Gardening/ Living
Vegeiarian rats discovered in Dean Park

First of all a short report on
“himself.” He had the hip opera-
tion on Friday, and on Monday
when I went into the hospital,
there he was, marching across the
room, using a walker, and wearing
a very determined look, so obvi-
ously he is on the mend!

When he seemed so well I
determined to come home to see
how things were growing, to see
the dog, and to give Jane a rest
from all the watering she has been
doing.

Everything seems to be flourish-
ing except the green peas, which I
turfed out and will burn, rather
than composting them.

I honestly don’t know what
happened to them, but they were
the sickliest things I have ever
grown. Their roots seemed to
shrivel up, and then, of course,
whole plants died.

It is not the dreaded pea enation
mosaic virus (Isn’t that a dandy
name for a disease?) because the
sick plants’ leaves didn’t have the

&iypical brown or white mosaic
pattem on them , nor the swellings
that come under the leaves.

I suppose it is root-rot, which it

Bshouldn’t be, since this particular
bed has never been used to grow
peas before. That bed was flooded
for ages early in the spring.

Maybe that pre-disposed the
plants to sickness. Also I did not
use Captan-treated seed. Some-
times, trying to stick to organic
growing is hard, isn’t it?

During “‘himself’s’’ hospitaliza-
tion I have been staying with my
son in Vancouver. He is a keen
gardener, but a whole series of
things prevented his getting any-

B thing planted this spring, so his
vegetable beds are empty except
for tomato plants, a Zucchini, plus
a fair collection of assorted weeds.
_ Since this is the time to plant
winter vegetables I propose to find
him some cauliflower, broccoli,
Brussels sprouts and cabbage
plants, and also put in short rows
oS@cets, turnips and carrots. They
may be small when winter comes,
but I’ll bet theyll be welcome,
nonetheless!

I have already planted some
pole beans for him, which will
also be late, but even a couple of
meals from those vines will be
better than the beans available in

of hydrangeas, a rhodo or two, plus
something that is colorful all year
round, aucuba. If he will get two
female plants, and one fella, then
he could also expect beautiful fat
ted berries each fall and winter.

Len reports something mighty
Strange on his large deck, raised
some twelve feet above ground
level. Anna had some large gera-
niums, petunias and marigolds in
pots up there. One moming when
she went out to water them, they
had disappeared. Not so much as
one leaf was left!

Len called to ask what kind of
slug or snail could eat things that
large. He was kidding, of course,
but it really was a puzzle. He
decided it had to be a rat, although
none of us had ever heard of a

TheReview Wednesday, August 1,1990 — A9

vegetarian rat.

Operating on that theory, he
purchased some Warfarin, sprin-
kled it heavily on lettuce leaves
and put them temptingly in the
now empty flower pots. Each
morning, at dawn, he checked and
each day the lettuce and its poi-
sonous dressing was gone.

Then one day nothing was dis-
turbed, and he knew he had caught
the beast, or, more likely beasts!

Can you beat it! Ifhe and Anna
hadn’t actually seen the rat once,
I’m sure people would have
thought he was day-dreaming.

So, if you find your garden is
gradually disappearing maybe you
should consider setting a rat trap!

Thank you for yov~ good wishes
everyone!

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The front of his house faces
north and really looks pretty bleak.
He would like to add some color
there, and if he would just remem-

‘If he will get two female plants,
and one fella, then he could also
expeci beautiful fat red berries
each fall and winter’

ber to water, could plant a couple

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life destruction. Our fishing com-
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an.

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