solution of 1 oz. of 

 poisonous corrosive sublimate in 10 to 

 15 gallons of water. The watery disease 



