OLD NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS FROM ISLA GLASS’S SCRAPBOOK

Hari Hari, West Coast, South Island Circa 1941–1971 Pot Plant Diseases

‘The most common pot plant pest is mealy bug, a small downy whitish creature about a pin head size, usually found under the leaf or along the stems, resulting in shrivelling and browning of the leaves. One control is to spot them with a camel-hair brush dipped in methylated spirits.’

Clubroot Among Cabbages

‘Do not use the same soil each year for growing the brassica family if you don’t want to encourage the clubroot fungus. Clubroot likes acidic soil so make sure you give your ‘cabbage, cauli and broccoli’ plenty of nitrogen and lime when you plant them. The Ministry of Agriculture recommends adding slated burnt lime, hydrated lime, or ground quick lime along with plenty of green manure and compost. I have also read that if you drop a piece of rhubarb stem in the bottom of the hole of each planting, it will stop clubroot. I don’t know how that works or if it does, but I’m going to try it.’