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AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

THE MACMILLAN COMPANY

NEW YORK - BOSTON - CHICAGO - DALLAS
ATLANTA + SAN FRANCISCO

MACMILLAN & CO., Lim1TED

LONDON - BOMBAY - CALCUTTA
MELBOURNE

THE MACMILLAN CO. OF CANADA, Lr.
TORONTO

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AROUND THE YEAR
ey THe GARDEN

A SEASONABLE GUIDE AND REMINDER FOR
WORK WITH VEGETABLES, FRUITS, AND
FLOWERS, AND UNDER GLASS

BY
FREDERICK FRYE ROCKWELL

AUTHOR OF ‘‘ HOME VEGETABLE GARDENING,” ‘‘GARDENING

INDOORS AND UNDER GLASS,” ‘‘ THE KEY TO
THE LAND,” ETC.

ILLUSTRATED WITH PHOTOGRAPHS BY THE AUTHOR AND
E. R. RoOLuLINns

New York
THE MACMILLAN COMPANY
1917

Copyvricnt, 1913, 1914 and 1915

By THE CURTIS PUBLISHING CO.
DOUBLEDAY, PAGE & CO. .
McBRIDE, NAST & CO.

Copyricut, 1917
By THE MACMILLAN COMPANY
Set up and electrotyped. Published September, 1917.

SEP LS TSE?

©c.a476048

Fraternally
DEDICATED
- TO THAT GOOD FELLOWSHIP OF GARDENERS

WHO, TILLING THEIR OWN SMALL PLOTS,
INCREASE THE EARTH’S BOUNTY AND BEAUTY.

Shi

INVITATION

In golden April weather,
In sun and wind and rain,
Let us fare forth and follow
Beneath the spring’s first swallow
By budding break and heather
To the good brown soil again!

With rake and seeds and sower,

And hoe and line and reel,
When the meadows shrill with “peeping”
And the old world wakes from sleeping,
Who wouldn’t be a grower

That has any heart to feel?

Delve in! The year’s before us;
Spring’s promise fills the air.
Descendants of Antzus,
The brown earth’s touch can free us,
Renew us and restore us,
From the hand o’ carking care.

Work, through the summer golden,
And through the autumn’s glow,
Till the months lay down their burden
In the full garden’s guerdon,
And earth, once more enfolden,
Sleeps warm beneath the snow.

And for our work—though showers
And autumn frosts destroy—
Our greatest pay’s not measured
In fruit and flower we’ve treasured,
But in the golden hours
That brought us health and joy!

FOREWORD

This book is designed for the busy man or woman whose
spare time available for gardening is limited, and who, con-
sequently, is interested in utilizing every hour to the best
purpose. Seasonable and definite directions are given for
the various tasks encountered in caring for the garden and
grounds on the moderate sized place, where the services
of a professional gardener are lacking. On the other hand,
piece-meal and didactic directions, and ‘‘calendar garden-
ing,” have been avoided. The dates mentioned in con-
nection with the chapters are for the convenience of the
reader, as indicating when the work described should be
given attention, or can be done to the greatest advantage,—
in most instances well in advance of the time for actually
doing the work, so that plans may be made, varieties
selected, materials obtained, and annoying delays avoided.

January:

“cc

6c
é

6é

March:

April:

CONTENTS

PAGE
eeaceti Wy MR SS) ua ats ne ya 2c SEO R Aran NS eee I
Make Your Plans Now for Spring and Summer Work.
Sea UV MISES 6) hes ais 2 awe ae ee Ra 6
An Equipment of Tools for this Summer’s Success.
PUTED NV RMS Snel dient ce! oe he oa 13

Up-to-date Tools.
Use and Care.

Suggestions about their Selection,

LOOSE a 20 1G UN A Aa RR eR MP Sean A ea 1008
Vegetable Seeds to Order for the Summer Season.

Riera Wy Hitt (Vb ely AN a a ene Oe
Make a Plan now—and Follow it this Summer.

SHEMINI SEI 5! GSA Ls Lace oa aig’ din wilh Salse glee ene
Starting Seeds in Greenhouse or Hot-Bed.

PE EE MeD RA Uy NUS yt See INE A i. tt Gee
Plans for this Year’s Flower Garden.

PrOUUNOREE, WU RIM Shoots Salers Oo or. slid trad acd nN a
Making the Soil Rich; Manures; Fertilizers and Humus.

RSW BIS 8G Bie). wcaiecte 4.2 'op) tonic igh ape emma
Bush and Tree Fruits for the Small Place; Quantities
Needed; Good Varieties.

DENSON) PRINS Gi oad Ata te cal ecg oem PD en an
Growing Strong Plants for Vegetable and Flower Gardens.

PE ERD VRIES A acai Vaan oe ROR CRONE Be dy Saka
The First Planting and Seeding in the Open Garden.

BIGGIE: | VWASI RGB et a SR eich ui oo,

First Planting of Flowers Out-doors; Pruning Roses;
Work with the Hardy Border; Getting a Start with
Annuals.

LS ts OR 2 0) ge ee Ys edie 0? 21! A A a
Pointers on Planting; Protection from Late Frosts; Labels
and Markers; Care of Tools.
xi

April:

“ce

May:

“

Smconm: Ware. Pe cc sated ae aes mae en
Making New Perennial Gardens and Borders; New Straw-
berry and Asparagus Beds.

Pater Win oe au eae seen ote ek iia acpi hie es

Putting the Home Grounds into Shape; Making Walks,
Roads, Curves, and Grades; First Work with the Lawn;
Propagating Cane and Bush Fruits.

POUR UE VIC R be) 0d 0s: 8isl eos ake ace ee ee
Keeping up with Garden Schedule; Hardening off Plants;
Tender Plants in Paper Pots.

TROT SVE os oa he side ova 'e) eb oly wks ta BR
Spring and Summer Spraying for Fruit; Starting the Vine
Crops Right.

PERSP WER Ne oN oe ee Vee ee a

Care of Asparagus, Rhubarb, Sea Kale; the Cane Fruits;
Grapes; the New Strawberry Bed; Fall Fruiting Straw-
berries.

NS) O10. 52 lf 2105 A Pe aE MME Bier Gat sen ehh c1S (ih
Flowers for this Summer’s Bloom; Planting Roses; Baby
Ramblers; Dahlias; Asters.

PAERRRD BUEN eos eh aS Gag, dd cae a Re Aad ew ae
Fertilizing, Weeding and Thinning in the Vegetable Gar-
den; Points on Picking.

OUR TE WRG foie Sil ee Bie
Controlling Insects and Diseases in Flower and Vegetable
Garden; Sprays and Sprayers and their Use.

PURSE WHEE so) Sloe ek Os etek & wen Weres deena
Vegetables for Fall and Winter; Succession Crops.

SHEGGINDD WRGENES ie). be Sb chaccsudle a Sek chon ide eit cclan Ee
Fighting Dry Weather; Mulching; Watering; Modern
Irrigation.

THIRD: WGK o's oo; 265.5 arcravein ok oscccs sees ahae Sa eee eon
Summer Work in the Rose Garden; Insects; Diseases;
Summer Pruning; Keeping Cut Flowers Fresh.

POORTH WHER. | O56 6455 Paasche ee Rae eis ee ene
Celery for Fall and Winter; Buying Plants; Transplanting;
Culture; Early Blanching.

102

108

116

129

130

135

141

148

153

159

july:

, 6

September:

CONTENTS

LE gi 83) a ee EC hE cena gS ad

Midsummer Work in the Vegetable Garden: Saving the
Soil Moisture; Egg-Plants and Peppers; the Vine Crops,
Transplanting in Dry Weather; Late Planting.

SAPPY UN HAGE gry rah cs eto te araks Doral SPA codon oe La
Starting Perennials and Biennials from Seed for Next
Year’s Gardens.

AUER ER NU EBIBGic E12 Soo wen cto dno Sos. oa oes Lea een

Summer Work with Strawberries: Care of the Spring
Planted Bed; Remaking the Old Bed; Potted Plants;
Starting the New Bed; Fall Bearing Strawberries.

PUREE: NY HES Ss ait, Sweet Salven o Dk we ek nla 4.2 bug ea
Linking the Garden to the House; Summer Houses; Per-
golas; Trellises; Vines to Cover them.

"ASST. RRS Be Pea VaaE ay el eos CORA ON Laie | Oe SADRI gralaind

Crops that Make the Garden Rich: ‘Green Manuring;”
Soil ‘‘Binders” for Winter Cover; Inoculating to In-
sure Success.

EN ICH eh oe Ura ss PAIN Unie a GVA S Bla qucoie aise eee

Getting House Plants Ready for Winter Bloom: New
Plants from Seeds and Cuttings; Summer Care of Potted
Plants; Plants from the Garden for Winter Flowering;
Making New Rubber Plants.

S20 EE 0) Sa RO cs a Ys
Making a New Lawn; Remaking an Old One; Peonies to
Plant Now.

DIR WE a io ea a teu Ee
Evergreens and Shrubs for Fall Planting: Planning an
Artistic Planting; Varieties for Special Purposes.

Orie Wire's ocho abla seme hah Mae iets 3,
Planning and Building a Small Greenhouse: Materials;
Construction; Heating.

Wecrseees NURI! 3. Se suas ame amram terior iate bondi

Late Work in the Vegetable Garden: Last Plantings;
Getting Ready for the First Frosts; Preparing for
Winter Work under Glass.

172

177

183

189

194

200

207

212

221

X1V

CONTENTS
PAGE
September: SmeconD WHEE... i 02.56 sles e mbes oer ade eee 226
Fall Bulbs: Plan now to Secure a Long Season of Bloom
~ Next Spring; Types and Varieties.
. eerie Wig 2) 3 cist ects as Cg ee RS belt area 235
Fall Planting of Shrubs and Other Ornamentals: When
to Plant; Preparation of Soil; Treatment on Receipt;
Pruning.
7 POURTE WHEE os 5 ob. ed De aes oe eee 240
Perennials for Planting and Replanting this Fall: Phlox,
Iris, Peonies.
- Furnes WEE. 2 5. eos te kee vce ee 248
Bulbs for Winter Bloom: Narcissi, Hyacinths, and Tulips
for Forcing; Other Flowering Bulbs; Cuttings to Root
Now.
Ree rners MRT WHS. 6 aie oi ysis alk ns ksi ee 256
Hot-Bed and Cold Frame Gardening: Equipment; Soil;
Heating; Varieties of Vegetables for Forcing.
os SINT WEE sshd ke oes elt mie be 264
Planting Bulbs for Next Year’s Bloom: Propagating
Roses.
‘7 CP PREHED, WeME spe io ood Su sa es ee arg ys Oke See eee ee 270
Saving the Season’s Produce: Harvesting and Storing
Vegetables and Fruits.
fh POURTE Wy Cis (fo Sei Salk baat oc 25s lak tala ae ee 276
Fresh Vegetables all Winter: Plan to Keep the Small
Greenhouse Busy with Succession Crops until Spring.
i Bima WRO Sis ote tie ede nate clas Cte Re 283
Concrete: What you can do with it: and how to use it.
Iron Pipe for Many Purposes.
pravermipers Vimor, Wet. fo on ss bes kia Palais oo eens ee 288
Making House Plants at Home for the Winter: The Condi-
tions that Favor Healthy Growth; the Problem of
Heating. Materials for next Spring.
e GROUND WIE: 554 gs Seis 2 ee eee 205

Fruits and Vegetables in Storage; Odds and Ends of Out-
side Work; Roots for Forcing; ‘‘Buds” for Grafting;
Making Beds and Borders for Spring Planting.

November:

December:

“

CONTENTS

Putting the Garden to Sleep for the Winter: Protection of
Roses; Shrubs; Bulbs; Perennials; Small Fruits. Chrys-
anthemums for Stock Plants; Materials for Spring
Work Indoors.

IME EN oo oi. 5a oo aia ha = dae ee
Work for the Home Tree Doctor: How to Repair Old
Wounds and Splits. Fall Trenching and Draining.

DM Ee ont elk Std k ap es a eae
The Winter Window Garden: Ventilation; Moisture; Soil;
Care. Propagating Bushes and Shrubs.

POSOMEY WME 3 oie ef be oaths 25 hou ees doe ss

The Winter Campaign in Orchard and Garden: Winter
Spraying; Winter Pruning of Fruit Trees; Cane Fruits
and Shrubs.

4000 Le ee ees ees See SRR Lae 7

The Care of Gift Plants after Christmas. How to Keep

Them in Good Condition and Save Them for Another
Year. Pick out Shrubs for Winter Beauty Now.

RUTTER roars whois wy nds eK de ee Se ee
Starting Plants for Next Summer’s Flower Garden: How
to Make and Root Cuttings; Potting and Care.

3°99

315

322

329

336

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

\ FRoNTISPIECE.—Every Home Should Have a Garden!

PLaTE 1.—A Warm Frame in a Cool Greenhouse for Starting Early
Beces. ( ooming ceeds in a Plates soso. ok oe) ae
PLATE 2.—Sowing Seeds of Different Sizes and the Depth to Cover
Them. Seedling Plants Ready for Transplanting. Sub-watering
of, Seedling’ Plants after Transplanting................ 222325

PiaTE 3.—An Attractive Arrangement of Quick Growing, Inexpensive
LE OVE SURGES 9 os 7 RCO SPCR SES ete Ce 2

Pate 4.—Plants Ready for Repotting. The Proper Method of Re-
moving a Plant from a Pot for Examining the Roots or Re-

PLATE 5.—Double Plow Attachment for Wheel Hoe. Setting out Let-
CLC EELS 1) Pas a tM NE ae a CU)?

PLATE 6.—Using a Board for Sowing Seed in a Small Garden. Firm-
MEG PCH ALECT SOWIE 5.6). since nigc see's, discs ora 4 oases a aoAIOe

PLuA©e g—riant Forcers atid Protectors... . 2.2... 2.6. weed sacagsinn

PLATE 8.—Firming the Soil about a Plant after Transplanting. Pro-
tection of Transplanted Plants from Sun to Prevent Wilting...

PLATE 9.—A Modern Combination Seed Drill and Wheel Hoe. Melons
Started under Glass in Paper Pots for Setting out Later. Pot
Grown Tomato Plants. Cabbage and Lettuce Plants Trimmed
Ready tor Pransamie 20 ik statis ban peat aan ae

PLATE 10.—A Good Type of Compressed Air Sprayer. A Supply of
Insecticides and Fungicides such as Should be Kept on Hand
fee ene Frome Garden. ls eG sae faa se Sar ean eis as clues

PLATE 11.—The Proper Way to Thin out and Cut Back pameierake
Aa etait USHER so. reals ert aaah edd oak ee aN wah hie te

PLATE 12.—White Fly on Under Side of Foliage of Fuschia. A Good
Type of Compressed Air Sprayer with Shoulder Strap for Use in
eR MARIN 5 oa oo = a cles sh Ce Gein td one ie lds bs

PLATE 13.—Iwo Types of Modern Spray Irrigation, Suitable for Either
Plowerier Vegetable Garden. so Oe hee a aaa le ckcw es

Facing page

4rr

66°

67”
79°

(eel
84”

85”

Togy

10m)”

122°

XVill LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

Facing page
PLATE 14.—Nozzle Line Irrigation for the Lawns and Grounds. Valves
and Turning Apparatus for the Control of Irrigation.......... 151“
PLATE I 5.—Home made Summer House and Home made Pergola.... 160”

PLATE 16.—Shaded Frames for Starting Plants in Summer. Pansy
Seedlings Ready for Transplanting)... 0 4. yea ee hee 161v

PuaTe 17.—Making Potted Strawberry Plants. Strawberry Runner
Reads for Transplanting ss. vad bye de pee eee 180”

PLATE 18.—Flat of Celery Plants Ready for Transplanting. Celery
Plants Trimmed back Ready for Planting.................... 181 ¥

PLATE 19.—Modern Method of Blanching Celery with Paper Tubes.
Banking up Celery for Later Uses. 1.0 6. Coa Ree 194”

PLATE 20.—Cutting Back and Potting a Geranium Plant for Winter
Biles Py ROR RR i Oo 195

PLATE 21.—Method of Sowing Grass Seed to Get an Even Stand for a
New Lawn. Chinese or Air Layering of Rubber Plant to get a

New Shapely Plant from an Old One... ...5...04. S00 248”
PLATE 22.—Bulbs Growing in Water. Cross Section of Pot Showing
Method of ‘Growing Bulbs for Forcin®.': . ...:2..5 edges tee 249

PLATE 23.—Cold Frame with Double Glazed Sash for Winter Crops... 260”

PLATE 24.—Crates and Barrels for Storing Vegetables. Beets and

Carrots Packed in Moss for Winter Storage.................. 261”
PLATE 25.—Method of Storing Cabbage for Winter. Ripening Toma-

Pee ARETE FORE Sic! ni.%% otis F208 k Ra hfe weet ee ee ee ava
PLATE 26.—Individual Rose Bush and Rose Bed Protected for the

MV IRILED cc le's oar iipte bis cc's 4 cel tele Oe lbs sevue he CROs Ae eer 275”
PLATE 27.—Progressive Steps in Clearing Out and Repairing Old

Wounds in an Apple Tree... ook ce oe eS eee sie *
PLATE 28.—New Trees from Old! How to Cut Back and Re-Form an

CR RR ie et Sh ea he Ae Ae el Ne Ne ate, GN a a 324
PLATE 29.—Later Treatment of the Same Tree Showing the Formation

Gr thie. Drew Eleaid 2 cle ha a eds Utes ed in ere 325
PLATE 30.—Geranium Cuttings Ready for Rooting. Begonia Cuttings

Ready to Pot Up from the Cutting Bed. ...:........ 00. <2 336

PLaTE 31.—Geraniums Cut Back Preparatory to Making New Growth
for Cuttings in the Spring). 3s.s'. och ses edb eadene les ceo 337

INTRODUCTION

Timeliness, which is of importance in achieving success
in almost any undertaking, is particularly important in
garden operations. One may postpone building a garage,
or buying a new car, for a week or a month, or even six
months, and when he again considers. the matter find
conditions the same as they were before; but the delay of a
week or two in making a hot-bed, planting a hardy border,
or setting out evergreens, may mean upsetting a garden
plan for a whole season, the loss of a year’s time in getting
results, or the waste of expensive plants. Conditions of
temperature and soil are constantly changing, and unless
one can keep the garden work caught up, or a little ahead,
the routine tasks cannot be done successfully and with a
minimum of labor, nor time be gained for those extra things
which make it possible to build up and improve the place.

On the other hand, the gardener who imagines that his
work can be reduced to a set of rules and formule, followed
and applied according to special days marked on the cal-
endar, is but preparing himself for a double disappointment.
Few things are so certain to be uncertain as the seasons and
the weather; and these, rather than a set of dates, even for
a single locality, form the signs which the real gardener fol-
lows. That is the great trouble with much book and mag-
azine gardening.

But there is a more important argument against such
follow-the-rule gardening, even were it possible to succeed
with it. It would be a joyless gardening! It might be
cheaper, but it would be little more attractive, than garden-
ing at the grocers’ and the florists’,—where the most
certain results are to be had with the least labor.

No: to be efficient, and what is even more important, to
find exhilaration and recreation in his work, or hers, the

x1X

Xxx INTRODUCTION

gardener must know not only what to do, and when it
should be done, but why it should be done. In fact the
first two conditions are contingent on the third.

To understand the habits and requirements of plants;
the properties of the soil which contribute to their well-
being; the signs and warnings and prophecies of Nature;
so that one may work close and follow her leads—realizing
always that she is a fickle dame who may not hesitate to
trump a safe trick or play low on third hand with the most
careful and experienced partner!—to develop, in a word, a
sixth sense which keeps one en rapport with the ‘‘feel”’ of
the soil and the season;—this is to become a member of
the informal but world-wide fraternity of ‘‘gardeners.”’
The initiation is long, and to a degree strenuous,—and it
must be self-administered.

Let the gardener, then, read this book with a diligent
eye for such advice and suggestions as he can apply to his
own problems, but without any attempt to follow it blindly:
for the real work, like the profit there may be (ten dimes
saved is a dollar earned!), and the pleasure there is sure to
be, must belong to the gardener, and cannot be put between
the covers of a book.

CRANMERE FARM,

Apri, 1917.

AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

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AROUND THE YEAR IN THE
GARDEN

January: First Week

MAKE YOUR PLANS NOW FOR SPRING AND
SUMMER WORK

With the beginning of the New Year thoughts turn to the
coming season’s work in the garden. No matter how large
or how small your plot, no matter whether you raise veg-
etables or flowers or fruit, the advantages to be gained by
systematic management are manifold. The first thing to do
is to get a definite idea of the amount of ground at your dis-
posal. The second is to make up a budget; in all probability
you can figure up pretty accurately how much you will
want to spend during the year for seeds, fertilizers, new
plants, shrubs, tools, and so forth.

A small plan of your grounds, drawn to scale, will enable
you to calculate quickly the amount of space that can be
devoted to any particular purpose. Such a plan will also
make it possible to arrange the work of beautifying your
grounds and home for several years ahead.

The actual work of making the plan is a simple matter.
Half an hour’s work with a tape measure will enable you
to get all the dimensions you need. The plan drawn to
scale from them may be as simple or as elaborate as you care
to make it. A good method is to draw the permanent fea-
tures, such as the boundary lines, drives, walks, buildings
and large trees, 7m ink, and the things that you may possibly
care to shift round, such as the vegetable garden, the flower
beds, bulb borders and small shrubs, with hard pencil.
Proposed additions and improvements, such as a hedge

2 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

along the front of the lawn, a pergola over the path leading
to the garage, or a grape arbor i in the rear, may be indicated
by dotted lines. Such a plan will enable you to see ata
glance whether any new idea may be advantageously
worked into the general scheme of improvement, and you
can calculate, without having to go out into the garden,
how many plants or bulbs or how much seed it will take for
any particular planting you wish to make.

No person who takes a place with the idea of living per-

@ 2 eee Oe ew eee we © Ow ww ome men =

¢ N ’ H

240'X12

Make a Plan for Future EaUne A, Large shrubs at entrance. B, Narrow beds along front

Walken hy wR ber Eloy? Decorative shrubs and trees. K, ‘Pergola. L, Tool/house.

O, Hedge along street. C, M, N, O, P, Path, grape-arbor, strawberry bed, cahe-fruits,

and bulb-border for future ‘planting.
manently upon it should drift along from year to year with-
out any definite plan of development. The place may be
anything from a suburban plot to a 200-acre farm. There
are latent possibilities in both kinds of places, but no two
owners will agree as to the best way of developing any par-
ticular place.

It is also essential to select the particular ideal toward
which your efforts are to be directed. If your aim is to have
a home as beautiful as possible, and enough vegetables to
supply the family table, make yourself familiar with ex-
amples of good taste in planning the home grounds and
master the details of vegetable growing; if you think you
are a natural-born poultryman lay your plans for an in-
creasing number of colony houses; if you have tackled the:

JANUARY: FIRST WEEK 3

problem of making a living on a real farm pick out your
specialty and lay out your lines for experiment and expan-
sion with that in view. But first fix the mental photograph
of what you want to accomplish. Then you can follow a
step-at-a-time policy as circumstances permit, which will
not mean wasted effort. A step at a time in a straight line
toward a definite goal will mean rapid progress; steps in no
fixed direction may mean no progress at all.

Look Over Tools and Seeds

Even on the very small place quite a number of vegetable
seeds accumulate as the result of left-overs from former gar-
dens. The garden-line breaks, trowels and hoes are lost,
glass in the hot-bed sash gets broken, tools are lent to neigh-
bors who forget to return them, and there are a hundred
and one other little things that, if attended to now, may save
a great deal of annoyance and delay and possibly consider-
able loss later on. It is an excellent plan to put everything
in order now in the tool shed and the seed boxes, to make
any needed repairs, and to-make at least mental notes of
the various things on hand and those that will be needed
by spring.

Seeds left over from the previous year’s garden may or
may not be good. The first rule for the gardener is: When
in doubt throw them away! Never for one moment let the
price of a new lot of seed weigh against the possibility of
even partial failure. Some seeds, however, keep for a num-
ber of years, as follows: Beans, 3; beets, 6; broccoli, 5;
cabbage, 5; carrot, 4; cauliflower, 5; celery, 8; cucumber, 10;
eggplant, 3; endive, 10; gourds, 6; kohl-rabi, 5; leek, 3;
lettuce, 5; sweet corn, 2; muskmelon, 5; onion, 2; oyster
plant, 2; parsley, 3; parsnip, 2; pea, 2; pepper, 4; pumpkin,
4; radish, 5; spinach, 5; squash, 6; tomato, 4; turnip, 5;
watermelon, 6.

Usually there is no way of telling how old the seed is when
you get it, so the only safe method is to test for germination
any that may have been left over. Take a small box, such

4 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

as a cigar box, or a flat for a larger number, and plant fifty
or a hundred seeds in each row. A more convenient way is
to place the seed between pieces of moist blotting paper, or
on a wad of cotton in a tumbler with a little water in the
bottom. Planting in the soil, of course, corresponds more
nearly to the conditions under which the seeds will be
planted and gives a better idea of the percentage of germina-
tion that may be expected. Of most kinds at least eighty
per cent, and in a majority of cases ninety per cent, should
sprout readily. Be sure that the soil is never allowed to
dry out.

In looking over your implements do not be content with
merely being able to find things. They should be tuned up
to work as well as new. First, get them sharp; on all tools
with blades you should maintain a cutting edge. If your
various tools of this character—hoes, wheel-hoe blades,
weeders, sickels, scythes, and so forth—are in very bad
shape, the services of grindstone or emery wheel will be re-
quired; if they simply need ‘“‘touching up” whetstone and
file will answer the purpose.

Paint is Cheaper Than New Implements

Second, you must fight rust at every possible point, not
only because it will wear your tools out much faster than
hard use but because it interferes with your work. Take off
all of the nuts on the various attachments, soak them in
kerosene until they can be made clean, then put on a little
heavy oil or vaseline and work them until they can readily
be turned on and off and any desired changes made without
trouble.

After use for a season or two the larger tools, such as
the wheel hoe, seed-drill and wheelbarrow, will usually
show many spots where the paint has been knocked
off or has peeled off, allowing a foothold for rust. Rub
down the edges of the raw spots with sandpaper or a wire
brush, wipe the rest of the machine off clean and dry, and
give the whole a light coat of paint over such portions as -

JANUARY: FIRST WEEK 5

were painted when the machine was new. Paint is much
cheaper than new machinery, to say nothing of the added
pleasure of having clean, bright-looking tools to use.

The hand sprayer, whether of the knapsack or the com-
pressed-air type, should also be overhauled unless it has
been used occasionally since summer for other jobs. [If it
fails to work take out the plunger and soak the washer in oil
for several hours; or if the washer is worn or cracked beyond
use get a piece of heavy leather and cut out a new one, being
sure to make it an exact duplicate of the old. If the nozzle
or any valve or spring has become corroded soak it for a day
or so in kerosene and then clean thoroughly.

By all means go over the cold-frame and hot-bed sashes
and put them into shape unless they are comparatively new.
Few other things will deteriorate so quickly if neglected, so
that water can soak through to the wood. Kept in good
condition, on the other hand, they will last for many years.
In making repairs it is important to use only the best grades
of paint and putty. In putting in new glass or in patching,
scrape back to sound dry wood, and give a coat of paint be-
fore putting the putty on.- The putty should be applied
under the glass as well as over it. What is known as liquid
putty may be bought for about sixty cents a quart from
your seedsman; this is a semi-liquid paste that is very good
for this work, as it hardens on the outside but remains
plastic inside, adhering better to glass than to wood and
making future repairs much easier. After repairing the
sash should be given a coat of “‘outside white” or of special
greenhouse paint, applied extra thick over all joints and
mortises.

New sash should be ordered now if you are going to
want any for this spring’s work. Get those of the best
quality, even if they cost fifty cents or a dollar more. They
should be so constructed that there is the least possible ex-
posure where the pieces are mortised together.

January: Second Week

AN EQUIPMENT OF TOOLS FOR THIS SUMMER’S
SUCCESS

There is a saying that it’s a poor workman who finds
fault with his tools. Nowadays it’s a poor gardener, if
his time is worth anything, who is content with any but
the best of tools. That does not necessarily mean the most
expensive ones. All garden tools are cheap enough, but a
poor tool, no matter what its price, is expensive in two ways
—it is less efficient, and it gives out quickly, to say nothing
of the fact that a poorly tempered tool makes an ill-tempered
gardener.

A sufficient equipment of garden tools is a factor in
garden success. The man who is growing for his own
table will frequently get along year after year, skimping on
a few dollars’ worth of tools that he knows he needs. He
argues with himself that he isn’t getting any money out
of his garden, so he must put no more into it than he ab-
solutely has to. He fails to realize that in all probability
he is getting two or three times as much profit out of his
crops as the commercial market gardener gets. His whole
output is taken, if his garden is rightly managed, by the
best market so far discovered—the home kitchen. It is
worth at least as much as would be paid for stale stuff at
the store.

Another thing that keeps many people from buying
needed small tools is that they do not calculate the actual
cost. They decide that it will not pay to invest a dollar in
a spading fork, or seven and a half dollars in a sprayer, or
ten to fourteen dollars in a combination wheel hoe and
seed drill. But if tools are well cared for they should last
on an average at least ten years, which makes an annual

JANUARY: SECOND WEEK 7

cost of ten per cent of the purchase price; ten per cent more
will under ordinary conditions cover the charge for interest
and the cost of repairs. The saving made by not getting a
spading fork that costs twenty cents a year, a spraying
machine that costs a dollar and a half a year, or a seed drill
and wheel hoe that costs two dollars a year—a man’s labor
for one day—is often wholly imaginary. In the home
garden it is often possible to lose several dollars by saving
one.

There are now special tools for doing most of the garden
work, including the preparation of the ground, planting,
cultivating, forcing and protecting plants from insects and
disease, supporting vines and climbing plants, and harvest-
ing. Some of these tools are of little practical use, but the
great majority are of real advantage in getting better and
quicker results in the special and particular work for which
they are designed.

Special Tools for Different Kinds of Work

Of the various tools useful in handling and preparing the
soil, one or two makes of hand garden plows are practicable
for fairly light soil where there is no rubbish or manure to
be turned under. The depth to which they will work is,
however, quite limited, and for gardens too small for a
horse and plow the trustworthy spade must be relied upon.
The spade is put to frequent and severe use, so buy the best
one you can find even if it costs a little more. A cheap
one will not stand up under the work; the blade is likely
to wear down quickly or to become bent, which is worse yet.
A spade that has once been sprung is ever after a source of
annoyance and delay. A poor spade is likely to give out
where the blade joins the handle. A good spade should
have steel straps, front and back, running well up the
handle. Some persons prefer the spading fork to the regular
spade. In many soils this will do just as good work, and
do it more rapidly; it is lighter, goes into the ground more
easily, and is better adapted to breaking up lumps of

8 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

earth and to gathering up rubbish or manure that may be in
the way.

Any garden that is large enough for the use of a horse can
be plowed better and more quickly than it can be dug. A
one-horse swivel plow that is especially good for use on the
small place or in the large garden costs about ten dollars.
Its advantages over the ordinary one-horse plow are that it
leaves no dead furrows and tramped corners; hillsides can
be plowed; closer work can be done and any furrow can be
turned either way. When you buy a plow by all means get
a colter with it; with it litter, manure or a cover crop can
be turned completely under so the harrow or rake will not
drag it up.

The iron rake ranks with the spade as an implement of
prime necessity; every gardener must use it frequently,
but few do use it so constantly as they could to advantage,
especially after crops are planted. The bow type of rake
costs only a few cents more than the other kind and is less
likely to bend or break. A small attachment like a hoe
blade, arranged so it may be fastened to the back of the
rake, is very useful in cutting out weed stumps or clumps of ,
sod or grass that would probably break the end of the rake.

Some Hoes You Should Have

To the uninitiated a hoe is a hoe. But there are now
numerous types, to say nothing about makes, on the market.
At least three different kinds will be needed in the average-
sized garden. The first is a sort of hybrid between a rake
and a hoe—the flat-tined hoe. This is useful in leveling off
and making fine ground that is too rough for the iron rake;
in clearing and raking off litter or rubbish; in working the
soil between rows too narrow for the use of a plain hoe;
in working over manure; in gathering up stones; in digging —
potatoes, and in other ways.

The second kind is the ordinary garden hoe—but you
should pick out one with a thin, sharp blade, a solid shank,
not a ferule, and a “ hang” that is just right, so that it makes -

JANUARY: SECOND WEEK 9

you want to get out into the garden and use it as soon as
you get your hands on it. There is always more or less
heavy work to be done during the season which makes
such a hoe necessary. But for three jobs out of four in
the garden, except in a very heavy soil, the small, light
onion hoe is to be preferred. When you use one of these
for the first time it seems like playing at gardening instead
of working—but you will notice that the work gets done
with a great deal less elbow grease.

Then there is the warren or heart-shaped hoe, which is
especially good for opening and covering furrows, digging
holes for plants, and so forth. The scuffle hoe or push hoe
is different from all the preceding. When a wheel hoe
is used there is little use for the scuffle until late in the sea-
son, when the crops are so large that the wheel hoe cannot
be used to advantage. While not absolutely essential, the
scuffle hoe is extremely useful in preserving a dust mulch
and in keeping small weeds from getting a too vigorous start
late in the season. The price is moderate, sixty cents to a
dollar. In buying pick out one that is narrow enough to
go through your narrowest rows.

Even the smallest of gardens should have a wheel hoe in
its tool outfit. The simplest type with several different
attachments costs only a few dollars. As it is a machine
that you will probably use in the garden more than all your
other tools put together, be sure to get one capable of doing
all the work you may have to give it. The double-wheel
hoe has a distinct advantage over the single-wheel in that
the rows can be straddled, permitting very close work
while the plants are small and accordingly cutting down
the laborious task of hand weeding. If your garden is at
all large the amount of time you will save in weeding it the |
first time with a double-wheel hoe instead of with a single-
wheel hoe will make you satisfied with the slight additional ,
investment. In addition to the attachments that come with
the double-wheel outfit, you should get either the disk at-
tachment or a pair of hoes with extra high sides, which will
keep any earth from being thrown over the smallest plants.

10 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

By all means get a wheel hoe with a seed-drill combina-
tion. Life is too short, garden space is too valuable, the
work of thinning plants and cultivating uneven rows Is too
costly, to justify anyone’s planting a garden by hand. When
you can mark the row, open the furrow, drop the seed, cover
it, roll it, and get it straight, in one operation, as fast as
you can walk, the laborious task of hand-sowing seeds
like onions, carrots, beets or turnips is out of the question.
In addition to doing the job better and infinitely faster,
covering all the seeds with fresh earth and dropping them
at a uniform depth, the seed drill leaves the row neatly
rolled on top, so that you can see where to cultivate before
the plants are up.

No tool has yet been invented that does away with the
worst gardening job of all—hand weeding. For the careless
or inexperienced gardener this task is likely to seem unend-
ing and nearly hopeless. Having tools with which you can
work close to the row, and using them before the weeds
start, will enable you to get through it with the fewest
possible hours of backache and sore knees. Hand weeding
used to mean sore fingers, too, but now there are a number
of hand weeders of different types that lessen the disagree-
able features of the task.

No gardener can be sure of harvesting his crop, no matter
how rich his soil nor how good his seed, unless he is pre-
pared to fight effectually the various insects and blights.
Some sort of spraying machine is a real necessity. For the
very small garden a good bucket pump will answer the
purpose. But pumping from a bucket is not a convenient,
effective or safe way of applying poisons or insecticides. On
every small place a sprayer, either of the knapsack or of
the compressed-air type, will be needed sooner or later,
and a great deal of annoyance and loss may be averted by
getting it sooner. A first-class machine will cost from five
to ten dollars. Whatever type of sprayer you get, be
sure to get a brass one; many of the compounds that
will be used in it will quickly eat through even galvanized
iron.

JANUARY: SECOND WEEK Ir

Protectors for Early Plants

There are a number of good machines for applying powder
or dust preparations inadry state. These are less expensive,
but when there is a imited amount of work of this kind it
is much better to get a good
spraying machine, as practically
every remedy that is made in
powder form can be duplicated
in a spray.

A number of plant protectors
of various types are used to
keep off frost and insects dur-
ing the early stages of growth.
All these are useful, but many
of them are somewhat prohibi-
tive in cost. With a little in-
genuity and a few tools substi-
tutes for some of them may
readily be constructed at home.
Garden frames, for instance, may
be made of cracker or soap
boxes. Deep boxes should be
cut in two parts; shallow ones
may be used as they are. Simply
remove top and bottom, and
cover the top with protecting
cloth; or drive in “‘finishing”’
nails, which will not split the
wood, and bend them over so they will hold in place on the
top side a pane of glass cut slightly smaller than the outside
dimensions of the box. These frames will prove extremely
useful in forwarding hills of early cucumbers and melons,
lima beans, and a few extra early tomatoes, peppers or
eggplants.

Supports for tomatoes and pole beans may be constructed
quickly from 2-by-2-inch or 14-by-3-inch scantling and
laths, the former being cut into posts five to eight feet

—

12 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

long, as may be required, and the latter nailed across at
intervals of twelve or eighteen inches. These not only
give a much better bearing surface for the vines than do
poles, but they will last much longer and will always look
better.

One thing that offers an opportunity for money saving
is frequently overlooked—the tool chest. For some per-
sons tools are an excellent investment; for others they are
absolute waste of money. Without good care tools soon
become practically useless. Any handy person can, with a
very few tools, not only do the ordinary repair jobs about
the place, but find numerous construction jobs that will
save time and steps, and add to the appearance of things.
In buying tools aim at quality rather than variety. An
elaborate outfit is not necessary. By buying one good tool
at a time, and then taking good care of it, one can soon
acquire a good outfit without greatly feeling the expense.

January: Third Week

UP-TO-DATE TOOLS—SUGGESTIONS ABOUT
THEIR SELECTION, USE, AND CARE

The returns from garden operations are not determined
by the size of the garden, but rather by the amount of work
done in it. Even a very small garden, managed so as to
produce the maximum of which it is capable, will show
astonishing results. High-pressure gardening of this kind,
however, necessitates more time—and time is just the
thing on which the average home gardener is short. Usually
he is limited to a definite period each day, and as there is no
known method of stretching time, the only solution to the
problem is to use tools which will increase the amount of
work which can be done in a given time. The money you
spend for a good tool is really only the buying of extra time
for work in your garden.

Even in a small garden a combination seed drill and
wheel hoe will pay for itself handsomely. A combined seed
drill and single-wheel hoe, with plow, hoes, cultivator teeth,
rakes, guards, and marker, can be bought for ten or eleven
dollars. That may seem at first glance like a lot to spend
on a single tool for a small garden; but such a machine will
last ten years or longer; the first seed drill I ever owned had
been in use ten years when I got it, and after using it three
years myself I sold it for three dollars, and the last I knew
it was still doing good work. Although this is “one imple-
ment’’ here are the things it will do: open a furrow; drop
seed of any kind, at any depth desired, in a continuous row
or in hills; cover the seed with fresh soil; roll the soil, leaving
a neat, narrow, plainly marked row; and mark out the
next row—all in going once over the ground and as fast as
you would usually walk. Think of the amount of twme

14 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

wasted in doing this same work by half a dozen laborious
hand operations, and then not nearly as well! By changing
the tool to a wheel hoe, it will hoe the ground between the
rows, working close up to them and killing all small weeds;
or cultivate it, breaking up the crust if one has formed, and
leaving the soil loose and fine; or rake it, creating a dust-
mulch on the surface to conserve soil moisture; or plow
shallow furrows, in which to put fertilizer or manure, or
large seeds; and hill such things as are benefited by having
the soil thrown up toward them during their growth. All of
these things done more quickly, and in most cases better,
than they could be done by hand.

The double-wheel hoes cost two or three dollars more than
the single-wheel type, and have several advantages, par-
ticularly in working crops during the earlier stages of
growth; and personally I would always spend the small
amount additional required to get this type. The double-
wheel machine can be used as a single wheel when desired.
I never yet met a gardener, large or small, who regretted the
money he had spent on a good double-wheel hoe.

In selecting implements of this kind, there are a number
of things to be borne in mind. I have used at various times
five different types of seed drills, and some eight or ten of
wheel hoes, and I have never yet found any one of either
which was best in every respect. The kind of work to be
done and the condition of the soil, make a difference; and the
personal factor must also be taken into consideration, as I
have often found that two men working side by side will
prefer different types of tools for doing the same work. Of
the things to think of in buying any tool, however, first in
importance is the material and the way in which the parts
are finished up. A machine that is poorly made and roughly
finished will not only wear out sooner, but will not do
equally satisfactory work while it does last. Another re-
quirement is that the changes may be made quickly and
easily. One of the great advantages of an implement of this
kind is its great adaptability, and a machine that will rust or
get stuck, and be such a nuisance to change that you are:

JANUARY: THIRD WEEK 15

apt to leave it in one form from the beginning to the end of
the season, will be a poor investment. There will be work
for each different attachment, and it is highly important
that all changes can be made with ease and dispatch.

The machine should be easy to work. The type you will
find preferable will depend to a large extent upon the
character of your soil. Some people prefer the high-wheel
type, and others the low. In light, soft soil, where the
wheels are likely to sink in, the higher wheels work easier.
On the other hand, in rough or stony soil, it is more difficult
to work very close to small plants without cutting into the
row. Having both types of machines on hand, I use either
one or the other according to the work to be done; but if I
had to select a single machine, which is ample for a small
garden, my choice would largely depend on the character
of the soil. A third type has a frame that fits against the
body to make one’s weight available in pushing it, but
except for plowing, or use in very heavy clay soil, this is of
negative advantage, as it adds to the weight and interferes
with the backward and forward stroke of the machine
which is used in most kinds of work.

Efficient Use of the Wheel hoe

While in the use of the wheel hoe, as in other arts, practice
only can make perfect, there are a few suggestions which
can be given which will help the beginner to become profi-
cient. First of all, find a place to keep the machine and all
its attachments where it is perfectly dry, and safe from
promiscuous borrowers. Keep the axles and working parts
of the seed drill well supplied with oil, and occasionally put
a few drops of kerosene on the bolt and nut threads to keep
them bright and working easily. Take pains to select the
attachments best suited to the particular job you are going
todo. Take time, after you have the right attachment, to
get it adjusted just right: this is of the greatest importance
and many people are not careful in this respect.

Unless the ground is so wet that it should not be worked,

16 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

or you have allowed the weeds to grow so big that they
clog things up, you may be pretty sure that it is your fault,
and not the machine’s, if it does not do satisfactory work.
In learning to use the machine, train yourself as soon as
possible to keep your eye on the wheels rather than on the
hoes or cultivator teeth that follow them. At first you will
find yourself inclined to do just the opposite, with the result
that while you are watching the blades, the wheels will veer
off to the right or the left, and you will cut into the row.
If you hold the wheels steady, the rest of the machine has
got to follow. Do not push the machine along steadily, but
work it in long, steady strokes, drawing it back a few inches
each time.

A number of the attachments mentioned in the following
paragraphs are to be had as “‘extras,”’ or in some cases, in
place of the regular equipment. For anyone who already
has a wheel hoe, their cost is so little that they may be
readily afforded. Perhaps the most important of all of these
are the hoes with extra high ‘‘standards” or guards. I
emphatically recommend the purchase of a pair of these in
addition to the regular equipment.

PLowING. Generally, except in cases where the ground is
already in good condition from previous planting, more
satisfactory work can be done with the spade or spading
fork, than with any hand plow I have ever tried or seen.
The same is true of hand raking of the seed bed, to level and
prepare it for the drill. The hand wheel plow, however, is
often useful in loosening up ground that has already been
plowed or spaded, and has lain for some time before you are
ready to plant it, or in plowing small furrows for putting in
manure, or in which to plant peas or beans or corn with the
drill.

SEED-SOWING. Have the ground made as smooth and
fine as it is possible to make it with an iron rake, and always
freshly prepared. If anything happens to prevent your
planting as soon as the ground is ready, go over it again just
before you do plant. Set the drill as carefully as you can
for the seed you are going to plant, and then test it on a.

JANUARY: THIRD WEEK By

board or a smooth floor to see how it will work. It will drop
the seed usually a little thicker on such a surface than in the
garden. Watch the seed carefully, at least at the end of each
row, to see that it is running out all right. A small lump of
dirt in the bottom of the seed spout or a bit of trash caught
on the opening plow, may catch the seed and carry it along
for some distance and then drop it in a bunch, even when it
is falling from the hopper all right. Keep the rear roller
wheel clean. If the soil is a little moist, and tends to stick
to it, an occasional tap with the wrench—which should al-
ways be carried along in one’s pocket—will dislodge it.
Mark the first row out just as straight as you can get it
with your garden line or a piece of string, and don’t be too
lazy to make a new straight line as often as the rows may
begin to get a little crooked. This is important not only for
looks: every crooked row means additional work every
time you work it throughout the whole summer.
CULTIVATION. Cultivation should be begun before the
plants get above ground. Where the planting has been
done with a wheel hoe this is possible because the rows are
distinctly marked. There are two ways of getting the
best of any weeds that may start ahead of the seeds you
have planted. First is to go over the whole surface of the
garden, very lighily, with the weeder attachment, or the
rakes. The best time for this is just after the seed has
sprouted in the ground, and before the sprouts have got up
too near the surface. Millions of little weeds will have
germinated and be above the soil, but so small you can
hardly see them until they begin to collect, like tiny pink
and white threads, on the tips of the weeder fingers; then
you will realize how many hours of work later in the season
you are saving yourself. The other way is to use the disk
attachment with a double-wheel hoe. With the disks care-
fully adjusted, and with the outside ones of each gang of
three removed if the rows are closer than fourteen inches
apart, you can shave right up to the row without throwing
any dirt over it, nicely ‘‘discing” the ground between the
rows, destroying the young weeds and breaking up the

18 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

crust. When using the disks, push the machine along
steadily, without any thrusting movement. The slight
ridges left will be leveled down by the next cultivation,
working the soil over thoroughly. The first cultivation
after the plants are up—and it should be given just as soon
as they are up enough to mark the rows—should be given
with the hoes with extra high standards or guards already
mentioned. They permit very close and rapid work without
throwing any soil on the plants, which is impossible with
the regular hoes.

Get at the First Weeding Early

Immediately following this cultivation the first hand
weeding should be done, even if there seem to be very few
weeds visible; between the plants, as between the rows, they
should be destroyed as soon as they sprout, and not allowed
to grow until they are so big as to threaten the existence of
the crop. After weeding the soil between the rows will be
more or less packed down hard, and the next cultivation
should be given with the cultivator teeth on the machine,
to loosen the soil up again. There are three types of cul-
tivator teeth which may be had: the regulation narrow ones;
the “‘gang”’ of three or more together, of which the best
have the ones nearest the row work shallower and nar-
rower than the ones in the centre; and the separate teeth
with extra wide bottoms which have the advantage, where
the weeds have begun to get a little ahead, of cutting them
off as well as breaking up the soil.

Every ten days or two weeks after this cultivation the
garden should be run over between rows with the ordinary
hoes attached to destroy any weeds which may be sprout-
ing and maintain the dust-mulch. If the ground seems
packed at all at any time substitute the cultivator teeth for
the hoes. The soil should always be worked over as soon
as it is dry enough after a rain. With crops such as beans,
which are sometimes benefited by a slight hilling, the hoes
or the disk attachments, set so that they throw the soil.

JANUARY: THIRD WEEK 19

toward the row instead of away from it, may be used for
very rapid and uniform work. As a general thing, however,
level cultivation is to be preferred to hilling as the loss of
water from evaporation is not so great. Toward the end of
the season, when crops which have been planted close have
begun to fill up the rows, the vine lifters should be put on,
and the single wheel used, with the hoes set close together, or
the “‘sweep”’ or scuffle hoe attachment used in their place.

For ordinary work, going once in a row at each cultivation
will be sufficient. If the weeds have begun to get a little
ahead, and the first time over does not get them all, or
where the rows are too wide for the hoes or cultivator teeth
to work up close to the row on either side, go twice, or three
times if necessary, until the work is thoroughly done.
Weeds that are only partly destroyed will continue to make
a rapid growth, particularly in moist weather, and if they
once re-root after the main tap-root has been broken, you
will have your hands full, as they form a mass of fine fibrous
roots to which the earth clings, so that each cultivation
simply moves them around a little without succeeding in
putting them out of business.

In addition to these two most important tools, which if
properly used, will do most of the work of planting and
cultivating, there are a number of smaller ones which are,
nevertheless, essential. The outfit of tools in your garden
tool shed should include the following: a spade; a shovel;
a spading fork; a flat-tined hook; a lawn rake; an iron-
toothed garden rake; a standard light hoe; a small weeding
or “‘onion”’ hoe; a Warren or heart-shaped hoe, for planting
and furrowing; a reel and line; a scuffle hoe; a trowel anda
dibber. For facilitating the work of hand weeding, there
are several types of small tools designed to save one’s
fingers; of these select one or two which suit your individual
taste; personally for most work I prefer the style with a
plain bent sharp blade; known as “‘Lang’s weeder,”’ which
most seedsmen carry; for work in hard soil, about in-
dividual plants, and in flower beds, some type of finger-
weeder, with or without a long handle, will be useful.

20 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

There are many types of most of these tools familiar to all
gardeners. The points in regard to them to be emphasized
here are three: first, see to it mow that your equipment for
the coming season is complete, repairs or additions should
be made now, while you are buying your seeds, not put off
until planting time; second, whenever you buy a new tool,
even if it is but a trowel, get the best quality that is to be
found; third, make adequate provision for taking care of all
your tools,—each one should be stamped or marked with
your initial, and for each you should have a definite place
in your tool house. A simple method is to have each tool
numbered, with corresponding numbers painted on the
wall or the shelf where they are kept, or a rough outline of
the tool itself may be painted there.

In addition to these garden tools, there should be of
course a lawnmower; pruning shears; a pruning saw (not a
double-edged one); an ‘‘edger”’ for walks and drives; a
compressed-air sprayer, and a good powder-gun for dry
insecticides; and last, though not least, a light strong wheel-
barrow, preferably with good springs supporting the wheel.

January : Fourth Week

VEGETABLE SEEDS TO ORDER FOR THE
SUMMER SEASON

The most absorbing garden job of the year—if it is true
that anticipation is more intense than realization—is one
that will not take you out of your easy-chair. But more
than likely it will upset your ease of mind. Probably by the
time you had finished last season’s work you thought you
knew exactly what you were going to want in this year’s
garden. So you take up your pencil and paper and cat-
alogues with a serene feeling that you know just what you
are going to order in the way of vegetables, flowers, roses,
bulbs and small fruits. But by the time you have looked
through the second new catalogue, have read the testimo-
nials about the sterling qualities of some of the things you
had decided to discard and have been unable to find any
mention of the fine new things recommended by your
friends, you will be as much at sea as ever.

As a matter of fact this whole problem of varieties is
given an amount of time and worry entirely out of propor-
tion to its real importance. A wonderful new bean or cu-
cumber that you admired in a friend’s garden was probably
the same thing, under a different name, that you had in
your own, only your friend had been able to give it condi-
tions that were better adapted. The hours spent in puzzling
over varieties could be employed to greater advantage in
studying the problems of making the garden soil more
productive; and the money spent for wonderful new vari-
eties could better be used in buying up-to-date tools.

Our catalogues are littered with scores of fictitious vari-
eties and strains. It is high time that our seedsmen in-
augurated a movement to standardize varieties. Guard

22 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

against exaggerated and one-sided descriptions; the general
tone of a catalogue is a fairly safe guide as to the quality of
the seeds and plants that are listed in it.

There are three really important points in connection
with seed and plant buying—vitality, purity and breeding.
The vitality of a lot of seeds may be judged to some extent
by their appearance; at any rate they may be easily tested.
But purity and good breeding are more difficult matters.
Many states have laws that now take care of the vitality of
farm seeds, but practically the only guide of the customer
in regard to good breeding is his confidence in his seedsman.
Even one’s own experience with a particular variety or
strain is not always a satisfactory test, for conditions and
seasons vary greatly. It is not enough that seeds should
grow and be true to name; they should be true to the best
type of that particular variety.

Roguing and Selection

Crops grown for seed should undergo the processes of
roguing and selection. In roguing, the seed grower goes
over the crop before it is mature and removes any plants
that may be off type or of another variety. In selecting
seeds he takes only the best specimens that can be found,
with such special points of superiority as earliness, size,
uniform shape, and so forth, well fixed. When you really
get hold of a strain of seeds that gives you satisfaction
it is a good plan to order enough to last for several
plantings.

There are, of course, some sterling novelties introduced
from year to year, but as a general thing it is best to rely
mainly upon strains with which you are familiar, trying out
the newer ones under the same conditions before you decide
they are better.

For the benefit of those whose garden experience has not
yet been sufficient to enable them to pick out satisfactory
varieties of the various vegetables the following may be
mentioned. Some are old standard sorts, and some are

JANUARY: FOURTH WEEK 23

newer introductions that have proved themselves so gen-
erally satisfactory that most seed firms now carry them:

ASPARAGUS. Palmetto and Giant Argenteuil are both
good. The first sort, however, came out considerably
ahead in the most thorough test of asparagus varieties so
far conducted.

BEANS. Before selecting the varieties of beans for your
garden, be sure to have the several distinct types fixed
clearly in mind. Of the earliest or string beans you will need
only enough for one or two pickings—just enough to last
until the wax beans, which are superior in quality, can be
had. Stringless Green Pod and Bountiful are good vari-
eties. Of the wax sorts Brittle Wax, Rust-Proof Golden
Wax and New Kidney Wax are excellent. Of the pole beans
Old Homestead (green) and Golden Cluster or Sunshine
Wax (yellow) are good both as snap beans and when dry.
Worcester Horticultural is a favorite pole variety in north-
ern sections where the seasons are rather short for limas.
Of the dwarf limas the Burpee-Improved is the most sat-
isfactory all-round sort; the Improved Henderson is hardier
and earlier but smaller, being in an entirely different class.
Of the tall limas, Early Leviathan and Giant-Podded are
among the best.

Beets. Early Model is a fine extra-early sort for first
planting. Crimson Globe and Columbia are good for use
during the summer, being ready very soon after the earliest
sorts, and retaining their quality even when they have
attained large size. For a winter supply it is best to make a
later planting of one of the earlier sorts, such as Detroit
Dark Red, which does not get too large.

BRUSSELS Sprouts. This vegetable is one of the several
relatives of the cabbage family, and one of the finest of all
vegetables for the late fall garden. Sprouts will sometimes
remain on the stalks outdoors without protection until after
Christmas. Dalkeith and Danish Giant are both good, the
latter being a little larger.

Broccoxi. The only excuse for the existence of this poor
cousin of the cauliflower is the fact that it is hardier than

24 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

that delicious vegetable. A small early planting is worth
while. White Cape is a good variety.

Cabbages the Year Round

CABBAGE. There is no reason why a supply of this veg-
etable should not be kept pretty nearly the year round, even
with a comparatively small garden. As usually grown there
is a big surplus at one or two periods in summer, and none
the rest of the time. A dozen or two plants each of Jersey
Wakefield, Copenhagen Market, Glory of Enkhuisen and
Succession set out early in the spring, will furnish a supply
of cabbage until September. Half a package each of Volga
and Danish Ball Head, sown in the spring and transplanted
some six weeks later, will give a supply during the fall and
early winter; the other half of each packet, sown the last of
May or the first of June and transplanted in July, will give
a further supply during the late fall and winter. All of these
varieties are good, but if you like real quality in cabbage
use Savoy in place of Succession in the early and in place of
Volga in the late planting.

Carrots. For use in the frames or for extra-early use out-
doors, Early Nantes is one of the forcing varieties that will
give quickest results. Ordinarily, however, Chantenay or
Coreless or a very good strain of Danvers Half-Long will
answer all the purposes of the home garden. It your soil is
very shallow use Chantenay alone.

CAULIFLOWER. To have a succession throughout the
summer plant as suggested for cabbage. Remember, how-
ever, that the plants are not so hardy and cannot be set out
so early. Snowball or Best Early, or any of the varieties of
precisely the same type, or Dry-Weather, which is later and
more robust in growth, will answer every purpose. Do not
be deceived by the claims that are sometimes made for the
Dry-Weather. It is a strong-growing sort, but no cauli-
flower can be grown successfully without plenty of moisture.
With proper cultivation it can be grown in dry weather,
but not in a dry soil.

JANUARY: FOURTH WEEK 25

CELERY. Golden Self-Blanching and White Plume for
early planting, and Winter Queen or Boston Market for
late, make up a combination that will supply celery from
early fall until late spring. For earliest use start some seed
in early February; for the winter crops sow the seed out-
doors about the first of April.

Corn. There are a large number of varieties of sweet
corn but there is probably none quite so universally es-
teemed as Golden Bantam; it is one of the earliest and
sweetest, with a flavor all its own. It is particularly good
for the small garden, not only for the first but also for the
succeeding plantings on account of its dwarf habit of growth
which permits much closer planting than the older types.
Metropolitan and Howling Mob are fine second early sorts;
White Evergreen is still the standard late; Black Mexican
and Country Gentleman have exceptionally good flavor.

CucuMBERS. Of the many strains, selections and im-
provements of the old White Spine, Davis Perfect is on the
whole the most satisfactory. It matures very little later
than the extra-early sorts and keeps its quality as well as its
color for a remarkable length of time. For some extra-
quality fruit try one of the English forcing varieties in a
frame. Telegraph is one of the best.

EccpLANT. Black Beauty is the most satisfactory all-
round sort so far developed.

ENDIVE. Giant Fringed and Broad-Leaved Batavian are
both good, but quite distinct in flavor. The latter, known as
Escarolle, is preferred by many.

Kout-Rasti. This vegetable, which is a sort of over-
ground turnip, with cabbage flavoring, is very easy to grow,
and if gathered for the table while it is still quite small—
two or three inches in diameter—it is very good. There are
few varieties, and these differ chiefly in color.

Lettuce for Spring, Summer, and Fall

Lettuce. To have a continuous supply of this best of
salads be careful to select types suited to the seasons in

26 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

which they are to be grown. Mignonette, Grand Rapids and
Big Boston are three of the best sorts for use in the frames in
spring and fall, and for the first planting in spring. Mi-
gnonette is very small, with reddish-brown outside leaves,
but it makes a very solid head deliciously tender and sweet.
Grand Rapids is the best of the loose-heading sorts, having
very tender, closely crumpled leaves which form a very
solid loose head. Big Boston is one of the very best of the
large-heading butter-head varieties, suited for growing in
cool weather. For a supply during the hot summer months,
Salamander, All Seasons, Brittle Ice and New York (Won-
derful) are all good. The latter two, of the cabbage-head
type, are quite distinct, having thick leaves with heavy in-
curving midribs, and form unusually solid heads. The
Cos type of lettuce is also excellent, especially for summer
use, but it demands very good growing conditions and more
care.

A Muskmelon That Runs Three Feet

MuskME tons. There are a large number of good vari-
eties but Netted Gem or Rocky Ford is the most popular
green-fleshed sort, and Emerald Gem is wholly satisfactory
for salmon-colored flesh. For cool climates Montreal Nut-
meg, a large, green-fleshed sort, is unexcelled for quality.
Spicy is a large, oval, orange-fleshed variety, quite distinct
from most others, of very healthy growth and excellent fla-
vor. Henderson’s Bush is a new and distinct type of par-
ticular advantage for the small garden. It can be planted
much closer than the ordinary sorts, requiring only about
half as much space for each hill. The fruits are rather small.

Onions. The white sorts are the earliest to mature and
the mildest in flavor, but they are harder to cure and not
such good keepers as the yellow and red varieties. Silver
King and Southport White Globe are good white sorts, the
former considerably earlier. Southport Yellow Globe and
Prizetaker, the latter larger but not so solid or long keeping,
are two of the best yellows; while Southport Red Globe and
Red Wethersfield, the latter earlier, are the standard reds.

JANUARY: FOURTH WEEK PF

Gigantic Gibraltar, an Americanized Spanish onion, is
exceptionally large and mild, but is not certain to mature
properly unless started in a frame and transplanted. Ailsa
Craig is another very large sort, suitable for handling in the
same way.

PARSLEY. The several varieties are quite similar, varying
somewhat in color and degree of “‘crinkling.” Emerald, or
Double Moss Curled, is very good.

Parsnip. Several new varieties have been introduced,
but Improved Hollow Crown is hard to beat. For shallow
soil Offenham Market has the advantage of being chunkier
in growth.

Pras. Before ordering be sure you are going to be able
to get round to supplying brush or a trellis by the time the
peas are ready for it. Gradus or Prosperity and Thomas
Laxton for early, and Alderman, Boston Unrivaled or Royal
Salute for main crop, will give excellent satisfaction. Suc-
cession plantings of one of each of these early and late sorts,
made about three weeks apart until hot, dry weather and
again in August, will keep the table well supplied. If you
want dwarf sorts use Laxtonian or Blue Bantam for early,
and British Wonder and Dwarf Champion or Juno to suc-
ceed them. These are all wrinkled or sugar sorts. Of the
hard round-seeded sorts, which can be planted earlier, but
are ready for table only a few days sooner than Gradus or
Laxtonian, the most satisfactory sort is Pilot; the pods are
large and the quality is almost as good as the sugar varieties.

Peppers. Neopolitan Early and Ruby King make a good
combination for the home garden. Chinese Giant is larger
and sweeter than Ruby King, but requires a longer season to
mature.

RaApIsHES. There are dozens of good varieties, but the
only way to have any of them fit to eat is to make frequent
succession sowings. Crimson Giant and White Icicle are
favorites for spring and fall. White Strasburg and Chartiers
- are standard summer sorts. Celestial is an enormous but
a mild white winter sort.

SPINACH. Victoria for spring and Hardy Winter for fall

28 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

sowing are good sorts. Swiss Chard, while really a beet, is
used as a most satisfactory substitute for spinach. Lucullus
is the best variety. From a single early spring planting
greens may be cut until hard freezing weather; with protec-
tion the plants are hardy except in very severe climates.
The midribs of large leaves, stewed, are very delicious.

SguasHES. The old reliable Warted Hubbard, Delicious
and Heart o’ Gold are three varieties of good table and keep-
ing qualities. For the small garden, however, Delicata or
Fordhook and Bush Fordhook, which are good for both
summer and winter use, are the most desirable. The
scalloped and crookneck summer sorts are earlier, but a very
few hills, two or three of each, should suffice.

Tomatoes. Bonny Best and Chalk’s Early Jewel will be
found especially satisfactory for the home garden, as they
are not only early and of good quality and color, but bear
throughout the season fruits that in everything but size
are as good as any of the late sorts. Matchless and Pon-
derosa are splendid late sorts; the latter is larger, but is more
subject to cracked and deformed fruits. Dwarf Giant and
Dwarf Stone may be grown without supports, and bear first-
quality fruits.

Turnies. The summer sorts go by very quickly and only
small plantings should be made until early in July, when
the crop for winter may be put in. Early White Milan and
Petrowski for early, and Amber Globe and White Egg for
late, are good sorts. Both of the former are smooth and
mild, and the latter are good keepers.

WATERMELONS. Fordhook Early, Halbert Honey and
Sweetheart are all early enough to ripen in an ordinary
season in the cooler sections. Halbert Honey is the sweetest
flavored, and makes a good selection. For earliest results
start a few hills in paper pots in a frame, and transplant
outside as soon as the weather is warm enough.

February: First Week

MAKE A PLAN NOW—AND FOLLOW IT THIS
SUMMER

No single factor in garden management makes for greater
saving of time and work than a carefully-thought-out,
definite-to-the-foot garden plan. Such a one should be
prepared long before outdoor operations begin. Perhaps it
will take several hours’ thoughtful and careful work to
make it, especially if you have never made one before, but
every hour spent now will save several hours in the garden
later on. The plan should show your actual garden, drawn
to scale, as you mean to make it; it should show just how
much space you intend to use for each crop, where you in-
tend to sow second crops, and, if you want to do really
intensive gardening, where you will grow companion crops.
It will help you not only with this year’s gardening but
with next year’s as well; without it you will be only guessing
at your crop rotations.

First get the exact dimensions of the plot or plots of
ground that you expect to devote to gardening; then draw
an outline to scale. One-eighth of an inch to a foot for a
medium-sized garden, or one-quarter of an inch to a foot for
a small garden, will be found a convenient scale. When it is
possible to choose the garden site a rectangular plot that
can be plowed and harrowed the long way and planted the
short way will be found best. If the garden is large and
square it will generally be a good plan to divide it by a
permanent path; rows fifty feet long are ample for the
average garden. The aim should always be to keep the
rows short enough, in proportion to the size of the garden,
so the row will be a planting unit. Always figure your
plantings in rows—not in seed quantities,

30 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

Next, on another piece of paper, write a list of the various
vegetables that you plan to have, and decide how much
space to give to each one. In the case of vegetables for
succession planting put down the number of rows for each

DATA FOR THE GARDEN PLAN:

NUMBER OF | DISTANCE BE- | DAYS TO MAKE LAST

planting, thus: Bush beans: 6 rows, first planting; + 2,
second planting; + 4, third planting = 12 rows. Cabbage:
I row, early, + 2 rows, midseason + 4 rows, late for winter
= 7 rows. Multiply the number of rows of each thing by
the number of feet apart they are to be put, to get the total
space to be devoted to each. For instance: Onions: 6 rows,
1 foot apart = 6 feet. Beans: 12 rows, 18 inches apart =
18 feet. Tomatoes: 2 rows, 3% feet apart = 7 feet. The
correct number of feet apart at which the various things are
usually planted may be found in the accompanying table.

FEBRUARY: FIRST WEEK 31

Fit the Crops to the Garden

Your list of vegetables and spaces should now be sep-
arated into two parts—one of original crops, the other of
those things that may be planted where something else has
been grown before. Find the total space required for your
first planting, and if this exceeds the size of your plot cut

CABBAGE
Early GauyLiFLOWER

CABBAGE’

CAULIFLOWER

BEETS (F)
LETTUCE. (P)
RADISH
LETTUCE

BEETS
CARROTS

KOHLRABI
TURNIP
TURNIP
SPINNACH

ONION SETS

PARSNIP

SALSIFY

CELERY

LETTUCE
CARROTS

BEETS

CAULIFLOWER

® Tobe followed by %

CABBAGE

LEEK

BRUSSELS SPROUTS t

Dwarf PEAS aS TURNIPS

LETTUCE

Farly CORN Tal) PEAS

Zo be followed &y

' Swiss CHARD

Eerly POTATOES -$ > July" CORN

in furrow

down the items. If you find you cannot spare nine feet for
your first planting of beans without sacrificing something
that you would rather have, put in fewer rows.

So far the process has been merely mechanical, but next
comes the test of your skill as a gardener. Your problem is
to fit your crops into your garden, observing as far as possi-

32 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

ble the following rules: First, to keep together in one place
all the long-season crops, and together in another place the
quick-growing crops that can be followed by others. Sec-
ond, to keep together crops that are similar in cultural
requirements, such as carrots, beets and turnips, or toma-

DWARF BEANS 2 Rows CELERY

»v
<8
XS)
LIMA BEANS < PEAS
= —~~ DWARF PEAS
WAT MELON 4 HILLS
— CUCUMBERS _GHILLS _ ER

BEFORE CUCUMBER & MELONS

oT to.
oC 6G &® © @ ©
16 PLANTS

PEPPERS (10) EGG PLANT (10)
oe eC GUC E CAH AHHAAHKHHOHOA

DWARF PEAS
SUMMER SQUASH © HILLS WINTER ia & iP eh
Co 6 )

BEFORE PLANTING SQUASH

toes and pole beans. Third, to keep together crops that will
mature at the same time. Fourth, to keep crops from occu-
pying the same ground that crops of the same family or of
similar habits of growth occupied the previous year. In
small gardens, where there are only a few rows of each thing,
this is not so important. Fifth, to give the various vegeta-
bles favorable conditions as far as is possible. If the soil at

FEBRUARY: FIRST WEEK 33

one end of the garden is rather light put the beans there; if
the soil at the other end is lower and heavier put the celery
there. If part of the garden is to be newly broken use that
for corn or potatoes, and keep such things as onions and
carrots, which require a particularly fine seed bed, on the old
ground.

When your plan of first plantings is completed, take the
late and succession crops and arrange them in the same way.
Careful attention must be paid to the time when the first
crops will be removed. The usual time required for crops to
mature is shown in the accompanying table. There is, of
course, considerable difference in the lengths of time taken
by early and by late varieties of the same vegetable, and in
addition weather and other growing conditions have some
influence. An extremely dry season may make it impossible
for you to follow your planting plan exactly, as first crops
will be late in maturing and second crops will be late in
starting. Incidentally this is one of the things that makes
an irrigation system of supreme advantage. With it there
are no long-delayed crops, poor in both quantity and
quality when they finally get rain enough to mature.

Having gone so far as to map out your work in the garden
it will be interesting to see how accurately you can follow
the plan and how nearly you can make your actual garden
come up to the ideal one you have put down on paper.
You will have to get all the plantings made at the proper
time. So you should make a check list showing the kinds
and the amounts of the various things to be planted and the
dates on which they should be put in. Another thing you
might put down on your check list is the treatment of the
various insect pests and diseases that are likely to attack
your crops.

Keep a Garden Diary

In making out your garden plan this year you will prob-
ably find yourself handicapped by the lack of accurate
knowledge about your plantings of last year—how much of

34 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

each thing you used, the dates of the last frost in the spring
and the first killing frost in autumn, when the various insect
pests appeared, when you made your last sowing for winter
vegetables, how long after planting it took the different
varieties of vegetables to mature, and a score of other things,
all of which you have had to guess at with no degree of cer-
tainty. Provide now against next spring. Get a cheap

| - APRIL 5
i Temperature 42,

en till Golden Clasla, !
Th i: Mee =)
samaplants) / yoo Bonny |:

_ &f Lomatoee. Say
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Sipe deln bows

Keep a record of your garden work for next year’s reference.

diary and leave it in the pocket of your work clothes or
hang it up in the tool shed. In it jot down from time to time
the things you particularly want to keep track of.

Unless you had forethought enough to do it last fail, you
must now provide yourself with a supply of soil in which to
start your seedlings of vegetables and flowers. For the seed
boxes the soil should be very light and porous, but not very
rich. On the other hand, soil for transplanting should have

FEBRUARY: FIRST WEEK 35

good body and should be made rich
enough to enable the seedlings to make
rapid and unchecked growth. Soils
that are naturally in just the right con-
dition for either purpose can seldom

be found. But in most localities one ‘

may readily procure materials to
make the right mixtures. The first
of these is fairly rich garden soil—
preferably a sandy loam that has
been well enriched for several years
but is free from weed seeds. You
may have to take a pick and break
up a few good-sized pieces of frozen
soil, which will thaw out in a box.
Also get a supply of old and thor-
oughly rotted manure. If your hot-
bed still contains the remains of last
year’s heating material, that will be
just the thing. The third thing you
want is humus, in the form of chip
dirt or decayed sawdust or leaf mold.
These materials should be allowed to
thaw and dry out. They will then
be available for immediate use when
seed-starting time arrives.

an 15°
EARLY CABBAGE
SUMMER CABBAGE
;

PARSNIPS 2
SALSIFY <Z

DWARF PEAS 4
(DOUBLE ROWS)
SWEET CORN +

oj (2 VARIETIES-2 PLANTINGS)

TOMATOES
POLE BEANS

POLE LIMA BEANS

DWARF BEANS 4
. | 4VARIETIES-2 SOWINGS

S[DWARFLIMAS
PEPPERS & EGGPLANTS 8

MELONS

“

“1 SQUASH SQUASH
SUMMER BUSH | WINTER BUSH
CUCUMBERS | WATER MELONS

Plan for a vegetable gar-
den 15 x 75 feet.

February : Second Week
STARTING SEEDS IN GREENHOUSE OR HOT-BED

Early this month the work of actually getting the garden
started must begin. Up to nowit has been mostly planning
and seed buying. But a glance at the garden plan shows
that by the time operations outdoors may be begun plants of
various kinds, already well started, will be required. The
success of the garden throughout the summer will depend
to a large extent upon the size and quality of the plants,
both vegetables and flowers, transferred to the open ground
at the beginning of the season.

The utility of the carefully made garden plan becomes
apparent at this stage of the game. The gardener who has
not felt like ‘‘wasting the time’ to make such a plan goes
ahead on a guesswork basis, planting enough of the things
he thinks he will want to be sure to have abundance; while
his neighbor, who has taken the trouble to figure things out
accurately, knows just how many plants of each variety he
will require and consequently does not waste seeds and time
and room. Growing fewer plants, he can give them more
room and consequently get them of better quality. The
ordinary packet of most things to be started—tomatoes,
cabbage, cauliflower, lettuce and so forth—contains more
than enough seed to supply an average small garden, but
if one has room in the frames any surplus of good plants can
generally be disposed of to neighbors and friends at a reason-
able profit, giving the grower the additional advantage of
being able to select the best for his own use.

The starting point of operations now, as later out-of-doors,
is the seed. What is a seed? It is a particle of vegetable
matter in which two things have taken place: First, the
life force has been temporarily arrested and lies dormant,

36 | .

FEBRUARY: SECOND WEEK 37

ready to react to the proper stimuli from the outside and to
become active again. Second, the usual processes of change
and decay have also been arrested, and the vegetable matter
forming the seed—which must feed and sustain the germ
until it develops sufficiently to absorb nutrition from ex-
terior sources—is preserved and kept in good condition.

Certain conditions are necessary for the germination of
seeds—heat, moisture and light, the latter not being
necessary, however, until the seed has sprouted and shows
above ground. The theory that seeds will sprout better
in a dark place is probably based solely upon the fact that
an even condition of the moisture in the soil is more likely
to be maintained in such a place than in the sun. The gar-
dener’s problem is not only to give these several conditions
but also to supply them in the proper degree for the par-
ticular kind of seed he wants to grow.

Getting a Good Stand: The Things Not to Do

The seeds of most of the hardy vegetables are quite cold-
blooded—that is, they will start in a temperature in which
a more tropical thing will either lie dormant or rot. Rad-
ishes, celery or parsley, for instance, will sprout vigorously
where tomatoes or eggplants will probably fail to come up
at all. Lima beans will rot to the last seed after a rain that
will make other seeds sprout quickly. Still other seeds
have such hard casings or shells that the seed sprouts,
even when heat and moisture are supplied, cannot break
through. From this cause cannas, moonflowers and sweet
peas sometimes fail to germinate. If the hard outer shell is
carefully cut through with a knife or file before planting,
this difficulty can be overcome.

As a usual thing seedsmen are careful to send out only
seeds that show a fair percentage of germination. If the.
seeds fail to come up or come up poorly the seedsman is
blamed, and next year’s order probably goes somewhere
else. But here are some of the things that cause failure
even when good seeds are used:

38 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

DRYING OUT OF SEED BOxEs. Seeds, especially small
seeds, that are very near the surface, frequently fail from
this cause. They may have enough moisture to germinate,
but then the soil becomes so dry that the sprout which is
beginning to push out from the seed is dried up. Neg-
lect that would do no harm to seedlings an inch or
two high will prove fatal to seeds that are just ger-
minating.

CovERING SEEDS Too DEEP. They are seldom covered
too deep to germinate, but often are buried so deep that only
a very few are able to push through to the surface, and these
are weakened by the struggle.

UsING THE WroncG KInp oF Sor. Ordinary garden soil,
especially if it is at all heavy or clayey, is literally too heavy
to cover the seeds with. Furthermore, it has a tendency to
form more or less of a crust after being watered. For
starting all small seeds the soil should be light, and so
crumbly that it will not makeacrust. Very slight resistance
may prove fatal to the tiny seedlings before they get above
ground.

Too HicH or Too Low TEMPERATURE. Flower seeds, on
the average, require a warmer temperature than vegetable
seeds. Hardy and half-hardy sorts, such as sweet alyssum
and snapdragons, should be given a temperature of about
sixty degrees. The warmer things, like salvia, heliotrope
and coleus, should be given ten to fifteen degrees more.

Poor DRAINAGE. This trouble, due to improper soil or
tight-bottomed flats, causing the soil to stay wet and soggy
after watering, will cause many kinds of seeds to rot.
Provision for the best of drainage should always be made,
so that surplus water can always soak down below the level
of the seeds.

CARELESS WATERING. Water applied too freely is likely
to wash the dirt so that some of the seeds are uncovered or
even washed aside into the corner of the box, and others
are covered too deeply. Also the soil is likely to form a hard
crust. Even after the little seedlings are up they can be
severely injured by careless watering, as they are easily

FEBRUARY: SECOND WEEK 39

knocked over flat, weakening the plants and making the
stems crooked.

Pests oF VARIOUS Sorts. Mice will take the greatest
of pleasure in going over your seed boxes during the night
and rooting out the little seeds. In the frames or green-
house, slugs are likely to do damage.

The Things to Do

These are things not to do. As to the things to do, the
first, of course, is to provide a place to start the seeds. A
small greenhouse, a hot-bed, a sunny window in a room in
the house, or a cold-frame may be used. The objection
to the hot-bed is that you cannot work in it in bad weather
and the temperature cannot be watched and regulated as
well as in the greenhouse. In the house the atmosphere
is likely to be entirely too dry for seeds. The cold-frame
cannot be used early enough.

The secret of success is in giving regular care. Watering
and ventilation must be looked after every day, particularly
as the spring sun grows stronger. During midday the
temperature in the frames will run up to an injurious
degree if the sashes are left on.

Some gardeners make a practice of sowing the seed
directly in the soil, but under most circumstances it is far
more convenient to use flats. Seedlings grown directly in
the soil are not so likely to dry out if they are neglected,
but other advantages of the flats, in moving them about and
changing them from one frame to another, more than offset
this. Flatsmay be made quickly and easily from cracker or
soap boxes. Those for starting seeds may be made about
two inches deep; those for transplanting should be an inch
deeper. In putting bottoms on the flats, leave small
spaces between the boards, or bore several half-inch holes.

The soil in which the seedlings are started should be
spongy enough to absorb and to retain moisture for a long
time; porous enough to let any surplus drain through it
rapidly; friable enough so that it will never form a crust;

40 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

light enough so that any seedlings can push up through
it readily, and as free as possible from weed seeds. Such a
soil is hard to find—but not difficult to make. Leaf mold
or chip dirt rubbed through an ordinary ash sifter, or cocoa-
nut fiber mixed with a clean, light, sifted soil, with the
addition of sand, if it is necessary, to make the whole
slightly gritty, will give the desired results. Fill the flats
not quite to the top. Be careful to pack the soil firmly in
the corners and along the edges.

Careful Watering at All Stages

‘It is important to have the soil in just the right condition
of moisture when the seeds are planted. To be sure of
this, water thoroughly the day before planting, or set the
flat in a pan of water so that it can soak up moisture from
the bottom, or water the flat thoroughly when it is about
two-thirds filled with soil, putting on the surface layer
afterward—in which case it will become moist clear to the
surface without getting muddy or sticky.

Make tags for the various things you expect to plant.
Then you will be in no danger of getting them mixed up.
Mark off very shallow furrows about two or three inches
apart. Most of the vegetable seeds go in about a quarter
of an inch deep; most of the flower seeds, which are very
small, should be barely covered. Very small seeds, like
those of the begonia, nicotiana, mignonette or portulaca,
should be merely pressed into the surface of the soil with a
small piece of board and covered with a few pieces of
shredded moss or leaf mold laid upon the surface to shade
them until they are up. Sow the seeds as evenly as possible
and not too thick, even if you have some left over in the
packet. Then press them into the soil lightly with the
forefinger or the edge of a thin board, and cover them lightly
with soil, pressing it down firmly but not hard. If the soil
has been prepared as suggested, watering immediately
after planting will not be necessary. If watering is required,
either right after planting or at any time before the seeds

PLATE 1.—If you have only a small greenhouse with no “warm section”
here is a way of rigging up a frame in which to start things requiring a
higher temperature than the house affords,—such as cucumbers, melons and
tender flowers. (Lower) This shows the method of preparing a flat for the
sowing of fine seeds; if they are very small, it is best to distribute them di-
rect from the packet, by tapping it gently with the finger. A board and
marker shown on the left are convenient in getting the soil in the flat smooth
and level and in marking off the little furrows for the seed.

I 2 3 4

PLATE 2.—There are a number of factors which help to determine how deep seeds should be
covered. Asa rule, very small seeds, such as lettuce or onion, are covered 1%4—% inch (see 2
above): medium sized seeds like beets or melons are covered 14-34 inch deep (see 1 above); and
large seeds such as beans and peas are covered 1 to 2 inches deep (see 3 above). ‘“‘ Double” rows,—
two single rows, six inches or so apart, are often used, especially for peas (see 4 above).

PLATE 2.—The art of starting plants early under glass for transplanting later is one of the most
important things the gardener has to do. Getting a “good stand” of seedlings is only the first
step. One of the things to be guarded against particularly is letting the little seedlings get too
large before they are transplanted. The plants shown in the right hand corner are ready to trans-
plant. The second true leaves are just developing. Those in the upper left hand corner have been
allowed to go a few days too long and have become tangled and have grown up spindling. In the
lower left hand corner is shown a flat of little plants just transplanted. The best way to water
them after the operation is to put the whole flat in a tub or a pan like that shown in the lower
right hand corner and then to add enough water to saturate the soil in the flat thoroughly from
below. As soon as the soil begins to appear moist on the surface, lift the flat out. In this way
the soil is soaked thoroughly without in the slightest degree injuring the little seedlings.

FEBRUARY: SECOND WEEK 41

are up, it is best to do it by placing the box for half an hour
or so in a shallow pan of water. If this cannot be done use
a very fine spray, or water through a piece of moist burlap.

As already explained, it is most important to keep the
surface of the soil from drying out until after the plants
are well started. To do this, a pane of glass or a sheet of
newspaper—preferably the glass—laid over the box, and
tilted up a little at one edge to admit fresh air, will prove
very helpful, as it will retain moisture that would other-
wise pass off into the air. Germination will be quickened
and strengthened if bottom heat can be given. For a
single flat or two the simple forcing device described on
page 340 will prove very helpful. |

As soon as the little seedlings are up they must be given
an abundance of light at all times, and they should have
ventilation every day that it is not too cold. Air should be
admitted so it will not blow directly upon the plants. The
soil should be watched carefully and watered as soon as it
begins to dry out, as indicated by its beginning to look
light and powdery on the surface. Subwatering, if it can
be used, is the best method to employ. A galvanized tin
tray may be made at small cost by any tinsmith or plumber.
This is made two to three inches larger in each direction
than the flats, which are set in it in enough water to satu--
rate the soil thoroughly without making it wet.

How to Transplant Seedlings

When a seedling begins to show its third true leaf it is
large enough to transplant. The little plants should always
be moved before they crowd one another. The flats for
transplanting should be prepared in much the same way
as those for the seed, except that a layer of heavier, richer
soil should be used, and a layer of old rotted manure should
be put in the bottom of each flat. If manure is not avail-
able two or three quarts of bone flour or bone flour and
tankage should be thoroughly mixed with each bushel of
soil used, preferably a week or two in advance.

42 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

If the soil in both seed flats and transplanting flats is
watered thoroughly a day in advance, it will be in the right
condition for good work. In taking the little seedlings from
the seed flats lift them out in a clump and separate them
gently with the fingers, taking care to disturb the fragile
rootlets as little as possible. In the transplanting flat
make a small hole with the forefinger or a small pointed
stick, lower the little seedling into it until the greater part
of the stem is covered, and with the thumbs and forefingers
press the earth firmly about it. After transplanting give
a thorough watering and keep the plants shaded from the
hot sun for a few days giving only an occasional sprinkling,
if necessary, to freshen up the plants until growth is re-
newed, as it should be at the end of a few days.

Some six to eight weeks before it is safe to plant out-
side—during the latter part of February in the latitudes of
New York, Chicago and Kansas City—the hot-bed should
be filled for action. Evenif you have not a hot-bed frame
already on the place it will not be necessary to forego its
advantages this spring. One may be purchased knocked
down and ready to go together with a few bolts and half an
hour’s work. If necessary the bed may be made on solid,
frozen ground.

If you are going to make a new frame pick out the sunni-
est and most sheltered place possible for it. A bed started
early should be equipped with mats or shutters as well as
glass sashes, so it may be given extra protection on very
cold nights. Doubleglass sashes cost more, but do not
require so much protection and have the great advantage of
keeping out the cold without shutting off the light.

Whether you make the hot-bed on the ground or in a pit
the vital point is the heating material. Sometimes frames
built directly against the house, or near the greenhouse or
garage, may be heated by hot-water or steam pipes from
the near-by boiler, or even by warm air from the cellar.
In the great majority of cases, however, manure must be
relied upon. To produce satisfactory results this must be
of the right kind and must be carefully handled. Procure

FEBRUARY: SECOND WEEK 43

clean, fairly fresh horse manure, and unless it has already a
good quantity of fine bedding mixed through it get rotted
leaves to the bulk of half to two-thirds of the manure.
Mix the two thoroughly to form a compost, and tramp it
down as firmly as possible in a compact heap, preferably
under a shed or cover of some sort.

In a few days, when the mass begins to steam, it should be
forked over and made into a new pile. Tramp down each
layer and build it up compactly, as before, and if it seems to
be drying out add enough water to keep the whole moist,
but not wet. Remake the pile, if possible, on a warm day.

When the compost is ready put it in place to a depth of
about fifteen to twenty-four inches. Half a cord will be

sufficient for a three-sash frame, unless it must be placed
on the frozen ground. Then a little more than twice the
first quantity will be needed. It should be spread out in a
broad, low heap, nine to ten feet wide, eighteen to twenty-
four inches deep, extending a foot and a half or so beyond
the ends of the frame, and banked up round the frame. In
making a bed of this sort it will be necessary to buy some
soil at a florist’s or market gardener’s. The manure should
be tramped down thoroughly and allowed to begin active
fermentation again. After a few days the soil may be put
on to a depth of four to sixinches. Then, unless you are in
too great a hurry, give a good watering and leave the sashes
on a few days to let the soil warm up and to give some of the
weed seeds a chance to sprout. The soil will then be in a
good condition to mix with chip dirt or leaf mold for use in
the seed flats.

One of the secrets of growing early crops in the frames
successfully is to have the soil rich in available nitrogen.

44 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

Old, thoroughly decayed manure mixed thoroughly with the
soil will supply this and will also help to make the soil light
and warm. One or two top-dressings with nitrate of soda
after the plants begin active growth will also produce visible
results. Plenty of water is another essential.

February: Third Week
PLANS FOR THIS YEAR’S FLOWER GARDEN

If it pays to plan the vegetable garden carefully because
of the greater efficiency that results, the careful planning
of the flower garden is of no less importance. The effective-
ness of your flower garden will depend more upon how you
arrange it than upon what goes into it.

However, planning the flower garden is a process just the
reverse of planning the vegetable garden. With the vege-
tables your aim is to get as many as possible of them into the
space at your disposal. With the flowers, on the contrary,
you begin your plan by deciding definitely the result or the
picture you wish to create, and then select your materials
accordingly. Don’t say to yourself: ‘‘I am going to have
two dozen pink geraniums, three dozen pansies, a hundred
asters and some of those beautiful new begonias from the
florist’s; then there will be the castor-bean plants, the pinks
and the new hollyhocks and the other things we are starting
in the hot-bed—where shall we put them?” Looking at it
the other way round, say to yourself, for instance: ‘What
would be a good thing to put there beyond the end of the
veranda, where the wing of the house makes a tall, blank
wall?”’ The answer may be hollyhocks or golden glow
(rudbeckia), or delphinium or helianthus, or any of several
other things. The point is that you want to be free to
make your choice first, and select the plants afterward,
rather than to get the plants and fit them in as best you
can.

Creating an Appearance of Space
In planning your flower beds you should go a step farther.
Remember that just as the flowers should be made a subor-
45

46 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

dinate part of the flower bed or border, so the beds, borders,
lawns and the other features of the place should each be
subordinate to the whole. Don’t be afraid that this is too
nearly a professional task for you to accomplish. You will
achieve more satisfactory results by working in the right
direction, even if you make many mistakes, than if you
work in no direction at all. It is almost always desirable
to create an appearance of roominess about a small place.
One of the most important points to be remembered is to
keep an open center, so far as possible, by keeping tall things

VEGETABLE GARDEN
ee rh
F FLOWER =
| GaRDEN| Ny

VEGETABLE GARDEN

SHRUBBERY BORDER
TALL AT BACK

In planning your place, do not scatter shrubs and flower beds all over.
Keep an open stretch of lawn.

back along the boundary line, and also to avoid straight and
definite terminations of paths, roadways and vistas, so that
the suggestion of something beyond may be created_at every
point.

The materials available from which you may construct —
your flower garden belong to three classes: Hardy per-
ennial plants; potted bedding plants, which are usually
obtained from the florist or may have been started from
seed in your frames or small greenhouse; and plants from

FEBRUARY: THIRD WEEK 47

seed sown in the open, either transplanted or left where
they were started.

The potted plants, which are usually in bloom when you
get them, give you the biggest immediate show for your
money. But most of them are good for only a single season,
so that in the end they are the most expensive to buy.
Hardy perennials of many good sorts cost from fifteen to
twenty-five cents apiece, and most of them will bloom the
first year if planted early enough in spring; they will last
for many years. Annuals and biennials, and perennials that
are treated as annuals, started from seed, cost next to
nothing, and are almost always satisfactory if care and
judgment are used in selecting varieties adapted to the
particular places in which you wish to put them, or com-
binations in which you wish to use them.

Flowers Available for Special Purpose

The catalogues list hundreds of kinds and varieties of
flowers, but very few of the kinds that are not well known
are as good as the popular favorites that everybody has
grown or seen. Some of the flowers to be started are hardy
and others are half hardy or tender, so it is best to have some
place arranged in which the latter can be given a little
higher temperature.

When the plants are up and far enough along to be trans-
planted—when the second or third true leaf begins to
show—they should be shifted to other flats or to pots.
Plants of which a comparatively large number will be re-
quired, such as pansies, asters and sweet alyssum, may be
grown in flats until it is time to set them out.

If the seedlings are extra strong and well started, as the
result of not having been crowded in the early stages of
growth, they may be put at once into small pots. These
things should be given a second shift and, if the pots become
filled with roots, a third shift to larger pots before being set
into the garden. This is especially true of salvia and other
tender plants that cannot be set out until all danger of

AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

frost is past. Figure out as closely as you can the number
of plants of each kind you are going to want, so that when
you are transplanting there will not be a surplus of things
for which you will have no use later.

A GOOD LIST OF FLOWERS FOR THE GENERAL GARDEN

IN BLOOM

DISTANCE
BETWEEN| HEIGHT,
FLOWER PLANTS, | INCHES
INCHES
Pera Uta es atk ka 6-12 12
PERCE ee hikes Nel eid a ciate 12-24 18-30
asa CS SS Ss clei es 15-20 12-18
Us A ae 12-18 18-24
California Poppy....... 6-8 12-15
Campanula: oo. ee 8-12 18-36
ARAVTIID dato e nbd oi 4-12 6-18
Commbhower:.. ... 265/24 4% 8-12 12-40
Sys ee 24 2-8 ft
Dimorphotheca 6-10 | 12-15
(African Daisy).......
LOE (0S 10 12-36
Prag npe es Bee 12-18 3-7 ft
ees CIT ae rte 4-8 6-18
LPT ee geen ea ee 4-8 12-24
Marguerite Carnation....| 6-12 12-18
ARIE fe otc oes do xe 6-18 10-36
Misnanetie, ss oo 65s 6 12-18
Morning Glory......... 4-12 10-20 ft
Nastutiwin.. 3... ua: 5-12 1-5 ft
PAIS wi ea Sa ee 6-8
PRROER Mei S o's Shas 8-12 | 12-24
Phlox Drummondii...... 8-12 12-36
|g os a ee 4 6-10
Ricinus (Castor-Oil Bean)} 24-36 4-7 ft
pote PS re 6-12 12-24
1 Sag RRP LE AS 6-12 12-36
RS US Mas ako 6-12 12-24
Sweet Alyssum.........] 4-8 8-10
RIVES ERE ao bc ahr ne 4-8 2-6 ft
Sweet William.......... 6-12 12-18
ius ee 12-18 6-10
TO Te 8-12 12-24

Blue, white
Various

Various

Orange, yellow
Orange, yellow
White, blue, pink
White to crimson
White, blue, lilac
Pink, white, red

Pure white, yellow

Orange, salmon
Pink, white
Various
Blue, white
White, blue, pink
Various
Golden yellow
to orange
Golden to reddish
yellow
Various
Various
Various

White to ma-
genta, mixed

Various

White to scarlet

Foliage

Various

Scarlet

Various

White, lilac

Various

White, pink, red

Various

June to frost
July to Sept.
June—Sept.
June to frost
August
June-August
June—Sept.
June-August
Aug. to frost
June to frost

June
August—Sept.
June—Sept.
May-June
June-Sept.
July—Sept.

July—Sept.
July to frost
July to frost
May-June,
Aug.—Sept.
July to frost

July to frost
August-Sept.
July to frost
July to frost
July to frost
June—Sept.

May to frost
June—Sept.

July-August
July to frost
July to frost

February: Fourth Week

MAKING THE SOIL RICH: MANURES;
FERTILIZERS; AND HUMUS

A poor soil cannot support a good garden. The founda-
tion of the gardener’s success must bea rich soil. Ignorance
or neglect in preparing the soil is more often the cause of
failure in the home garden than any other one thing. To
the beginner the work of getting ready to plant always
seems an irksome but necessary evil. But the gardener
who is tempted to skimp the preliminary part of his work
should make himself familiar with some of the things that
influence plant growth; then he will realize the importance
of giving his best attention to this part of his work.

Almost every gardener in these days knows that his soil
must be well supplied with plant foods—nitrogen, phos-
phoric acid and potash—if he is to get good crops. Buta
little knowledge of this kind, if not a dangerous thing, is a
next to useless thing. The gardener who wants to make
sure of good results must take the trouble to go deeper.
Then he will find, not only that he must furnish plant
foods to his crops but that they must be in certain forms
called ‘‘available’ and in certain proportions to one an-
other; that there must be sufficient soil moisture present
or the richness of his soil will count for nothing; and that
all these things will be affected directly or indirectly by
the physical condition of his garden soil and the way in
which he handles it.

“Available” plant food is plant food existing in the soil
in such forms that the plant roots are able to take it up
or absorb it. Just as raw beefsteak or uncooked beans
have to undergo certain changes before they are available
as human food, so most of the forms of nitrogen, phosphoric

50 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

acid and potash existing in the soil, and many of those
added to it in manures or fertilizers, have to undergo cer-
tain changes, which take place in the soil, before plants
can use them. Certain degrees of heat, of moisture and of
air make these changes. |

All plants require for their sustenance a number of
different elements in the soil. Of these the only ones that
are likely to become deficient are the three already men-
tioned—nitrogen, phosphoric acid and potash. The worst
of it is that if any one of these begins to get used up the
plant will stop growth instead of using more of the other
things. The kind of plant food that has become exhausted
is termed the “‘limiting factor.”

A ‘“‘complete fertilizer’ is one that contains all three of
the plant foods mentioned, though they may not be in the
proportions required. As a matter of fact most of the com-
plete ready-mixed fertilizers to be bought, and especially
the cheaper grades, do not contain the plant foods in the
best proportions for general garden use. A good general
garden fertilizer contains four per cent of nitrogen, eight
per cent of available phosphoric acid and ten per cent of
potash. Potash is temporarily scarce at the present time,
as no potash salts can be imported from Germany, and
the percentage of potash in all fertilizers is being cut down.

Both Water and Air Needed in the Soil

After a soil has been well supplied with plant foods in
available forms the plants cannot grow unless they can
absorb the various elements in the form of solutions. That
means that a certain amount of moisture must be present
in the soil. Conditions are most favorable to growth when
the soil is about half saturated. Air must be present as
well as moisture. If the soil is wet the air is excluded. If
it is dry the plants cannot get hold of the food lying about
them.

The practical problem remains of just how to make the
garden properly rich. Manures vary so much that they .

FEBRUARY: FOURTH WEEK 51

may be worth several dollars a load or not worth the haul-
ing. Fertilizers may or may not be of benefit in any par-
ticular case. What would be thorough preparation of the
soil in one garden would be just the wrong thing in another.

Following are the materials available for enriching the
small garden, with a few statements as to comparative
advantages and disadvantages of each. The gardener
should remember, however, that the greater the variety
he can use, as a general thing, the better.

Whenever it can be obtained at a reasonable price, good,
well-rotted stable manure makes the best foundation for
the garden. The great value of manure as a fertilizer lies
in the fact that it not only adds plant food to the soil, but
also contains vegetable matter or humus, which is neces-
sary to keep the soil in good physical condition—loose and
crumbly—so that it is capable of absorbing and holding
the greatest possible amount of water without becoming
sticky and lumpy and excluding air. It also increases
the action of the various bacteria that help in the processes
of changing unavailable to available plant food, and, in
the case of such crops as beans and peas, of gathering
nitrogen from the air. Good manure should be so well
rotted that it is fine and crumbly, but not in lumps. It
should be evenly moist all through, neither sopping wet nor
so dry as to be fluffy. If you cannot obtain manure that
is already thoroughly rotted place what you do get in a
compact pile and tramp each layer down hard. In this way
fermentation may be hastened and the manure rotted
_thoroughly in quite a short time. Manure that is ferment-
ing or fermented should always be kept in a well-packed
pile until you are ready to fork it into the ground. If it is
spread out, or left loose, it loses a great deal of its value.

An excellent plan is to place in a hole any manure that
you do not need for immediate use. To this should be
added, from time to time, any house or garden refuse that
will rot—various vegetable trimmings, old sods, weeds that
have not gone to seed, or anything of similar nature. This
may be kept in much the same way as a smoldering fire,

52 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

and the fermentation never allowed to stop. In using com-
post from this heap enough should always be left, if possible,
to keep it ‘‘ going.”

Manure is good for both light and heavy soils and for
most crops. It is rich in nitrogen, but phosphoric acid and
potash should be added from other sources. Get it well
mixed under the soil of the garden, or it will interfere
throughout the season with the various other operations
of planting and cultivating. Where it is impossible to
obtain manure, commercial humus may be used, in con-
nection with fertilizers, to maintain the humus content in
the soil.

How to Buy Fertilizers

Actual plant foods may be bought more cheaply in com-
mercial fertilizers than in manure. But these have no prac-
tical effect upon the physical condition of the soil and add
no humus. They may be classified in three separate groups,
which the gardener should learn to distinguish and to use |
according to his need: First, ready-mixed complete fer-
tilizers; second, the raw materials or original sources of
plant food, which are used largely for making the mixed
goods; and third, indirect fertilizers or soil improvers or
amendments, such as lime and gypsum. All these things
vary greatly both as to amount of plant food contained and
as to availability of that plant food. Most gardeners buy
the ready-mixed complete fertilizers, getting a bag, or
several bags, as may be required by the size of the garden.
This is the easiest way, but it is also the most expensive.
Whether it will pay you to get your fertilizers in that form
or to get the materials and mix up your own will depend
upon how much time you may have and how much fer-
tilizer you use. The saving, if you use the latter method,
will amount to thirty to fifty cents a hundred-pound bag.

If you buy the ready-mixed sort, however, remember the
higher the price a ton, as a general rule, the less the cost of
the actual plant food. You can see, if you stop to think a
minute, that it is cheaper to buy two hundred pounds.

FEBRUARY: FOURTH WEEK 53

of a 4-8-10 fertilizer at $2 a hundred than it is to buy four
hundred pounds of a 2-4-5 brand at $1.60 a hundred. Not
only would the former lot, costing $4, contain as much
actual plant food as the latter, costing $6.40, but it would
be much easier to move it round and put it on your garden,
and better materials would have been used in making it.

Saving in Home-Mixed Fertilizers

Making your own fertilizer is not a difficult task. Ni-
trate of soda, dried blood, tankage and cottonseed meal
are all used as sources of nitrogen. Phosphoric acid may
be had in high grade in acid phosphate. Potash may be
had in muriate or sulphate of potash. All these things are
standard commercial products, with uniform percentages
of plant foods contained, and it is therefore not difficult to
figure out any formula you may desire to use. A mixture
of nitrate of soda, muriate of potash, high-grade tankage
and high-grade acid phosphate, in the proportions of thirty,
forty, fifty and seventy pounds respectively, makes a high-
grade complete fertilizer with an analysis approximately of
four per cent nitrogen, eight per cent available phosphoric
acid, ten per cent potash. Twenty pounds of nitrate of
soda, thirty pounds of Peruvian guano, forty pounds of
muriate or sulphate potash and eighty pounds of acid phos-
phate will give about the same formula.

The operation of mixing the materials together is not a
difficult one. Weigh out, or estimate carefully, which will
answer practical purposes, the several materials; break up
any lumps with a mallet or the back of a shovel; spread the
several layers on top of one another on a tight floor or in a
large shallow box; mix thoroughly with a square shovel or a
hoe; and sift through an ordinary coal-ash sifter or a small
screen. If you have several hundred pounds of the mixture
it may be stored conveniently in cracker boxes, which hold a
hundred pounds each when not quite level full. Keep ina
dry place.

When buying your fertilizers buy enough bone flour and

54 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

nitrate of soda, in addition to what you will want to use in
preparing your garden, so that you can use them as a top
dressing throughout the season. Fifty or seventy-five
pounds of bone flour and twenty-five or fifty pounds of
nitrate of soda will be enough for the small garden. They
are equally useful for flowers, lawns and shrubs, and for
small fruits and vegetables.

Fertilizers should be applied broadcast after the ground
has been plowed or spaded and then thoroughly harrowed
or raked in. From 100 to 250 pounds to a space of fifty
by one hundred feet should add plenty of plant food to
your garden. If manure is used, or the ground is in good
condition, less may be used.

Most soils, whether light or heavy, that have been under
cultivation for some time need lime. If wild sorrel grows
freely about your garden you need lime. Or you can get a
little blue litmus paper at the drug store, moisten it, and
insert it in a slit in your garden soil; if it changes to pink
or red use lime freely. This may be put on two or three
times as thick as you would put fertilizers.

The best form of lime to use, especially at this time of
the year, is ground, raw limestone, which is not caustic in
its action. This should, however, be so fine that much of it
is like flour. It should not cost you more than fifty or sixty
cents a hundred pounds. Put the lime on as early in spring
as possible.

March: First Week

BUSH AND TREE FRUITS FOR THE SMALL PLACE;
QUANTITIES NEEDED; GOOD VARIETIES

No garden is complete without fruit—not only the small
fruits but, unless it is a very small garden indeed, some of
the pome and stone fruits, such as apples, pears, peaches,
cherries and plums. Sometimes it is argued that the latter
take too much room. Asa matter of fact, blackberries and
raspberries take more space in proportion to what one gets
from them than need be given to dwarf or trained fruit
trees.

Most of the small fruits will survive any adverse condi-
tions they are likely to encounter. In fact, many gardeners
would obtain better results if the bushes were not so hardy.
A currant bush set out by the garden fence, where it will
survive for years even if it is not cared for, is more likely to
be neglected than the newly set strawberry patch, which
must be tended for a season at least if one expects to get any
crop from it. It is the same principle that prompts a gar-
dener to coddle and nurse through the winter a tender tea
rose, while an equally beautiful but perfectly hardy rose
will be stuck up against the house wall and left without so
much care as spring pruning.

Aside from the fascination of growing it, there are prac-
tical reasons why fruit should be given a place in every
garden. Most fruits, being highly perishable products,
cost the consumer a very high figure in proportion to the
expense of growing them. Not only can he produce them
for himself a great deal cheaper than he can buy them, but
the fruit will be of very much better quality. Fruits dete-
riorate after picking even more quickly than most vegeta-
bles. There is very little danger of overproduction. Prac-

56 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

tically everything in the fruit line can be preserved to ad-
vantage.

Unlike the vegetable garden the fruit garden need not
have a space of considerable size devoted exclusively to it.
The trees may be put round the edges of the place, and a
dozen or so cane fruits may be placed along a wall or
in a corner. Most of the fruits on a very small place
may be made to fit in with the general decorative scheme;
many of them in bloom are fully as beautiful as flowering
shrubs.

A variety of material is available for the fruit garden.
Strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, dewberries, logan-
berries, currants, gooseberries and grapes make up what are
usually known as the small fruits. Apples, plums, peaches,
cherries and pears may be had either in the regular standard
types or, if space is limited, on dwarf stocks which, with
proper care, give miniature-sized trees with full-sized fruit.
Of most of these things you will want two or more varieties
to assure a succession, but the number of each required,
even for a fair-sized garden, will be very small.

Plant the Fruits by Proxy

The ideal way not to plan the fruit garden is the way it is
frequently done. The gardener, having decided that he
really must have some fruits in his garden, does nothing
more about it until the nursery agent gets round and per-
suades him that he needs a quarter of a dozen, half a dozen,
or a couple of dozen of this, that and the other thing which
will be Shipped in plenty of time for planting. Some agents
have first-class stock for sale. But there is a much better
way of planning your fruit garden.

Take a number of labels, short stakes, or pieces of shingle
and figure out carefully what you want to have, so far as
the room at your disposal will allow. The bed for straw-
berries or cane fruits may be staked off. The bush fruits
and fruit trees may be indicated by stakes, each with a
name written on it. After you have thus planted your.

MARCH: FIRST WEEK 57

garden by proxy, you can make up a thoroughly satisfactory
garden order that will just fit your place.

Here are the distances to allow for the different kinds of
fruits: Strawberries, one foot by one foot or two feet, each
way; in rows two feet apart; in beds of three or four rows,
‘the plants a foot apart each way, with two-foot alleys be-
_ tween if the hill system is to be used, or a foot apart in rows
three feet apart if you expect to grow them in matted rows.
Raspberries, three by six feet. Blackberries and dewberries,
five by seven feet. Currants, four to five feet apart. Goose-
berries, five to seven feet. Grapes, six to eight feet.

A standard apple tree, when grown, will occupy a space
some thirty to forty feet in diameter. But apples grafted
on doucin stock may be set as close as sixteen to twenty feet,
and on paradise stock, which is still smaller, as close as eight
to ten feet. Plums, cherries, pears, quinces, and dwarf pears
on quince stock may be put from ten to twenty feet apart,
depending largely upon the varieties and the way they are
pruned.

Practically all the fruits will do well in any good garden
soil, but they have some preferences. The cane fruits, for
instance, are partial to rather clayey soil, and, if there is
any choice, give the drier place to the strawberries, as they
suffer less from insufficient moisture than do the raspberries
and blackcaps. Currants and gooseberries must have plenty
of moisture to do well. If they cannot be given a really
moist soil they are frequently benefited by mulching before
the advent of dry weather. Strawberries will do well even
on light, sandy soil provided they do not suffer from drought.

Most of the tree fruits prefer a calcareous soil, but one
and all must have good drainage. This is important for the
vegetable garden, but it is doubly important for any plants
that stay in the ground over winter, as the fruits do. Good
fruit and wet feet are not to be found together on the same
bush, tree or vine. In planning a garden do not lose sight
of the fact that though all these things are small when you
set them out, some of them will require a great deal of room,
not only horizontally but vertically as well, when they are

58 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

fully grown. Place them so that they will not interfere, or
will interfere as little as possible, with the care and cultiva-
tion of your vegetable garden or flower garden, particularly
in casting too great a shade where it is not desired. The
smaller sorts may often be tucked in between the larger ones.
Peaches, for instance, are often planted between apple trees,
as they are comparatively short lived.

Satisfactory Fruit Varieties

Having decided how many of each of the various things
you will require, the next step is to select the varieties.
Very often the gardener who becomes enthusiastic about one
particular good thing makes the mistake of getting all of that
sort. Early and late sorts, to afford a succession, should be
chosen. Some of the best varieties of the different things
follow:

STRAWBERRIES. Early Ozark, a fine new early; Michel’s
Early, a standard sort but not of the best quality; Early
Jersey Giant; second early—Sample and Glen Mary;
medium to late—Marshall, Brandywine, Nick Ohmer;
late—Lovett, Fendall, and Chesapeake.

RASPBERRIES. The King, extra early; Cuthbert, Colum-
bian, Reliance, all good sorts; Cardinal and St. Regis Ever-
bearing, excellent newer varieties—the latter, after the reg-
ular crop, fruits again at the end of the season. The red
sorts are generally preferred, but at least one of the black-
caps, of which Palmer, very early, Gregg, and Cumberland,
are all good varieties, should be included. The standard
yellow is Golden Queen.

BLACKBERRIES. Mercereau is an extra-fine new early, and
Early Harvest and Early King are both good-bearing sorts.
Wilson, Jr., Snyder, Erie and Kittatinny are all good.

CuRRANTS. Fay’s Prolific and Perfection are two excel-
lent red sorts. White Grape and Lee’s Prolific, black, are
very good varieties that are favored by many and are ex-
cellent for cooking and preserves.

DEWBERRIES are quite similar to raspberries but are a

MARCH: FIRST WEEK | 59

little earlier in ripening. Premo is a new early sort, and
Lucretia is the largest and sweetest.

GOOSEBERRIES. These are of two distinct types, the na-
tive and the English sorts. Of the former Downing and
Houghton’s Seedling are perhaps two of the best. Of the
English sorts Industry is perhaps the best suited to our
climate. Golden Prolific and the Pearl, pale green, are fine
for eating raw.

Grapes. These should be selected for color and season.
Among the best of the black are Campbell’s Early, Moore’s
Early, and Worden, which is extra large and fine. Concord,
Wilder and Eaton are good medium-to-late black sorts. Of
the red, Brighton is early, Catawba medium, Delaware and
Iona late. Of the white, Moore’s Diamond and Green
Mountain are good early sorts, and Niagara, Empire State,
and Pocklington are medium to late. The latter is really a
pale golden yellow instead of white; it is extra large and
juicy and one of the most delicious of all grapes.

An order of small fruits for an average-sized garden might
contain the following:

VARIETY NUMBER

Barly Mra, Cras od a eos we ale 100

S| Wiarshalls srtdsedsony sic...) 5/2/00. bx ese oll nto 100
DMP UEC ILE RE tclce EC dibcn Va an asda oats 100

ae POM Pee, PANG. ooo. wee ais. co oeuae 6

arena red) mbes a Ui eae exh eee eelnlalg 6

Raspberry........... CUP ADEEE JORIBEOD bi 6 ws jos asco sve odo pee lennae 6
MTR er CONC Lins 4 Sioa tobe, Cueshe turer 6

Blackberry. ......... ie ape ommmen ra
Prema realy fie. Rak Re on Ne ak a 6

Dewberry........... Lucretia. . * RNIN AEM Hetty Com R SDV RY 3
Perection, TO). i's 0s) Aude eNO Sg Parca 8

Js Ls) Se a er Lees Prolific, blacks 3125s aoe orieee se 2
White (Grape... 3 ie ROR ia ea dae 2

POWNINE) Pale Crees LI RL wooed 6 5 I

Gooseberry.......... Red Jacket Hedy oy eh Vee hal ee I
Fnmustry, Tee ei. wa teaee a tae tested Dees 2

Moore's’ Fatty; Dla c ie ate iene ia eins sd I

Concord, black..... eee ia I

Green Mountain, early white.............. I

Grape............., Delaware, ied sas, ace scat 8 he hint a eh) Apacs gies I
Catawha. CUsky Femy ons as. osu aae nse ae I

Pocklingtons gelders aoe oe fas es eels ak e's I

60 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

A few of the best standard varieties of the tree fruits are
mentioned below, but if you intend to plant any number
you will do well to get the advice of your state experiment
station as to varieties best adapted to your particular
locality. |

Apples. Summer: Early Harvest, Red Astrachan. Au-
tumn: Gravenstein, McIntosh Red, Porter. Late autumn:
Snow, Hubbardston, Pound Sweet, Wealthy. Winter:
Spitzenberg, Delicious, Winesap, Jonathan, Baldwin, Rox-
bury Russet.

Pears. Among the best of the pears are Wilder, Clapp
Favorite, Bartlett, Seckel, Winter Nelis.

PEACHES. Greensboro and Mayflower are good extra
early sorts, and Champion, Elberta, Ray and Late Crawford
are standard medium-to-late varieties.

Piums. Of the native sorts, Milton, Early, Wildgoose,
Whitaker and Wayland, late, are good. Bradshaw, Reine
Claude and Damson are good European sorts. Of the Jap-
anese plums, Abundance, Burbank and Wickson are all very
fine. The Japanese plums, though giving quicker and
better results at first, are likely to be much shorter lived
than the native of European sorts.

CHERRIES. There are two classes, sweet and sour, the
latter being somewhat hardier, especially in the North. Of
the sweet, Black Eagle, Black Tartarian, Windsor, Governor
Wood, and Yellow Spanish are among the best. Of the sour,
Early Richmond, Montmorency and English Morello will
give a succession of fruit.

Buying Fruit Trees and Plants

In buying fruits for the home garden, where quick returns
are appreciated and only a comparatively small number of
trees will be wanted, it will pay to get first-quality stock.
And you should get it from the mosi reliable source you
know of.

Before the frost is all out of the ground in the shady spots,
the impatient gardener whose frames are already getting

MARCH: FIRST WEEK 61

overcrowded with plants will be trying the soil with his
spade or digging fork. How soon should the ground be
worked? The answer cannot be given by the calendar. It
depends entirely upon the season and the character of the
soil to be used.

Some soils can be dug safely and planted before the frost
is all out; others must wait till long afterward. After thaw-
ing, the ground must undergo a drying-out process to some
extent before it should be handled. If one attempts to plow
it before it is in the proper condition injury that will last for

A
ie
Ve
ne.
HY.
U Yee,"
Bis,

If your garden is small, make the end fence movable to facilitate
plowing and harrowing.

a number of years may be done. The safest rule is ‘‘when
the soil is dry enough to crumble.”’

Light, sandy soils, especially when located on a slope
where heavy rains have a chance to drain off, may be planted
to such hardy things as peas or sweet peas as soon as it is
possible to get a few inches of the surface into condition.
Heavy soils, or soils lying level with hard subsoils, should
not be touched until they are dry enough to crumble away
from the plow. |

When it is possible deep plowing is almost always more
satisfactory than working the soil by hand. Often in a small
garden the fence at the ends can be made removable so a
horse can get about. Heavy galvanized wire may be used
for this fence, with either square or round posts and square
wooden boxes or drain tiles as post holes.

March: Second Week

GROWING STRONG PLANTS FOR VEGETABLE
AND FLOWER GARDENS

The success of the early vegetable garden and the ap-
pearance of the flower garden throughout the season will
depend very largely upon the quality of the plants you have
ready to set out. Good plants do not make success certain,
but they make it very easy. Poor plants are always a great
handicap and usually result in failure.

Most people judge a plant’s value by its size. This is a
point to be considered, but it is by no means the most
important one. A plant in healthy growing condition will
soon catch up to and pass a plant originally two or three
times its size but in poor condition. ‘‘Good growing condi-
tion”’ is a state rather difficult to describe in words, but it
is one that anyone who handles many plants quickly comes
to recognize. One of the indications is color, most plants
being of a dark, healthy-looking green. Another is firm,
compact, sturdy growth and general ‘‘perky”’ appearance.

If your plants look pale and washed out; if they have
brown leaves or are spotted; if they grow tall and lanky;
if they incline to droop and drop their leaves, it is a pretty
sure sign that something is radically wrong and you should
find the trouble. It may be bad air, or starvation, or too
much or too little water, or too high or too low temperature,
or insects or disease of one kind or another. Whatever it is,
don’t let it go in the hope of having the plant get over it and
come out all right. Unless you remedy the adverse condi-
tion immediately your plant is pretty certain to come out
all wrong.

There is another condition, not so easily discerned, that
makes plants less desirable for setting out—a general

MARCH: SECOND WEEK 63

hardening of the stem and roots, which may result from
checking the growth by giving too little water, too low
temperature or too little room. This puts the plants in a
semidormant condition from which it takes them some
time to recover, even after they are placed in a more favor-
able environment. The growing parts of the plant, both
above and below ground, should be firm, but juicy and
rather brittle. When they become tough and wiry the
development of new plant tissue is checked.

Factors That Affect Growth

Various factors influencing the growth of plants—food,
water, air, light, heat and protection from insects and dis-
ease—are all, in the case of plants being started early in the
greenhouse or hot-bed, pretty much under the grower’s
control. This is at the same time an advantage and a dis-
advantage, for while he is independent of the vagaries of
temperature and insufficient rainfall, Nature cannot help
him if he forgets to attend to anything himself. Anyone
who expects to grow plants of prime quality should make
himself familiar with each of these things that affect growth:

Foop. For plants started early, when rapid but sturdy
development is wanted, food should be given in highly
available forms but in a balanced ration. ‘Too much nitro-
gen is likely to result in oversucculent or flabby growth.
Soil for transplanting or potting up should be much richer
than that for seedling plants. Nothing is better than the old
stand-by, well-rotted manure, but it should be particularly
well rotted and also finely pulverized.

If fine enough and dry enough the manure may be mixed
with the soil, but often it is more convenient to put a layer
of manure in the bottom of the flat or pot and cover this
with the soil in which the plant is to be set. If the manure
to be used in the bottom of flats is left in a lumpy condition
the plants may grow as well, but in taking them out the
roots will be damaged much more than if the manure had
been run through a sieve. When stable manure cannot be

64 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

obtained commercial horse or cattle manure may be used.
Remember, however, that these are dried and concentrated,
_and do not use too much.

For most purposes, bone flour, if no manure is available,
will give very satisfactory results. Peruvian guano, if the
genuine article can be obtained, is one of the best materials,
being not only rich in organic nitrogen but having also
generous amounts of available phosphoric acid and potash.
In using bone flour or dried blood or tankage it is desirable
to mix wood ashes with the soil. In fact wood ashes may
almost always be used to advantage in preparing soil for the
growing of plants, as the potash they contain is valuable and
the lime and charcoal help to keep the soil sweet.

In addition to being well enriched, the soil should contain
plenty of humus and, if necessary, should have enough sand
added to be friable. Soil enriched as suggested will usually
carry the plants through until time to set them out, but if
at any time they seem to be holding back without apparent
reason a watering with liquid manure or with liquid nitrate
of soda, either of which can be applied with a watering can,
will result in a quick and marked improvement if the trouble
was lack of available nitrogen.

When to Water

Water. Unfortunately circumstances are likely to
tempt the gardener to give too much water at first, and too
little later on when the actual needs of the plant are pre-
cisely the opposite. When the gardener’s early spring
enthusiasm must be confined to the few pots and flats of
plants in his greenhouse or hot-bed it is a very easy matter
for him to be overzealous with the watering can, though
the plants really need little moisture; later, when rapid
growth, rapid evaporation and a high temperature cause
them to require almost as much water as they can get, the
gardener is busy outdoors with other things and is likely to
forget the regular time for watering his seedlings. The
result is that when he does happen to notice them they are.

MARCH: SECOND WEEK 65

badly wilted and the soil has become dust dry or baked into
a hard cake.

Every effort should be made to keep the soil in either
flats or pots in as even a state of moisture as possible.
Extremes injure the plants’ growth, and after the soil dries
and parts from the edge of the box or pot it is exceedingly
difficult to get it moist clear through again. If your plants
do get dried in this way let them get a thorough saturation
by soaking up water from below in a pan or tub. Or apply
a little water at a time at intervals of half an hour or so
until the soil is again in good condition.

Early in the season, when the soil does not dry out so
quickly and there is more danger of overwatering than of
underwatering, water the plants early in the morning on
bright days so the foliage can be dried off before night.
Later, when it is difficult to keep the soil wet enough, water
late in the afternoon.

It is important, whenever it is possible, that the air as
as well as the soil be kept reasonably moist. In the green-
house this can be accomplished by an occasional sprinkling
of walks and benches. In the hot-bed or cold-frame, where
outside air has freer access, there is not likely to be trouble
from overdry air.

As to how often to water there can be no special rule of
thumb; it will depend upon the condition of the soil, which
will begin to get light colored and dry on top as the moisture
content gets too low. When this is the case give a thorough
watering that will soak the soil clear through to the bottom.
If you are not sure just how much to give go over the pots or
flats some fifteen minutes after the watering and examine
the soil carefully to make sure that it is wet clear through.
Plants set in beds or in cold frames will not need watering
so often as those in flats and pots.

Fresh Air Essential for Healthy Plants

Arr. Plenty of fresh air must be given at dil times if the
plants are to be kept healthy. Especially is this necessary

66 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

as the plants begin to reach the size for setting out. In the
greenhouse or hot-bed fresh air should be given every day.
As soon as the weather is warm enough the hot-bed sash
should be stripped off entirely during the warm days.
Plants in the greenhouse should be transferred to the cold-
frame or to some sheltered spot where they can be protected
from late frosts some time before they are wanted to be set
out of doors. As much fresh air as possible should be
given, without too greatly lowering the temperature.
Direct drafts on the plants, or too sudden variations of
temperature, should be avoided.

Licut. Even an abundance of fresh air will not keep
seedlings from ‘drawing up” into spindling, worthless
plants when they are kept in dark or shady corners. Full
light should be given. Any seedlings that seem inclined to
grow too tall should be kept as near the glass as possible.
To make even growth the potted plants should occasionally
be shifted round to prevent their becoming one sided, and
those that are on the back or center of the bench should be
put toward the front. Potted plants for bedding, which are
usually kept in the pots for a longer period than the vege-
table plants, should be handled over this way occasionally,
and the surface of the soil lightly broken up.

TEMPERATURE. The temperature, whatever it should
be for the plants to be grown, should be kept as constant as
possible. It is an easy matter to get the house or the
frames too hot when long, bright days come. Sashes can
be removed, but in the greenhouse it is often impossible
late in the spring to keep the temperature down, even with
all the ventilators open. Shading the glass may be neces-
sary. A weak whitewash or even a very thin clay mud may
be used for temporary purposes.

PROTECTION. The old adage about an ounce of preven-
tion applies here with double force. All'the conditions, such
as extremes of watering or temperature, overcrowding,
shady corners, and so forth, which are unfavorable to
growth, invite trouble from insects and disease. Fresh air,
abundance of room and sunshine discourage these troubles. -

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MARCH: SECOND WEEK 67

If you have been bothered before by green plant lice, use
tobacco dust freely round the foliage and the soil before
they appear. If they get a start spray thoroughly with a
nicotine solution, or fumigate if you can make the place
tight. If you haven’t a compressed-air tank sprayer buy a
substantial brass hand spray, which can also be used for
many side jobs in the small garden.

Transplanting and Hardening Off

In transplanting get everything ready before you begin
work. Have the soil in the flats moist but not wet enough
to be sticky, and that in the flat from which the plants are
being taken slightly dry, so the roots may easily be dis-
entangled without being left bare. Take the small plants
out in chunks and separate them carefully. Place them in
pots or flats deep enough so that they will stand up sturdily.
Plants with long stems, such as beets, cabbages and cauli-
flower, can be cut down nearly to the first leaf. Tomatoes,
peppers, eggplants, and all flowers that are started early
should be given a second transplanting, preferably into
pots. Paper pots are much cheaper and are easily kept
watered. If clay pots are used they should be sunk into
soil or ashes or moss to prevent their drying out too quickly.

Potted plants for the flower garden may need two or
three shifts before they are as large as wanted. The time
for changing them will be indicated by the roots’ forming a
network upon the outside of the ball of earth. A shift
should be given while these roots are still white and active.
Tf left too long and allowed to become tough and woody the
plant will be severely checked if not permanently injured.
In transplanting and repotting, water thoroughly after the
operation and then keep the plants shaded from the hot
sun for a few days. Water sparingly—only to moisten the
foliage.

All hardy plants, such as beets, cabbage, cauliflower,
lettuce and kohl-rabi, and the early flowers, such as pansies,
daisies, pyrethrum and so forth, should be hardened off

68 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

thoroughly before being placed in permanent positions.
If they are growing in a frame leave the sash off night and
day; if they are in a greenhouse shift them to the outside.
Careful watch should be kept, especially just after they
are put out, to see that a sudden change in temperature does
not catch them some night. Any of these things, when they
are properly hardened, can stand a few degrees of frost
without being injured. It is a good plan to have a number
of cloth frames on hand for use over these things during the
two weeks or so before they are to be set out, as these will
give ample protection, and the glass sash can be used over
the more tender things or to forward crops growing in the
frames. If in spite of your watchfulness the plants should
get frozen some night keep them shaded from the sun the
next morning, and thaw them out with very cold water.

A number of the flowering plants that are grown from
seed, such as heliotrope, salvia, antirrhinum, and the like,
tend to grow up to single tall stalks, though rugged branch-
ing plants are desired. As soon as the plants begin to make
Strong growth after transplanting, the tops should be
pinched out to induce the growth of the side shoots. The
tops, if large and firm enough, may be used for cuttings to
make a second batch of plants.

March: Third Week

THE FIRST PLANTING AND SEEDING IN THE
OPEN GARDEN

As soon as the pussy willows push open their little gray
buds the gardener begins to wonder when he would better
begin planting. Naturally he is anxious to have his first
mess of peas just a few days ahead of his next-door neighbor;
but, on the other hand, he does not want to lose his plants
or have his peas rot in the ground. A few things that can
be planted ‘‘as soon as the ground is fit to work” include
sweet peas, smooth garden peas, radishes, onions and spin-
ach. Other early things should not be put into the ground
too hurriedly. Often a warm period, which will dry out the
soil so it can be spaded and put into fairly good condition,
will be succeeded by a few days or a week of real winter
weather, and the early plants and such seeds as beets and
carrots may be damaged considerably.

In the latitude of New York and Chicago the first plant-
ing may be done from the last week in March to the middle
of April, according to season and soil. Plants that may be
set out as soon as hard freezing at night lets up are cabbage,
lettuce, beets, broccoli and kohl-rabi. The rest of the early
vegetables for sowing in the open are beets, cabbage,
lettuce, carrots, kohl-rabi, onions, parsley, parsnips, salsify,
turnips, and water cress; and cauliflower, celery and leeks,
to be transplanted later. Cauliflower plants, wrinkled peas
and potatoes should be held back until the weather has
moderated still further.

A simple rule, which varies automatically with the sea-
son and is therefore better than a calendar date, is to plant
the hardy things while the plum and peach trees are in

70 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

bloom, during which time the temperature will average
about forty-five degrees in the shade.

Make a Fine Seed Bed

Thorough preparation of the seed bed is the most im-
portant step in seed sowing. The soil should be dug and
raked to get it into general good condition. Be careful to
get all manure well turned under, and mixed with the soil.
If left in a solid layer beneath the surface, in a dry season
it may do more harm than good, by cutting off the water
supply from below. Just before you plant go over the
ground thoroughly again, so it will be moist clear to the top,
and the surface should be made as fine and as level as you
can make it.

A number of the garden seeds, such as onions, carrots,
and turnips, are very small and must not be planted deep.

Paes IRE
CB eet oa ae aha” ege reef hate
SUBSOIL

Wrong way Correct way

If the soil is rough and lumpy it will dry out very quickly on
top, even at this time of year, when a few inches below the
surface it is abundantly moist.

It is no less important to prepare the soil thoroughly
where plants are to be set out. It must be fine and mellow
to pack closely round the hundreds of little rootlets, and to
form a dust mulch on the surface as soon as the planting
is done.

In the small garden there is no excuse for the rows not
being straight as a string. Mark off the first one with your
garden line. If the soil is in the right condition you can
“snap” a mark into it; have the line tight, raise it at two
or three points along the row and let it snap back against
the soil. Otherwise mark the row with your rake handle.
Then watch your wheel, if you use the seed drill, and keep

PLATE 5.—Among the time saving, labor saving attachments available
for the wheel hoe is the double plow used for opening furrows in planting pota-
toes, peas or beans, or for covering under manure or fertilizer before setting
out plants. (Lower) In setting plants, have the ground prepared in advance,
keep the plants exposed to wind and sun as short a time as possible, and firm the
earth well about the roots.

PLATE 6.—In small gardens and flower beds, where seeds must be planted by
hand, a straight edged wide board is a great convenience. (Lower) In sowing
very fine seed, such as that of many flowers, use a brick or piece of smooth
board to press the surface down smooth. This will tend to keep it moist and’
insure good germination.

MARCH: THIRD WEEK ri

it straight on this row so that the succeeding rows will be
exactly parallel.

Don’t just empty a packet of seed into the drill. If you
have a garden plan you will know just exactly what you
have to do. Anyway figure out just how much of each
thing you want to plant, and plant no more or no less.
If a little seed of some things is left over—not enough to
save—throw it away.

In planting very early in the spring you should keep in
mind existing conditions, which are quite different from
those that will obtain later. At this time of the year the
ground is likely to be too wet rather than too dry. There-
fore seeds should be planted comparatively shallow, not
so deeply covered as you would cover the same kind of
seed six or eight weeks hence. For the same reason it
will not be so necessary to roll the soil hard above the seeds,
though they should never be covered loosely. Seeds should
be planted thickly, as conditions are not wholly favorable.

Planting by Hand

When seeds have to be put in by hand use a long flat
board twelve or fifteen inches wide. Mark out the drill
along one edge of this, then kneel on the board and scatter
the seeds thinly and evenly. Cover them lightly and press
down the whole row evenly with the edge of the board.

Fertilizer or manure for vegetables sown from seed is
almost always broadcast on the surface before planting,
Part of that used for plants to be set out, however, should
be applied in the hill. The quickest way of doing this,
when any number of plants is to go out, is to open a row
with the hoe attachment on the wheel hoe, mark across the
row, drop the fertilizer or manure at the intersections of the
lines and then cover the row again—the marks left between
the rows showing where the plants are to be set. When
only a few dozen plants are to be set, however, it will
probably be quicker simply to mark out the rows, dig small
holes with the hoe at each place, drop in the manure or

72 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

fertilizer, mix it with the soil and fill the hole level again
ready for the plant. Do your transplanting on a cloudy
day, or late in the afternoon.

In the following planting table necessary information is
given for planting the various early crops.

EARLY HARDY CROPS

PERE ARS ONG Sia se wets. eee 50 4 12 36
Rie Sica he Mie tats Mme ee oF ate 100-150 I 4-6 12-15
Pre akin Setete oid nap 85 35 y% 18 24
Pease a Sas be aia e tale Wie 25 y% 18 24
aaa ea Ae Ne e banat ale a VY oz. % 3-4 12
CoVnOmen. Waves) alae cele slaguce an y% 18 24
Celeron iow eas cee YZ Oz y4-% 2-3 12
LE LEPAY) SRA 20 tA PM peur ly OZ cA 12 I2
erate bet tts hl de whos Wikio wal alees V4 Oz % 6-8 18
Vip 7)" UN iar ay ss a ROR YY OZ. % 3-4 15
Tetiice DLAMES:, \. 5 .)s eile sp Wes 8 50 8-12 | 12-15
Meets Seed oss baie nen eid aes ly oz. iy 12 12-15
RpMRT esc ete al 2 aden ween wie 2 YZ OZ. ¥% 2-3 12-15
Wie, Secdhngs «|... 660 ak see sek = 150 4 12-15
PREMEV TA ae, Cea kita itee VY OZ. 4-4 4-6 12
PArenies keke wes be eee aa V4 Oz. 4-1 3-5 15-18
Peas, smooth, for early planting.. i pt. I-2 2-4 36
PGAG) WEMIMICG 2. 3, 0)). 2 'ac.s\eop ules 0)? T pis. a4 24-48 | 36-48
BEER. Geos! Salads selene ots aera % pk. 3-4 13 28
BERGE otek eek eae ate YY oz. ¥% 2-3 12
Sa SAAR 8 ide held hes ere Shao ay Non! We 3% OZ. \ 2-4 15-18
Seca IAN his Wiaelersp¥ nts ate o's ies 34 OZ y% 8-12 | 15-18
TiS OC Y nia se kihannie ian eet wlele YY oz Y-\¥% 4-6 15

BEETS. Plants should be set out in rows a foot apart,
with about four plants to the foot. The seed should be
sown in the driest soil available, from half an inch to one
inch deep.

CaBBAGE. Well-hardened plants will withstand cold.
Most of the first planting should be of a late variety. A
packet or two of seed should be sown to furnish plants for
summer and early fall. Make the rows six to ten inches
apart.

MARCH: THIRD WEEK ee 73

Carrots. Sow the seed thickly; cover very lightly with
very fine soil.

CAULIFLOWER. Usually this should not be put out
until a week or two after the cabbage. Broccoli is
hardier.

Lettuce. The plants should be set about a foot apart
each way, though the smallest varieties, such as Tom Thumb
or Mignonette, may be set closer. A little semiliquid hen
manure put under each plant will help in producing rapid
and large growth. Seed of one of the summer varieties and
of one of the early varieties should be sown when the plants
are set or shortly after. The plants should be thinned out
as soon as they are large enough.

Onions. A few sets should be put out to furnish an extra-
early supply. If large bulbs are wanted the sets should be
small and hard. If green or bunched onions to eat raw are
wanted size will not make much difference. The bed for
the seeds should be particularly well prepared. It is a good
plan to mix a few radish seeds with the onions, as they
come up quickly-and mark the rows and also serve as traps
for the onion fly. :

Of the garnishes, “‘green”’ onions are among the best.
These are usually grown from ‘“‘sets,”’ or small onions, which
were sown the year before, and this is the best way to get
the really early ones for the table. The sets known as
““white”’ or Silverskin should be used, as they are small,
quick-growing and mild. For succession grow white onions
from seed, to be used as a garnish for salads. The flavor
of a young onion, grown quickly from seed in porous mellow
soil, where there has been no check from lack of moisture,
is extremely delicate and far surpasses that of those grown
from sets. There should be several sowings so you can
continue to use them when the bulbs are the size of chest-
nuts.

To grow onions the soil should be the richest possible;
it will be well to dig in the manure from the chicken house
and the ashes from the wood fire. A commercial fertilizer
analyzing 4—-7-10—four per cent nitrogen, seven per cent

74 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

phosphoric acid and ten per cent potash—should be broad-
cast before raking and the surface of the beds made very
fine and even. Sow the seed thinly in drills a foot apart to
fifteen inches for wheel-hoe culture, and not deeper than
half an inch. Sowing should be done when the soil is moist
enough to work well.

ParsLEy. The seed germinates very slowly and should be
soaked a day or two in lukewarm water before planting.

Parsnips and SAtsiry. Both of these good winter vege-
tables have peculiar-shaped seeds. The ground where they
are to be planted should be spaded deeply, as they require
a generous depth of soil in order to make shapely roots.
Thin out as soon as they are well started.

Peas. These may be sown in single or twin rows about
six inches apart, making the rows three to four feet apart
for the dwarf varieties and a little more for the tall ones if
brush is to be used. Make the first plantings quite shallow,
and sow extra thick. If they come up too thickly some of
the plants should be cut out with a small hoe, or pulled
out.

RADISHES. Sow only a few feet of row at a time, as they
mature very quickly and soon get stringy and pithy. A
good method is to sow a short row in the seed border each
week. A generous dressing of land plaster along the row
before sowing will make them bright and crisp.

Turnies. These mature quickly, and only a few of the
earlier sorts should be sown. Weed the rows and thin out
as soon as possible after they are up.

March: Fourth Week

FIRST PLANTING OF FLOWERS OUT-DOORS;
PRUNING ROSES; WORK WITH THE HARDY
BORDER; GETTING A START WITH ANNUALS

Spring work in the flower garden, like that in the veg-
etable garden, cannot be done all at one time. But the
earlier start you can get, and the more you can keep ahead
of the several jobs to be done, the better. To do their best,
flowers require a large amount of moisture in the soil, and
the best way to provide this is to work the beds up as soon
as rainy weather lets up.

For the purposes of planting, it is important to know
whether flowers are hardy, half hardy or tender. This in-
formation is almost always given on the packets in which
the seeds come. It is a good plan to plant flowers of the
various groups soon after you plant vegetables of the cor-
responding groups. Sweet peas, however, should be planted
as early as possible.

Along with other information on your packets of flower
seeds you will note the direction ‘‘or start early under
glass.”” You may have started some already if you have a
hot-bed; if not it is by no means too late to start them in the
cold-frame or the hot-bed now—but you must do it at once.
The half-hardy and tender plants cannot safely be planted
in the open for four to seven weeks to come. If seeds of
these are to be sown in flats and the seedlings transplanted
before setting out in the garden, they may be put in quite
thickly. If there is not time or room for this sow the seeds
rather thinly in rows four to six inches apart in the frame
and thin the plants to stand two or three inches apart. In
this way a good supply of stocky little plants, which will
advance your flower garden several weeks, can be grown
with very little trouble.

76 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

A Substitute for a Cold-frame

If not even a cold-frame is available a specially prepared
seed bed may be made in some sheltered place, south of a
wall or building, and protected from any drip from the eaves
above. Spade up a narrow border four or five feet wide,
raising it a little above the general level of the garden. Un-
less it is naturally good soil and can be made fine and mellow,
put on top some four inches of clean, rich soil from one of the
old flower beds. Make the bed perfectly smooth and mark
out shallow drills six to ten inches apart. Cover the flower
seeds lightly and then roll, or gently pack down the whole
surface with the back of the spade. This bed should be
conveniently situated, so it can be watered either with the
hose or with a watering can. In preparing the bed, rake in
a good dressing of bone flour. The plants should be thinned
out as soon as they are large enough so they will not crowd.
With very little extra work you can have from a border four
by six feet a good many hundred plants of many different
kinds ready to set out in the beds only a little later than
you would ordinarily sow the seed.

Plants that do not lend themselves to transplanting, such
as poppies, and some of the quick-growing annuals, like
portulacas, are almost always sown where they are to flower.
The surface of the soil should be made as fine as possible, no
matter how many times it has to be gone over. The seed is
thinly broadcast or dropped in rows on the surface, if very
small, and pressed into the soil with the edge of a board or
with a brick.

In preparing the flower beds work in all the manure and
humus you can and in addition give a top-dressing of bone
dust or mixed fertilizers. If the beds are spaded up some
weeks before you expect to plant them rake them over
occasionally to destroy sprouting weeds and to maintain a
dust mulch.

If tree roots invade the flower bed cut down about the
edge of the bed with an edger or with a sharp spade, going.

MARCH: FOURTH WEEK "7

as deep as youcan. If there is much trouble from this source
it will pay to repeat the operation several times during the
summer, keeping the roots cut off while they are small.

In buying plants for your flower garden, keep in mind that
good health and a growing condition are to be preferred
to size. Also resist the temptation to get one of each thing
rather than sticking to a few good sorts and colors. A bed
of geraniums of one solid color is very much more artistic
and effective than one in which shades of pink, red and
white are indiscriminately mixed.

First Work in the Rose Garden

The most important part of the year’s work in the rose
garden must be attended to soon. When severe freezing
weather begins to let up and the frost is pretty well out of the
ground take the mulching off the rose bed and from around
the single plants. It is best not to do this all at once, how-
ever, but to take off a little at a time, leaving only so much
about the plants as can be readily worked under when the
soil between the plants is forked up. A dressing of fine bone
or bone flour and coarse bone mixed should be worked
deeply into the soil at this time. If the soil has been hilled
up round the stalks in the fall for winter protection it should
be leveled at this time.

Spring Pruning of Roses

As soon as the dormant buds or eyes start along the old
canes, or swell into leaf buds so large that you can tell where
there is deadwood, begin pruning. The hardy perpetual
sorts should be pruned first. Garden roses flower on new
wood, so in cutting back you are not destroying any possible
roses. The average gardener is much more likely to prune
too little than too much. Stronger varieties are pruned
less severely than those of a weaker habit of growth: If the
plants are lightly pruned they will bear many flowers of
small size. If moderately pruned they will bear fewer and

78 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

larger flowers; while for the largest and finest individual
blossoms the plants should be very severely pruned.

Beginning with the hybrid perpetuals, which are the
hardiest and most robust in growth among the garden
roses, cut out clear to the ground all but four to eight canes,
and cut these back from a third to a half. For large flowers,
cut these remaining canes back to four to eight eyes or buds
from the ground. The hybrid teas, many of which are
comparatively weak growing, will need more severe pruning,
but they can be cut back until the garden looks like a collec-
tion of stubs without in any way injuring the quality, and
not greatly lessening the quantity, of their flowers. Leave
canes placed as evenly as possible and as spreading as pos-
sible so that the bush will have an open center. Always cut
about a quarter of an inch above an outside eye, so the new
branch will grow outward.

Occasionally a rose bush will throw up a very strong-
growing cane looking quite different from the others and
bearing very few or no buds. Such a growth should be cut
out. If each leaflet has seven parts instead of five you may
know that the cane springs from below the collar or graft of
a budded rose, and unless it is destroyed it will be likely to
kill all the upper part of the plant.

The rambler roses are of an entirely different type and
should not be pruned early in spring further than to cut out
any very old, diseased or broken wood, or to cut the plant
into more shapely form. In this case all the live wood that
is cut away does sacrifice flowers. The rugosas or Japanese
roses, which are very hardy, require little pruning except
to cut the old canes clear to the ground when they become
too thick. The same is true of roses belonging to the Bour-
bon, China and polyantha classes—the latter including
most of the dwarf and baby roses.

Roses may be bought as dormant roots or as potted plants
in active growth. The dormant roots should be planted as
early as it is possible to work the soil. Growing plants
should not be set out until after danger from frost. The
bed should be dug out to a depth of two or three feet, and

MARCH: FOURTH WEEK 79

the subsoil broken up with a pick; then a layer of drainage
material, such as coal or cinder, several inches thick should
be put in and covered with sod; and on top of this a layer
of good garden soil, well enriched with manure or bone dust,
should be placed, extending within six inches or so of the
surface. It is well not to enrich the top layer of soil, so the
roots will be induced to grow downward rather than to
feed near the surface. (See directions on page 300.)

The plants should be set in a little deeper than they have
been growing, as shown by the soil mark on the stem. The
union or collar should be two or three inches below the sur-
face. Great care should be taken to keep the roots moist,
well covered with moss or burlap, while planting. Do not
leave them lying round exposed to wind or sun, even for a
few moments. After planting, prune the plant back even
more severely than you would a well-established rose of the
same kind.

Work with the Hardy Border

Do not be in too great a rush to get the mulch off the
hardy border. It should be left on until all danger of a
premature start, owing to a false promise of spring weather,
is past. Do not, on the other hand, leave the mulching on
until the plants start beneath it and then expose the tender
new growth to a late frost. It is best to remove the cover
gradually. If manure was used, work as much of it as pos-
sible into the soil as soon as it is dry enough to fork. At the
same time add bone dust or mixed fertilizer. Borders or
beds for perennials should be prepared as soon as possible,
and if the plants do not come from too far south of their
permanent location they will bloom this summer. Potted
stock is usually a little more expensive than field-grown
stuff, but it will give much better results.

Almost every spring the gardener will want to move about
some of his own old plants. This is desirable if he wishes to
increase his stock or has varieties that have become crowded
after a number of years. Some things can be increased by

80 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

division of the old clumps, such as iris, hardy phlox and lily
of the valley.

All surface soil in the borders should be forked over as
deeply as possible without injuring the plants, and then
should be raked or hoed fine and loose. In sections where
there is likely to be a long summer drought it is well to keep
the winter mulch handy to apply again as a summer mulch.

Getting a Start with the Annuals

Popular judgment is not far wrong when it comes to
picking out the best of the annuals. But, paradoxically
enough, some of the best-known annuals are the least known. |
Take nasturtiums, for instance. Nine persons out of ten
still buy seed in collections. Why not buy a few of the
splendid new named sorts? The seed costs more. But
nasturtiums are almost always planted too thick to do well.
The dwarf sorts make good borders. They flower profusely
even in poor soil.

Sweet peas used to be bought almost altogether by.the
“collection” also, but dozens of named varieties are now
well known. A little extra attention given to the planting
and care of your sweet peas will be amply repaid. For best
results trench the rows, forking in at the bottom a good layer
of rotted manure. The rows, if in a well-drained position,
may be made about six inches deep at first. Cover the seed
about two inches, and gradually fill the trench as the plants
grow. Leave a slight depression to help in watering. Pro-
vide a suitable trellis before the vines begin to climb.
Mulch with leaf mold, grass, or light manure as dry weather
comes on; the mulch is desirable even when water can be
given, as it prevents alternate drying and soaking of the soil
and keeps it cool.

Poppies cover a wide range of form and color, and may
now be had in numerous named varieties. The seed of the
annual sorts is very fine, and care should be exercised to
make the seed bed as fine as possible. Unless the soil is
moist, water it thoroughly several hours before planting.

MARCH: FOURTH WEEK 81

Scatter the seed as evenly as possible and then firm the
whole surface with a small board or with the back of a
spade. Thin out, on a cloudy day, if the plants are too thick.

For brilliant and lasting mass effects, with a minimum of
expense and trouble, no flowers exceed the plebeian petunia.
For most bedding purposes the single-flowered sorts, in
separate colors, are preferable. The seed is quite small and
germinates freely, but the plants are usually left too close
together to produce the best results. Thin to stand eight
to twelve inches apart. In thinning the double sorts, re-
move the strongest plants, as they are more likely to bear
single or worthless flowers.

For low-growing, spreading plants to give brilliant masses
of color up to hard frosts, glorifying the autumn garden,
sow a few beds or parts of beds to verbenas. They may be
thinned to ten to twelve inches at first, and then every other
plant removed and set out where earlier flowers have gone
by or failed. There is a new crested type quite distinct from
the older sorts.

April: First Week

POINTERS ON PLANTING; PROTECTION FROM
LATE FROSTS; LABELS AND MARKERS; CARE
OF TOOLS

There are usually one right way and several wrong ways
of doing the simplest garden operation. Take, for instance,
the use of the spade and the rake.

In using the spade the hard part is generally not so much
in lifting and turning the soil as in breaking it away before
it is lifted. Handle the spade so that only one edge of the
piece being dug will have to be broken away—making the
cut slightly diagonal. A beginner at raking almost always
makes the mistake of attempting to use the implement as
he would to rake grass. But the purpose here is to fine and
level the soil, necessitating a backward-and-forward move-
ment over a small piece of ground.

Some Pointers on Planting

Practically all seed sowing is now done by machinery, but
occasionally it is necessary to employ the old art of hand
sowing, especially for flower seeds in the small garden.
The best way to handle very small seeds 1s to mix them with
fine, dry sand or dirt, which makes it possible to get a much
more even distribution in the drill. Small seeds of which
only a few are wanted may usually be sown from the packet.
Hand planting is best done with a board twelve to fifteen
inches wide, which can be used to mark out the row, to
kneel on when sowing the seed, turned on edge to press the
seed into the furrow for covering, and turned over to mark
out the next row. This insures straight rows and at the
same time avoids tramping down the soil.

APRIL: FIRST WEEK 83

It is frequently desirable to hurry a crop along, or, when
conditions are not favorable for sprouting, to give the seeds
some treatment before planting. The method generally
used is to soak the seeds from twenty-four to forty-eight
hours in tepid water so they will be at the point of germina-
tion before they are put into the soil. This is specially
desirable for seeds that germinate slowly, such as celery,
parsley, and the like. But it can be used to advantage in
other cases—to get a quick start with peas, for instance.
Hard-shelled seeds, such as cannas and moonflowers, may
be filed or notched with a sharp knife, and then soaked.
Do not allow soaked seeds to become dried out again before
planting. They may be rolled in dry dust or in gypsum to
prevent their sticking together in planting.

It often happens that plants received by mail or express
in the course of the spring have to be kept for several days
before they can be set out, although they should always be
put into the ground as soon as possible. When the plants
arrive unpack them carefully and look them over to see that
you have just the right numbers of the right varieties.
Untie the packages so the plants can get plenty of air, but
keep them where they will be protected from wind and sun
and will be kept cool. The roots should be kept moist either
by heeling them in moist earth or by having moist moss or
burlap wrapped round them.

Protection from Late Frosts

Sometimes plants are large enough to set out before condi-
tions are just right for them. The first thing to do with
plants that have grown as large as you want them to be is to
get them into the open air. Keep them where they can be
protected from frost, but where they can get full sun and
air. Give just enough water to keep the soil from drying
out. Water thoroughly, however, the day before planting,
so that the soil and roots will be in the right condition.

Occasionally during March, April and early May in the
Northern States the gardener who is trying to be early will

84 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

have a close call from frost. When there are indications of a
dew fall and the thermometer drops rapidly late in the day,
and the air is still, and the sky is clear, the gardener’s safe
course is to cover the plants. Those in the cold-frames, if
covered even with cloth sash, will be protected from several
degrees of frost. Blankets and old bags and burlaps sup-
ported above the plants on a few short sticks will answer
the same purpose.

For plants that have already been set out other means will
be necessary. One of the most effective methods of covering
such early things as potatoes and peas is to run the wheel hoe
with the hilling attachment along the row and hill up the
earth over the plants.

Also you will find it well to save a supply of newspapers,
with which in a few minutes you can cover up a hundred or
two hundred plants or hills of such things as pole beans,
tomatoes, melons or squash; put several thicknesses of
newspaper over each and hold the edges down with a few
trowelfuls of dirt. Inverted tomato cans or flower pots may
be used to protect individual plants.

If, in spite of all your precautions, some of your plants
get nipped they should be protected from the sun the next
morning and watered as early as possible with very cold
water. This may form a very thin coating of ice on the
leaves, but it will serve to get the frost out gradually, which
lessens the damage.

Instead of temporary frost protection of this kind, how-
ever, much better and earlier results are to be had by per-
manent plant protectors, of which there are numerous kinds
to be bought or made. One of the simplest is the plain
forcing hill, which is nothing but a pane of glass on top of a
bank of soil about the hill or plant. In many soils, however,
this cannot be successfully accomplished; and it is always
somewhat of a makeshift method, open to the objection
that the hollowed hills collect water when it rains, and are
too low for most purposes. One of the various types of
individual forcers to be bought can be used to great ad-
vantage, particularly when only a few are required. With

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PLATE 8.—When transplanting in hot, dry weather, make sure of having the
plants in firm by packing the soil close about the roots by using the balls of the
feet, after planting. (Lower) To keep plants from wilting, shade from the hot

sun with newspapers, held in place with a little soil.

APRIL: FIRST WEEK 85

care they will last a great many years, so that the cost is by
no means prohibitive. Two inexpensive and practical forc-
ing frames adapted to such tall plants as tomatoes may be
sawed from an ordinary cracker box, with glass about
thirteen by twenty-two inches fitted in one side. For
melons, etc., they may be made flat, as shown in the cut on
page II.

Labels and Markers

One of the little things commonly overlooked in the
garden is careful marking of both vegetables and flowers in
order that one may keep tabs on varieties, dates, yields,
colors, and so forth. How often one sees an empty seed
packet on a stick or held down by a stone as the only garden
record! It does not take long to learn that such a make-
shift tag will be blown away or obliterated by the mud and
rain. When a hundred eight-inch garden labels can be
bought for thirty-five cents there is no excuse for the
gardener who does not know when and where he has put
everything that grows in his garden. A more expensive but
more convenient form of label is a small card which is held
on a covered plate placed at a convenient angle on an up-
right iron stake; on this a record card can be kept plainly
visible but protected from the elements.

If you have not made a planting plan in advance secure
a good-sized armful of stakes—pieces of shingle, or kindling
strips, or whips
of willow or birch
—before you be-
gin to sow seeds. 1===
Stick them up
along one edge, marking off with each the space for one
variety of seed.

If you haven’t a reel and a marking line, by all means get a
ball of stout twine and a couple of short sticks. For rows of
plants, or for such seeds as are not planted with the seed
drill, a one-row marker may be made by nailing or bolting a
strip of inch stuff to the wheelbarrow and attaching a short

86 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

chain to this to drag. A regular marker may be made
easily with a six-foot strip of two-by-two-inch pine and a
half dozen twelve-inch spikes. Find the center of the strip
and make marks six inches from the center on each side;
then make marks every twelve inches each way to the end.
Bore six holes slightly smaller than the spikes and drive
these into place. Fasten a handle to the strip.

Keep the Tools Bright and Sharp

Probably nothing will so cut down the gardener’s work,
take it the season through, as bright, sharp tools. After
using them wipe them off with a few old pieces of burlap and
then go over them with a cloth well soaked with oil. Have
a good flat file, costing fifteen or twenty
cents, with which to “touch up” your
hoes, wheel-hoe attachments, and so
forth, as they become dulled through
use. If the heads of any of your tools
become loose half a day’s soaking in a pail
of water will usually tighten them up.
If the garden is not handy to the tool
shed much time may be saved by getting
a substantial dry-goods box of conven-
ient size, fitting it up with a pair of cheap hinges and a
couple of shelves, and giving it a coat of paint; it will make
a miniature tool house to be kept at the head of the garden.

A simple but practical garden reel may be made as fol-
lows: Take a piece of inch or inch-and-a-half hardwood four
inches wide and eighteen to twenty-four inches long. Make
a tapering point on one end, and in the middle of the other
end bore a hole large enough to take a half-inch bolt. Make
a simple spool out of two pieces of half-inch stuff, and a core
of two-inch stuff, round or square. Through the latter bore
a hole in which the half-inch bolt can turn easily as the axis.
You will always know where to find your line.

Plant supports, to be used for tomatoes and such plants
in the flower garden as may need low supports, may be made

APRIL: FIRST WEEK 87

of wooden barrel hoops and laths. Two hoops and three or
four laths are used for each support. With shingle nails
fasten one hoop near the ends of the laths, and another
twelve to eighteen inches from the first hoop. Point the
other ends of the laths so they may easily be sunk into the
ground as deep as may be required.

A support for tomatoes, pole beans, etc., that is much
better than the ordinary plain stake, is shown in the figure
on page II.

April: Second Week

MAKING NEW PERENNIAL GARDENS AND BOR-
DERS; NEW STRAWBERRY AND ASPARAGUS
BEDS

One of the important early spring tasks—a good job for
one of those raw days when it is too bright and sunny to
stay in the house but too windy and cold to be comfortable
doing ordinary jobs outside—is the making of any new
gardens or beds that may be desired. The regular garden
for vegetables or flowers has to be prepared every spring;
beds for perennial plants have to be made only once in
many years, so their preparation must be particularly
thorough. By the same token one can afford to take the
time and trouble to make a thorough job of it. A well-
made asparagus bed will last ten to twenty years. A thor-
oughly prepared hardy border, if it is given reasonable care
every year, will last indefinitely.

The most favored position for a hardy border is along a
walk or drive, separated from the edge of the drive by a
narrow strip of sod. Other good locations are in front of
a shrubbery border, or along a wall or other undesirable
boundary line, where, properly planted, the plants may
be made to serve the double purpose of a screen and of
adding to the apparent size of the place. Small beds and
single clumps, which may be used very effectively, deserve
just as much care and preparation, but be careful in plan-
ning them to avoid getting a hole-in-the-lawn effect that
will spoil the appearance of any place.

The border may be made either in full sun or in partial
shade, if the plants to go in are selected with care. But at
least part of it, to grow bright-colored flowers for ss
should be well in the sun.

APRIL: SECOND WEEK 89

Make Sure of Good Drainage

The soil makes little difference, except that it must be
well drained. Most perennials will not live where water
stands at or near the surface. There are of course excep-
tions, such as iris and bog and semiaquatic plants, and
these should be used when drainage cannot be provided.

Before work is begun the dimensions and shape of the
border should be carefully lined out. A quick way of doing
this is to fill an old watering can half full of land plaster or
lime and run a line round the edge of the proposed bed.
Usually the most pleasing and graceful effect may be
achieved by having the border somewhat irregular in out-
line. When it is put in front of shrubs it will naturally
follow the curve of the shrubbery.

The bed should under ordinary conditions be excavated
to a depth of some two feet. In good, rich, well-drained
loam this may not always be necessary, but usually it is
advisable. Sods and the top soil should be thrown in
separate piles to one side of the trench; stones, gravel and
subsoil should be thrown to the other side. If the soil
below the excavation is stiff and hard it should be broken
up with the point of a pick.

In refilling the bed put in first a layer of drainage ma-
terial, which may be clinkers, coarse gravel, broken brick,
crushed stone, or anything of that nature; then a layer of
sods with grass sides down or strawy manure or leaves that
have been used as a winter mulch. Unless there is an ample
supply of humus it will pay to keep the sod to chop up and
mix with the soil where the plants will get the full benefit
of it, as the purpose of the second layer in the trench is
merely to keep the soil from washing down through the
drainage material.

For the next layer, which will be the feeding ground for
the plant roots for some years to come, mix together the
- best of the soil, the sod chopped up into small pieces and
one-third to one-half as much manure or rich compost.
It will be well, if possible, to have a generous percentage

go AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

of cow manure in the mixture. In addition, mix in a good
supply of coarse bone—the grade known commercially as
‘inch bone” being the best for this purpose. With this
mixture the bed should be filled to within six inches of the
top. It should be tramped down slightly while filling in,
so that it will not lie too loose. The top layer should be
good garden loam, preferably run through a medium-
meshed sieve, into which a good dressing of high-grade
fertilizer or fine bone is mixed. This will make the job of
plant setting very easy and will furnish congenial conditions
for the little new roots. (See cut on page 300.)

All of this may seem like a good deal of trouble to take
for such a simple thing as a hardy border, but it is the only
way of making sure of good results. Smaller beds, round
beds and places for individual clumps should all be prepared
in much the same way. When only a few.plants are to be
set a hole may be quickly prepared with a post-hole digger.

Flower Beds for Annuals

The making of new flower beds for annuals need not be
done so thoroughly, as these may easily be enriched every
year when they are dug up. It is a good plan, however,
to remove four inches or so of the top soil and to mix the
manure, compost or fertilizer with the soil below. This
will put the richest part of the plants’ feeding ground well
below the surface, thus inducing the roots to strike down,
keeping them farther away from the effects of dry weather
and from possible injury by summer work in the bed.

Neighboring trees are often the cause of poor results with
flowers. Many of the ordinary fruit and shade trees send
their roots thirty to forty feet in search of food, and when
one of them runs across such a rich pocket as is furnished
by a highly fertilized flower bed it seems to make itself at
home, sending out a mass of fine feeding roots. Small
roots may be cut off with the edger, shoving it down eighteen
inches or so all round the edge of the bed. The larger ones
must be cut back with an ax.

APRIL: SECOND WEEK QI

Get away from the idea that the bedding plants must be
placed by themselves somewhere on the front lawn. It,
as well as the perennial border, may be fitted into the gen-
eral scheme of decoration. There is a big variety of bedding
and annual plants to select from, and one can risk experi-
ments with the annuals that might be inadvisable with
perennials.

Starting the Strawberry Bed

The earlier you can get in your new strawberry bed the
better. But nothing is to be gained by rushing the job
so you do not have time properly to prepare the soil. It
can hardly be made too rich, though fresh manure should
be avoided. The best place, if such a plot is available, is
where other heavily manured vegetables have been grown
for a year or two; sod ground is inadvisable, as it is more
likely to be infested with white grubs—the larve of the
common June bug.

The home strawberry bed is not very large, and as the
product from it is a very profitable one, at store prices, you
can well afford to be generous in your application of manure
and fertilizer. Whether you get your plants locally or order
them from a distance, make every effort to have the ground
ready for them by the time they are received. If by any
chance you have to keep them waiting, loosen the bundles—
but don’t lose the tags—and heel them in a shadow trench
in a shady place, moistening the soil first.

Either the hill or the narrow or hedgerow system may be
used to advantage in the home garden. The former will
produce the finer specimens of fruit, but the runners must be
kept cut off without fail, so frequently the hedgerow sys-
tem will prove more satisfactory.

In hills the plants may be set a foot to eighteen inches
apart, in single rows two feet apart; or in narrow beds of
three or four rows each. In the row system they are set a
foot or eighteen inches apart in rows two to three feet
apart. In this system three or four of the first runners from
each plant are allowed to root, but are turned along the

Q2 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

row to keep it narrow. Others should be cut off as they
appear. Keep cleanly cultivated. If the weeds are allowed
to get a start the tangle of vines and weeds will very quickly
make a great deal of work to save the crop.

Strawberries up to Frost

The fall-fruiting berries have come to stay, at least so
far as the home garden is concerned. There is no reason
why you should not have good berries right up to frost.

Moreover, you can get a crop this fall from plants set
out this spring. Plant and treat in the ordinary way, but
keep the blossom stalks pinched off until July. Progressive
is on the whole the most satisfactory of this type so far
developed. Superb is another good variety, with extra-
large fruit.

The New Asparagus Bed

If you have been putting off an asparagus bed from year
to year, set out at least a hundred plants this spring. As-
paragus is not overparticular about soil, succeeding in
any good garden loam, even if quite light and sandy. A
good plan for the home garden is to make a bed of three
rows, as long as may be needed and six feet wide, putting
one row in the middle, and one a foot from each side. Set
the plants a foot or eighteen inches apart. Good, strong,
selected, one-year-old roots are practically as good as two-
year-old roots, but it is not always possible to get them.
If the soil is in good condition fair results may be had
simply by setting the plants out, but extra preparation
will pay well. This should be given in the form of trench-
ing each row to a depth of some eighteen inches, and put-
ting in the bottom a generous layer of manure or compost.
Then fill with soil to within about four inches of the top,
plant the crowns, spreading the roots carefully, and fill
in more soil, leveling up to the surface as growth proceeds.

April: Third Week

PUTTING THE HOME GROUNDS INTO SHAPE;
MAKING WALKS, ROADS, CURVES, AND
GRADES. FIRST WORK WITH THE LAWN;
PROPAGATING CANE AND BUSH FRUITS

Work in the vegetable garden and with small fruits will
occupy most of this month, but a number of other important
jobs can be fitted in between times. These include various
little tasks of the spring outdoor housecleaning, such as
fixing up the lawn, putting the roads and paths into shape,
trimming up the hedges, and so on, according to the par-
ticular requirements of the individual place. Not infre-
quently there are lawns or hedges or paths or some other
features to be remade. ;

Often the appearance of the grounds can be improved a
hundred per cent by moving a few shrubs or trees, changing
the position of a path or drive, or adding a hedge, any one
of which may be done with comparatively little work and
expense.

Sometimes trimming and cleaning and pruning will make
a place that has appeared quite neglected look as well as
could be desired. But instead of going at the thing piece-
meal, as is usually done, a better plan is to start at one side
or in one corner of the grounds and do everything clean as
you proceed. Don’t overlook the little things. Spading
up the soil around an individual shrub in a neat circle, for
instance, takes only a few minutes, but adds greatly to the
well-kept appearance of a place. When things are not
exactly as you would have them, the new work should
receive first attention, because the sooner it is done the
greater is the chance of success.

AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

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How to Make Curves and Grades

One of the first problems for the beginner in landscaping
is how to lay out any proposed change that he wants to
make. It is quite likely to involve the construction of a
curve, a rectangle or a grade. A poorly constructed curve
will spoil the looks of any job. But you can easily get it
true and of pleasing form by the following simple method:
Get a piece of heavy twine—or better, a long rope—and a
supply of short, pointed stakes, preferably of even size
and length. Mark the ends of the proposed curve and two
or three points between, and put in stakes. Go along the
line again, putting stakes where you judge the curve should
come, and then true the line until the position seems about
right. Set your rope round the outside of the curve and this
will bring out more clearly any imperfections. The rest of
the job will depend upon the person using the edger.

How to Make a True Grade

To make a true square corner of a flower bed, croquet
ground or tennis court, you must use a little simple arith-
metic. Mark out two lines form-
GRADING A SLOPE ing the corner, getting one as
nearly perpendicular to the other
as you can by guess-work. Now
measure off accurately from the
exact corner six feet on one line
and eight on the other; if the
length of the straight line be-
tween them is ten feet the angle
is accurate; if not, move one line until the points are ex-
actly ten feet apart.

To make a true grade you will first have to determine the
form you want by making a sketch on paper. Draw a
straight line between the highest and the lowest points,
divide it into a number of equal spaces and measure the
distance, to scale, between this straight line and the curve

APRIL: THIRD WEEK 97

of the grade. Then, on the job, drive stakes, stretch a
stout cord to correspond to the straight line of your sketch,
and drive other stakes until the top of each stake is the cor-
rect distance below this line. With a few accurate points
to go by, most of the work on any ordinary small job can
be left to the eye.

Good Walks and Roads

Good walks are an important feature of any place, both
for looks and for comfort. For good service and long wear
on more or less formal grounds a cement walk is perhaps the
most satisfactory. Under ordinary conditions, however,
it is not so attractive as other walks not nearly so expensive
to construct, and which, if reasonably well done, will be good
enough for ordinary conditions. Of these the gravel walk
is about the most pleasing in both looks and service. To
last satisfactorily a gravel walk should have a foundation
of hard dirt, or, in light soils or wet ground, of coarse rubble
underneath the gravel.

If a path is to be built across a lawn or through a garden
which is largely turf and has to be mowed, some form of
sunken walk is preferable—flat flagstones, bricks, or cement
blocks may be used to form the steps. The cement blocks
should be two to three inches thick and twelve to eighteen
inches square, and may be made either of plain cement or
inlaid with brick or stone in some simple pattern. When
sand is available the cost of these blocks is very little, as
the simplest kind of form may be used, and after the cement
has set enough to retain its shape the form may be used
again. The blocks, after hardening for forty-eight hours,
should be stacked up and allowed to ripen for a while
before being used. These stones or blocks are set about
flush with the grass, which may grow slightly over the edges.
They look well, furnish a good footing, and the lawn mower
will pass over them.

For short walks bricks, preferably set on edge, may be
used with very satisfactory results. Have the surface upon

98 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

which you lay them loosened so that they can be pounded
down into it with a wooden mallet.

The construction of roads is a more difficult task and one
that must be thoroughly done. An ordinary dirt road,
unless it is naturally high and dry, should be drained, pref-
erably under ground along one or both curves. Under
ordinary conditions common drain tile may be put in and
will give satisfactory results. The surfaces of all roads, and
walks, too, should be slightly convex so that rain will run
off rapidly to one side. Roads or gutters on steep grades
or on light soils that are likely to wash badly should be
protected by cobbling.

Sodding a Steep Slope

Steep slopes, especially near the house, should be graded
and kept in a good firm sod if there is any tendency to wash.
Terraces are frequently used, but banks graded to even
curves usually look better and are much easier to care for.
Steep slopes are often difficult to seed in the ordinary way
because every rain or wind may do considerable damage
before a sod is formed. In such cases sodding or turfing
must be resorted to. Sometimes a combination of sodding
and seeding may be used. This is accomplished by laying
the sod in strips crossing at right angles, and heavily seeding
the intervening spaces. In using this method it is essential
to keep the ground from drying out until the sod becomes
established. For very steep grades and banks where sod
put on in the usual way will not stick, start at the bottom
of the bank and lay the sod in tiers, with the edge of each
tier two inches or so back of the edge of the tier below it.
Beat the surface as smooth as possible with a spade as soon
as the sod is in place, and keep well watered until a new
surface is formed.

First Work with the Lawn

Early in the spring the lawn should be given a thorough
cleaning to remove the winter mulch, if any was used, and

APRIL: THIRD WEEK 99

other rubbish that may have accumulated. Then look it
over carefully to see how much repairing is needed. If it
is in fairly good condition about all the care required will
be a thorough raking with an iron rake, loosening the soil
as much as possible without tearing up any grass roots;
sowing seed in spots that may look thin; applying a top-
dressing of bone meal and wood ashes; and giving a thorough
rolling with a heavy hand roller, or in a small plot a thorough
firming with a hand tamp or the back of a spade.

The lawn that is beginning to wear out will need more
attention. If it is very far gone the easiest and best thing to
do is to plow or spade it up, working under a good coating
of manure. Make the surface smooth and level and as fine
as possible, and sow seed. Use bone meal on the surface.

A lawn that is bad only in spots may be put into condi-
tion by forking it up where the sod is poorest and adding
new soil where it may seem necessary. Use on the surface
bone meal or pulverized sheep manure mixed with the seed,
as it is essential that the tiny grass plants have some rich
food to fix upon as soon as they begin to grow.

Much of your success in making or remaking the lawn
will depend upon the quality of grass seed you get. Good
seed should weigh twenty pounds or more to the bushel.
Buy only from a thoroughly reliable source, as weight alone
is not a guarantee that the mixture contains the right grasses
in the right proportions for lawn purposes. For shady
positions a mixture adapted to such conditions must be
obtained, for even good seed of an ordinary lawn mixture
will give practically no results in a shady place.

A quart of good seed will cover about 300 square feet.
In remaking old sod use only about half as much. Select
a quiet day, preferably just before or just after a rain, and
sow as evenly as possible. Going over the ground twice,
in opposite directions, using half the seed each way, will
do much toward insuring even distribution. Carry the seed
in a box or a pail, not a bag, so that you can get at it readily,
and sow it in small handfuls, being careful to take out just
about the same amount each time.

100 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

One of the most important points in keeping the lawn
looking well is to cut out all weeds and wild grasses. An
asparagus knife makes a good implement for this purpose;
a regular weed knife or spud may be had at a reasonable
price. For the small lawn an old kitchen knife will do. But
cut deep, and above all never let weeds or undesirable
grasses go to seed. Some of the worst, such as crab grass,
are annuals, which can soon be bested if they are never
allowed to seed.

The frequent use of a roller is one of the most effective
means of getting and keeping a first-class lawn. Mow
frequently, but not too close. Have neat, well kept edges;
an edger, which may be bought for fifty or seventy-five
cents, and a good sharp hoe are the only tools necessary.
In trimming edges a mistake very commonly made is to go
back too far into the sod, leaving a little bank of dirt several
inches high. This dries up very quickly and is easily broken
down by every wheel or shoe that touches it. Keep your
roads and paths as narrow as possible. They will look
better and will be much freer from weeds or grass.

Propagating Cane and Bush Fruits

The cane fruits, such as raspberries and blackberries,
often increase themselves both by the rooting of the tips
of canes where they touch the ground and by increasing
at the roots. Consequently in an old bed enough strong
young plants may be found to make a new planting in the
spring. Or the tips may be bent down to form new plants,
being held in place by pegs or stones and covered with
soil. Many other things, such as currants, gooseberries
and grapes, may be layered in much the same way. Hard-
wood cuttings of many of the ornamental shrubs that were
made last fall, and have been wintered in the cellar or out-
doors under a mulch, should be planted in an upright posi-
tion in a long, narrow trench or furrow where drainage is
perfect. It is a good plan to add some sand to the soil.
Put the heel or larger end down. Such cuttings are some-.

APRIL: THIRD WEEK Key

times buried for the winter with the big end up to induce
callusing. Two or three buds or eyes should be left above
ground. Stir the soil about the cuttings occasionally, to
prevent the formation of a crust. As dry weather comes on
they should be watered once in a while. When well rooted
they may be transplanted to other rows or into pots, or
may be left to make a season’s growth before being set in
permanent places. Plenty of room should be allowed, as
some of the more rapid-growing kinds make a surprising
growth during the first season.

April: Fourth Week

KEEPING UP WITH GARDEN SCHEDULE; HARD-
ENING OFF PLANTS; TENDER PLANTS IN
PAPER POTS

After all the early crops are in, the gardener sometimes
waits longer than he should before putting in the first of
the tender crops and succession plantings of such of the
early hardy crops as may be required. The tender crops
to be grown from seed—beans, corn, cucumbers, melons,
squash and pumpkins—should be timed to come up as
soon as all danger of late frost has passed. This date
cannot be fixed exactly, but it will pay to take a chance on
the first planting. If the ground has warmed up enough to
insure germination put in a row or two, or a few hills, a week
or so before you feel quite sure that the season has settled.
Jack Frost may get them, but what of it? The seeds are
cheap, and the gardener who will not risk five or ten cents’
worth of cucumber seed or sweet corn fails to appreciate the
gentle excitement of the gardening game.

Nature’s seasonal reminder for the planting of the tender
crops is when the apple trees come into bloom, or when the
temperature averages fifty-five to sixty degrees in the
shade—from the first of May to the first of June, according
to latitude and season. The vegetables to be included in the
setting out of these groups are beans, corn, cucumbers,
eggplants, peppers, muskmelons, okra, squash, tomatoes
and watermelons. Also at this season should be made
succession plantings and sowings, for transplanting later,
of beets, cabbages, cauliflower, carrots, lettuce, peas, rad-
ishes and turnips. The second plantings of these things,
which are for summer and early fall use, should be com-

I02

APRIL: FOURTH WEEK 103

paratively small. Crops for the winter supply should
be put in as late as possible, but be sure they will have time
to get their full growth. Fruits and vegetables that have not
quite reached full maturity keep longer and better in storage
than those that have made full growth. Data as to depth,
distance apart, and so forth, will be found in the table.

SEEDS OR |
APART ROWS
VEGETABLES wee eee) IN ROWS, | APART,
50 FEET OF INCHES reel NC
ROW

Beans, eatly....... I pint I-2 3-4 18
Beans, wax........ I pint I-2 3-4 15-24
Beans, lima........ I pint I-2 4-6 18-24

Beans, pole... .'. yy pint I-2 48 48
Beans, pole lima.... 4 pint I-2 48 48-60
Poles DOA ee I ounce I-2 4-6 I2-I5
Broceelis a02%,. 03.3. 135 24-36 24-36

Brussels sprouts. . .. 35 18 24
Cabbage, late... ... 25-35 18 24-36
aes eee 1% ounce ¥% 2-4 12-15
Cauliflower.) 2... . 25 24 24-36
Coma Gael io hoe 8. ly pint yy 36 36-48

Corn, main crop.... yy pint 2 48 48

Cucumbers........ 14 ounce I 48 48

Eggplants.....:... 25 24 30
Letigee fo. 2 oe Sic 14 ounce yy 8-12 12-15
Muskmelons....... 14 ounce Yy-t 48-72 48-72
Peas, lates (2G i2. I pint 3-4 36-48 36-48

PEpmers sry). 5s. teers 25 24 30
Pumpkins 30 52.05% Y% ounce I 72-96 72-96

PeaatSGs cy So ee & ¥% ounce yy 2-3 12
Squash, summer.... 1% ounce Y-t 36-72 48-72
Squash, winter..... Y% ounce I 72-96 72-96
Moematoes. 2.2... 15-20 36-48 48-60

PUEBIDS 2 2 6.5 25. el 14 ounce A 48-72 15
Watermelons....... | % ounce Pe Ey a6 72-96

Hardening Off

It is important that extra early plantings of both plants
and seeds be made in a sheltered place—the sunny side of a
six-foot board fence, or under the wing of a building. Also
it is important to have the plants thoroughly hardened off.

104 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

Plants taken directly from the greenhouse or hot-bed, where
they have been making rapid, watery growth, will succumb
to a low temperature much more quickly than those that
have been toughened to exposure to. the air and low tem-
peratures. This is no less true of the tender things like
tomatoes and egg-plants, than of the hardy crops such as
cabbage, lettuce and beets, which were set out last month.

It often happens that between the end of April and the
middle of May, after a comparatively warm spell, a frosty
night comes along. Several expedients that may be fallen
back upon in such an emergency, and a few minutes’ work,
will often suffice to save the early plantings of wrinkled
peas, potatoes, beans, corn, tomatoes, peppers and egg-
plants. The things in rows, like potatoes and beans, may
be covered with dirt for protection. This may be done with
a double-wheel hoe, the hilling attachment being set with
the points out so that a A-shaped ridge is formed over the
row. To protect larger plants, newspapers, either laid
across or twisted up into cornucopias and held in place by
a few handfuls of earth, will be found very effective. Empty
tin cans or flower pots may be used to cover small plants.
A quickly constructed shelter for a batch of plants may be
made of a few boards or poles rested on boxes or barrels,
with heavy bags or blankets thrown over them. Any plants
that get nipped should be kept shaded from the sun the
following morning and thoroughly doused with cold water.
If irrigation is available spray the plants for an hour or so
before the sun hits them in the morning.

Planting in Dry Weather

It sometimes happens that dry weather sets in after the
early planting has been done and the surface of the soil, at
least, is quite dried out by the time it is safe to put in the
tender crops. Sometimes it is so dry that every precaution
possible must be taken in order to secure a full stand from
either seeds or plants. Then the gardener who has pre-
pared his plot thoroughly and has kept it harrowed or
raked over whenever a crust formed, will find his trouble

PLaTE 9.—No tool in the modern garden is so continually in use as the combination seed
drill and wheel hoe,—one of the standard types of which is shown here. With only a few minutes’
work, the seeding attachment may be removed and the wheel hoe frame and equipment attached.

PLATE 9.—Melons, cucumbers, squash, lima beans, etc., may easily be started in paper pots or
dirt bands, without transplanting, for setting out in the garden as soon as the weather permits.

Tomato plants,—and also pepper and egg plants—are stronger and will begin growth quicker,
if “pot grown,”’ like those in the right hand corner above—the roots are not disturbed when you
set them out.

In transplanting, especially in dry weather, the larger leaves should be cut back to prevent
wilting. In taking the plants from the flats or frames secure a good ball of earth with each. Plants
properly prepared are shown in the lower photo.

PLATE 10.—A good compressed air sprayer is one of the most essential imple-
ments for the small place. The type shown here is easy to move about and
eapable of taking care of everything from the rose garden to the full sized fruit
trees and also for spraying the hen house, applying white wash and so forth.

The great secret of success in spraying, is to be ready to do the work at once,
at the first sign of insects or disease. Keep on hand an assortment containing
the things you are likely to need ready for immediate use.

APRIL: FOURTH WEEK 105

amply repaid: beneath the dry surface the soil will be moist
and mellow.

Six weeks ago the best conditions for germination were
found near the surface; now they are likely to be found as
deep as you can get without covering the seeds so they can-
not push through. Plant them deep in the moist soil, and
if the weather is dry make the soil firm about the seeds.
This may be done by pressing them down into the drill with
the ball of the foot, or you may run the wheelbarrow lightly
along the row. For very small seeds it is important to have
the surface of the ground rolled down hard, so the capillary
action will be stimulated instead of retarded, and the mois-
ture will be drawn up from the lower part of the soil to keep
the surface moist until the seed has germinated. As soon
as possible after germination starts a surface dust mulch
should be reéstablished.

In summer transplanting every possible precaution must
be taken to keep the plants from wilting. As the roots of the
plants are some distance below the surface, it is not neces-
sary or even desirable to keep the surface moist; the more
thoroughly the dust mulch can be established round the
plants the better for them. The soil that comes into direct
contact with the roots should be moist; if necessary pour a
little water into the bottom of each hole before setting the
plants. Plants that are in flats or in pots, or in the soil of
the seed bed, should be watered thoroughly some hours
before transplanting. The large outside leaves should be
cut back a third to a half—this substantially checks the
evaporation that causes the plant to go down. The plants
should be set into the soil very firmly.

In the home garden it is generally possible to shade the
individual plants; this may be done by the same method as
already described for keeping off frost. For such things as
celery or lettuce set in a continuous row, a wide board may
be set on edge along the row. Transplanting should be done
_ Jate in the afternoon or during cloudy or wet weather, and
watering should be done with hose or watering can late in
the afternoon.

106 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

Start Tender Things in Paper Pots

If you have a cold-frame or a hot-bed by far the surest
and in the end the easiest way to start all the vine crops—
cucumbers, melons, squashes—and also pole beans and lima
beans, and even extra early sweet corn, is to make use of
paper pots or dirt bands, which are very cheap. Fill these
with a rich compost containing plenty of humus—one-third
old crumbly manure and two-thirds garden loan, with a
little sand if the loam is heavy. Plant about twice as many
seeds as you want plants, and thin them as soon as they are
well started. It is best to water thoroughly some hours be-
fore planting. The pots used for lima beans should be
watered at least a day in advance and the beans should be
pushed in eye down. No more water should be applied until
they are well up, or they will be almost sure to rot. All
these things will sprout and grow with great rapidity in the
frame. Two to four weeks is ample time to give them, as
they do not transplant well if allowed to get too big. Thin
out the plants in each pot to the number you want before
they get too large, or the roots and tops will begin to crowd
each other.

Here are a few suggestions for individual crops:

Beans. For the first planting use the lightest, best-
drained soil. If the weather is still a little wet and cold
plant rather shallow—only an inch or so deep. In dry
weather plant about two inches deep. Always plant
lima beans, either pole or bush, eye down, and when there
is no immediate prospect of rain. Plant the pole sorts in
hills.

Corn. In the home garden there is little advantage in
planting in hills, unless the ground is weedy or heavy. As
good results may be had by planting thinly in a continuous
drill, thinning the plants to about a foot apart in the row.
This gives the individual plants a better chance for develop-
ment than they get when they are bunched three or four in a
hill.

EccGpLants. Do not set out until all danger of frost is

APRIL: FOURTH WEEK 107

past. Keep well protected from potato bugs. Give plenty
of rich compost in the hills.

OxrRaA. Start under glass; or plant in rich soil in hills and
thin to a single plant.

PEPPERS. Do not plant until thoroughly warm weather
is established and then put them in the sunniest position
available. Enrich the hills well, but avoid green manure.
Early varieties are the safest in northern sections.

TomaTogEs. Get your plants as big and as strong as
possible by shifting to paper pots during the last three
weeks before setting out, so that they may have blossoms
or even small fruits before they go into the garden. As
soon as they are set out, stake them to prevent whipping by
the wind. Keep trained up from the beginning and cut
off most of the side suckers as soon as they form.

April: Fifth Week

SPRING AND SUMMER SPRAYING FOR FRUIT;
STARTING THE VINE CROPS RIGHT

The day passed long ago when spraying was either an
experiment or a hobby in the home garden. There is no
reason for the feeling that spraying is a complicated busi-
ness, requiring expert knowledge and much money. By
modern methods the work is simple, easy and efficient—
particularly in the home garden, for which small amounts
of spray materials may be bought in the most convenient
forms. There is no reason why one should not make his
own stock solutions of Bordeaux mixture and kerosene
emulsion; but the market carries satisfactory substitutes
that require only mixing with water.

Within the last few years dry dusting has been making
progress, and it is very convenient for small-scale opera-
tions. Various preparations are being improved, but some
have proved either inefficient or injurious and you will be
very well paid for the time and trouble you may take in
dropping a line to your state experiment station for an
expert opinion about any preparation that you may be
thinking of using.

There is no use in doing a halfway job of spraying. In-
sects multiply so rapidly that unless you get practically
all of them your time will be absolutely wasted. Success-
ful spraying depends upon accuracy and completeness along
three lines: First, using the special spray adapted to the
purpose in hand; second, applying it at the proper time,
neither too early nor too late; and third, doing a thorough
job. It is necessary to cover every square inch—branch,
twig and leaf, upper and under surfaces—in order to get
satisfactory results.

108

APRIL: FIFTH WEEK 109

As the same fruit or vegetable is often attacked by a
number of different things several sprayings may be neces-
sary. Often a combined spray may be used. But do not
wait until you need to spray before getting your things.
Have them on hand early and ready to use as soon as con-
ditions are right.

The insects that attack fruit and ornamental trees differ
not only in size and shape but also in their manner of ex-
tracting a living. Some of them chew; others suck the
juices from below the outer surface of leaf or bark. Poisons
will end the chewers, but the suckers must be killed by
suffocation or external injury. Remedies that may be used
successfully in the winter are sometimes too strong for use
in summer, when the trees are in leaf or in fruit. Soa
number of different things must be employed to get the
better of all the insect enemies and the various forms of
disease with which every gardener, no matter now large or
how small his place, has to contend. During the season
you are pretty sure to need practically all of the following,
and it will save time to have them on hand.

The Sprays You Need

BorDEAUX MrxtTuRE. This is the standard preventive
against blights and fungous diseases. It may be bought in
commercial forms, or a stock solution may be made at home
without much trouble. It is frequently used in combina-
tion with arsenate of lead and sometimes with Paris green,
thus being effective against both diseases and chewing
insects. Make a stock solution at least half a day before it
is to be used. The method follows:

Dissolve copper-sulphate crystals in water at the rate of
one pound to one gallon. In another receptacle slake lime
to the same amount, adding the water a little at a time
until the solution is of the consistency of thick milk. To
make ten gallons of spray dilute one gallon of the stock
copper-sulphate solution, straining it carefully; then dilute
one gallon of the stock lime solution, also straining it care-

IIo AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

fully, and mix the two in the tank. To makea small amount
of the mixture use one tablespoonful of the copper sulphate,
one and a half tablespoonfuls of lime and one gallon of
water. From time to time add water to the stock lime
solution to keep the lime at the bottom covered.

AMMONIACAL COPPER CARBONATE. For some uses Bor-
deaux is objectionable, as it marks the foliage and fruit.
As a substitute under these conditions, an ammoniacal
copper carbonate spray may be used. Dilute three pints
of ammonia in seven to eight parts of water. Make a paste
by mixing six ounces of copper carbonate with water. Mix
the two until well dissolved; then stir well into fifty gallons
of water. For small amounts, use two teaspoonfuls of
copper carbonate, two fluid ounces of ammonia and two
gallons of water. This spray cannot be kept and must be
used soon after mixing.

KEROSENE EMutsion. This is an effective and safe spray
to use for sucking insects, San José scale, plant lice, mealy
bugs, and so forth. It may be bought in commercial form.
To make at home, dissolve a half pound of soap in one
quart of water. Add one gallon of water and two gallons
of kerosene. Place in a pail or crock and churn or pump
with a force pump until a thick, lathery cream is formed.
For small amounts use two cubic inches of soap, one pint
of water and one quart of kerosene. For use in spraying
dilute the stock solution with five to fifteen times as much
water. For dormant growth use five to seven parts water;
for ordinary purposes ten parts water; for a comparatively
weak spray fifteen parts water.

None of the other sprays to be used can be mixed on a
small scale at home to any advantage. There are good
commercial preparations of lime-sulphur and _ nicotine,
ready for use upon the addition of water. Arsenate of
lead and Paris green, for poisoning chewing insects, are too
well known to need description. The former is the best to
use in most work, as it sticks and may be used without
danger of burning the foliage.

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tig AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

The type of spraying machine to buy depends upon the
amount and kind of spraying to be done. For the very
small garden there is a little brass hand pump that does
practical work. With a suitable nozzle, a bucket pump
may be used in the small home garden. For the average
garden a compressed-air sprayer will be found most con-
venient. The knapsack type is preferred by some; but the
air-tank type has the advantage of leaving both hands free.

Do the Work on a Warm Day

When many trees have to be taken care of a barrel
sprayer is the one to get, if horse and wagon are available.
Otherwise a hand sprayer of the new wheelbarrow type,
which has large capacity and can be moved easily from
place to place, will be found the thing. You should have
two or three types of nozzles for the different kinds of
spraying you will have to do, and an extension pole of
suitable length for the fruit trees.

A few points about spraying must be kept in mind: Be
sure that you have the spray adapted to the particular
thing you are trying to fight; be sure that the material is
right for the conditions you have to meet—kerosene emul-
sion or lime-sulphur that would be right to use in winter
might be strong enough to ruin your trees in summer. If
possible do the work on a fairly warm day, when Uttle or
no wind is blowing, though you must not delay the spray-
ing to be given just before the blossoms open and just
after they fall. Spraying when the blossoms are open is
usually undesirable. There are a few days after the petals
fall before the calyx of the forming fruit closes; to be effect-
ive, spraying must be done while the material has access
to the inner part of the calyx, and while the forming fruits
are still turned upward. If the calyx has begun to close,
the eggs or young worms, especially of the codling moth,
will be protected from the spray. Sprays like Bordeaux
mixture are efficient only when all foliage and stems are
kept coated with the mixture; therefore it must be applied

APRIL: FIFTH WEEK 113

often enough to take care of new growth as soon as it is
made.

The more common and most injurious of orchard and
fruit-garden troubles may be identified as follows:

APPLE ScAB. Dark-green, round, furry spots on the
young fruit; worse in cold, rainy seasons. Use Bordeaux
mixture or summer lime-sulphur, in spring or summer.

BuistER Mite. A spider-like insect causing on the leaves
light-green blisters that turn to red or brown; leaves finally
drop. Use strong lime-sulphur, miscible oil or kerosene
emulsion in early spring.

Bup Motu. A light-brown caterpillar about quarter of
an inch long, with dark head and legs. Use arsenate of
lead or Paris green as buds open.

TENT CATERPILLAR. Hatches in early spring and grows
rapidly, forming tents or nests in the crotches of trees.
Wipe out or burn nests. Use arsenate of lead or Paris green
in early sprays.

CANKERWORM. An ‘“‘inch-worm” that attacks apple
trees. Appears in May and June. Use arsenate of lead or
Paris green and put bands round the trunks of the trees in
April or May.

Copiinc Motu. A small, dull-brown, night-flying moth;
the parent of common apple worms. Except in the north-
ern sections there are two broods. Use arsenate of lead in
three applications and apply tree bands in July.

Curcutio. A small, gray-mottled, shelled beetle with
four distinct humps on its back. Attacks practically all
orchard trees, drilling holes in newly formed fruits in which
the eggs are laid. Arsenate of lead spraying is partly suc-
cessful; or the beetles may be shaken down in the morning.
A weaker spray must be used on peaches or plums. Lime-
sulphur acts as a repellent.

CuRRANT Worm. A small, green, greedy worm that at-
tacks gooseberries and currants. Usually appears first on
lower leaves. Arsenate of lead or Paris green will kill
early broods; use hellebore for later ones.

E1im-LeaF BEETLE. A dull-yellow beetle about three-

II4 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

eighths of an inch long, with a black stripe on each wing.
The old beetles feed on young leaves, eating small irregular
holes. In May and June they lay eggs which hatch into
larve that do the real damage, making the leaves turn
brown so the tree looks as if it had been burned. The
larvee pupate in the ground in July, and in a few weeks
hatch into a second crop of beetles. Spray thoroughly
with arsenate of lead when the leaves are well out, and
again as the eggs hatch, using one and a half to two pounds
to fifty gallons of water.

LEAF Hopper. A blunt-headed, long, yellowish, hopping
beetle that lives by sucking. It works on the under side of
the leaves, causing them to wither and dry up. Use kero-
sene emulsion on the first appearance of the pest.

SAN José ScALE. The most destructive of all the scales,
attacking practically all fruits. The individuals are very
small, but they form colonies which give a scurfy ash-gray
appearance to the bark. On the fruit a small red circle
surrounding the scale is very perceptible. Dormant or
winter sprays are the most effective. Lime-sulphur in
early spring will help.

OYSTER-SHELL SCALE. This is larger but not so serious
in effect as the San José. The young hatch out in May,
and spray should be applied as soon afterward as possible,
as they are for a time unprotected by the scale. Look for
yellowish lice-like insects that are quite active for a short
while after hatching and then attach themselves to one
place. Spray also as for San José.

Brack Ror. This appears as a black or brown decay,
starting in a small spot and rapidly spreading until the fruit
becomes mummified. Spray grapes with Bordeaux mix-
ture until the middle of July, then with ammoniacal copper
carbonate solution. If you have only a few vines protect
each bunch of fruit with a manila bag. For plum, peach
and cherry trees use Bordeaux mixture or summer lime-
sulphur. Thin out any fruits that may touch.

LEAF Buicut. This attacks the newly forming leaves of
peach trees early in summer, causing them to shrivel and.

APRIL: FIFTH WEEK II5

color and drop prematurely, even during June and July.
Use of lime-sulphur before the buds swell is effective. After
the leaves are out care must be taken not to get the spray
too strong.

Mitpew. For most forms in the fruit and vegetable
gardens Bordeaux mixture is effective. For gooseberries
potassium-sulphide spray is better.

Rust. This attacks various things, assuming several
forms and causing a burned or blighted appearance of the
foliage. Use Bordeaux mixture, lime-sulphur, or am-
moniacal copper carbonate solution.

Start the Vine Crops Right

The vine crops—cucumbers, squash, etc.—should all be
planted in specially prepared hills, whether seeds or plants
are used. These hills should be prepared as follows: Mark
out rows, four to eight feet apart each way, according to
the crop and variety to be grown, and with a hoe scrape
out hills four to six inches deep and eighteen inches or so
across. Into each hill put a forkful or two of thoroughly
rotted manure or compost, mixing it well with the soil. If
no manure is available a mixture of tankage or guano, bone
dust and cottonseed meal may be used, two or three hand-
fuls being well mixed with the soil. The hills should be
made deeper where manure is to be used. Then fill in with
good soil until the hill is as high as, or, if the soil is wet,
slightly higher than, the soil level, but flat on top.

Plant twelve to twenty seeds of cucumbers or musk-
melons, eight to twelve seeds of watermelons or summer
squash, and six to eight seeds of winter squash or pumpkin.

In setting out any of the vine plants from pots, even when
they have been carefully grown in dirt bands, the job must
be managed carefully or they will wilt badly. Use plenty
of water, and shade for a day or two. A supply of tobacco
dust should be kept on hand, so that the ground may be
sprinkled as soon as the plants begin to push through, and
this should be used freely from then on as a preventive for
striped beetle and other enemies.

May: First Week

CARE OF ASPARAGUS; RHUBARB; SEA KALE; THE
CANE FRUITS; GRAPES; THE NEW STRAWN-
BERRY BED; FALL FRUITING STRAWBERRIES

Most gardeners find it more interesting to plant a new
crop, or start a new bed of perennial things, than to take
care of the old plants. But it is by no means more impor-
tant. A full share of spring attention should be given to the
permanent crops—asparagus, rhubarb, sea kale, straw-
berries, gooseberries, currants, raspberries, blackberries and
grapes. All these crops must be grown a year ahead. To
put it another way, the amount and quality of the crop you
get this year depend more upon the way you took care of the
plants last season than upon anything you can do now.
By the same token, if you want a good crop next year you
will have to prepare for it this season. This does not mean,
however, that you can neglect the plants this spring.

A well-made and well-cared-for asparagus bed should
last fifteen years; many beds still giving good yields have
been cut for thirty years. But these have not been neg-
lected. If a bed is once allowed to run down it will very
quickly run out entirely. Work should be begun early in
spring. If the bed was mulched last fall the manure should
be worked into the soil as soon as possible, especially be-
tween the rows. A mistake commonly made in taking care
of asparagus beds is to sow manure or fertilizer directly
along the row, thus inducing the roots to grow near the sur-
face, which is just the thing that is not wanted. If the
bed was properly planted the crowns should be from four
to six inches below the top, so the whole bed, rows and all,
can be worked over with the wheel hoe or cultivator. In the
home garden it is an easy matter to cultivate deeply between

116

MAY: FIRST WEEK 117

the rows, and shallow enough in the rows so that you will
not dig into the crowns or break many of the large fleshy
roots. But go over the entire surface. If you like your
asparagus blanched white a ridge may be thrown up along
each row at this time, to be worked down later when you
have stopped cutting.

Even among authorities there is some difference of opinion
as to the best time to apply manure and fertilizer to the
asparagus crop. But all are agreed that a great deal should
be used, and that there is practically no danger of the home
gardener’s getting on too much. Commercial growers some-
times use as much as three tons of fertilizer to the acre, which
would be sixty to seventy pounds for a ten-by-fifty-foot plot.
When a good dressing of manure is used it is not necessary to
use so much fertilizer. A high-grade complete fertilizer,
with an analysis of 4-8—-10, will answer. About a third of
the fertilizer and manure should be applied when the bed
is worked over in the spring. As soon as the shoots start
give a top dressing of nitrate of soda—two to four pounds to
a ten-by-fifty-foot bed—and repeat this two or three times
during the cutting season. -

Not the least of the things to know about asparagus
growing is proper harvesting. There is always a great
temptation, especially during the first two or three seasons,
for the gardener to keep on cutting longer than he should.
Even when the bed is well established the cutting season
should not extend more than six to eight weeks, and half
that time is plenty for the first two or three seasons.

Cut Regularly During the Season

In cutting care should be taken to insert the knife as per-
pendicularly as possible until the desired depth is reached.
If the knife is thrust in diagonally some distance from the
stalk you run the chance of cutting off the tips of other
sprouts that are just starting below the surface. A mistake
commonly made in the home garden is to let the stalks go
for two or three days if they are not needed for immediate

118 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

use, with the result that they are not only wasted but also
use up the energies of the plant. Cut all stalks as soon as
they are large enough. If you stand them in a cool place,
with the butt ends in cold water, they will keep plump
and fresh for several days. During the cutting season,
which usually lasts into June, the bed should be worked
over occasionally to keep all weeds out and to preserve a
dust mulch. Sometimes a few spears are allowed to grow
to serve as traps for the asparagus beetle, which in some
sections is very troublesome.

As soon as the cutting season is over, the balance of the
manure and fertilizer should be worked in and the last dress-
ing of nitrate of soda should be given. Cutting should
always be stopped if the shoots appear to be getting tough.
The tops should be cultivated and looked after as carefully
as if they were to be eaten, for their function is to store up
in the crown material for the next spring’s supply of shoots.
The asparagus beetle may be controlled by spraying with
arsenate of lead. In a well-tended bed asparagus rust is
seldom troublesome. If it does appear mow the old bed
carefully, after the tops have turned brown but before they
become brittle, and burn them carefully. When the plants
are given plenty of moisture rust seldom appears. The beds
may be mulched or not in the fall, but do not put on fer-
tilizer at that time.

Spring Work in the Berry Patch

Whether the strawberry patch is a new one set out last
month, or one that was set out last year and will come into
bearing for the first time this June, or an older bed that you
are trying to keep up as long as it will bear satisfactorily, it
will need considerable attention if you are to get really good
berries.

The newly set bed should be kept well cultivated, so no
weeds will have a chance to get a start. Plenty of moisture
is required, so it is important that the soil mulch be kept up.
The cultivation may be quite deep at first—three inches or

MAY: FIRST WEEK 119

so—but as the plants begin to make strong growth and fill
the soil with roots only surface cultivation should be used.
When a horse is available no tool is better than a twelve-
tooth cultivator, with a leveler attachment in the rear;
this leaves the surface almost as finely pulverized as if it
were raked. When the hand wheel hoe is used, the wide
hoes or sweeps, which cut all weeds off clean over a strip
of considerable width, will be found very useful. If the
plants have been set to grow by the hill system the greatest
care must be taken to pinch off all runners as soon as they
form.

The very finest berries, and just as many of them, may
be had by keeping the plants single and throwing the whole
strength into individual crowns. But there is no use in
attempting this method of culture unless you are willing to
tackle the task of keeping the new runners pinched off. In
the matted-row system, which is usually followed, the first
runners from each plant are allowed to root, being spread so
that the plants will be as equally spaced as possible. After
that, the runners are kept cut or pinched off, so that an
alley for cultivating and picking is maintained between
each two rows.

If your bed is coming into bearing for the first season push
the mulch aside gradually when there is no longer danger
from late frost, so that the plants and fruit stalks will grow
up through the mulch, and the berries, when they become
heavy enough, will lie upon it. Moving the mulch pre-
maturely often results, if there is a late frost, in the loss of
practically the whole crop. Any weeds that come up
through the mulch should be removed by hand to prevent
their going to seed.

As soon as the plants are through bearing, the mulch
should be removed and the bed should be given a thorough
cleaning. It should be kept clean until the end of the season,
if you hope to get a good second or third crop. Older beds
are handled in much the same way. Sometimes it is feasible
to cultivate out the centers and in this fresh soil root new
plants from the old rows on either side. As soon as the new

120 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

plants are well established cultivate out the original rows
and make them the centers. |

Fall-Fruiting Strawberries

There are now several varieties of fall-fruiting or ever-
bearing strawberries that are decidedly worth cultivating, so
there should be a small patch of them in your garden.
Plants set out this spring—it is not too late to set them now
if you get at the job immediately—will bear this fall. They
should be given ordinary methods of culture and any flower
stalks that form up to the middle of July or first of August
should be pinched out. Besides this fall’s crop the plants
will bear again next spring, and then fruit again in the fall,
although of course to get the largest fall crop the plants
should not be allowed to exhaust themselves by fruiting too
heavily in the early summer. Progressive and Superb are
the best varieties so far developed.

The only disease likely to cause trouble with strawberries
is rust or blight. It occurs first as spots on the leaves, which
turn a reddish or brownish color and finally die. When there
is reason to fear it spray four or five times during the first
season with Bordeaux mixture; spray early in the spring of
the second season just before the blossoms open, and again
just after blossoming. Be careful to set out only clean,
healthy plants.

Rhubarb and Sea Kale

The rhubarb patch should be cared for in much the same
way as the asparagus bed. It will not pay to fertilize so
heavily, but the few plants in the home garden are not likely
to be harmed much. Early in spring work a dressing of
manure into the patch and give it a generous dressing of
nitrate of soda. The value of the manure comes largely in
forming a moisture-saving mulch that will last until one is
through pulling the stalks. The dressing of soda should be
repeated two or three times to help produce stalks of the-

MAY: FIRST WEEK 121

largest size and best flavor. Break off any seed stalks that
appear. Good culture during the latter part of the season,
after you have stopped using the stalks, will tell in next
year’s crop. Fertilizer and manure may be applied during
late June and the benefits will be very apparent the follow-
ing spring.

Sea kale is also grown in much the same way as asparagus.
To be of good quality the shoots must be blanched by mak-
‘ing a mound of sand or soil over each plant in the spring.
This must be leveled when the plants are allowed to begin
to grow. Fertilizer and cultivation should be given for the
following spring.

The Cane- and Bush-Fruits

The beds of cane fruits should be gone over in the spring
and all old canes removed if this was not done in the fall.
Of the new canes only three or four should be left to each
plant. These should be headed or cut back to induce the
growth of the laterals, which bear the fruit, and to make the
plants more self-supporting in case trellises are not used.
Supports are preferable. A good stout stake should be
used as a support for each plant, and the canes should be
tied loosely to this with some soft material. For long rows,
a convenient method is to stretch two parallel wires a foot
or so apart, and keep the growing canes between these.

Cultivation should be frequent but very shallow, as these
plants all root rather near the surface. They all require
plenty of moisture, and manure is therefore especially
valuable as a fertilizer. Bone meal is also excellent. The
enemies of the cane fruits do not do serious injury. The
most serious is rust or blight. All diseased plants should
be carefully cut out and burned, and the rest of the plants
sprayed with Bordeaux mixture. The borer, which gets
into the canes and burrows up the center, is controlled by
cutting out and burning the canes as soon as attacked.
The borer is the larva of a small beetle, and is active in mid-
summer.

122 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

Gooseberries and currants, to produce good crops, are
insistent upon an adequate supply of moisture, and as soon
as dry weather sets in they should be mulched. Both should
be thinned out so that air and sunshine have free ad-
mission, and trailing branches should be cut off well above
the ground. When they are allowed to make too much
wood, and become brushy, good fruit cannot be expected.

During the summer the new growth on currants should
be gone over, and all except the few branches that will be
wanted for fruiting in the future should be cut out. Those
that are saved should be cut or pinched back slightly at the
tips, which will check growth and cause them to ripen up
better in the fall. Black currants are an exception, as their
fruit is borne in part upon one-year-old wood. Powdery
mildew, often a serious trouble to gooseberries, may be con-
trolled by a spray of one ounce of potassium sulphide, or
liver of sulphur, dissolved in two gallons of water. Use
soon after mixing, and repeat every ten days.

A Bag Over Each Bunch of Grapes

The ground should be worked up lightly about the grape-
vines and some manure or fertilizer worked in. Bone is
especially good. A little later, after growth starts, all eyes
or buds appearing below the laterals to be trained as per-
manent fruiting canes should be rubbed off. To control
black rot clean up the ground round the vines early in the
spring and burn all the old pieces of bark, twigs and ‘‘mum-
mied”’ fruit. A Manila bag fastened over each bunch of
fruit will give protection.

ict

PLATE 11.—You must keep your bushes well pruned if you want good cur-
rants and gooseberries. Don’t make the common mistake of merely trimming
back the whole plant like a hedge ; thin it out back to the back base of the plant,
leaving only strong, new wood, and not too much of that.

iii

PLATE 12.—Don’t trust to the general appearance of your plants to de-
termine whether they are free from insect pests. Examine the wnder ;
side of the leaves frequently and you may discover a condition like that ,..
in the picture above where the white fly has had a strong start with- ~~
out giving any indication of its presence to the casual observer. (Lower) 5
A compressed air sprayer of the shoulder strap type like that shown
herewith is most convenient and will take care of a large amount of
spraying. Get an angle nozzle with your outfit.

May: Second Week

OWERS FOR THIS SUMMER’S BLOOM. PLANT-
NG ROSES; BABY RAMBLERS, DAHLIAS;
ASTERS

Probably no job in the year’s round of work gives results

: certain, so immediate and so satisfactory as setting out
rowing plants from pots for the summer’s bloom. The

den that is bare, brown and barren in the morning may

v the use of a few dozen geraniums and edging plants be
t-ansformed into a beautiful spot by afternoon. But the
effects depend as much upon the way the plants are used
as upon the money spent for them. Setting out a lot of
autiful plants does not necessarily make a beautiful
arden. In nine cases out of ten the most pleasing effects

e produced with the most simple use of materials—only

ie or two colors in a bed and the most simple and natural
“rangement of the plants.

In buying plants it is best to make personal selection,
* you have had enough experience to know just what kinds
f plants will give the best results. Most persons insist

pon having plants that are in full bloom, and go upon the
»rinciple of “the bigger the better.”” For bedding purposes
a plant well set with buds is much better than one in full
‘700m, and so long as it is stocky, shapely and thrifty, size
of secondary importance.

On the other hand, the condition of the roots, which are
seldom examined, is of the utmost importance. The roots
should be in about the same condition as in the case of
plants ready to repot—a good ball of active, light-colored
roots. If the plants have recently been repotted, so the

jot balls have not formed, they will be checked consider-
~bly in being set out. If the plants are so old that the roots

123

124 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

have become stringy and tough they will never give so
satisfactory results as actively growing young plants, al-
though they may make several times as much show on the
greenhouse bench.

In getting your supply of the standard things try a plant
or two of some of the newer varieties. A good plan is to get
these in small sizes, as they are usually expensive, and grow
them on in the pots, set into the ground throughout the
summer. They will then be in fine condition to take into
the house in the fall and will bloom all winter.

Some Good Geraniums

The geranium is still the leading bedding plant. One of
the main reasons for its unceasing popularity is its health.
But the spendid new varieties of this old favorite are not
nearly so well known as they should be. Try a few of them
this spring. If your local florist hasn’t them in stock send
for a few from some reliable seedsman. They will not only
be a source of pleasure this summer, but if looked after
with reasonable care will make ideal house plants next
winter.

Some of the best are Marquis Castellane, deep brick red;
Berthe de Presilly, light pink; Dagata, extra large clusters of
mauve rose; Mme. Récamier, one of the best of the pure
whites; Mrs. E. G. Hill, salmon-colored single; Snowdrop,
white single; Paul Crampell, single scarlet. S.A. Nutt, still
the most popular, dark crimson bedder, and Beauté Poite-
vine, deep salmon pink with enormous clusters, have re-
tained their lead in their particular colors for more than a
quarter of a century.

Though the geranium will stand more neglect than most
flowers, it will answer most readily to good care in the way
of feeding and cultivation. The only thing to avoid is too
much nitrogenous plant food, in the shape of manure that
is not thoroughly decayed, or too much nitrate of soda.
An overdose of either will cause too many leaves, with poor
flowers.

MAY: SECOND WEEK 125

Set Out Potied Roses This Month

Of all summer-blooming flowers the rose is still without a
rival. Yet thousands of plants set out each year never give
any return that is worth the original cost of the plant, to
say nothing of the time and care spent on them. The rose
is easy to grow, but it will not grow itself. Only a reason-
able amount of care is necessary to get satisfactory results,
but without this care there will be no results.

This month is the best time to set out roses from pots.
These potted plants give the most satisfactory results, and
are being used more and more in place of dormant stock
that has to be set early in the spring. From plants set out
in May you may get roses in June—if the plants are good
and of the right size, and if you give them congenial con-
ditions and protect them from insects.

Of course you must exercise care in buying roses. Prices
vary greatly, but you cannot afford the risk of being guided
by price alone. Be sure, first of all, that you deal with
houses of good reputation; then carefully compare the de-
scriptions—size of the pots, age, and so forth—before de-
ciding where you will be likely to get the most for your
money. A dozen good plants will give much more satis-
faction than three dozen poor ones. Do not lose sight of
this fact if tempted by low prices. On the other hand, you
can save money by not confining your order to the newest
varieties. Some of the comparatively old sorts, such as
Frau Karl Druschki, a pure white rose that for garden
use is still unsurpassed; General Jacqueminot, crimson;
Magna Charta, clear dark pink; and Eleric Brunner, bright
red, are as good for the beginner as any of the newer varie-
ties.

All those named belong to the class of hybrid-perpetual
roses, which are the hardiest and the surest to give results
in the outdoor garden. They bloom only once in the season,
_ with possibly a few scattering blooms in the fall. The
hybrid teas are a cross between the hybrid perpetuals and
the tender teas, and bloom abundantly in June and more

126 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

or less throughout the summer. They are known as
‘monthly roses.” In the Northern States they must be
given protection.

Among the popular hybrid teas are General McArthur,
a vivid scarlet; La France, satiny pink; Kaiserin Augusta
Victoria, white, tinted with lemon; Killarney, brilliant
pink; Lion, deep coral pink; Chateau de Clos-Vougeot,
rich scarlet and a steady bloomer. Roses grown in the
standard or tree form are very effective. Hybrid per-
petuals are the most satisfactory for this purpose.

The tea roses, while deliciously fragrant, are not so hardy
as the hybrid teas and have been to a large extent super-
seded. A few of the beautiful sorts that are suited to
garden culture are: Harry Kirk, yellow; Maman Cochet,
deep rose pink; Souvenir de Pierre Notting, canary yellow;
White Maman Cochet; William R. Smith, pinkish white;
and the new coppery yellow Lady Hillingdon, which is
proving good for garden use.

Dwarf Ramblers for Borders

For bedding or low borders or where roses are wanted in
combination with other flowers, the Polyantha and dwarf
rambler roses are the best to use. They are the hardiest
and the most steady flowering of all. Many of them are
only eighteen to twenty-four inches high, and they require
practically no pruning but the removal of old wood and old
flower stems. They are good for use in pots as well as in
the garden.

When your rose plants for the new bed arrive unpack them
carefully and examine the roots to see if they have become
dry in transit. If so, water them carefully or set the balls
into a shallow pan of water and let them absorb enough to
get thoroughly moist again without getting muddy. If
the plants cannot be set out immediately, keep them in
some place where they will get plenty of air but will be
protected from the wind and the full, strong sunlight. If

MAY: SECOND WEEK 127

they cannot be planted for some days make a shallow
trench in a cold frame or in some protected spot deep enough
to hold the balls of earth and cover them in firmly with soil.

Hybrid perpetuals are usually planted twenty-four
inches apart, and hybrid teas eighteen inches apart. In
setting them out the top of the ball of earth should be set
about two inches below the soil level. Be careful not to use
commercial fertilizers directly in the hole. A little bone
meal or ground bone may be mixed with the soil, although
it is better to do this a week or so in advance.

Without doubt the greatest cause of failure, when good
plants are used, is careless planting. ‘Three essentials to
success are: Have the roots in proper condition, neither too
wet nor too dry; set them out in moist soil—put water in
the bottom of the hole before planting if the bed is very dry;
and set the plants in firmly. Press down round each one
with your full weight after planting.

After planting, the only care necessary until blooming
time is to keep the plants well cultivated and well sprayed.
Every ten days or so use a combined fungicide and insecti-
cide, such as Bordeaux and arsenate of lead, or some similar
preparation that will not be so conspicuous on the foliage.
This spray will usually prevent mildew or blight, and
chewing insects. If the aphis puts in appearance spray with
some form of tobacco extract or with kerosene emulsion,
or use tobacco dust.

Keep up with the Dahlias

The dahlia is an old favorite, but one has to step lively
to keep up with it. Few plants have been developed into
so many new and really different varieties of merit during
the last few years as have dahlias. To make an intelligent
selection among the bewildering number of new sorts,
first fix in mind the different types: The cactus-flowered
section, which is the most popular, has long frilled or curved
petals, which are much more graceful and airy than the
older forms. The peony-flowered type is also open and

128 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

graceful in appearance, but the petals are much wider than
those of the cactus. The decorative dahlias are more stiff
and regular in form, and come about halfway between the
cactus and peony types; and the show dahlias, the older
form, are so formal in appearance that they look like ar-
tificial blooms.

The pompons are beautiful little dahlias which are
valuable for many purposes on account of their small size.
The collarettes are distinct in appearance, the flowers
being formed by a row of broad outer petals with an ir-
regular collar of cactus-like petals inside, round the heart of
the flower, and usually of a contrasting color. Many of
the singles are very beautiful and particularly valuable for
cutting, or for use with other flowers in bouquets.

Dahlias may be bought either started in pots or as dor-
mant roots. The plants should not be set out until all danger
of late frost is past. The bulbs may be planted two weeks
or so earlier. Many persons make the mistake of planting
the whole clump of roots that was saved from the year
before. These clumps should always be divided, if the
best flowers are wanted, even if you have to throw away
three-quarters of the bulbs for lack of room.

Keep a piece of the old stalk with each root planted to
be sure that you have an eye with it. The root should be
planted three or four inches deep and laid flat. A good
plan is to fill in only part of the covering soil at first, filling
in the rest as the plant grows. For good flowers all the
shoots except one or two should be pinched out as soon as
they are well started; if this is done early it will induce the
formation of strong side branches low down, lessening the
danger of breaking later on. For extra large blossoms the
plants should be kept well disbudded.

Supports of some kind should be given early to guard
against damage by heavy winds or rains, as the stems are
rather brittle. The plants should be set several feet apart
to insure plenty of room. Dahlias grow well in almost any
soil provided plenty of plant food and water is given. They
need an abundance of moisture, no matter how rich the soil

MAY: SECOND WEEK 129

may be. To keep up the quality of the blooms until the
end of the season the plants should be fed after they have
been in blossom for a while with additional dressings of bone
dust and a little nitrate of soda.

Buy Early and Late Asters

The aster is another flower which if set out now will
give an abundance of bloom throughout the latter part of
the summer. In buying plants try to get both early and
late blooming types. And get some plants of a named
variety—they will be worth the extra price. Though
asters will grow and bloom in poor soil, they will respond
readily to good culture. For large blooms they should be
kept disbudded and given plenty of plant food and water.

Usually the only trouble in raising them is the aster
beetle, which appears after the plants are well along.
Heavy applications of tobacco dust will repel him if used
in time, and if there are other plants in the vicinity. Arse-
nate of lead, used extra strong, is effective; it is better to
spoil such flowers as may be open than to risk losing the
whole crop. Hand picking of the beetles is the surest and
quickest method, and if there are not too many plants it is
to be recommended.

May: Third Week

FERTILIZING, WEEDING AND THINNING IN THE
VEGETABLE GARDEN; POINTS ON PICKING

The importance of side-dressing and top-dressing growing
crops in order to get big yields is not generally appreciated
by the home gardener. Fortunately he needs no additional
equipment for this work except an old pail and the knowl-
edge of what to use and how to use it.

Nitrogen is more likely to be deficient than any other
plant food, particularly during the earlier stages of growth,
while the stalks and leaves are being formed. The cheapest
and most efficient form in which nitrogen can be supplied is
by the use of nitrate of soda. This material looks and acts
like coarse salt, but contains from fifteen to sixteen per
cent of available nitrogen. The result of an application of
this material under favorable circumstances is often dis-
tinctly perceptible in twenty-four hours. It should be
applied only in very small doses, otherwise the plants will
not be able to make use of it fast enough to prevent waste.

For most garden crops two to four applications at inter-
vals of two weeks to a month, according to the condition of
the crop and the length of time normally required for it to
mature, should be made. For fruit crops, such as tomatoes,
beans and vines, the last application should be made at the
time the plants are coming into full bloom—otherwise an
overgrowth of leaves and vine may be induced at the ex-
pense of the fruit. A leaf crop, such as lettuce, cabbage or
spinach, is in little danger of getting too much. Enough
nitrogen should be supplied to the root crops, such as
onions, carrots and parsnips, so that growth is never
checked. More nitrogen should be supplied during a dry
season or in a garden where manure has not been used.

130

MAY: THIRD WEEK 131

Nitrate of soda is very powerful and it often causes great
damage in the hands of a careless or an inexperienced
gardener. A small lump of it will burn a hole through a
tough rhubarb leaf or will kill a small plant. From 100 to
200 pounds an acre—one pound to each 200 square feet—
at each application will be sufficient. It may be spread
round the plants and hills just before a rain, or it may be
dissolved in water—a tablespoonful to a ten or twelve quart
watering can.

Liquid Manure Gives Good Resulis

Liquid manure is also rich in nitrogen and is of special
value for backward crops or flowers. The best material for
making it is cow manure, although stable manure or poultry
manure will do. The main objection to its use is that it is
disagreeable to handle, but this can be to a large extent
eliminated by the following method:

Get a large barrel or a keg and bury it a third or a half in
the soil, preferably in a shady spot, and of course as much
out of the way as possible. Fill this about one-fifth full of
manure, and add water until about two-thirds full. Use this
as a stock solution, adding water when needed. It may be
taken out with a dipper tied to a wooden handle of con-
venient length. A dipperful or two poured into a watering
can full of water will produce very satisfactory results.
If an old funnel and a piece of coarse bagging are kept on
hand the liquid manure may be strained, and this will
prevent clogging of the sprinkler. Free use of this manured
water round roses and other flowers for cutting, as they
begin to come into bud and bloom, will give splendid results.

A shortage of nitrogen is shown by a lack of the dark-
green color that normal leaves should show. If an applica-
tion of nitrate of soda or liquid manure does not cure the
trouble, a more general tonic may be needed. For this
purpose, bone flour and genuine guano are good. Being
less soluble than nitrate of soda, they should be stirred well
into the soil by cultivating.

132 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

Potash is particularly desirable when a crop does not
ripen so fast as it should. It is often used late in the season
round small fruits or in orchards to hasten the ripening of
the wood as well as the crop. Either muriate or sulphate of
potash, or good unleached wood ashes, may be used as the
top-dressing under such conditions.

Make the First Weeding Thorough

The most critical period in growing most of the vegetable
crops is during the week or ten days after they break ground.
Every hour of work neglected at this time means several
hours of drudgery later. The best time to kill weeds is
before they are large enough to be seen. With the wheel
hoe, iron rake or ordinary hoe you can destroy a hundred
weeds that have just sprouted and have not yet got their
true leaves in the time required later to pull out half a
dozen by the roots. Weed early—that is the secret of being
able to take care of your garden with the least possible
trouble. And weed clean.

Presumably your garden was planted on a freshly raked
surface. Any weeds that had started at the time were
destroyed, so vegetable and weed seeds had an even start.
But some vegetables take a comparatively long time to
come up—notably onions, parsley, celery, and most of the
root crops. It is therefore a good plan, if the rows are
plainly enough marked, to go over the ground between the
rows before the seed crops are up.

In any case you should begin operations as soon as the
vegetable seeds have sprouted. The wheel hoe should be
used and care must be taken not to throw any dirt over the
tiny seedlings. Either the disk attachment, or hoes with
high guards at the sides, should be used.

The first hoeing will make your garden look very neat and
clean, but don’t deceive yourselfi—hand weeding will be
necessary for all row crops, and to a lesser extent for the
things planted in hills. This hand weeding is often poorly
done in two respects: Some weeds are broken off instead of

MAY: THIRD WEEK 133

being pulled out by the roots; and strips and spots of soil
where there are no weeds at all are left undisturbed.

A row gone over in this way will appear thoroughly done;
but every weed broken off instead of being carefully pulled
out by the roots will come back stronger than ever, and the
spots where no weeds were visible are likely to be green with
them within a week. It always saves time and work in the
end to break up every square inch of crust and to destroy
every weed the first time over. A small hand weeder helps
considerably in this work—the kind with a strap to slip
over one finger, so that the thumb and forefinger can be
used without dropping the weeder, is a most convenient
time-saver.

“Thin Out” Early for Best Results

After you have the best of the weeds, the next thing is to
thin out properly. A plant out of place is a weed, and every
extra onion, carrot, parsnip, stalk of corn or cucumber is a
thief of plant food and room and should be pulled up before
it gets big enough to do damage. Beans should be thinned
to three or four inches apart; beets to three inches apart;
carrots, two to three inches; corn, three or four stalks in a
hill, or eight to twelve inches apart in the drill; cucumbers, ~
two or three plants in the hill; kohl-rabi, three to four inches
apart; lettuce, six to twelve inches—by thinning out first to
six inches and then using every other plant; onions, two to
four inches, but do not thin out until the maggots have got
through with them; parsnips, three to four inches while still
small; peas, four to six inches—where the seeds have come
up strongly these are often left much too thick; radishes,
half an inch to an inch for the spring sorts, and two to four
inches for the summer and winter kinds; muskmelons, two
or three vines to a hill as soon as well started; squashes and
pumpkins, two or three vines to a hill; spinach, two to
four inches except New Zealand, which requires much more
room; Swiss chard, six to ten inches; turnips, three to four
inches, thinning very early, especially when the seeds have
come up thickly.

134 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

Make Your ‘‘ First Pickings”’ Early

A common mistake is to wait too long before eating the
various vegetables. Most things should be used as soon as
they are large enough to pick. Don’t wait until they are
as large as the ones you would buy in the market. The com-
mercial grower lets his things attain a certain size because
the market demands that size.

Begin on your bush beans as soon as there are enough to
make a mess. The first cabbages may be used before the
heads have become solid. Watch your cauliflowers care-
fully, tying the leaves over the heads as soon as the latter
begin to form, then use them before the heads show the
first sign of breaking. Begin to remove carrots as soon as
they are a half-inch or so in diameter, which will leave more
room for the others to grow. Corn should be allowed to
become fairly firm, but not hard.

Cucumbers, after the first two or three pickings, will
probably keep ahead of the demand, but keep them all picked
if you want the vines to continue bearing. Kohl-rabi begins
to deteriorate rapidly soon after it reaches two or three
inches in diameter. You will have to use lettuce early and
fast to keep some of the last heads from shooting to seed.
Begin on the peas as soon as they are large enough to pay for
shelling. And pull radishes as soon as they are large enough
to wash.

Swiss chard may be cut every few days if you take only
outside leaves. If there is more than you want let some of
the plants grow and use the large mid-ribs stewed, like
celery. Use the turnips as soon as they are large enough to
peel and cook. Summer squashes should be picked before
the shells begin to get hard. Tomatoes may be picked as
soon as they begin to color up; place on a sunny shelf to
ripen.

May: Fourth Week

CONTROLLING INSECTS AND DISEASES IN
FLOWER AND VEGETABLE GARDEN; SPRAYS
AND SPRAYERS AND THEIR USE

There are a few standard remedies that can be used
successfully against most garden troubles—if they are
used in time. In many cases prevention must be relied
upon instead of cure; this is particularly true of the diseases.
Most of the garden insects first appear in small numbers,
and propagate on the plant, so you must keep sharp watch
at all times. Look for trouble whenever you walk through
your garden, and when you see a leaf curled up, or a yellow
spot, or a plant that looks a bit sick, do not rest until you
have discovered the cause of the trouble.

First, find out whether the trouble is caused by an insect
or by a disease. In most cases an insect will be to blame.
There are three general divisions of insect enemies: The
chewers; the suckers; the root workers and borers.

The chewing insects are readily recognized, as the results
of their work are at once visible. They include slugs and
caterpillars and such pests as the potato beetle and the
cabbage worm. Most chewing insects can be successfully
combated with poisons applied to the foliage which they
eat.

The sucking imsects include scales and plant lice of
various kinds, and the nymphs or young of some of the
other insects, such as the squash bug and the white fly.
These must be either asphyxiated or destroyed through
the action of some external corrosive. Neither the chewers
nor the suckers are likely to do much damage unless al-
lowed to multiply, which, under favorable circumstances,
they do with the utmost rapidity.

135

136 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

The root workers and borers are the hardest to get at
and a comparatively few of them can do great injury.
Among these are the blue root aphis, the cabbage and
onion maggots, and the squash borers. As the first sign of
these intruders is the result of their work, the time has
usually passed for effective remedies. Preventives, and de-
struction of any insects that may appear before they go to
any other plants and continue the damage are the only
courses to follow.

Rogues’ Gallery for the Vegetable and Flower Garden

Apuis. Attacks peas, melons, roses, and so on. Use
nicotine preparations, or kerosene emulsion, two or three
applications at intervals of three or four days, reaching
under sides of leaves.

ASPARAGUS BEETLE. Use arsenate of lead on summer
foliage; cut and burn all vines in late summer.

ASTER BEETLE. Use arsenate of lead, strong; or pick by
hand in early morning while bugs are still groggy.

CATERPILLARS. Various kinds attack cabbage, tomatoes,
tobacco, and so on. Use arsenate of lead, Paris green or
hellebore; or pick by hand.

CUCUMBER BEETLE, yellow and black striped. Use
tobacco dust as preventive; beetles carry the germs of wilt.
Pick by hand the first bugs in early morning. Spray with
nicotine sulphate.

CutTworms. Fat, sluggish, ground worms, brown with
dark stripes, cutting through stems of many plants, espe-
cially when just up or newly set out. Trap under pieces of
shingle or flat stones; or scatter about toward nightfall a
mash made of one quart of wheat bran, one teaspoonful
of Paris green or of white arsenate, one teaspoonful of a
cheap molasses, mixed with enough water to make a mash.
Careful search round a newly cut plant early in the morning
will usually uncover the marauder near the surface.

FLEA BEETLE. A small, hard-shelled, jumping beetle,
which punctures leaves of tomatoes, potatoes and seedling

MAY: FOURTH WEEK 137

plants. Use tobacco dust or kerosene emulsion on seedling
plants; Bordeaux and lead on tomatoes and potatoes.

Meaty Bue. A scale-like insect with cottony covering,
attacking some flowers. It seldom appears in the vegetable
garden. Use kerosene emulsion; or apply alcohol with a
small brush.

Potato BEETLE. Use arsenate of lead or Paris green.
On eggplants use lead only, and pick by hand.

RosE BEETLE. Pick by hand and use strong arsenate
of lead.

SquasH Bue. A lively, flat, black fellow. Use tobacco
dust, or pick by hand to get rid of old bugs and eggs; use
kerosene emulsion or nicotine sulphate for the young ones.

SQUASH Borer. Slit stem near base of plant, and de-
stroy the borer. Cover wound with fresh soil.

WHuiTE F ty. Attacks tomatoes, vine crops and some
flowers. Not conspicuous until large numbers have prop-
agated. Use tobacco dust as repellent; spray with nicotine
preparations and kerosene emulsion.

Mitpew. Attacks cucumbers, melons, Lima beans, roses
and other flowers. Dust with flowers of sulphur to prevent
spread. Use regular Bordeaux-lead spray as an effective
preventive through the season.

Buicut, affecting cucumbers, potatoes and other things,
in various forms. Spray with Bordeaux frequently enough
to keep all new growth covered. Dust with sulphur-lead
preparations. :

ANTHRACNOSE, “leaf spot” or “rust,” attacking beans,
tomatoes, celery and some flowers. Use Bordeaux mixture
or summer-strength lime-sulphur; or ammoniacal copper-
carbonate solution to avoid stains on foliage and flowers.

The various diseases belong to two distinct classes. Most
of them are parasitical—that is, the effect of the introduc-
tion and rapid multiplication of some injurious bacteria.
A few diseases seem to attack the whole plant system from
root to the tip; these are called ‘“‘constitutional,” and little
can be done against them except to keep the plants in vig-
orous growth and to destroy at once any plants infected.

138 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

The parasitical diseases are also difficult to control, once
they have been allowed to get a start, but various sprays
are effective preventives. Within the last few years a great
advance has been made in putting remedies into con-
venient forms for use by the small gardener, and also in
making apparatus to apply them.

Own a Good Sprayer

Every gardener should have a compressed-air sprayer
and a powder gun or bellows for dry dusting. There are
a number of cheap blowers, but it will pay better to invest
a dollar and get a substantial one, not only because it will
last longer and do better work but also because it is essential
to have a gun with which the under sides of the leaves can
be reached.

Dusting with the powder forms of materials that have
been used successfully for wet spraying, such as arsenate of
lead, has been developed rapidly within the last few years.
It is proving as efficient as the wet spray for many pur-
poses, and is much more convenient to use in the small
garden.

In addition to the sprayer and the blower take half an
hour off some time and make the following apparatus for
hand picking, which is still the quickest and most effective
method of getting the best of some pests, such as mature
squash bugs, rose bugs, aster beetles, potato beetles on
eggplant, and so on: To a medium-sized tin can fasten a
handle eighteen inches long at an angle of sixty degrees,
so that the can may easily be held level. Fill the can with
kerosene and water. Make a small paddle, pointed at the
end, and with one flat edge.

With sprayer, blower and handpicker you will be pre-
pared for anything in the way of an insect invasion that is
likely to occur. Ammunition must be of several kinds, to
meet the different methods of fighting adopted by the
enemy. |

MAY: FOURTH WEEK 139

Ammunition for Garden Pests

For chewing insects Paris green and arsenate of lead
are the standard remedies. The latter has two distinct
advantages—it stays on much longer, and can be used
without the danger of burning the foliage that always ac-
companies use of Paris green. Arsenate of lead may be
had in either paste or powder form. In comparing prices
of different kinds check up the percentage of arsenic oxide
each contains. The powder is equally as good as the paste
for wet spraying, and in addition can be used for dusting.
In the latter case it should be applied while the foliage is
dry. Hellebore is not so effective as either Paris green or
arsenate of lead, but it washes off readily and is therefore
sometimes used on half-grown crops, such as currants and
cabbage.

For sucking insects there are several good forms of in--
secticides, most of which have some form of nicotine as their
chief ingredient. Usually the higher the percentage of

« ucotine the more economical the material, even though it
costs more.

Tobacco dust is to some extent effective, but it is par-
ticularly useful as a preventive, not only of sucking insects
but also of most of the chewing bugs, such as cucumber
beetle, squash bug, and so on. If used freely on the leaves
and about the plants before the bugs appear it acts as a
repellent that is well worth the small cost of using it.

Kerosene emulsion, which may be either made at home
or bought ready prepared in a stock solution to be diluted
with water, is another standard remedy for sucking insects.
It is perfectly safe and a good watering will remove all
traces from the plant; for these reasons it is a good spray
for plants near the house.

Plant diseases, so far as garden work is concerned, usually
take one of three forms—blight, or yellowing and dying of
the foliage; mildew; and anthracnose, or spotting and
hardening of parts of the leaves, fruits or stalks. The
standard remedy for fungous diseases of this sort has for

140 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

many years been Bordeaux mixture. This may be made
at home, but for use on a small scale a good ready-prepared
sort is more satisfactory. It can be had in the pure form
or combined with arsenate of lead. This double mixture
is effective against both diseases and chewing insects. A
double-barrelled dry spray is to be had in powdered ar-
senate of lead and sulphur, which is convenient to apply
to the vine crops.

A small amount each of arsenate of lead; Bordeaux mix-
ture (or the two combined); tobacco dust; some nicotine
spray, and kerosene emulsion will cost little but will furnish
protection from all the troubles likely to be encountered.
Most of these things will keep indefinitely. The important
point is to have them on hand to use at once. As some of
these things in their concentrated forms are deadly poisons,
they should be kept out of the way of children. In using
any of these things follow directions carefully. Different
makes vary considerably in analysis.

Begin early in the season to use a combined Bordeaux-
and-arsenate-of-lead spray on such vegetables and flowers
as are likely to need it, and go over them at intervals of
ten days or so to keep all new growth covered. In addition
use tobacco dust freely wherever trouble from bugs or plant
lice is anticipated.

Besides these precautions remember that everything you
can do to keep your vegetables and flowers in vigorous,
growing conditions will make them less likely to be attacked
or to be seriously injured by the attacks of either insects
or diseases.

June: First Week

VEGETABLES FOR FALL AND WINTER:
SUCCESSION CROPS

The home vegetable garden should supply the table not
only through the summer months, but also with a num-
ber of things for winter. As ordinarily managed it often
not only fails to do this, but even does not supply many good
things in the late fall. Careful planning and prompt action
now are necessary to have a supply available from next
September to May.

Among the vegetables that may be grown for winter are
beets, Brussels sprouts, cabbages, carrots, cauliflower,
celery, parsnips, potatoes, pumpkins, salsify, squash and
turnips. Crops for the late fall garden are beans, cauli-
flower, corn, cucumbers, endive, lettuce, peas, radishes, and
green tomatoes for pickling and ripening after frost.

The secret of success in achieving both table and keeping
qualities of winter vegetables is to have them at the right
stages of development when stored. The most common
mistakes are too early planting and too small sowings to
allow a surplus. To keep best and to taste best, vegetables
should be matured but not fully developed. After reaching
maturity vegetables undergo a ripening process that pre-
cedes decay. In the case of the root crops this is accom-
panied by toughening of the fibers, ‘‘stringiness” and
general deterioration of table quality. Even small Hubbard
squashes that have not ripened on the vine keep better than
fully developed fruits.

Your crop for winter use should be planted with the idea
of having the vegetables reach good table size by the date
at which it is usually advisable to harvest for winter storage.
This time will vary, of course, with local climatic conditions
just as spring planting does; but remember that the later

I4I

142 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

the spring, the earlier fall and winter crops must be planted
to have time to develop before freezing weather. The dates
at which it is safe to plant various winter crops in the
vicinity of New York are given in suggestions to follow.
In the latitude of Philadelphia planting may be delayed a
few days or a week; in that of Boston planting should be
done a week or ten days earlier.

It is highly important to select varieties suitable for late
sowings. An error in this respect is much more serious than
in the case of spring sowings, as it may result in the loss of
the entire crop. By using early and extra early varieties it is
often possible to work in succession crops that would other-
wise be impossible. In rich soil, and where irrigation can be
applied, the time in which a crop can be brought through
may be calculated almost toaday. Poor soil or dry weather
at the time of sowing may delay things so that the crop will
fail to come through on time.

Planting in Dry Weather

Success in sowing or transplanting in dry weather fre-
quently hinges upon getting the soil pressed firmly round
the seeds or plant roots. If a roller is available it may be
used in addition to the roller wheel of the seed drill; or
before covering, a wheelbarrow lightly loaded may be run
over the rows of seeds, like peas and beans, that are planted
by hand. If the weather is so dry that water must be used
in transplanting apply it in the holes before setting the
plants.

A number of plants, especially those of the cabbage
group, are sown early and transplanted. Success with
these depends to a great extent upon getting strong, healthy,
stocky plants to set out. Sow the seed thinly in rows
twelve to fifteen inches apart, or better in hills four to six
inches apart. As soon as the seedlings get their second or
third leaves thin out so that only one plant stands in a place.
Plants so grown will by transplanting time have stems
thicker than a lead pencil. As the flea beetle frequently

JUNE: FIRST WEEK 143

injures seedlings severely, keep them dusted with land
plaster or tobacco dust until they are well started.

A package of each of the seeds will give plants enough for
the medium-sized home garden. To insure good germina-
tion, if the ground is very dry, mark off shallow trenches and
run the hose along each one, refilling it, as the water soaks
away, several times. Do this some hours before planting.
Information about the winter’s vegetables follows:

Berets. When July is likely to be hot and dry it is best to
sow in June. In light soil, plant an inch or an inch and a
half deep. Detroit Dark Red and Crimson Globe are good
sorts for storing. Extra-early sorts may be planted later.

BRUSSELS Sprouts. These are particularly fine for late
fall and winter, as severe freezing only improves their
quality. Sow in late May or early June, and handle in the
same way as cabbage. Cutting out the crowns of the plants
after the sprouts have formed throws strength into the
development of the heads. Dalkeith and Danish Prize are
good varieties.

CABBAGE. Sow from the last of May to the first of July,
according to the local season and the variety. Danish
Ballhead is of medium size, of excellent quality and one of
the best keepers. Some of the round, hard-heading, early
sorts, such as Glory of Enkhuizen and Volga, may be grown
in a shorter season than the standard late sorts and are of
more convenient size and of better table quality. The
Savoy type is unexcelled for flavor. In favorable seasons
practically every seed will germinate, so be careful not to
sow too thickly.

Carrots. In good deep soils a good strain of Baars
Half Long is unsurpassed. In shallow soil a shorter type,
such as Chantenay, will prove more satisfactory. To besure
to get the crop of good size these should be sown in Northern
sections during June or early July. Early varieties may be
sown later. Thin out early whether you have a surplus for
the table or not, as small ones will not have a chance to
mature as they do from the early sowings.

CELERY. Plants for the early fall crop may be set out

144 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

now. ‘Those for winter should be set late in June or in July.
As the rows are a good distance apart fertilizer or manure
may be used to advantage in the drill. This should be
mixed thoroughly with the soil and applied preferably
some time before the plants are set. Soak the trenches
thoroughly before planting if the soil is at all dry. If the
weather is hot and bright shade the plants with wide boards
for some days. Keep well cultivated from the start.

Parsnipes. If these are planted now they will be of better
table quality than those planted in spring, as overgrown
roots develop undesirable pithy cores. When there are a
few rows more than you will want to take up for winter,
leave them in the ground for spring use.

PoTATOES. Even in the more northerly sections potatoes
for winter use can be planted as late as the Fourth of July,
if soil conditions are favorable, with the probability that
they will make a good crop before killing frost. Even if
the skins have not become hardened when dug these po-
tatoes will keep excellently and will be particularly good for
seed for next year’s garden.

Pumpkins. A few sugar pumpkins are always acceptable
for pies at Thanksgiving and during the first part of winter.
Sow them now in prepared hills between the corn rows.
They will make a good start, and later when the corn is
cut off they will have full sunlight. Spray the young plants
to protect them from squash bugs and black cucumber
beetles.

Satsiry. This is one of most delicious of vegetables
available for winter use and a good supply must be sown.
The soil must be deep and rich to grow good smooth roots.
On account of the peculiar shape of the seeds it is difficult
to sow evenly with the drill. The small amount required
for the home garden may easily be sown by hand, four or
five seeds to the inch. Thin to three inches after the plants
are well up.

SquasH. When space is limited squash may be planted
between the corn rows, or a few hills may be placed at the
edge of the garden, so the vines can run out on the grass.

JUNE: FIRST WEEK 145

In a very small garden plant Delicata or Fordhook, either
of which is excellent for summer use and also keeps well
through the winter. Fordhook may also be had in bush
form. Hubbard and Boston Marrow are two of the stand-
ard winter varieties and Deli- poe ae

cious, a newer one, is of superfine
flavor. Like the pumpkins, early
growth must becarefully guarded
from bugs. A few bottomless boxes covered with mosquito
netting will do this.

Turnips. The long varieties, of the rutabaga type, of
which there are some new varieties excellent for table use,
should be planted during June. The round yellow and
white sorts, such as White Egg and Amber Globe, should
not be planted until July or even the first of August, if the
season is long, as they develop very quickly and are likely
to become overgrown.

Succession Crops for the Fall Garden

The vegetables which by successive sowings may be had
in fine quality up to killing-frost include the following:

BEAns. Pole varieties such as Golden Cluster and Old
Homestead, and the Limas, of which Early Leviathan and
Giant Podded Pole are two of the best, should, if planted
now, give a continuous supply during the late summer and
fall. If the bush varieties are preferred make a small
planting every two to three weeks of some of the good wax
sorts, such as Brittle Wax, Rustproof Golden Wax, or New
Kidney Wax. Any surplus of either the pole beans or these
may be kept over in the dried state for winter use. Leave
only two or three of the pole beans in each hill. Thin the
dwarf sorts so that each individual plant has plenty of
room to develop.

CAULIFLOWER. To have a supply throughout the fall,
it is best to make two separate plantings, one in early June
and one toward the end of the month. Snowball and Dry
Weather are both excellent sorts, the latter requiring a little

146 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

longer tomature. To do well, cauliflower requires an abund-
ance of moisture and the plants should be set where they
can be watered while the heads are forming.

SWEET CorN. This may be planted until the Fourth
of July, or later if an early sort is used. An elevation of
twenty-five to fifty feet will often carry it safely through
the first frost, which is frequently followed by several
weeks of good growing weather. Corn may be sown in
drills and the plants thinned to ten to twelve inches apart
as soon as well started.

CucuMBERS. It often happens that late in the fall the
first planting is used up except for a few yellow and over-
ripe ones that are useless for pickles and salad. Sow a few
hills late in June or early in July. Keep the plants well
covered with tobacco dust or ashes or land plaster during
early growth.

Kout-Rasi. If you are fond of this vegetable make a
sowing in early June, and another in July for a late supply.
They should be used before the outer skin becomes hard
and while the bulbs are quite small—not more than three
inches in diameter.

Lettuce. During midsummer heat-resisting sorts such
as Salamander, Brittle Ice, Deacon and New York should
be used; although, if irrigation is available, Grand Rapids,
Big Boston and other spring varieties may be grown suc-
cessfully. When conditions for germination are adverse
success may often be had by shading the lettuce patch
until the plants are well up. Seed sown in dry soil is almost
sure to be a failure, but by watering the ground before
sowing and by shading, a stand can generally be obtained.

Peas. For summer planting use the heaviest soil avail-
able and get the seed well down into the ground—two to
two and a half inches will not be too much. Partially
sprouting the seed before sowing will help in dry weather.
For the latest sowing, which can be made up until August,
use early varieties, such as Gradus or Little Marvel. Use
kerosene emulsion or some nicotine spray to control plant
lice.

JUNE: FIRST WEEK 147

RADISHES. The spring sorts are usually of poor quality
during summer and better results will generally be had with
some of the larger summer sorts, such as Chartier, Crimson
Giant, or White Strasburg. For winter radishes, to keep
over in sand, White Chinese, China Rose and California
White Winter are good. They should not be sown until
late July.

TomaToeEs. Like cucumbers, tomatoes sometimes ‘‘run
out” before the end of the season. Plant a dozen or two
plants in late June or July, from seed sown now, and they
will mature fruits before frost to furnish a supply of green
tomatoes for pickles. The largest and finest fruits should
be saved for ripening in a cold-frame or in straw in a dark
room or cellar, so that ripe tomatoes can be had for a month
or more after the outside crop is gone.

June: Second Week

FIGHTING DRY WEATHER: MULCHING; WATER-
ING; MODERN IRRIGATION

Drought is only the acute form of a chronic summer
garden disease—lack of soil moisture. Dry weather is the
most insidious and the most effective enemy of big crops.
Potato bugs may cut down your crop of potatoes; possibly
squash borers will get all your squashes; but dry weather
attacks every vegetable in the garden and cuts down the
yield of every one.

Lack of moisture prevents maximum crops more often
than lack of plant food. Experiments have shown that a
fifty per cent saturation of the soil is ideal for growth.
During June, July, August, and often September, probably
not one garden in a hundred is, under natural conditions,
saturated to that degree a quarter of the time. Therefore
the intelligent gardener will endeavor during the summer
months to keep up to the highest possible point the amount
of moisture in his garden soil.

Only two treatments are possible in fighting dry soil. The
first, except in seasons of more than normal rainfail, can be
only partially successful in the great majority of gardens.
It is to handle the soil in such a way that every drop of
water is conserved and utilized as efficiently as possible.
The second treatment is to add water by artificial means.
Thanks to the development of overhead irrigation during
the past few years, it is now possible for the small gardener,
no matter where his garden may be situated, to apply
water copiously and with very little effort to his growing
crops, provided only he has the water available for use.

The first essential in conserving such moisture as Nature
does supply is frequent cultivation, with that particular

148

JUNE: SECOND WEEK 149

aim in view. By the time the dry weather sets in the weeds
should be pretty well under control; from then on, cultiva-
tion to conserve soil moisture by creating a dust mulch
accomplishes the further work of destroying, practically
before they get a start, such additional weeds as may sprout,
and of keeping the earth loose and open so that the air can
penetrate readily—another condition essential to healthy
plant growth. The cultivator should leave the soil finely
pulverized and level. For most crops it should cut not more
than an inch or two deep. Therefore a flat blade, or a
gang of broad, flat teeth, should be used in preference to
the regular narrow cultivator teeth, which are valuable early
in the season, or which may be necessary if the ground has
been tramped down. Aim to keep the inch or two of soil
on the surface as fine and dry as dust. It is a good plan
to try to get over all the garden once every week. Use the
wheel hoe, working round the plants with the hand or a small
hoe as may be necessary.

Mulch to Hold Moisture

For some of the vegetable crops, some of the small fruits
and many of the flowers, mulching with other material
is effective. Light, strawy manure that will not work
into the soil satisfactorily may be used in this way. Such
plant food as it contains will be washed into the soil and
made use of by the hungry plant roots, and the bulky
part of it, forming a thick mat over the soil, will readily
admit rain or water from above and hold it. Under such a
cover the surface of the soil itself decomposes and crumbles,
releasing the locked-up plant food, and forming an ideal
condition for strong plant growth.

A few vegetables that particularly require moisture and
are benefited by such mulching are eggplants, cauliflower,
celery, potatoes and tomatoes. Currants and goose-
berries appreciate summer mulching. Roses and sweet
peas are greatly benefited. Although light manure is
probably the best material, other things, such as grass

I50 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

clippings, old leaves, straw, old winter mulching, and so
forth, can be utilized to great advantage for the same
purpose.

The Gentle Art of Watering

The simplest and most commonly used form of irrigation
is by means of a hose. But a hose outfit costs almost as
much as one for overhead irrigation, needs to be replaced
every few years, and requires a great deal of labor. By
overhead irrigation the water is applied automatically,
except for a few moments’ work in turning the pipe every
half hour or hour. The outfit, consisting of galvanized
pipe and brass or nickel nozzles instead of rubber hose,
will last a generation.

As a hose is more universally used, however, some sug-
gestions for applying water by this means may be given.
It is possible to do more harm than good by watering. If
you are going to water a crop at all you should do it thor-
oughly. A slight sprinkling on the surface, even if it is
given daily, is of little use, because it stimulates the growth
of roots near the top of the soil, where they are most ex-
posed to the effects of heat and dry weather. A thorough
soaking once a week is much more effective than seven
sprinklings.

Water may be applied just to the soil or over the foliage.
In the former case the quickest and best way is to open up a
shallow furrow along the edge of the row and to turn one
end of the hose into it, letting the water run until the ground
is thoroughly saturated, and then throwing the earth back.
This saves labor and gets the water down to the roots. But
cover up afterward with pulverized soil, for if the water is
allowed to run on the surface the ground will cake, both
wasting water and getting the soil into bad condition.
When the water is applied over the plants and the foliage it
should be broken into as fine a spray as possible. A simple,
twisted-wire support, which may be purchased for a quarter,
will hold the nozzle in any position, and this will save much
time in watering. If the pressure is sufficient the ordinary

PLATE 13.—Modern spray irrigation solves the problem of moisture control
for both vegetable and flower gardens. The upper illustration shows a typ-
ical circular spray system at work on a vegetable bed. The lower, a nozzle

line system over flowers. In either the gardener can have rain whenever he
wants it.

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JUNE: SECOND WEEK I51

types of lawn sprinklers may be used, but they must be
watched carefully and shifted frequently.

In watering flower beds, which are generally rounded up
toward the center, be careful that most of the water does
not run down to the outer edge. Shallow furrows between
the rows of plants will hold the water until it can sink into
the soil. If your lawn is too big to cover at each water-
ing establish a system so that the various parts will be
thoroughly watered in turn. Here again a thorough soak-
ing once a week is better than a daily sprinkling.

The best time to water is late afternoon. Either wind or
sunshine will waste a good deal of water through rapid
evaporation. Whenever possible, cultivate the ground
soon after watering to reéstablish the soil mulch. Individual
plants that you are trying to nurse along, or flowers to be
grown for exhibition, may be given special attention by
sinking a large flower pot near each, with the hole at the
bottom loosely corked. Filling this pot every day or two
will keep the plant supplied.

Modern Irrigation for the Garden

The nozzle-line system of overhead irrigation may be
installed either on neat posts of inch gas pipe painted green
or white, or hidden along a fence, on top of a pergola, or
along the edge of a walk or curbing. It will work well from
a considerable height or within a few inches of the ground,
provided there are no tall plants near to interfere with the
streams as they leave the nozzles. A small, portable, nozzle-
line watering outfit is now made with a water motor at-
tached, and mounted on wheels, so it may be moved readily
from one part of the grounds to another and set up with a
few moments’ work. It turns automatically and requires
no attention except to turn the water off.

Modern irrigation sprinklers cover a circle some thirty
to fifty feet in diameter, and make a very efficient portable
watering device. For larger areas, the sprinklers are
placed on upright pipes or “risers” at regular intervals,

152 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

so that the whole space to be irrigated is watered at one
time.

For the vegetable garden, at least one nozzle line the
length of the plot should be fitted up. As the nozzles
throw twenty-five feet in either direction, the pipe being
turned from side to side, this line will cover a strip fifty
feet wide. If the garden is wider than this another line
may be added or the first one may be built in sections of
convenient length to move. A twenty-foot length of three-
quarter-inch pipe weighs only about twenty-five pounds.

At the head of each line of nozzles there should be a gate
valve to control the water, and a turning union. The older
types of nozzles were somewhat given to clogging up, but
in the newer ones this difficulty has been largely overcome.

The various items required for a line of the nozzle system
are: Gate valve, seventy-five cents; turning union and
handle, $1.75 to $3, according to type and finish; nozzles,
inserted every three or four feet in the pipe, five cents
apiece; and three-quarter-inch galvanized pipe, six to
eight cents a foot. To get your nozzles in perfect align-
ment along the pipe you need a special drill fitted with a
level with which holes are drilled after the pipe is in place.
For a few hundred feet of pipe for a garden you can have the
holes drilled and the nozzles inserted where you buy the
pipe.

The two great advantages of watering with overhead
irrigation are the tremendous saving in time and the fact
that the water is applied in an ideal way, falling in small
drops that do not pack the soil or spatter or injure foliage
or blossoms.

June: Third Week

SUMMER WORK IN THE ROSE GARDEN: INSECTS;
DISEASES; SUMMER PRUNING; KEEPING CUT
FLOWERS FRESH

Continued attention is necessary in the rose garden if
you would make sure of an abundance of perfect blossoms.
No matter how strong and healthy the plants may look,
and even though the first buds may have opened, serious
injury still threatens from a number of sources. Protec-
tion from insects and diseases, summer mulching, extra
manuring, summer pruning, training new growth, and so
forth, are among the things that the rose grower must keep
in mind and give attention to throughout the season.

The rose is liable to injury from many insects and diseases.
The most annoying and pernicious intruders are the rose
bugs or rose beetles. These insects are particularly hard to
combat because they generally appear when mature and
ready to do the maximum amount of injury with a mini-
mum susceptibility to insecticides. If neglected they will
entirely defoliate even large plants. ‘The first attacks,
however, are usually confined to open flowers and buds,
particularly of light-colored varieties. The beetles are most
prevalent in sections where the soil is sandy, but as they
can travel long distances, and make themselves at home on
wild roses as well as on the cultivated sorts, few localities
seem to be immune from their attack.

Paris green, one pound to 150 to 200 gallons of water,
and arsenate of lead, five pounds to fifty to seventy-five
gallons of water, are effective poisons; but Paris green is
likely to injure the foliage, and arsenate leaves it discolored.
Unless the beetles attack in overwhelming numbers, by
far the quickest, surest and least injurious method of

153

154 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

getting rid of them is “hand picking.” This should be
done early every morning, and with the proper equipment
a great number of beetles can be destroyed in a very short
time. An old cooking vessel with a handle, such as the
bottom part of a double boiler, is just the thing to collect
bugs in. It should be filled about a third full of water and
kerosene. From a piece of shingle whittle out a pointed
paddle, which may be used to dislodge the beetles. If this
work is done regularly every morning when the beetles first
put in an appearance you will not have much difficulty in
getting the best of them.

The rose slug is often troublesome. This is a small green
worm that works on the under sides of the leaves, eating
through and leaving only skeletons. Birds generally keep
the slugs under control, but if they get numerous enough
to prove injurious, hellebore, either dusted or sprayed, will
get them. Be sure that the under sides of the leaves are
covered. Hellebore may be dusted on pure, or mixed with
boiling water, a tablespoonful to two gallons, and used when
cool. Arsenate of lead powder is also effective and may
be dusted on the under sides of the leaves with a goose-
necked duster. The slug usually appears from June to
August.

The green fly or aphis frequently attacks the rose. Being
near the color of the plant this may become firmly estab-
lished before being noticed, unless sharp watch is kept. The
flies usually congregate first about the base of the bud, in
leaf axils, or in any place where they are likely to pass un-
noticed. When you discover them spray at once with
nicotine or kerosene emulsion. Keeping the plants dusted
with tobacco dust will help to keep the aphides away. If
they become established the plants will need to be sprayed
several times; the pests propagate so rapidly that a few
will soon reinfest the plant.

Another insect that sometimes attacks roses, working
from the under side of the leaves, is the leaf hopper. Small
yellow spots appear on the upper surfaces of otherwise
healthy leaves without apparent cause. The hoppers are

JUNE: THIRD WEEK 155

very small and are something like flea beetles in their habit
of jumping away when disturbed. They are light yellow
in color. Nicotine spray and kerosene emulsion are effec-
tive against them.

Mildew, Anthracnose and Leaf Blight

The disease most commonly attacking roses is mildew.
There are two forms: The first and most common is con-
spicuous because of the suddenness with which it appears,
forming a cobwebby coating upon the leaves. The standard
remedy is flowers of sulphur, mixed with a little slaked
lime if desired, which may be dusted on where the disease
appears. The second form, downy mildew, is more persist-
ent, as it works farther into the tissues of the plant. Flowers
of sulphur, or other fungicidal sprays, will prevent its
spread, but all infected leaves should be carefully gathered
and destroyed.

When the leaves on apparently healthy plants show small
black spots, fade out and drop off, so that the plant looks
very much denuded, anthracnose is likely to be the trouble.
It may be controlled by spraying with ammoniacal-copper-
carbonate solution at intervals of a week. All affected
foliage should be burned.

Somewhat similar to anthracnose is leaf blight, which
resembles strawberry blight. Bordeaux is useful in con-
trolling it. If the foliage turns a faded color and falls, es-
pecially from new growth and from the tips of canes, the
disease is leaf blight. Infected canes should be cut out and
burned, and if there are many bad places it will be best
to get rid of the entire plant.

All this makes quite a formidable array of troubles, but
the rose grower is not likely to encounter them all during
one season. Most of them can be controlled by a single
combination spray applied every ten days or two weeks
throughout the season. This plan of protection is by far
the safest and surest in the end, particularly when the roses
are grown mostly for cut blooms and a slight disfigurement

156 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

of the foliage will not be a serious objection. When it is
desired to keep the foliage clean, ammoniacal-copper-
carbonate may be used in place of Bordeaux and arsenate
of lead powder instead of paste.

It is of great advantage to have available an abundance of
water under strong pressure. Water applied in a fine spray
will not injure the roses and will keep in check most of the
insects to be feared.

Summer Mulching and Pruning

To bloom through a long season and with vigor roses
require plenty of mulching. Summer mulching is of great
advantage. Fine, rather light, well-rotted manure is ideal
for this purpose. If it is too fresh it may injure the plants;
if too coarse it is not effective as a mulch. The bed should
be thoroughly hoed over before the mulch is applied, so
sprouting weeds will be destroyed. ‘To obtain the best
blooms some additional feeding of the plants will be re-
quired; the mulch of manure, if of the right kind, will serve
this additional purpose, as every rain or thorough watering
will carry plant food down to the roots.

When mulch is not used liquid manures or bone dust or
bone flour and a little nitrate of soda should be given. If
the ground has been thoroughly enriched an application of
nitrate of soda alone will generally show marked results.
Another convenient form in which this additional plant
food may be applied is by giving a dressing of sheep manure
or shredded cattle manure, raking or hoeing it lightly into
the surface, and then giving a thorough watering. This is
much more convenient than making and applying liquid
manure and it gives much the same effect.

When many flowers are cut the plant is practically given
a summer pruning in their removal. In cutting flowers, as
in pruning, be sure always to cut about a quarter of an
inch above an outside bud or branch, so the bush will tend
to grow outward, leaving an open center to admit plenty
of air and sunshine.

JUNE: THIRD WEEK 157

A moderate pruning or cutting back, as the blooming
season draws to a close, will increase the number of flowers
to be expected at the next blooming period. Even the hy-
brid perpetuals sometimes give a few blossoms again in the
fall.

Training Climbing Roses

The Crimson Ramblers and other climbers are given
their annual pruning just after blooming. Cut out the oldest
flowering wood or any old, dead wood that may have
escaped notice in the spring, and such new growths as cross
or conflict or seem not to be needed. There is little danger
of taking out too much, as the new shoots grow from ten
to twenty feet or more during the season.

Begin training the shoots while they are small. Do not
fail to provide a suitable trellis. The climbing roses, if
simply fastened up against the house, will work havoc
with eave troughs and the edges of the roof over which
they climb, keeping them shaded and wet and inviting rot.

In the cases of some of the taller bush roses, which tend
to send up straight, tall canes, bend over the new pliable
canes a couple of inches or so above ground, nearly at right
angles, and bend upward again a few inches farther along
the cane. These crooks check the flow of sap, with the
result that the buds on the lower parts of the canes are
allowed to develop; otherwise you are likely to get many
canes that are practically bare of foliage near the bottom.

Keeping Cut Flowers Fresh

Double enjoyment is to be had from the garden through-
out the summer by the judicious use of cut flowers. Many
people refrain from the free use of blossoms indoors for
fear of curtailing the supply outside. Free cutting, how-
ever, almost always means more flowers. The plants upon
which the blooms are allowed to mature will go by much
sooner than if the blooms are kept cut. This is especially
true of annuals, such as sweet peas. Even if you cannot

158 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

use them all, the blossoms should be removed as soon as
they begin to fade.

Make a practice of cutting your flowers daily, early in
the morning. Those designed for use in the house should
be cut just as they are beginning to open. Do not, how-
ever, make the mistake of feeling that you must use all the
flowers you cut. A massive, crowded, mixed bouquet,
containing all kinds of flowers and colors, is not a thing of
beauty.

The Japanese, who have made a distinct art of arranging
cut flowers, generally use only two or three blooms of a
single variety. Perhaps, according to our taste, this is
extreme; but there is a happy medium. The mixed bouquet
should be so arranged that it appears natural.

To keep flowers fresh until they are put into the water
after cutting, sprinkle them, wrap the stems in moist paper
or a damp cloth, and keep in a tight box in as cold a place
as possible. To keep them fresh in the vases cut off a little
of the stems daily, and supply with fresh water. To revive
wilted flowers, cut the stems, place for ten minutes in water
as hot as the hand can bear it, and then in cold water.
Freshly cut flowers will keep better if they are placed in
fresh cold water, or the stems in a damp cloth, and kept
in a cold place, before being used for bouquets or in vases
in the living room.

June: Fourth Week

CELERY FOR FALL AND WINTER: BUYING
PLANTS; TRANSPLANTING; CULTURE; EARLY
BLANCHING

Celery takes up little room in proportion to the yield and
can follow an earlier crop that has been removed. From
the middle of July to the first of August put in plants de-
signed for fall and winter use, as the first fall frosts do not
check growth. Plants set out earlier will be ready sooner in
the fall, but quality is always poor until cool weather, which
adds the crispness and tang that makes celery a winter
favorite.

Make the soil for your celery patch the richest spot in the
garden. ‘The more rapid and luxuriant the growth the
better will be the quality and the more certain the crop will
be to come through on time. Here is a chance to use up all
the season’s left-overs in the way of plant foods. There are
probably odds and ends of fertilizers, the compost heap that
has accumulated during the spring and summer, the chicken
manure, and some ashes. In addition to this general hash
of plant foods, give a good dressing of high-grade fer-
tilizer for the last course, and rake it thoroughly into the
soil.

Do not be afraid of getting the soil too rich. Any of these
deposits in the soil bank that the celery does not draw upon
for use will be available for early spring crops of green
onions, lettuce and cabbage.

Equally important are good, sturdy, well-developed plants
that have already begun to get their shape, are easy to
plant, and are ready to grow right on. Size at the base of
the stalks, rather than height, should be the basis upon
which to judge plants. A spindling plant will waste a good

159

160 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

deal of time in readjusting itself to a better form, if it ever
does so.

If you have your own plants growing in a flat or in a
frame cut the tops back severely a week or so before plant-
ing. It is well, also, to keep them rather on the dry side
until just a day or two before planting; this stimulates the
growth of the feeding root hairs which take up the plant-
food solutions from the soil, and, as many of these roots are
destroyed in transplanting, even with care, the more there
are available the sooner the plants will become established.

If you have to buy plants select them personally in your
own neighborhood if possible. If they must be ordered
from a distance secure plants that have been transplanted
or are “‘re-rooted.”’ Celery for the summer planting is often
sown late in March or early in April in the open and grown
without transplanting; if these are thinned out and properly
cared for they will make handsome-looking plants, but each
will have formed one large tap-root, instead of the desired
thick mat of fibrous roots.

The ‘‘re-rooted”’ plants have had the main root cut, with
the result that a fibrous mat of roots, similar to that of a
transplanted plant, has been formed. This has, of course,
made an extra operation and such plants cost a little more.

Water Needed at Transplanting

Celery suffers more quickly from lack of water than most
other plants at all stages of development. Moreover, the
setting out is usually done at the driest season of the year.
At the time of transplanting it is often advisable, even when
it is not absolutely necessary, to use water.

Prepare the ground in advance for transplanting. The
rows may be from two to four feet apart, depending upon
the method to be used to blanch them and the variety.
Frequently celery plants are set out between rows of other
things that are still growing but will be out of the way before
the celery needs all the space. With some modern methods
of blanching, to be described later, the rows may be, if nec- |

PLATE 15.—A little home made house like this will be used almost every day
during the summer and autumn. See text for list of materials required. In
the lower photograph, a pergola extends from the house to the summer house

and is continued on to the garage. Covered with vines, it affords a passage
protected from sun and from ordinary rain storms.

PLATE 16.—The starting of pansies and other hardy perennials and biennials
for next season’s bloom is one of the important tasks to be attended to through
July and August. The cloth covered sash which can be held in place a few inches
above a cold frame makes an ideal place in which to start the seeds. Cool and
shaded but with plenty of air. (Lower) A box of pansy seedlings ready to be
transplanted to their winter quarters. The little plants have developed four or
five true leaves and a good bunch of roots. In starting plants of this it is im-
portant not to get the seeds too thick. The plants are allowed to make more
development before being transplanted than those started in spring under glass.

JUNE: FOURTH WEEK 161

essary, as close as eighteen inches. Or the plants may be
set eight to twelve inches apart each way, so that they will
crowd enough to grow upright and blanch themselves.
When space is very limited, this method may be used to
advantage; but the stalks of the individual plants do not
get so large, and, in order for this system to be successful,
the soil must be enriched to the limit and an abundance of
water applied every few days. Another method is to plant
in double rows, six inches apart, so two rows may be planted
together. This is advisable when blanching is to be done
by hilling with earth. With boards or individual blanchers
it is of little advantage, except that more plants can be
grown in a limited space. The plants are set about six
inches apart in the rows.

After the soil is ready, if water is to be used, open up a
shallow trench the length of each row with the wheel hoe
and turn in the water until it is well filled. If necessary fill
it several times, until the soil at the bottom is well saturated.
If this can be done in the morning conditions will be right
for planting in the late afternoon. If not enough water is
available to flood a trench in this way dig small holes with
the hoe or trowel where the plants are to be set and pour half
a pint or more of water into each.

Watering on the surface after setting the plants, unless
it can be done with an irrigating outfit that will soak the
ground thoroughly, is of little use.

Shading the plants from the hot sun, however, keeps them
from wilting. A wide board set on edge at an angle on the
sunny side of the row, and held in place by short stakes, is
a quick and effective method of supplying shade. When
only a few plants are set newspapers may be arched over
the rows and held in place with soil. If the weather remains
bright and hot the protection may be left on for several
days after planting; the plants will get enough light and air
without removal at night.

162 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

Trim the Roots

As the celery plants are received, or as they are lifted
from the seed bed or flat, the roots are too long and should
be well trimmed before setting. Do not be afraid of in-
juring the plants by this root pruning. Long roots that
can easily be bent or broken are either dead or so much
injured that they are of no use to the plants. The trimmed
roots are not only easier to handle, but they also induce the
formation of small side roots that help to establish the plants
quickly in their new quarters. Trimming back the top
saves work in planting and lessens the loss of water to the
plant through transpiration—so that the curtailed root
system is able to keep up with the demands of the plant,
and wilting is reduced.

In buying plants, strain as well as variety is important.
Celery seed, even of the same variety, differs greatly in its
ability to produce solid, meaty stalks. The hollow hearts,
which celery growers try to avoid, are usually the result of
inferior seed. As to varieties, White Plume gives the
earliest results and is the easiest to plant. It is not so large
nor so crisp and nutty in flavor as some of the later sorts.
Golden Self-Blanching is a universal favorite. It blanches
readily, though not so easily as White Plume. The stalks
are thicker and stockier. Winter Queen and Evans’ Tri-
umph, which are similar, are of medium size and form
thick, stocky stalks; they are more easily blanched and
handled than the old, tall-growing varieties. Emperor and
Easy Blanching both make thick and meaty stalks and will
undoubtedly become widely used, especially in private
gardens, as they become better known. If there is room
to grow but one variety Golden Self-Blanching will be found
satisfactory. If two can be used try White Plume or Golden
Self-Blanching for early use, and Winter Queen or one of the
other new sorts for fall and winter.

After planting, celery will require little care for several
weeks except to keep it thoroughly cultivated and growing

JUNE: FOURTH WEEK 163

rapidly, with one or two light dressings of nitrate of soda to
speed it up. As the plants get taller, a little earth should be
worked toward the rows with the horse hoe or wheel hoe.
Then the important work of blanching begins.

The first step is to maintain the plants in an upright posi-
tion of growth. This can be done by working the earth
round the plants with one hand while holding the stalks
together with the other. No attempt is made in this opera-
tion to cover the stalks; the purpose is merely to keep the
outside leaves from spreading out flat, as they would do if
left to themselves, so that when the blanching is undertaken
it will be easier, and the bunches of stalks, being compact,
will keep the soil from getting into the heart of the plants.

Blanching for Early Use

In the home garden, up to the time of storing celery for
winter only a few plants will be wanted at a time, and the
easiest and best method of blanching is by using a metal
collar with paper bands made for the purpose. The metal
collar is clamped about the plant, holding the stalks to-
gether, the paper tube is slipped over it, and the metal
piece is drawn out, leaving the plant neatly held in a tight
paper casing. A dozen or two stalks can be quickly blanched
at a time by this method. The paper tubes, which cost
about a cent and a half apiece, will last, with care, for sev-
eral seasons. Short pieces of drain tile may be used in the
same way, but they are much harder to put on, clumsy to
store and will not give so satisfactory results.

For blanching with earth, which seems to give a little
more crispness and flavor than any of the other methods,
the soil should be thoroughly loosened up between the rows
and worked up to the plants as high as possible with the
cultivator or hoe. Then it must be drawn up or banked up
with the spade so that the stalks are covered clear to the
top leaves, excluding all light. This should be done only
when the plants are dry, though the soil banks much better
when it is fairly moist. Only that part of the crop which is

164 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

wanted for the late fall or early winter use should be hilled
up or blanched in this way. That designed for winter use
should be left growing in the green state, to be trenched or
stored in the cellar or frame or root pit after the other garden
vegetables are harvested.

Celery in the home garden is generally quite free from
insects and diseases. The celery caterpillar and rust or
blight are the only things likely to give trouble. The former
is a conspicuous caterpillar, two or three inches long and
similar in appearance to the caterpillar which feeds upon
carrots. Usually these do not appear in large numbers and
hand picking is the easiest way to get rid of them. For
protection from rust or blight, the plants should be sprayed
before the disease appears. Bordeaux will do, but will
disfigure the foliage to some extent, so ammoniacal copper
carbonate solution is preferable. Spray every ten days or
so. Avoid working round or handling the plants while the
foliage is wet.

July: First Week

MIDSUMMER WORK IN THE VEGETABLE GAR-
DEN: SAVING THE SOIL MOISTURE; EGG-—
PLANTS AND PEPPERS; THE VINE CROPS,
TRANSPLANTING IN DRY WEATHER; LATE
PLANTING

Scores of gardeners who started out enthusiastically in
spring begin to let up a little when hot weather comes in
June, and practically abandon the garden to its fate after
the Fourth, sacrificing a large part of the work already
done.

The root crops for late summer and for winter should be
top dressed now with nitrate of soda. This is particularly
valuable in dry weather, when nitrogen in the form gen-
erally existing in the soil is largely inert because there is
not enough moisture to make it available.

One of the most important factors in securing good root
crops is to thin out sufficiently and to do it early. Two to
three inches apart is right for carrots, onions and salsify,
three to four inches for beets, parsnips and the smaller
varieties of turnips; and four to six inches for large turnips
and rutabagas.

The various hot-weather plants will need attention now—
tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, muskmelons, watermelons,
pole beans, lima beans and late sweet corn. All these,
with the exception of dwarf limas, are usually grown in
hills, and it is a temptation to cultivate and weed just
round the hills and to let the spaces between go until the
plants get considerably larger. :

This is a great mistake. An efficient way of managing
these crops in the home garden is to use the rake attach-
ment on the wheel hoe and an ordinary iron rake between

165

166 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

the hills. An hour’s work with this combination before
the weeds start, and once a week thereafter, will take care
of a surprisingly large number of hills. If, however, the
weeds are allowed to establish themselves, as they do very
quickly at this time of the year, the rake teeth will not
destroy them and the hand hoe must be used.

Supports for Tomatoes

When only a dozen or two plants are grown, staking and
pruning of tomatoes are always advisable. Plants thus
cared for occupy less room, produce earlier and more first-
quality table fruit, even if not a greater total amount, the
fruit ripens earlier, and is much less subject to the attacks
of rot or other disease.

Drive in stakes five or six feet long soon after the plants
are set out and tie the vines before they have made growth
enough to lop over. Some gardeners prefer pruning to
single stems, but usually more and practically as good and
as early fruit can be had by allowing one or two of the
suckers or side shoots on the plants to grow.

When the plants are set out in one or two long rows a
convenient and easy method of supporting them is to put in
a few stout stakes, and stretch two pieces of wire on these,
one six inches or so above the ground and another four feet
above the first.

Twine is strung between the wires, and upon this the
vines are trained. Barrel hoops, supported by two or three
stakes, also make a good support, particularly if the vines
are not to be carefully pruned.

Look out for the large horn or tomato worm, which if
left unmolested will do a great deal of harm in a few days.
He is a chewer and arsenate of lead will get him, but the
quickest and best way is hand picking. Keep the plants
well supported and thinned, removing surplus foliage to
admit sunshine and air, thinning fruits that touch, and
spraying with Bordeaux; this will prevent rotting.

For a supply of tomatoes for canning and preserving and

JULY: FIRST WEEK 167

an after-frost supply to be kept in the cold-frame or cellar,
late plants should be set out. One way of obtaining a crop
of these is to root a batch of cuttings now. Side shoots
that are removed and placed in a box of sandy soil in the
shade and kept watered will root in a few days, and these
-made-to-order plants may be brought to full bearing before
frost.

Eggplant should be given a dressing of nitrate of soda
at the first hoeing, and a dressing of liquid manure or a
complete fertilizer at the second. An abundance of mois-
ture is necessary, and if irrigation is not available a good
plan is to mulch the rows with short strawy manure, rotted
leaves or old short straw.

Don’t Leave Vine Plants to Strangle Each Other

The various vine crops are treated in much the same
way. Probably the most common mistake is in leaving
too many vines in a hill. The gardener who has succeeded
in getting a stand of six or eight good plants feels that
he has done his duty when he pulls out all but four or
five. Reduce this number to two as soon as they begin to
crowd. Use tobacco dust as a preventive of striped cucum-
ber beetle. Spray with Bordeaux mixture or dust with
an arsenate-sulphur compound to keep all the new growth
covered. For the large black stink-bug use kerosene emul-
sion. Watch squash and pumpkin vines for the borer.
When the tips of the vines and the leaves wilt on a hot
day search carefully at the base of the vines for him. He
can usually be located inside the stem within the first few
joints from the soil. A slit in it with a sharp knife blade
will permit you to take him out. The wound, if covered
with soil, will quickly heal.

At the time of the second hoeing, work in a light dressing
of nitrate of soda. When the vines reach across the rows
the ends may be pinched out, which tends to develop the
side shoots upon which the fruits are usually borne.

168 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

Holding the Soil Moisture in Summer

The summer inattention of the gardener is often due to
ignorance as well as to shiftlessness. I have had old farmers
remonstrate with me that I would injure my onions and
other rowed crops by going through them so much with a
wheel hoe, and thus drying up the surface. But in these
days, anyone entitled to the name of gardener knows—or
has little excuse for not knowing—that it is only by keeping
the surface dry and finely pulverized that the moisture
below the surface can be conserved. A simple illustration
will serve to prove the physical principle involved in this
fact. Take a strip of blotting paper, dip one end in water
and see how the moisture soaks up through it to the top.
Next take a similar piece, cut it in two, press the ends
firmly together, and dip the lower part in water. The
water refuses to cross the line, infinitesimal as the separa-
tion is, because the “capillary tubes” through which it rises,
have been severed. In the same way, frequent cultivation
of the surface of the soil, severs the capillary tubes through
which moisture rises from the lower levels of the soil to the
surface, and is there evaporated at an astonishingly rapid
rate by wind and sun. Simple as this rule is, refusal to take
advantage of it every year costs hundreds of gardeners a
good many dollars each, both in actual income and possible
saving, for it is as true of the garden patch as of broad
acres of potatoes or corn.

One of the most important things to attend to, then, in
summer work in the garden, is frequent shallow cultivation.
It need not, and for most crops should not, be over two
inches deep. The most efficient and rapid tool to use for
this work in the garden, is the double-wheel hoe, until crops
get too large to be straddled. After that it can be changed
to a single-wheel hoe, and the leaf guards put on. It is
advisable to use alternately the flat hoes and the cultivator
teeth (the improved forms of the latter cut deeper in the
middle of the row than they do near the plants). This
prevents the formation of a hard crust just below the dirt

JULY: FIRST WEEK | 169

mulch, a condition which is apt to be the result in very dry
weather, if the flat hoes alone are used.

Keep Down Late Weeds

Care should also be taken, of course, to keep down all
weeds. Not only do they strangle the growth of legitimate
plants, but they rob the soil of food and much needed
moisture. Remove weeds while they are small. ‘The work
of pulling them up will be a great deal less. Often it takes
from three to four times as long to weed a row out clean,
where the weeds have been allowed to grow up as tall as
plants, as it would have taken when they were first large
enough to be pulled out.

The summer conservation policies above outlined—keep-
ing the soil free from weeds and frequently cultivated—
are necessary to carry through to successful maturity such
spring crops as onions, parsnips, oyster plants, beets, car-
rots, etc.; and the later planting of pole beans, squash,
melons, etc. The majority of these can be successfully
stored, and, if the work is properly done, it is remarkable
how well their quality can be preserved.

Summer Transplanting for Winter Crops

In addition to these crops, however, there are a number
of others which may be planted quite late, and still mature,
making real fall crops which may be used to fill up the space
in the garden occupied before by early cabbage, lettuce,
radishes, peas, green onions, early potatoes, or anything
else that is out of the way by the end of July. It is not only
a waste of space but usually a source of much weed trouble
for the coming year to let such spots remain idle for half
a season.

Among the first of such crops to be put in are the late
cabbages for storing over winter. For this purpose, I
prefer the Danish Ballhead type which can be planted
closer than such sorts as the Autumn King, will head more
surely, quickly and solidly, and is easier to keep. The

170 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

earlier in July these can be set out the better,—use plants
from the seed that was planted the last part of May or
early in June. In the same class are cauliflower, Brussels
sprouts and kale, which is used for greens and has the great
advantage of withstanding almost any degree of cold, so
that its crumpled leaves may be gathered for use from
under a blanket of snow. Brussels sprouts are altogether
too little used and appreciated. In quality they leave
nothing to be desired, being far superior to cabbage, they
withstand any amount of cold (I have gathered them from
stalks in the open in January), and the new sorts such as
Dalkeith and Danish Giant bear abundantly.

As the soil, at this time of the year, is frequently quite
dry, two things must be done, in setting out, to give the
plants a sure start. In the bottom of the hole in which
the plant is to be set, pour a half pint or more of water.
Secondly, set the plants deeply and firmly in the soil; after
setting out a row, go back over it with the balls of the feet,
press down with all your weight on either side of the stem;
there is no danger of packing the earth too hard.

Seeds to Sow for Fall and Winter

Of the seeds which may be planted at this late season,
the most important are turnips, beans, and early beets.
The early carrots would probably have time to mature,
but they are very small, and it is much better to plant
Danvers or Coreless in May or early June. Beets, however,
are much better if they do not grow too long and get too
large. The same is true of turnips, the most rapid growing
of root crops. Petrowski, a smooth, yellow, small sized
sort with a mild flavor is not so widely known as it should
be. Golden Ball is also largely used. Of the beets I like
Early Model, which makes a smooth, deep root, of fine
color and flavor. Detroit Dark Red is even finer, but takes
a little longer to mature. Ruta-bagas are generally used
for stock feeding, but small varieties are excellent for the
table: Breadstone is a high quality variety.

JULY: FIRST WEEK 171

All the above may be kept through the winter; besides
these there is ample time for early peas, lettuce and radishes
to mature and furnish a very acceptable variety for the table
during the several weeks of fall and winter. Gradus and
Early Morn, tall sorts, and Blue Bantam and Laxtonian are
all splendid quick growing peas. Grand Rapids for a
“curly sort” and Big Boston for a heading variety, I con-
sider the best of the lettuces for late plantings. Seeds
should be sown a little at a time until September, the last
plantings giving plants to transplant to the frames. Crim-
son Giant is an unsurpassed radish, very firm and mild.

The great secret in getting a “good stand” from seeds
planted during the hot dry weather, is to “firm” the seed
into the soil. Seed for these late sowings should be planted
deeper than in the spring; and when planted by hand the
seeds should be firmed into the bottom of the drill with the
back of a hoe, or the sole of the foot before covering it. The
necessity of having the soil thus pressed up firm and close
to the seed is twofold. It insures more moisture being ab-
sorbed by the seed to start germination, and it gives the
sprouting tap-root of the seed a congenial environment;
whereas, when it strikes out into a soil space filled with hot,
dry air, as is in the case in the germination of loosely planted
seeds, it is doomed at the start.

July: Second Week

STARTING PERENNIALS AND BIENNIALS FROM
SEED FOR NEXT YEAR’S GARDENS

A garden without hardy perennials is not complete.
When once established these plants require a minimum of
attention in proportion to the results they give. They are
reliable, being for the most part free from disease, and they
bloom year after year, meeting almost everything required
in the way of color, height, and so forth.

Two things that have operated against greater use of
perennials in American gardens are cost and lack of famil-
iarity. Individual plants need not be very expensive.
Many good varieties may be had for a quarter apiece, but
when one comes to get the several dozen required for a good
hardy border, or even for occasional use about the place, the
cost is considerable.

No gardener, however, need be deterred from the gen-
erous use of hardy perennials because of this fact. He can
grow his own. No matter how small his garden, he can pro-
duce dozens of good plants of some of the best types which,
if bought from the nursery, would cost from fifty to fifteen
cents each. And his only cash outlay will be a fraction of a
cent apiece for his plants. Five or ten cents buys enough
seed of most things to raise several dozen plants. Some new
varieties may cost twenty-five cents a packet, but plants
of these sorts cost fifty cents to two dollars each.

To be in prime condition to go through the winter and to
produce the best results for next summer’s garden plants
should be started now. Among the best are hardy aster,
bellis, campanula, Canterbury bells, hardy dianthus, del-
phinium, digitalis, hollyhock, peony, hardy phlox, hardy
poppy, sweet William, tritoma, hardy alyssum, anchusa,

172

JULY: SECOND WEEK 173

anemone, aquilegia, candytuft, chrysanthemum, gypsophila,
helenium, hardy hibiscus, myosotis, hardy lobelia, pansy,
viola or tufted pansy and wall flower.

Planting is not usually done until the latter part of July
or early August, but now is the time to get busy and make
out your order. If you don’t know just what to get look
round among gardens where these things are now in bloom
and decide upon the varieties that suit your taste. By the
time you have obtained your seeds and have your borders
ready it will be time to plant. There are usually more seeds
in each package than you will need, so an excellent plan
is to make your first sowing early, using about half the
seeds of each variety; then if anything goes wrong you
can make a second planting in time to get good plants
before cold weather.

Plant Seeds in Old Cold-Frame

At this time of the year there is one difficulty in getting a
good stand. There is heat enough and to spare, but mois-
ture is required. If your planting is done just after a soaking
rain germination will generally take place before the soil
has become dry again on the surface—but such a rain does
not always come when the gardener wants it. Furthermore,
a hard rain just after the little seedlings have germinated
will sometimes almost wholly ruin them. Therefore, al-
though the seedlings are best handled outdoors, a special
place should be made for them.

Give the soil a thorough saturation just before planting
and then maintain a mulch to conserve it until the little
seedlings are well started. The longer watering can be de-
layed after planting the better. It tends, even when care-
fully done, to crust or bake the soil on top and to knock
over the tiny seedlings.

The ideal place in which to prepare a bed is an old cold-
frame or hot-bed. Then by the time the seedlings are large
enough to transplant, other frames in which cucumbers or
tomatoes may now still be bearing will be empty. If you

174 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

have no frame available as good results may be had if a
little trouble is taken to prepare the seed bed properly. It
should be elevated four or five inches above the soil level,
to provide perfect drainage—an abundance of moisture is
essential to success, but too much will prove fatal. The
bed may be made easily by digging a narrow path round
it, but more protection will be given if you make a tem-
porary frame of boards six or eight inches wide sunk into
the ground far enough to hold and extending a few inches
above the surface like a low cold-frame. It is not necessary,
however, to have a slope to the front. The frame need not
be large—a three-by-six or a four-by-four frame will accom-
modate fifteen or twenty packets of seed.

Preparing the Seed Bed

The soil in this frame should be worked up and made as
fine and smooth as possible. It should then be topped off
with two or three inches of specially prepared soil. This
is necessary because ordinary garden soil dries out or forms
a crust on the surface that is bad for the very fine seeds to
be sown, some of them so small that they are merely pressed
into the soil instead of being covered.

Procure a quantity of leaf mold or very old, thoroughly
rotted manure, and mix with some friable garden soil or
with shavings from the under side of sod. If the soil is
heavy add a little sand. Work this all together and then
pass it through a coal sieve so that roots, lumps, small
stones, and so forth, will be removed and every particle of
soil will be finely pulverized. Spread this over the surface
of your bed and press it down lightly with a small piece of
board; then soak thoroughly with a fine spray.

When water ceases to soak in let it remain for twelve to
twenty-four hours to dry out slightly on the surface. Then
mark off little furrows three to six inches apart and just deep
enough to be visible. For the smaller seeds the mark is more
to get them in straight lines than to bury them. When only
a few seeds are to be sown deep flats may be used. They

JULY: SECOND WEEK 175

should be kept partly buried in the ground, or in a some-
what shady place until after germination; or a sheet of news-
paper, moistened, may be placed over the box during the
day and removed in the afternoon.

After sowing, the seeds should be covered lightly. Seeds
the size of pansy seeds or smaller may be pressed in with a
brick or with the edge of a board and then barely covered
with a light sprinkling of prepared soil. Larger seeds, such
as gaillardias and pinks, may be covered a quarter of an
inch.

Guard Against Damping Off

One of the things most likely to cause trouble with the
little seedlings, especially in warm, damp weather, is damp-
ing off. Asa preventive sprinkle flowers of sulphur over the
surface after the seeds are sown. Have a screen to put in
place over the seed bed or the frame. This may be covered
with cheesecloth, which lets a little light through, or with
ordinary building laths nailed an inch apart. The frame
should be supported well above the frame or bed to permit
free circulation of air. Sometimes sphagnum moss or some
other light mulch is laid over the surface of the soil after
planting to help keep it cool and moist; if this is done the
bed should be watched carefully daily and this mulching
removed when the seeds sprout. If left on even a day too
long it may result in tall, spindling plants.

As soon as the little seedlings are well up they should be
given another thorough watering with a fine spray, as the
soil will be getting dry and crusted again. Then cultivate
the surface lightly between the rows and as soon as the first
true leaves appear thin the seedlings out where they are too
thick—a dozen strong plants will give you much more sat-
isfaction than fifty poor ones. The insects that are likely
to cause trouble to the small seedlings may be guarded
against by sprinkling tobacco dust freely over the bed, and
by spraying occasionally with Bordeaux mixture.

In four to eight weeks after sowing the seedlings will be
ready to transplant. Most of them, with protection, will

176 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

stand the winter in the open; but the most convenient way
of carrying them over is to set them a few inches apart each
way in a cold-frame and transplant them again early in
spring. -

There will still be several weeks for the little plants to
grow after this first transplanting and the ground should be
well enriched. Use plenty of old manure, a little fine bone
and a very light sprinkling of nitrate of soda. As the frame
may be dust dry at this time of the year, the best way to get
it back into shape for planting is to open up ditches with the
hoe as near together as you can make them, and turn the
hose in, letting the ditches fill up several times. Then fork
the ground up and if necessary repeat this operation. Get
the ground thoroughly soaked so that conditions may be
just right to induce rapid root growth on the newly set
plants.

Pansies, and plants of similar growth, naturally make
stocky plants, and soon begin to crowd if not transplanted
as soon as they are large enough. Some things, however,
will grow up tall and spindling if left long in the seed bed;
to get good plants they should be transplanted as soon as
the third or fourth leaf shows.

July: Third Week

SUMMER WORK WITH STRAWBERRIES: CARE OF
THE SPRING PLANTED BED; REMAKING THE
OLD BED; POTTED PLANTS; STARTING THE
NEW BED; FALL BEARING STRAWBERRIES

The home garden should produce an abundance of straw-
berries. There is little danger of having too many, because
if the bed should happen to get ahead of the immediate
demand for the table the surplus may easily be saved for
winter. Rightly managed, a very small space will give an
ample supply for both purposes. Extra-fine quality should
be the aim in the home berry patch, and fortunately, with
this crop, the best quality and the biggest yield go together.

Berries can be grown in almost any soil, but there is con-
siderable difference in adaptation of varieties to different
kinds of soil. In making a new bed it is well to select
varieties that you know will thrive in soil similar to that
which you have. When plenty of water is available, how-
ever, not.so much attention need be paid to this. Though
the berries revel in an abundance of sunshine, and bear
early on a southern slope, the patch should not be located
in too sheltered and early a spot, or there will be more
likelihood of loss through late frost. Again, irrigation alters
the case, for it may be used for frost protection, and proper
handling of the winter mulch is also a safeguard.

Strawberries are one of the few things that do well on a
rather acid soil, so avoid ground that has been recently
limed. On the other hand, the ground can hardly be made
too rich. Manure or fertilizer or both should be used freely.
Only old, well-rotted manure should be selected, and if this
can be applied to a crop preceding the berries so much the
better. Of fertilizer, the basic formula, 4—-8-10, is the

177

178 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

best. It should be thoroughly worked into the soil before
planting, however, either broadcast or along the row. Fer-
tilizer used directly under the plants at the time of setting
is very likely to cause injury.

The system of growing most generally used is the matted
or solid row. The hill system has its advocates and its
advantages, but the suggestions herewith, unless the hill
system is mentioned, apply to the matted row. With this
system a new bed is generally made every second year,
or a smaller one, for the same total amount of space, every
year, so there will be first and second crop berries each
season.

Care of the New Berry Bed

Often the bed that has grown two or even three crops is
renewed in the same place. Sometimes the bed must be
kept in the same spot, and then this practice must be
followed. Generally it is less work to make a new bed.
The berry grower, then, finds himself at the end of each
fruiting season with one or all of several different jobs
demanding his attention: The care of the bed that has
just borne its first crop of fruit; the maintenance, if desired,
of the older bed; the establishing of a new one, and the care
of the fall or spring planted patch.

Care of the new bed which has borne for the first time
depends largely upon the condition in which it has been
left. If there are only a few weeds these can be puiled out
or cut off at or just below the surface. Generally, however,
the quickest and best way is to remove the mulch between
the rows, taking one row at a time; to give a thorough cul-
tivation, working in a top-dressing of fertilizer at the same
time, and then to replace the mulch.

Another advantage of thus removing the mulch is that
then the rows can the better be trimmed up to their bounds;
they should not be over fifteen to eighteen inches wide.
Runners, or plants that have rooted beyond these limits,
should be cut off; the tendency of almost all plants of all
varieties is to form too many new plants. If you want good

JULY: THIRD WEEK 179

fruit the second season this must be guarded against by
cutting out a good many of the runners and plants, even in
the row. The plants should be five or six inches apart in all
directions for the best results; closer than this, they crowd
each other for light and air and there is not enough plant
food to go round, resulting in a crop of undersized, unsatis-
factory berries.

Renewing an Old Berry Patch

When it is necessary or desirable to remake or to con-
tinue the old bed that has rooted two seasons or more,
drastic measures must be used. As soon as the last berries
are picked, cut the rows over close with a scythe or a sickle,
and rake with an iron rake; do not be afraid of giving
rough treatment, as it makes little difference how many
plants are pulled out. Burn the rakings to destroy any eggs
or disease spores.

Then go over each row, cutting out the oldest plants and
most of the new ones. Leave new, strong crowns eight
to twelve inches apart. A handy tool for this job is the
small combination hoe and-prong hoe, which has teeth
on one side and a narrow blade on the other. The blade
should be well sharpened, so it can be used to cut off run-
ners and to cut out plants, while the teeth come in handy
for raking them out after they are cut.

The result may be a pretty sick-looking, skimpy bed, but
-do not worry about that. Give a good top-dressing of a
complete fertilizer. This may be broadcast over the plants
if you give it a thorough watering afterward to wash
it off the leaves and down into the soil. A light top-
dressing of nitrate of soda should be given in addition
to the fertilizer.

Another method of renewing an old bed is to cultivate
the passages between the rows; rake them over carefully
and then root runners from either side. After these are
established cut them off, and pull out the old rows.

180 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

Where to Stari Ve New Bed

The making of a new bed of garden size is not a difficult
task. The plants, being set out in late July or August,
usually follow some earlier crop. For best results the ground
should be as thoroughly prepared as for spring planting.
If a horse is available thorough cultivation with narrow
teeth will be the best way of getting the ground into shape;
or the soil may be turned over with the hand-plow attach-
ment of the wheel hoe, or forked up. In any case, get it
fine and loose and mellow. Do not attempt to plant by
simply digging out holes in which the plants may be set
in hard-packed soil. The strawberry crop depends almost
entirely upon the development of the large, fleshy roots
made the previous season. Only by having the soil in the
best mechanical condition can best results be obtained.
Grass or sod ground should be avoided because of the prob-
ability of injury from white grubs, the larve of the June
beetle, which attack the newly set plants. Select, if pos-
sible, a patch in the garden that was well manured in spring
and has not been in sod for two or three years. Such a
soil with a top-dressing before planting of a high-grade
complete fertilizer—five pounds or so to each one hundred
square feet—will make a beginning from which an early
crop may confidently be expected.

The plants should have a clean bill of health; the most
frequent cause of injury from disease is planting from in-
fected plants. They should be young, vigorous and as
fresh as possible. The roots of plants received by mail
or express should be still in a fairly moist condition. If
they are very dry immerse them in water up to but not
over the crowns. If the stems have not been sufficiently
trimmed at the nursery this should be done before they are
soaked. The best plan is to puddle them in a thin clay-soil
mud, which will adhere evenly to the roots; removed from
the puddle and planted promptly, the soil will be brought
into intimate contact with the roots, favoring a quick
new start. The leaves, if large, should be trimmed back

PLATE 17.—Making potted strawberry plants. The pot filled with soil is
sunk level with the surface and the runner held in place with a clothes pin or
small stone. (Lower) In taking up rooted runners for setting out a new
strawberry bed, get all the roots and soil possible. Avoid diseased plants

with purplish discoloration of the leaves like that shown at the right of
picture.

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JULY: THIRD WEEK 181

and any that show the slightest trace of blight or leaf spots
should be removed; it is better if all such plants are im-
mediately discarded.

In setting the plants, three things should be kept in mind:
Set on a freshly prepared surface; get the plants in firmly;
cover them well up to but not over the crowns. If irrigation
is available get the soil fairly moist before planting, then
give a thorough watering after the plants are in.

Getting Plants for the New Bed

To root your own supply of plants, select only good
healthy vines, and work the ground into good condition,
just as the runners start, so they will have a congenial
place in which to establish themselves. The first or tip
plants from the runners and the first one or two runners
thrown out by the plant are usually the strongest and are
ready the earliest.

To get ideal plants—those which with proper care will
give a full crop of the largest berries the first spring after
planting—buy or root for yourself potted plants. These
cost more and are a little more trouble to get or to produce,
but they are worth the difference. Good potted plants of
the standard varieties cost about three cents apiece. To
produce them from the old bed all that is required is a
supply of small pots. The soil is made mellow, as for or-
dinary layer plants, the pots are filled with earth and sunk
to the rims, and the runners are held in place over them with
small stones, small twigs or clothes pins, so that they will
not be blown out of position.

“Matted Row” vs. “ Hill” System

In planting for the matted row, the rows are marked off
two or three feet apart and the plants are set from twelve
to eighteen inches apart in the rows. When new runners
start these are rooted between and to the sides of the original
plants until a solid mat some fifteen to eighteen inches

182 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

wide is established. The plants in the mat should not be
closer than five or six inches.

For the hill system of cultivation the plants should be
set twelve to fifteen inches apart each way in beds of two
to four rows, with eighteen or twenty-four inch paths be-
tween the beds. To achieve success with hill culture it is
necessary that all runners be cut off as soon as they appear
in the fall after planting. For this reason the plants should
be set out as soon as possible, preferably in July, and surely
not later than mid-August. In rich soil with plenty of
moisture and good cultivation the plant will have a solid
bushy crown nearly a foot across ready to produce a splendid
crop of fruit the following June.

Fall Fruiting Strawberries

In setting out new plants do not fail to include a few of
the fall-fruiting or ever-bearing varieties, which have
now been developed to a point where the fruit is of really
fine quality and of good size. Progressive and Superb are
the two best varieties of this type yet introduced. They are
quite distinct and it would be well to plant a few of each.
Plants set out now will fruit next June, but for a big fall
supply the blossoms should be picked off the first part of
the summer.

The mulch should not be applied until after the ground
freezes, but it is well to make provision for it early in the
fall. Clean marsh hay may be obtained in many localities,
and there is nothing better. It is free from weed seeds and
does not blow about so much as straw, nor pack down like
leaves or strawy manure. In northern sections three to
five inches of mulch is advisable. Even where it is not
necessary for winter and spring protection of the plants,
the mulch is of use the following season in keeping the ber-
ries clean and conserving the soil moisture.

July: Fourth Week

LINKING THE GARDEN TO THE HOUSE: SUMMER
HOUSES; PERGOLAS; TRELLISES; VINES TO
COVER THEM

Just as a home is more than a house, so the garden should
be more than beds of vegetables and flowers. It should
have individuality and character; should be a place that
seems inviting, in which provision is made for resting as
well as for work.

Some of the things that give a garden attractiveness of
this kind are arbors, pergolas, summer houses, garden seats,
sundials, and so on. Many kinds of garden furniture may
be bought, but there is almost always more satisfaction in
making the things yourself.

The pergola may be as simple or as elaborate as you wish.
It should, of course, be in keeping with the architectural
style of the house. Though primarily made for beauty,
it has a utilitarian purpose in furnishing shade or serving
as a support for a grapevine or rose bush. The lumber
may be bought ready sawed or planed, or even unsawed
posts may be used. |

A home-made pergola of round unsawed chestnut, most
of the material for which was supplied by the home wood
lot, is shown in illustration Plate 15. This pergola ex-
tended from the house to the barn, and a small summer
house was built into it halfway, making a delightful rest
room for hot summer days. In many places a pergola
over the path from the house to the garage or tool shed,
with an open summer house like this, would be a constant
pleasure throughout the summer.

The posts in this instance are set five by eight feet. The
posts are eight feet long and are somewhat smaller than

183

184 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

ordinary fence posts. Cedar posts would be even more
attractive. The costs of posts would probably vary from
ten to twenty-five cents each. With the uprights set eight
feet apart, the crosspieces on top may be placed either

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twenty-four or thirty-two inches apart. These should be
seven feet long. The stringers upon which the crosspieces
rest should be eight feet long and should be slightly notched
to hold the crosspieces. An auger post-hole digger is gener-
ally the most convenient tool with which to set the posts.

A Gas-Pipe Pergola

An excellent support for a grapevine and one that will
last practically forever can be made of secondhand gas
pipe instead of wood. Clamp fittings will save threading the

JULY: FOURTH WEEK 185

pipe. The uprights should be an inch and a half, the string-
ers an inch and a quarter and the crosspieces one-inch
pipe; although a size smaller in each case would stand up
for all ordinary purposes. The uprights should be sup-
ported on flat stones or bricks, or set in concrete. Second-
hand gas or water pipe can often be bought very cheap.
The fittings may be obtained from a greenhouse-supply
company, and the only tools necessary to set up the per-
gola, if the pipe has been cut the proper lengths, will be a
couple of monkey wrenches. If a support for grapes or
roses is wanted a pergola of this kind will be found neat,
cheap, durable and strong.

A Simple Inexpensive Summer House

Desirable as a pergola is, a small summer house will
probably give more satisfaction and comfort for the money.
A simple form of such a house is shown in
illustration Plate 15. The floor is of SUMMER HOUSE
planed boards, matched, supported on two-
by-four-inch stringers; the roof is of rough
square-edged boards, covered with a good
grade of roofing paper. If preferred,
shingles may be used.

The roof in this case is supported by
round unsawed posts of chestnut, although
cedar or cypress could be substituted to
advantage. The posts are set firmly into
the ground six feet apart in a twelve-
foot circle.

Six two-by-four-inch stringers to sup-
port the floor are spaced two feet apart
and the flooring is run at right angles to
them. Six two-by-four-inch stringers sup-
port the roof, which pitches three feet from center to
eaves. To make the roof sufficiently stiff furring strips
of one-by-two-inch stuff are put between the rafters.

On one side two uprights form a door frame. Slabs are

FLOOR PLAN

186 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

run round part way up to stiffen the screen cloth or netting.
The cost of the material, not including the screen cloth, is
about as follows:

6 posts. . ANH Sn
200 feet 2 by 4’s. . ge eS eee 5 er
250 feet board. . Pe ckee ul ieee lke ea er
pebigech fartiites, \ n)s207.7 uo due ee I.00
2icolls:noofing paper. .204i. kets es. |
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Total. . : $15.00

Another form of small summer - house, costing only part
of the above, can be made by erecting the framework of
the house described and using hardy vines or rapid-growing
annuals to cover it. The outlay in this case would be very
small.

Protect the Trellis from Rot

Trellises are made in all shapes and sizes. Small ones
of iron and galvanized wire will outlast a dozen wooden
ones, but in many cases, wooden trellises are still desir-
able both because of cheapness and because they can be
made of the exact size and shape desired. The two mistakes
generally made in building trellises are leaving them un-
protected where they enter the ground and building them
too close to the house.

If the woodwork is protected where it enters the ground
and an occasional coat of paint is given, a trellis will last
indefinitely. The best and most permanent footing can be
made of a few short pieces of angle iron, with holes at one
end, bolted to the wooden uprights. These may be driven
into the ground or set in concrete. They should extend a
foot or so above ground, so the wood will be well above
any grass or mulching that might collect moisture and cause
rotting.

If this is too much trouble at least reénforce the base
by driving down extra pieces, or by nailing or bolting the

JULY: FOURTH WEEK 187

trellis to an extra-heavy foot piece, and giving the whole
base, before it is put into the ground, a coating of wood
preservative or heavy tar paint.

Vines for Pergolas and Trellises; Sundials

The grapevine is not half appreciated for use on trellises
about the porch; its big leaves furnish summer-long shade
and in addition there
is fruit in the fall. Two
by seven-eighths-inch
furring, which may be
bought in bundles of
fifty feet at any build-
er’s makes ideal mater- ‘g
ialfortrelliswork. The geirorcen tRELts FOOTING ANGLE:IRON FOOTING
main supports should catia
be made of heavier
stuff, measuring at
least two by twoinches
or two by three inches.

eae
ple form of con-
struction is shown in ; eee ee
the accompanying cut. eS eS ae:
Much of the success ee re ee
to be had with vines, eM ee
climbing roses, and so | | |
forth, used to cover
pergolas, arbors, trel-
lises, summer houses,
and the like, will depend upon the preparation of the soil in
which the things are planted. Frequently the soil has not
been used for garden purposes and is very poor. When you
are building it will take very little more time to dig
out and properly prepare a bed for planting. Dig out to
a depth of a foot and a half, saving the good soil to
-use again and discarding the subsoil and litter. Fill in
with good earth well enriched with manure and coarse

VERANDA TRELUS

188 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

ground or knuckle bone. If the soil is heavy or the sub-
soil is hard a layer of gravel, coal ashes, old plaster or
similar things should be placed at the bottom for drainage.

A sun dial almost always adds to the attractiveness of
the formal or semiformal garden. But it should not be
left to stick up by itself. If the pedestal is tall some half-
climbing plant may be trained about it. Baby-rambler
roses are especially attractive for use about the sun dial,
as they bloom continuously and are very hardy.

Unless the garden is formal, a field bowlder of suitable
shape and size, nicely weathered, and if possible put in
position without disturbing the lichens, will make a much
more suitable support for the sun dial than will a formal
pedestal.

July: Fifth Week

CROPS THAT MAKE THE GARDEN RICH: “GREEN
MANURING;” “SOIL BINDERS” FOR WINTER
COVER; INOCULATING TO INSURE SUCCESS

The gardener who can buy, at a reasonable price, all the
stable manure he needs, is the exception. Most gardeners
these days are compelled to rely upon commercial fertil-
izers to enrich their gardens. It frequently happens that
these are found to give good results for two or three years,
only to be followed by decreasing yields and soil that
packs hard or cakes. The reason is that when you turn
under a good coating of manure in your garden, you add
not only the various plant foods—nitrogen, phosphoric
acid and potash—but also a large amount of decayed or
decaying vegetable matter, or humus, and millions of tiny
garden helpers in the form of friendly bacteria which at-
tack the inert stores of plant food in the soil, making them
available for use.

Some of these microscopic bugs have a special faculty of
absorbing nitrogen from the air, making it available for
the crop upon whose roots they house, and for other crops
that may follow. The nitrogen-fixing bacteria live upon
the roots of the legumes—peas, beans, vetches and clovers.

A large number of crops may be utilized to make the
ground richer. As fast as a strip of ground is cleared, even
if it is but a single row, it should be sown to a cover crop
to be spaded under next spring. Besides adding humus and
making conditions favorable to the development of bac-
teria, there are several advantages in having a growing crop
on the ground throughout the winter. Such a crop forages
the lower layers of the soil for food that most of the vege-
table plants cannot reach, and brings it to the surface; it

189

190 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

captures remnants of plant food that would leach away
during the winter, and holds them in storage until they are
required again next summer. Whenever possible one of the
legume crops should be given preference. Which is best
for a particular job will depend upon conditions. If the
ground is not to be utilized again until the spring, one of the
hardy kinds, which will continue growth until after the
ground is frozen hard and will begin again before it is thor-
oughly thawed, should be selected.

Crops for Green Manuring

If the ground is to be planted or trenched again this fall, -
there is still time to grow a heavy covering of beans, soy
beans, cowpeas or field peas. The last named are the hard-
iest and will stand light freezing. If you have a horse or a
cow any of these may be fed green or cured for hay, while
the stubble and the roots improve the mechanical condition
of the soil and add humus and nitrogen.

Rye and vetch sown after early potatoes or sweet corn,
or some other crop harvested by early autumn, can be
allowed to mature enough to make hay the following spring,
before the later vegetables, such as tomatoes, melons and
cucumbers, need to be planted.

Field peas are quite similar to the ordinary, climbing
garden peas. When they are to be allowed to get their
full growth oats or rye should be sown with them to furnish
a support. There are several varieties: Canada peas are
the hardiest; the marrowfats are of more luxuriant growth.
A peck will plant a piece fifty by fifty feet, if they are to be
spaded under. To mature, fewer would be required.

Cowpeas are more like beans than peas. New Era is a
rapid-growing variety; a peck will be sufficient for a plot
fifty by a hundred feet. Soy beans somewhat resemble
garden beans, but grow very much larger. A good method
of utilizing these is to have a supply on hand, and interplant
them with other crops that will mature within two or three
weeks. Planted in this way, between the rows of sweet

JULY: FIFTH WEEK IQ!

corn, early potatoes, lettuce, radishes, and so forth, the

beans will have the ground well covered soon after the

other crops are off, with a valuable supply of humus-forming

material to be turned under just before killing frosts. They

mature in about a hundred days, but for spading under

aed may be sown now. Plant as you would ordinary dwarf
eans.

Two other late-summer catch crops of value on the home
acre are dwarf Essex rape and buckwheat. Rape is one of
the quickest-growing of all catch crops, and when a supply
of green feed can be utilized late in the summer by a cow, a
pig, a horse or even chickens, a supply of seed should be
kept on hand and sown in any vacant rows or between rows
of nearly matured vegetables. The seed costs only twelve
to fifteen cents a pound and two or three pounds will be
ample for use in this way. Under favorable conditions the
crop will be big enough to use within six to eight weeks
after sowing.

If bees are kept, or there are chickens to be fed, a small
patch of buckwheat should be put in. For the bees a few
rows through the garden will answer. For mature grain
it should be sown at once; for a winter mulch, sown with
crimson clover, or for spading under this fall, it may be
sown at any time during the next two or three weeks.

“Soil Binders” for Winter Cover

If your soil is likely to wash or to blow, any parts of the
garden that are growing late crops should be planted as
soon as they are cleared this fall with crimson clover, vetch
and rye, or rye alone. In latitudes north of New York the
clover is liable to winter-kill, although this can be guarded
against to some extent by sowing buckwheat with it. A
pound of seed, costing about fifteen cents, will be plenty for
a fifty-by-fifty-foot patch. It will be ready to cut green
for the family cow or to spade under early in May. If
crimson clover may be killed, vetch should be used. Either
one may be sown for three or four weeks yet, but the earlier

192 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

the better, particularly in the case of the clover, as the roots
are better protected if it has a chance to make considera-
ble growth before hard freezing. For a fifty-by-fifty-foot
patch about four pounds of vetch seed will be required,
with about half that amount of rye or wheat.

The vetch may be sown as late as early October, but to
be ready to fork under early in spring it should be put in in
August or early September. A good way is to sow it with
the seed drill between the rows of maturing vegetables.
Rye will make a good start and come safely through even
severe winters when sown after the last hardy vegetables
have been taken up in late October or November. Use
a peck or so of seed for a fifty-by-fifty-foot space.

At that time of the year there is likely to be continuous
dry weather. Sow in ground that has been specially dug
or cultivated. Get the seed well firmed in; roll with as
heavy a roller as possible when the seed is sown broadcast.
It is of importance, too, to have strong, fresh seed. If you
buy locally get seed with a name behind it.

Assure Success by Inoculation

Success with the various legumes cannot be made certain,
even when good seed is used and conditions are favorable,
unless the bacteria that live upon the particular kind of
plants to be sown are present in the soil.

When a crop of the same kind has been grown on your
piece of ground, even if a number of years before, the soil
will usually be found all right in this respect. But when a
new thing is to be used artificial inoculation may be em-
ployed, at very little cost, to make success more sure. Soil
in which plants of the same kind have been grown will
answer the purpose. It should be freshly dug, kept from
the sunlight, applied on a cloudy day or late in the after-
noon, and immediately harrowed or raked in; otherwise,
the bacteria may be killed in the operation. A peck or
two will make an ample dressing for a fifty-by-fifty-foot
plot.

JULY: FIFTH WEEK 193

Inoculation with artificial cultures has now come into
general use. Like many other of the newer methods, you
will find that it is very simple.

The bacteria are kept and transported in a “‘medium”’ or
jelly, which must be diluted according to direction and
spread over the seeds, which are then thoroughly mixed
so that each one receives a thin coating of the solution. The
bacteria, which live and work upon the roots, are ready to
take up their abode immediately the plant germinates.
Prepared “‘humus” is now used as a “‘container” for these
bacteria, and will keep longer than the jelly mediums.

Usually where one kind of clover has been grown others
can be started without any trouble. But when you plant
things which you have not grown in your garden before,
such as winter vetch, soy beans, cowpeas or alfalfa, or for
garden peas and beans, if you do not seem to have success
with them, get asmall bottle of the bacteria and inoculate
your seed before planting.

As in the case of the bacteria in the soil, those in the ar-
tificial culture are very quickly injured by exposure to the
bright sunshine or to any drying wind. The seed should not
be treated until you are all ready to plant.

August: First Week

GETTING HOUSE PLANTS READY FOR WINTER
BLOOM: NEW PLANTS FROM SEEDS AND
CUTTINGS; SUMMER CARE OF POTTED
PLANTS; PLANTS FROM THE GARDEN FOR
WINTER FLOWERING; MAKING NEW RUB-
BER PLANTS

The success of next winter’s window garden depends to a
very great extent upon what you do with your plants now.
Any plant that is to be forced, or grown under unnatural
conditions, must be carefully prepared for the extra tax
put upon it.

Several classes of plants are available for winter use.
There are the regular house plants, which are carried over
from year to year and are kept solely for this purpose; there
are new plants, obtained now and put into shape for the
winter’s work; and there are some outdoor garden plants
that are suitable for continued use indoors when their
duties in the open flower beds are over. In addition, when
one has a small greenhouse or hot-bed available for spring
use, a few of some of the bedding plants may be kept over
for stock plants, from which to obtain cuttings early next
spring.

It is not difficult to obtain all the plants for which there is
likely to be room in the house, and to have them in the best
of shape, if the work is taken in hand now. Usually this
work is left until the last minute, when choice is limited, and
most of the plants wanted are lost through a too sudden
change from outdoor to indoor conditions. Plants for use
this winter may be propagated now from cuttings or seeds
and will make thrifty young plants that will give ideal
results; small plants may be bought now from the florist at a

194

PLATE 19.—Modern methods of blanching celery in the home garden greatly
simplify the work of growing it. Late celery for use until Christmas or so,
can be stored and blanched as in the lower photograph.

PLATE 20.—Saving a summer plant for winter bloom. Cut carefully
about the ball of roots before lifting it; and then prune the top back severely,
as in the lower picture, before potting it.

AUGUST: FIRST WEEK 195

fraction of the price that will have to be paid a few months
hence; or some of the plants that were set out in the garden
last spring may be taken up and potted now.

Of these several methods the most difficult is to take up
plants from the garden and make pot plants of them. Yet
this method has several advantages. The plants cost noth-
ing, you may select those of good shape, health and strength,
and in any particular color and variety. With plants
grown from mixed seed these last points are important.

“Potting up” from the Garden

To be sure of saving the plant and to give it the least set-
back in transplanting, the process should cover two or three
weeks. With a sharp trowel or a long-bladed knife cut a
half or a third round the plant, with the blade slanted in
toward the root; the circle formed in this preliminary root
pruning should be a little smaller than the inside circum-
ference of the pot to which the plant is to be transferred—
usually a four, five or six inch one. At the same time re-
move any buds or blossoms there may be, and cut back the
plant quite severely, removing some of the oldest growth.
Later make another cut round the plant. After two or three
operations take out the plant carefully, cutting off clean all
the long roots underneath. Give a thorough soaking some
hours before “‘lifting”’ the plant, if the soil is dry. Then
pot up carefully and keep in partial shade, under a tree or
on the veranda, for a week or so. Cutting the roots in ad-
vance of potting gives the plant a chance to recover from
the shock and also to form the feeding new roots that must
be produced before it can establish itself in the pot.

Old plants that are kept from year to year should receive
treatment according to their kind. Those that flower in
winter should be rested during the first part of the summer,
but started into more active growth about this time so they
will be in the pink of condition for the beginning of the
winter season. They may be cut back quite severely, leav-
ing a framework of strong wood upon which the new growth

196 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

of foliage and flowers is to be produced. Unless they were
repotted in the spring they should be shifted now, and
usually it is best to use a pot only one size larger.

Summer Care of Potted Plants

During hot weather the plants will thrive better if the
pots are sunk up to the rims in the ground under a tree or
where they will be in the shade at midday. Two-thirds of
the work of watering may be saved in this way, and the
soil kept more evenly moist. To prevent the plants’ rooting
through into the soil below, a small cork or wooden plug may
be put into the drainage hole in the bottom of the pot,
leaving just enough of an opening so that all surplus water
can drain out.

A cone-shaped plunger, five or six inches across the top
and tapering to a sharp point, with a handle attached,
should be used to make the holes in which the pots are
placed. This will save a great deal of work, will make a
hole of any diameter, and will leave a small air space di-
rectly under each pot, preventing soil worms from working
up into the pot and providing better drainage and free
access of air to the roots. The pots should be turned occa-
sionally to prevent the plants from getting one-sided and
to break off any roots that may have grown down into the
soll.

New Plants from Seeds and Cuttings

Plants from seeds or from cuttings started now will be
large enough for three or four inch pots and will be in prime
condition by winter. To start the seeds, prepare a small
bed either in a partly shaded place or where a temporary
screen of some sort may be made. Water copiously before
planting, and cover the seeds lightly. As soon as the seeds
are well up and in the third or fourth leaf transplant to flats
or small, individual pots.

The soil for the pots must be so rich as to carry several
months’ food supply in a very limited space, porous enough

AUGUST: FIRST WEEK 197

so that water will drain through it readily, and well sup-
plied with lime so it will not sour. Make a compost of about
equal parts of friable garden loam or sod shavings and
thoroughly decomposed manure. Old manure from the
hot-beds, or emptyings from flats, is best. If the soil is very
heavy, mix with it alittle sand. A good dressing of wood
ashes, which contain enough lime to keep the mixture thor-
oughly sweet, should be added, and also some bone dust.
Two or three quarts of wood ashes and a pint or so of ground
bone may be added to each bushel of the compost. This
soil should be kept in a shed or in a barrel and soaked occa-
sionally to keep it at an even degree of moisture.

Cuttings may be rooted readily at this time of the year,
but care must be taken that they do not dry out. A con-
venient method is to mix half a bushel or a bushel of sand in
a few square feet of the seed bed and to place the cuttings
in this, keeping them shaded lightly overhead all the time,
but with a free access for air. Trim the cuttings back well,
as loss of water through transpiration is very great at this
time of the year.

In starting a few dozen plants the saucer system is the
most convenient: Take a shallow, water-tight dish and put
in three inches of clean sand. Add water until it comes
barely to the surface of the sand. Insert the cuttings in this.
The sand must be kept thoroughly saturated, which will
mean adding water every day in hot or windy weather.

Making New Rubber Plants

Rubber plants that have become too tall or have become
leafless at the bottoms of the stalks may be made over by
what is termed Chinese layering, or rooting in the air:
Select a point in the stem several inches below the lowest
leaves, or wherever the remaining upper portion of the stalk
will make a shapely plant, and with a sharp knife make a
slanting cut two-thirds through. Place in this cut a little
live sphagnum moss, which can be gathered in most swampy
places, or obtained from any local florist. Bind on with soft

198 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

twine or cloth strips a small piece of shingle or something
similar, to hold the stem in its original position; otherwise
it is likely to get knocked or blown over.

After a few days take out the moss, wash the wound care-
fully to remove as much as possible of the congealed milky
sap, insert fresh moss, and then tie about it, extending
several inches above and below, a ball of moss which will be
several inches in diameter when finished. Old strips of
sheeting an inch and a half in width are convenient for this
purpose. This ball should be kept moist at all times, but
do not use very cold water.

New roots will have formed in a few weeks. Then the
moss should be carefully removed enough to finish the cut.
Pot up the plant, using soil that is thoroughly moist but not
wet. Keep in the shade and syringe daily for a few days,
but do not water the soil again until it begins to get dry.

Another method is to saw a pot in two lengthwise, put
some soil in it and clamp the two halves over the moss
round the wound, letting roots go through into the soil so
that the new plant is well established in the pot before the
stem is completely severed. The old stem should be cut
back to within a few inches of the ground, which will in-
duce it to throw out side branches to form a spreading,
bush-shaped plant, or material for new plants.

Mid-summer Potting

The work of potting may be greatly facilitated by having
a low bench or table in a shady place. This bench should
be three feet wide, waist high and long enough to accommo-
date several flats on each end, the middle being occupied by
soil for potting, pots, and so forth. _New pots should be
soaked for half a day or so before using. Old pots should be
thoroughly cleansed; let them soak for a day, then scrub
with a cheap bristle brush and a supply of clean, gritty
sand.

House plants that have been kept for a number of years
may be given a new lease of life by taking them out of the

AUGUST: FIRST WEEK 199

pots, carefully soaking all the soil from about the roots, and
repotting in fresh, new soil in pots of the same size. They
should be quite severely cut back at the same time.

Overwatering at the time of transplanting, even in hot
weather, should be avoided. Until the new root system is
well established the amount of water that the plant can take
up is greatly limited. Sprinkling the tops, on the other
hand, reduces the tax put upon the roots during this time.

Frequent syringing with clear, cold water, using as much
force as possible, is one of the most important points in
keeping the plants in a fresh, healthy, disease and insect
free condition during the summer. Sharp watch should be
kept for insect enemies, and tobacco dust or kerosene emul-
sion used at the first appearance.

August: Second Week

MAKING A NEW LAWN; REMAKING AN OLD ONE;
PEONIES TO PLANT NOW

The lawn is the most conspicuous and permanent feature
of the place. To avoid future trouble and expense, it should
be well made at the beginning. Where the summers are hot
and dry the best time to make new lawns or to remake old
ones is in August or September, so that the newly started
grass will have the benefit of fall rains, and yet have time
to become well established before winter. When spring-
sown lawns have not been wholly successful they should
be tuned up early in the autumn, so they will go into winter
in good condition.

In making a new lawn both the particular conditions that
exist in each case, and the probable expense, should be care-
fully considered. Any set of directions followed blindly
may get one into serious trouble, for varieties of grass and
methods of soil preparation that are all right for one place
or climate may be all wrong for others. Immediate results
are often possible only at considerable cash outlay, espe-
cially if the lawn is large. A gradual method of lawn build-
ing, giving satisfactory results in the end, would mean a
very considerable saving.

Take, as an illustration, the grounds about a newly built
house: The soil, though probably fairly good in latent pos-
sibilities, has become run down, is without humus, and is
covered with heaps of raw soil thrown out from the cellar
excavation. If you could give the landscape gardener free
hand he would have all this poor soil removed, together with
six inches of unsuitable topsoil and subsoil, and fill in with
ashes or gravelly soil for drainage, and good loam. When
he was through he would have the foundation for a fine

200 : ji

AUGUST: SECOND WEEK 201

lawn, but his bill—even loam and gravel count up when you
buy them by the cubic yard—would be apt to cause some
hesitation on the part of the average man.

Fortunately another course is possible. Poor drainage,
due to a hard subsoil, may be improved with dynamite at
very little expense. Half-stick charges, placed in holes ten
to twenty feet apart each way, will open up the whole sub-
structure of the soil. The poorest part of the excavated soil
should be carted away or used for filling in depressions. The
rest should be spread about, and plowed under as deeply
as the topsoil will permit. A good coat of rotted manure
should be harrowed in, and unless this has been put on two
or three inches thick a dressing of high-grade fertilizer
should be added.

Start with a Good Soil

If the soil is very poor, or if manure cannot be obtained,
it will be better not to attempt to seed to grass at once, but
to improve the soil first. This does not necessitate untidy
appearance. Sown to rye and vetch, or to crimson clover,
the place will be green all fall and early next spring. This
crop may be plowed under in April or May, and the lawn
made then; or a summer green crop may be grown, such as
millet or oats, to be turned under in August or September.
By this method even very poor soil can be put into good
condition, with only one season’s delay and at a saving of
some hundreds of dollars for each acre of lawn.

Different types of soil require different treatment. The
three types usually encountered are sandy or gravelly loam,
loam, or clay. The sandy loam needs humus, which may
be supplied by turning under green crops; or prepared
humus may be bought by the ton. Heavy rolling to com-
pact the soil after plowing and harrowing is desirable.

With a naturally good loam success is easy, provided the
drainage is all right. The subsoil should be examined, and
if necessary dynamited or tile drained. When the lay of
the land is such that good natural drainage exists below

202 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

a layer of impervious subsoil, a moderate dynamiting
will do.

The drainage of a clay soil should be attended to first.
The topsoil may be improved and lightened by the liberal
use of lime and manure. Coal ashes or sand, if available at
a reasonable price, may be incorporated by shallow plowing
or forking. Heavy rolling should be avoided.

All these methods are in the nature of preliminary work,
affecting mostly the physical condition of the soil. It may
seem like unnecessary trouble to remake your soil before you
begin making your lawn, but as a matter of fact it is saving
trouble for future years. Anything that will tend to insure
permanent success from your first sowing will be worth
while.

Preparing the Soil for Planting

Fertilizing is another problem, and a double-barreled one.
It is desirable to give the young grass strong, quick growth,
and also to incorporate in the soil a supply of plant food that
will last for years. For the latter result a supply of high-
grade complete fertilizer should be added to the soil when
it is being harrowed or raked. The quick-acting plant food
should be incorporated with the compost or top-dressing
used upon the surface, to be immediately available for the
sprouting seed.

Almost all new lawns should be heavily limed. Even
when the soil is not more acid than is desirable, the physical
effect upon either sandy or clay soils is worth the cost.
Raw ground limestone is the best form for general use.
Wood ashes are desirable, but when a large lawn is to be
made it is cheaper to buy lime and potash in other forms.
In buying ready-mixed fertilizer, a 3-8—-10 formula will be
suitable. The low percentage of nitrogen is made up for by
the nitrogen added in the top-dressing and by an annual
dressing thereafter. The soil should be thoroughly pul-
verized by harrowing and raking.

The eventual success of the lawn depends to such a great
extent upon giving the grass plants a quick, strong start that

AUGUST: SECOND WEEK 203

it will always pay to give in addition to this dressing of fer-
tilizer a top-dressing of compost, rich in available nitrogen
and in humus that will help to maintain an adequate supply
of moisture near the surface. A compost soil such as is used
in the greenhouse or for the flower beds, with the addition of
two quarts of pulverized sheep manure to the bushel, will do.
Otherwise, a quickly prepared compost may be made as
follows: Half a cubic yard of good garden loam or topsoil;
500 pounds of prepared humus; 25 pounds of hydrated lime;
15 to 25 pounds of fine ground bone; 15 to 25 pounds of pul-
verized sheep manure. These should be thoroughly mixed
together and left in a compact pile for about a week; when
screened the material will be ready for top-dressing. If the
soil where the lawn is to be made is wet or heavy, substitute
medium coarse sand for loam in the compost. This amount
of compost will top-dress a lawn about forty by forty feet.
If the soil, after filling in and preparing, is so soft and loose
that the foot sinks into it, it should be rolled before being
given the final harrowing or raking preparatory to sowing.

Use Plenty of Good Seed

Sowing should be done preferably on a quiet day, as it is
highly important to get an even distribution of seed. When
everything is ready, however, particularly if there is promise
of ‘a rain, it is usually better not to wait. Even with the
wind blowing, the seed can be put on quite evenly if the
lawn is marked off into sections. A quick way of doing this
is to take a little ground limestone or land plaster in an old
watering can, marking out sections. —To make doubly sure,
it is best to divide the seed and make two sowings, the
second at right angles to the first. After sowing, rake the
seed in evenly and gently with an iron rake and give a
fairly heavy rolling. See illustration Plate 21.

The greatest possible care should be exercised in buying
grass seed. For a large lawn it will usually pay to make
your own mixture. For the average lawn the most satisfac-
tory way is to purchase a ready-made mixture, but buy

204 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

from a thoroughly reliable source. The quality of the seed
may be judged to a large extent by the weight—average
seed weighs from thirteen to sixteen pounds a bushel, while
really first-class seed should weigh between twenty and
twenty-four pounds. Be sure, however, that this extra
weight is not due to an excess of clover seed.

Use plenty of seed. One of the most general mistakes in
lawn making is trying to save on this item. An abundance
of seed means not only quicker results, but surer results,
and a lawn of much finer texture. Though as little as three
bushels to the acre is often sown, eight bushels is none too
much for immediate and certain results. The condition of
the soil, the quality of the seed and the weather are factors
that influence the amount to be used. As an acre contains
about 43,500 square feet, the proportional amounts of seed
for small lawns can readily be figured.

Watering and Cutting

Provision for copious watering should be made. An or-
dinary lawn sprinkler will answer, but remember that if
water is applied at all it should be in sufficient quantities to
wet thoroughly three or four inches of soil. Lighter water-
ings, which are so frequently given to “‘freshen up” the
appearance of the lawn, are injurious, as they keep the
young seedlings rooting near the surface, where they are
most subject to injury from drought.

Do not be in any hurry to make the first cutting. Let the
grass get several inches high. Then do not cut it close.
For the first two or three times simply cut off the top, and
the cuttings, unless heavy enough to mat down the grass,
may be left where they fall. After that the machine may
be shut down closer, but the lawn should never be shaved.
Many people make the mistake of cutting the grass too
short. This exposes the roots to injury. Do not cut the
new lawn late in the fall; leave a generous grass mulch for
winter protection.

Next to watering and regular cutting, rolling is the most

AUGUST: SECOND WEEK 205

important item in maintaining a good lawn. A modern
type of water-ballast roller, which can be made any desired —
weight, is preferable.

Renewing an Old Lawn

When a lawn is run down the question is always whether
it will be better and cheaper to renew it or to remake it.
If the trouble is neglect, surface remedies may be sufficient;
if it has petered out in spite of fairly good care, the trouble
probably lies in the substructure, and only remaking it will
put it into good shape. Doctoring up a lawn made on a
poorly built foundation is merely throwing away money
and work.

When the lawn is bare in patches, although the rest of it
seems to be in fairly good condition, fork up the bad spots,
incorporating fine, well-rotted manure, or compost, and
sow thickly with a mixture suitable to your climate and
conditions. The back of the spade can be used instead of
the roller for firming down remade spots. At the same
time, go over the remainder of the lawn, after cutting it
quite close, with a steel rake and give it a vigorous combing,
loosening up the soil about the roots. Give this a generous
top-dressing with compost to which seed has been added.
Then give a thorough watering.

When the lawn remains ragged looking in spite of care,
with apparently a good condition of soil, the trouble is
usually caused by weeds or undesirable grasses. In some
lawns, particularly in the Northern States, there is too much
clover, sometimes the result of improperly mixed seed, some-
times from volunteer plants.

Uneven or rough lawns can usually be leveled up by filling
the hollows with good soil. . If this is put on just after the
grass has been cut, and is not made too deep, the original
grass will come up through it; otherwise reseeding will be
necessary. Care should be taken to put this soil on in layers
of not more than two or three inches, and beat each succes-
sive layer down firmly with the spade.

It sometimes happens, particularly in rather heavy soils,

206 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

that lawns that have been regularly treated with a heavy
roller begin to suffer from what is called “‘surface cohesion.”
The remedy is the use of a spiked tamper or roller which
perforates the sod, making small holes every few inches.
These admit air and moisture and the plants are stimulated
to new growth. :

Peontes to Plant in August

A first-class collection of peonies is always desirable and
yearly becomes more attractive. The growing of this
flower is easy, provided a few fundamental points are at-
tended to. Any soil in good mechanical condition is suit-
able, though the plant responds well to a little extra care
and nourishment. It is not advisable, however, to use fresh
manure in too close contact with the roots. The roots re-
quire dividing at intervals when they may have become so
crowded as to interfere with their flowering. At all times
the soil must be kept loose and free from weeds. In planting
the roots make sure that the eyes are two to three inches
below the surface. Even if small roots are started, full
space must be allowed for growth, the rows being three or
three and a half feet apart, the plants set two and a half or
three feet apart in the rows.

The best season for planting is the end of August or early
September, though peonies may be planted at any time
from mid-August until growth is too far advanced in the
spring. The following are among the best varieties:
Couronne d’Or, pure white; Felix Crousse, rich red; Festiva
Maxima, white; Duchess de Nemours, white; Edulis
Superba, rich mauve pink; Monsieur Jules Elie, light lilac
rose; Madame de Verneville, white with bluish center; Marie
Lemoine, pure white and cream; Grandiflora, rose, shaded
white; Baroness Shroeder, flesh white; Livingstone, light
lilac rose; Monsieur Du Pont, pure white, center splashed
crimson; Delicatissima, pale lilac rose; Venus, light hy-
drangea pink; Claire Dubois, clear rich violet rose, tipped
silvery white; Delachei, violet-crimson, tipped silver; La
Tulipe, lilac white; Modiste Guerin, light solferino red.

August: Third Week

EVERGREENS AND SHRUBS FOR FALL PLANT-—
ING: PLANNING AN ARTISTIC PLANTING;
VARIETIES FOR SPECIAL PURPOSES

First on the list for fall planting in point of time come the
evergreens. These should be got in as soon after the middle
of August as possible, unless belated July weather or drought
prevent. They include the broad-leaved evergreens, such
as rhododendrons, Kalmia or mountain laurel and box,
as well as the conifers—pines, hemlocks, spruce, cedars
and others.

Although the broad-leaved evergreens are perhaps not
essential to the planting of a small place, there are few
grounds so small that at least a few of the conifers cannot
be used to great advantage. Conifers form the most domi-
nant and permanent feature of the place, and for that
reason one should be certain that the best possible situa-
tions have been selected before they are put in.

As a rule any mass planting of evergreens should be kept
well to the north or west of the house. This is desirable
where their services are required as a windbreak and shelter;
but, aside from that, if planted to the south, the shade
they will give after several years’ growth is pretty sure to
be too dense, and thus a somewhat gloomy atmosphere
is created. Itisa great mistake, however, to think that they
must be planted in straight rows or plots, as one so fre-
quently sees them. An artistic grouping will require no
more trees and will prove just as effective for any practical
purpose as a stiff, nursery-looking row. For sure results
stick to the common sorts. White pine will grow in most
soils and will live for generations; it is one of the fastest
growing of all the conifers. American Arbor Vite is ex-
cellent for both row and mass planting; although the uni-

207

208 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

versally used California Privet has of late replaced it for
hedge work, it is still the best thing to plant for a tall, stiff
hedge. For single specimens Juniperus Virginiana is one of
the best that can be had and is almost as artistic in effect
as the famous cypresses of Italy.

The Use of Shrubs

The one object in using shrubs of course is to make the
place beautiful; but there are, in general, three ways of
using them toward this end. As a background for lower
growing plants, flower beds, or lawns; for hedges, boundary
lines, or screens; and for the beauty of their flowers or
foliage, berries, or bark, either in beds or as individual
specimens. Of course these three uses are seldom distinct
and separate—which only illustrates further the many-
sided advantages of shrub plantings.

The first thing to do in selecting shrubs for the place
is to determine in which of these ways we wish to use them,
and how extensively; and the best way to get an accurate
idea of our wants or needs (for the natural “lay of the
land”’ and other existing conditions will determine to a
great extent the shrubs we should select) is to go over the
ground carefully, sketching down the various groups,
hedges, screens, or location of individual specimens we
may wish to place. Then put these all down in proportion
on one plan, to be used as a guide and kept for future refer-
ence. Of course the whole thing need not be carried out
at once; we may put in a hedge of barberry this fall, along
the front of the place, and a couple of hardy, large-flowered
hydrangeas well down the front walk to give a semi-formal
touch to the approach. But that rather ugly corner back
by the garage may have to wait a year longer—being
screened temporarily by a group of ricinus (the giant castor-
oil plant), or even by homely sunflowers.

The shrubs suited for these several purposes are not
divided into any hard and fast groups. All of them are
available for more than one of the purposes mentioned

AUGUST: THIRD WEEK 209

and several are adapted to any purpose. But a simple
classification is of considerable help in making selections.

Shrubs for Single Specimens

Some of those especially suitable for single specimens on
the lawn or about the grounds are hardy hydrangeas (Hy-
drangea paniculata, var. grandiflora and H. arborescens,
var. grandiflora); the Mock Orange (Philadelphus); Lilacs
(Syringa), of which there are many fine new varieties
not yet generally known but as easy to grow as the old
sorts; the beautiful Japanese maples, with foliage of many
shades of color and striking forms; that old, early-flowering
favorite of unequaled fragrance, the Strawberry shrub
(Calycanthus floridus); Viburnum; Smoke tree (Rhus
cotinus); White Fringe (Chionanthus Virginica); Buddleia,
the butterfly shrub, of which splendid new varieties have
recently been introduced; Rose of Sharon (Althea); and
the universally popular but quite indispensable Deutzias,
Weigelas, Forsythias and Spireas, some of the newer varie-
ties of which, though one seldom hears about them, are
just as great improvements over older sorts as are the newer
varieties of roses and annuals that are brought to the at-
tention of every flower lover.

For Beds and Borders

Shrubs for use in mass planting, in the shrubbery border,
or for screen plantings along the boundary lines, may be
considered in high-growing and low-growing groups. In
plantings of any size they are generally used together, and
in disposing them the tallest things should always be kept
at the back, grading down to the lowest at the front. The
shrubbery border, unlike the hardy border and the flower
beds, is usually made with an irregular or wavy outline and
varies greatly in width, so that alternate recesses or bays
and projections or promontories are formed, and the more
informal or natural this outline can be made the more pleas-

210 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

ing will be the general effect of the planting. Among the
taller of the common shrubs are rhododendron, laurel
(Kalmia), Dogwood (Cornus florida), Lilac, Sumac (Rhus),
Golden-Elder (Sambucus nigra, var. aurea), the taller Spi-
reas and viburnums, Forsythias, and Honeysuckle (Loni-
cera).

Low-growing shrubs which can be relied upon are spirea,
Forsythia, Deutzia gracilis, Deutzia Lemoinet, Berberis
Thunbergit, Spirea callosa, Clethra alnifolia, Weigelia—
low-growing varieties—Calluna vulgaris, Andromeda flort-
bunda, Berberis aquifolium and Azalea amena.

Shrubs for Hedges

Those especially adapted for hedges are the following:
Barberry (Berberis), for low, informal hedges; California
Privet, for semiformal or informal hedges, especially in
shady places; Japanese Privet, for low-spreading informal
hedges; Japanese Quince (Pyrus Japonicus) with scarlet,
showy flowers; and Boxwood, especially useful for hedging
in the flower garden and for neat formal hedges, but not
so hardy as the foregoing.

Replant Peonies this Fall for Abundant Bloom Next Year

It will soon be time to reset the peonies. Old plants are
often poor bloomers. The plants may be shy-blooming by
nature. The clumps may have been growing from ten to
twenty years in the same place, until the soil has become
impoverished. The location may be dry in the blooming
season, so the peonies have not received proper fertilization
and culture.

Prepare for replanting by selecting a place now where the
soil is ordinarily moist, not wet; dig holes two feet deep
and three feet in diameter; save the richer topsoil and
discard the poorer bottom soil; place well-rotted manure,
preferably cow or sheep manure in the bottom of each hole
to the depth of six inches and dig in; fill the holes to the

AUGUST: THIRD WEEK 211

top with a mixture of two-thirds soil and one-third leaf
mold, thoroughly well-rotted manure and sand.

In early September take up the clumps of peonies and
divide them in such a way as to leave only four to six eyes,
which produce next year’s shoots, on the top of each division.
Plant these divisions in the prepared places, deep enough so
that the crowns will be only three inches below the surface.
Deep planting sometimes causes shy blooming. Cover the
surface of the soil thickly with coarse, strawy manure, and
leave this covering on till early next spring. Water applied
in sufficient quantity to reach the bottom of roots once or
twice each week in late April or May increases the number
of blooms in a dry season and improves their quality.

If it is desired to plant the peonies in a bed the whole bed
should be excavated and prepared in the same manner as
directed for making the holes, and the peonies should be set
three feet apart each way. Peonies need heavy fertilizing
each year with stable manure or bone meal, or both, and
they need plenty of water in the blooming season to give
the best results. Peonies thrive well in a partial shade, and
in such a location the blooms retain their color longer.

August: Fourth Week

PLANNING AND BUILDING A SMALL GREEN-
HOUSE: MATERIALS; CONSTRUCTION; HEATING

A mistaken idea as to the cost keeps many persons from
trying to put up even a small house. The ready-made
patent framed greenhouses with all the latest devices and
niceties of construction, are worth what they cost, but the
man who cannot afford one of them can put up a perfectly
practical house at a figure that he can afford if he buys his
own material and does his own work. It is now possible to
buy, at a reasonable price, a complete small house, heating
system and all, that comes all cut and ready to erect, and
can be put up in a few days’ time. A small greenhouse
will pay as good dividends as the frames or the garden.

If building is begun at once you can have your house for
use this fall and winter, as well as to grow next spring’s
supply of plants.

The simplest type of greenhouse is the ‘‘lean-to.” It is
the cheapest and easiest to put up. It may be constructed
against the south wall of the dwelling or some other building.
Or it may be built into the veranda. It is often possible
to heat a house of this kind with the same heating plant
that is used for the home.

The Construction of a ‘‘ Lean-to”’ House

As the wall of the building against which the ‘‘lean-to ”’
is to be built forms its north side, we have to supply a south
wall, the two ends, and the roof. Sometimes the south wall
has a row of glass, which is desirable, but not necessary.

The walls may be made of either concrete or post-and-
board construction. Which would be best to use will de-
pend largely upon how difficult it is to get sand and gravel

212 : :

AUGUST: FOURTH WEEK ats

in your locality. Once done, however, concrete will last
practically forever. If concrete is used the wall should be
put down at least to the frost-line, and be four inches
or more thick above ground. Use more cement in propor-
tion to the sand and gravel than for ordinary walls. A

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Cross-section of to x 20 lean-to house.

mixture of 1 to 114 parts cement, 2 of sand, and 4 of gravel
or broken stone will be right. For the post-and-board con-
struction posts are put into the ground every four or five
feet apart, and the wall built on the outside. Cedar is the
best wood to use for the posts, but chestnut or some other
local sort which does not rot quickly will answer the pur-

214 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

pose. The corner posts must be square, and it is better
to have the others so. The posts are carefully “‘lined up”;
a layer of boards, preferably tongued and grooved, is put
on; over these a layer or double layer of building paper;
another layer of boards; building paper;
and then shingles, siding, or stone-sur-
faced roofing.

On top of the front wall is placed the
‘“‘eave plate” or sash sill which forms the
support for the lower ends of the sash
bars (the long narrow bars which sup-
port the glass). At their upper ends the
sash bars are held in place in the “ridge.”
The ridge, in the case of a lean-to house,
is fastened securely to the wall of the
house against which the greenhouse is be-
ing built. If the sash bars for the roof
are not over six or seven feet long they
will be strong enough to support the glass
without any bracing, or ‘‘purlines” as
they are called, under them. For sash
bars longer than that some support is
necessary, and the strongest and most
convenient thing to use is pipe, an inch
in diameter being amply strong for a small
house. Secondhand pipe is perfectly good
for the purpose. At the ridge or peak of
the house there should be one or more

construction. | hinged ventilators to provide for cooling
the house on bright hot days. At each
end of the house, in place of the sash bar, an “‘end bar” or
gable-rafter is used. This has the shoulder for the glass on
one side only, and is grooved out on the other so that the
glass in the end or “‘gable” of the house can fit into it,
making a tight, secure joint. The forms of the various kinds
of pieces or members used may be seen from the cross-
sections in any greenhouse material catalogue.

AUGUST: FOURTH WEEK 215

Material Required for a 20 x 10 Lean-to House

Let us figure out just what is needed for a lean-to house,
twenty feet long and approximately ten wide. Suppose
we can get 7 feet of headroom on the wall against which
we wish to build. Then we can figure on a height of four
feet for the front wall, which will require 6-foot posts, as
they should be set at least two feet into the soil. For the
front wall then we will require five 6-foot posts; double
boarding enough to go from a foot below the surface to 214
feet up the coe ee 3 72 feet x 20 feet), or 140 feet;

Ground plan of 10 x 20 lean-to house.

20 feet each of 2 x 4’’ eave-plate and 2 x 6” sill; and ten lights
of 16 x 24” double-thick glass. For the ends there will be
required 4 9-foot posts; approximately the same amount
of boarding as for the front wall; 20 feet of 2 x 4” sill; 50
feet of ‘‘side bars” (to hold the glass); and 60 square feet of
glass. It is usually possible to pick up a secondhand door
of some local contractor, at a very low price; or one may
readily be constructed of boards and roofing paper or shin-
gles.

For the roof there will be required 20 feet of ridge, 13
1o-foot sash bars, 2 1o-foot end bars; and 3 ventilating
sash. A little may be saved on the ridge by having it sawed
in two vertically, as it will support the sash bars just as well
and fit more snugly against the side of the house. Get
the style of sash bars known as “drip” bars—which means
that they do vot drip! If you get the ventilating sash made
the right size you can easily put the glass in yourseli.

216 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

Each sash will require a ‘‘header,” or cross piece between
the sashes, where its lower edge rests.

To support the middle of the sash bars a wooden rafter
and weod posts may be used, but a much more convenient
and lasting support may be had by getting 20 feet of 1-
inch pipe—secondhand will do—and two 114-inch pipe posts
six feet long. If two additional pipe posts are secured and
placed near the ends of the house they will both strengthen
the construction and help make a neat, strong support for
the middle bench, to be put in later.

Itemizing these things, and including the glass for roof
and the fittings, etc., which will be required, we have the
following list of materials. The cost will vary. I have
built a house at the figures given here, but they are low,
and I was able to get some material secondhand.

geq ect of ance wears, for walls... ..... 2... gu ses es hee cae $9.00
Gg. pOsts (5 0-toots a eetoot lone)... .. 0.66 eek ae tae eee 3.00
ROOemaiies VEMMEA NS 2. Sy 2 ote co a ciate wee ba eo ket bode ple he 4.50
6 boxes 24 x 16-in. double thick glass, $18 to...........:........ 24.00
EOLeoOm aI PR, oe hl ie ghlu. Soa oS S.C .80
£3 Tosc-loobmiamemars, for TOOL. 6) 65.06 2s. So ae © 2 ee 2.25.
2 Ose -10Ut Olid) Paks, LOR LOOK :4 4 04 lin s/s J alecoudsl ef 4 Sele Sans 275
50 foot side bars, random lengths, for gables.................... 2.50
On feet)? SANG Eaves plates. fog )s i) eee eka Wa. ood ee 1.60
Beiter 2 isa Stl 2 ste ey Pk ee i EO antd Alen oe ee 2.20
go teer 2 x qa. Sill forma les: 5.04 \u. bss daii soe 4.0 bn ds cae ee 1.60
ao ieet 1-inch iron pipe, secondhand :..°... 225 .4ss's s sis s7s's bea ee I.00
AeOsOOe 4 iN DIDS PUSS. .)-1) ose. cs vie} be elaces He abe r.5¢
Ale Ue we WetMCLY, SPER EPS ig ig, ie aes sit do Kate, Ue & eed ee eo eee ene .50
£5 pipe-straps, to fasten purlin to bars: ./ oo.) 3/20. se 52 - ah ee 525
2 gable end-fittings for purlin....:...........:... ie sted . 20
@ ventilating sash, for 3 lights, glass) 5.22 0044/68 sine sidigte elas eee 3.00
SrCOULIDMOUS MEAMETS FOF STIG), )5.)5) sila, «a /bict ovo | aannloke ee eee {oe
6 hinges, with screws, for ventilators: 62°. 4)... Bs eek ose ee oe aes
i. FOU, Opa MADER Was hojes vais d oa. e bos conte oe Ra ee Rie eres ee 2.00
9G as, Otte ys SEEM NOUS 2) 2 a5, ut, 2 SN orien a $05 Dl Re oe 3.00
Hardware, paint, and miscellaneous. ..:. .. .<../...% .|+ + -so4 a 5.00 to I0.00

The posts, boards, shingles, and the building paper may
be had at a local dealer’s. The other things should: be or-
dered from a regular greenhouse material company.

AUGUST: FOURTH WEEK 217

A Larger House

If you happen to live in a section where many of your
friends and neighbors have gardens, it will probably repay
you well to put up a larger house and grow extra plants to
sell in the spring. For a small practical house of this sort,
two good forms of construction are shown in the accompany-
ing cuts. The details of construction are much the same as
those shown for the former house already described. Special
fittings are made to use in connection with the pipe posts,
frame, and sup- |
ports, and there
is no reason why
one ordinarily
skillful with
tools cannot do
the biggest part
of the work of
building a small
house himself.
In many parts == ae
of the house iron may iy used in place of the wooden mrt I
have described. The cost is more, but repairs are eliminated.
Before building a house of any size, you should get cata-
logues from some of the greenhouse companies and make
yourself familiar with the different methods of construction.

No matter how small your house is, however, plan it
carefully in every detail before ordering the material. The
plan and list of material above should not be used unless it
fits in with your particular requirements.

Beginning Work on the Greenhouse

As you may buy the posts, boarding, shingles, etc., lo-
cally, you can get the work well under way without waiting
for the other materials to arrive. Level off the site you have
- selected, and make your measurements carefully. To get
the plan square, be sure that the diagonals, from opposite

218 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

corners, are of exactly the same length. Mark the lines
for the outsides and ends plainly by stretching stout cord
or a garden line to stakes set a couple of feet beyond where
each corner is to be, so that the points where the strings cross
will indicate the exact point where it is desired to have the
outside corners of the greenhouse. All the posts should be
set in very firmly; the best way is to pour concrete around
the bases. Set the two corner posts first and line up the
rest carefully with these. The best way is to have the posts
a little longer than needed, and saw them off level after
they are set.

The 2 x 4 inch eave plate can go into place next. And
then, leaving just enough room for a light of glass to go
in the 16-inch way, fit the 2 x 6 inch sill 16 inches below
this, mortising it out carefully to fit snugly about the
posts. The bevel or shoulder in the sill should come just
even with the outside of the posts, so that the latter will
not be in the way of the glass, which may be put in, with-
out any side bars, in a continuous row.

The walls may then be constructed fitting the boards
snugly under the 2 x 6-inch sill, and working down toward
the ground. Put the ridge in place, being sure that it is
very secure and makes a water-tight joint with the side of
the house. (If this cannot be secured by the use of white
lead, use a strip of roofer’s tin.) Then mark off carefully on
both ridge and eave the places for the sash bars. Then start
with one end bar, and nail the bars into place, using finishing
nails. Try every third or fourth bar with a light of glass to
be certain that you are getting them spaced exactly right.
The purlin, or pipe, which supports the sash bars does not
have to be directly on the middle. In this lean-to, for in-
stance, it comes a little to one side. Ascertain carefully,
however, just where it is to come, and mark the bars on the
bottom side with a chalk-line. Then, with the purlin clips,
fasten the purlin into place. Put the pipe post supports in
place, being careful to get them perpendicular and in line,
and set the bottoms in concrete. Do not touch the posts
while the concrete is setting, which will take two or three

AUGUST: FOURTH WEEK shane

days, during which time the doors and gable bars may be
put in place. All will then be ready for the glass.

How to Lay the Glass

Put the ventilators on first. In putting in the glass you
will notice that each light is slightly curved. Put the convex
side up. Putin one complete row at a time, beginning at the
eaveplate, and letting the glass come down just flush with
the outer bevel. “Work up” a generous supply of putty un-
til it is very soft and elastic. (If necessary add a little
linseed oil.) Put on the putty so thick that the glass can be
firmly zmbedded in it, by pressing down hard along each
edge of the glass. The lights should be lapped slightly—
1/, to 4 of an inch—and held firmly in place by greenhouse
glazing points. There are several types of these, but I like
best the style known as Siebert’s. After a complete row
of glass is put in, scrape off the surplus putty on the under
side. Go over the outside edges of the glass with linseed
oil and white lead, mixed to the consistency of thick paint.

One of the secrets in building a house that will Jast is to
have the painting done thoroughly, and all crevices and
holes filled with paint or white lead, and all joints white
leaded. Go over the whole frame carefully after it is put
up, before putting in any glass; and again after the glass is
put in. Be sure to buy a good paint. If you do not know
about it, write to your State Experiment Station for in-
formation.

In the estimate for material I have not included benching.
Two by four scantlings and second-hand or second-grade
boards may be used; but as a general rule, the cheaper the
bench put up the sooner it will have to be repaired. For a
house like the lean-to described, if you can’t afford a tile
or slate bottom bench, I would recommend concrete for
the bottom and sides of the walk, and iron pipe posts
and cross-pieces for the benches. Split-fittings, especially
designed for making bench-frames, may be bought quite

220 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

cheaply, and with them such a frame may easily be put up.
Then boards are used for the bottom of the bench, and may
readily be replaced.

Heating the Greenhouse

If hot water or steam is used in the dwelling house, the
heating of the small greenhouse is an easy matter. Wherea
hot-air system is used for the house, a small hot-water coil
may be placed in the top of the fire-box, and connected with
the heating pipes in the greenhouse. Two “coils” of pipe
of five 1-inch returns each, fed by two 14-inch flows, would
heat a lean-to, like that described, with hot water. The
boiler should be placed as much lower than the piping as is
practical—an advantage already at hand when the green-
house is heated from the house cellar. For the detached
small greenhouse it is usually possible, if one will look around
a bit, to pick up a small secondhand hot-water heater, and
secondhand*pipe, which, while not as neat and trim as new
material would be, will give satisfaction as far as supplying
heat is concerned. The heating system should be installed
under the direction of some competent person. A small
house, especially if it is to be used only for starting plants
in the spring, may be heated by a flue, although this method
is not so reliable as hot water. In case a flue is used, the
chimney should be built on top of the furnace. The flue
should then be carried to the other end of the house, or
near it, and back to the chimney. This provides a forced
draft, as the air in the chimney is heated as soon as the fire
is started, and sucks the hot air from the fire-box around
through the flue after it. If a flue is used, care must be
taken not to have any woodwork come in direct contact.

September: First Week

LATE WORK IN THE VEGETABLE GARDBN: LAST
PLANTINGS; GETTING READY FOR THE
FIRST FROSTS; PREPARING FOR WINTER
WORK UNDER GLASS

The first rule for the home gardener at this time of the
year is to let not a single weed go to seed. Do not let the
weeds even form seed pods, because many of these will
ripen and shell out if they are cut when green. Go over
the grounds from one border line to the other; even in
gardens that are kept clean, weeds at the ends of the rows,
along the fences, or in plots that have gone by, often are
left to be cut and burned in the fall—too late to prevent
their sowing trouble for next year.

One reason, perhaps, why stray weeds are left is that
among the usual garden tools there is none especially
adapted to their removal. Weeds should be cut below
the surface, to prevent their sprouting again. The hook-
bladed knife used for thinning cane-fruits is ideal for this
purpose. If one of these is not available, however, a tool for
this purpose may easily be made from a piece of hoe blade
or a mowing-machine knife blade. Cut the piece of hoe
blade three inches or so wide, heat it and hammer it out
straight at the shank; attach this to a stout handle four
or five feet long in such a way that it can be used with a
straight thrust. The mowing-machine knife blade may be
fastened to a handle in the same way, or in such position
that the cutting edge is uppermost, so it will cut with a
pull. With either of these implements the removal of large
weeds is not hard work. You do not need to stoop over,
and no vegetables or flowers need be uprooted in the process.

All the refuse of vegetable crops such as peas, beans,
early cucumbers, cabbage stumps, and so forth, should be

221

222 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

removed, put in a pile and burned clean as soon as it is dry.
This may seem like a waste of vegetable matter that could
have been added to the compost heap, but the eggs, cocoons
and pupz of various insects, hibernating adults, and the
germs of various blights and fungous diseases are carried
over and protected in material of this kind, to be on hand
to make trouble next season. ‘Thorough cleanliness is es-
sential in fighting insects and diseases.

Fall Sowing for Spring Crops

The only sowing: that may be done at this time of the
year in the Northern States is a last planting of radishes.
In states a little farther south, where killing frost need not
be expected until late in October, there may be last sowings
of early varieties of peas, spinach, beets and lettuce. Prep-
aration should also be made now for onions and spinach
to be wintered over. Onions should be sown considerably
thicker than in spring, as some may be winter-killed. One
of the early Globe varieties, such as Yellow Strasburg or
Danvers, should be selected, as these make thick stands
and are ready for eating earlier than the flat sorts. Al-
though seed onions that have a good start and are pro-
tected by a winter mulch will stand very severe weather,
the Egyptian or Perennial Tree onions are still hardier
and are sure to prove successful with the amateur. They
come in clusters of miniature onions—the heads that form
at the tops of the seed stalks instead of seeds on this va-
riety—which should be separated and planted in the same
way as sets. They should be pushed deep into the soil, as
the more the stalks are blanched the better they are for
eating green.

A number of other vegetables may be sown late in the
fall for extra early results next spring, but these should be
put in so late that they will not sprout this fall. Radishes,
lettuce, spinach, carrots, smooth peas, turnips and cabbage
will usually come through all right and start up in spring
earlier than any that could be planted then. The ground

SEPTEMBER: FIRST WEEK 223

may be prepared at any time, but the seeds should not be
put in until just before you have reason to expect things
to freeze up for the winter. Only a few cents’ worth of
seed will be required, and if you have to replant in the
spring little is lost. |

Late Spraying and Cultivating

Routine work among the late fall crops should not be
neglected because the season is drawing to a close. Any
that are subject to late attack from blight or mildew dis-
eases, such as potatoes, celery or fall strawberries, should
be sprayed carefully until they are ready for harvest.

Use the wheel hoe—or the hand scuffle hoe when the tops
have grown too much to permit the use of the wheel hoe—
as long as possible, especially if the weather is dry; a few
leaves broken off beets, carrots, turnips or parsnips will
make no difference. Late planted crops make their great-
est growth, and consequently their greatest demand upon
soil moisture, during the last two weeks before hard frost
comes.

“Preparedness” for the First Frosts

It is still too early to put any vegetables into winter
quarters, but a number of things must receive preliminary
treatment as soon as they are ready. A sudden cold night
may kill all tender vegetables, such as beans, squashes,
melons and tomatoes, in latitudes north of New York City,
at any time after the fifteenth of September. This first
frost is oiten followed by a number of weeks of good grow-
ing weather, but do not be caught off your guard. To be on
the safe side winter squashes, sugar pumpkins and melons,
which are matured even if not quite ripe, should be gathered
and placed in small piles so that they can be covered quickly
if occasion arises. The less-matured fruits can be left to
grow a while longer.

The ends of the vines, a few joints beyond the last fruits
that give promise of becoming large enough to be used,
should be cut off, and all the fruits belonging to a single hill

224 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

gathered together in one spot while still attached to the
vines, so they may be covered easily. The greatest care
should be taken in handling all these things, whether they
are left on the vines or not. In removing them cut a piece
of the vine with each; if the stem is knocked off decay is
almost certain to set in.

Most beans can be used either dry or canned green. Just
before frost is to be expected pick all immature beans for
canning. The dried beans, of course, will not be injured
by freezing, but as soon-as the foliage has been killed they
should be pulled and put under cover.

Though a light frost might blacken the foliage without
spoiling the tomatoes, there is a chance of their being
turned soft on the upper side. The largest fruits should be
gathered and put away in a cold-frame in straw or marsh
hay. The vines of smaller fruits can be left for a while
longer. When one is pretty certain that a killing frost is
coming, a few vines should be taken up, roots and all, and
hung up in a dry place under cover or in the cellar, the sap
in the vines being sufficient for the requirements of fruits
that have nearly matured. In this way ripe tomatoes may
be enjoyed for some weeks after the supply in the garden
has been killed off.

Though onions are not likely to be damaged by early
frost they may be made almost worthless by rainy weather,
which will cause them to sprout again after the tops have
become dry. As soon as they begin to ripen, as will be indi-
cated by the tops’ breaking at the neck and beginning to
shrivel, the roots dry up so they can be pulled with very
little effort.

At this stage no time should be lost in getting them out
of the ground. If there is not room to give them storage in
a shallow layer two or three inches deep, in a dry place
under cover, pile them in windrows, putting four or five
rows together. They should be raked over every day with
a wooden rake until any soil has fallen off and the tops have
become dry. Then get them under cover.

White onions should be pulled as soon as the tops break

SEPTEMBER: FIRST WEEK 225

over, and should immediately be put under cover; other-
wise they turn green. Most of the white varieties are ready
to pull some time before the yellow sorts.

Cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, Cos lettuce and endive all
require attention as they begin to mature. As soon as the
buttons or heads of cauliflower form, they should be pro-
tected from sun and rain by tying or fastening the leaves
together at the tops. Brussels sprouts will fill up better
to the top of the stalks if the heads of the plants are cut out
after the sprouts have formed. Most varieties of Cos lettuce
require tying to bleach thoroughly; use raffa or soft twine,
and tie as near the top of the head as possible. Endive may
be either tied up or bleached with two wide boards set
A -shaped over the rows.

Prepare for the Winter’s Work Under Glass

It is time to begin preparations for the winter garden
in the frames or greenhouse. If you have not a greenhouse
already there is time during the next six or eight weeks
to build one and to get your tenderer flowers into it in time
to give your old enemy Jack Frost the slip. Nothing con-
nected with gardening has changed more during the last
ten or fifteen years than methods of greenhouse construc-
tion, particularly for small, inexpensive, practical-purpose
houses. A house of almost any desired shape or width can
be bought in standard units, or sections, which you can
put together with little trouble.

If the compost for winter has not already been made,
ample supplies of soil, well-rotted manure, sand, chip dirt
or leaf mold, and rotted sod should be gathered together
and put under cover. The soil in the frames, which may
have become more or less weedy or dried out through the
latter part of the summer, should be put into shape some
time before you are to use it. In the greenhouse it is well
to let the soil in the benches or beds dry out thoroughly a
few weeks before putting them in use again. A thorough
sun baking gets rid of some insects and disease germs.

September: Second Week

FALL BULBS: PLAN NOW TO SECURE A LONG
SEASON OF BLOOM NEXT SPRING; TYPES
AND VARIETIES

Bulbs to plant this fall, which will bloom next spring,
require very small outlay. A few dollars will buy 200 or
300 bulbs of the best-named sorts, and most of these will
last, or self-propagate, for many years. They are easier
to plant than either seeds or growing plants, and if a few
simple precautions are followed success is almost certain.

We hear a good deal these days about succession crops—
follow-up crops in the vegetable garden and continuity
of bloom in the flower garden. Very little attention, how-
ever, has been paid to obtaining a succession of bloom in the
bulb garden. The spring-blooming bulbs are popular, but
they would be much more so if more people realized that
their season can, by proper selection, be extended from very
early in the spring—much earlier than any of the perennials
begin to bloom or than is safe to set out plants in flower from
indoors—all through the spring and into early summer. In
fact, their season may be extended practically throughout
the summer if one includes the hardy lilies; but these are
not, of course, covered in the term “spring-flowering”’
bulbs, and, moreover, most of them require treatment rather
different from the latter. In describing how proper selection
may prolong the flowering season in the bulb garden, I have
given more consideration to the three most popular and
important of the spring-blooming bulbs—tulips, narcissi
and hyacinths.

Aside from the fact that, as ordinarily planted, the
flowering season of the spring bulbs is unfortunately short,
almost every point that one can think of is in their favor;
especially so for the use of the person whose garden time as

226

SEPTEMBER: SECOND WEEK 227

well as garden space is limited. The culture is the easiest
imaginable: buy good bulbs, plant them properly, give them
a light winter mulching, remove it in the spring—and
success is yours. The reason for this is that the buyer of a
bulb is getting what is practically a “‘finished product”’;
all he has to do, so to speak, is to open the can and warm
the contents, and it is ready for use. With a seed or a
plant or even a shrub, however, he has got to do some real
gardening. And the reason lies in the fact that the indus-
trious Hollander or Frenchman or Jap who grew the bulb
has done the real work with it; the flower is contained in-
side, literally a perfect miniature already formed, needing
only the proper application of the sufficient degree of mois-
ture and heat and sunshine to swell it to its mature propor-
tions and to tint it to the most delicate or dazzling of colors.
That is why, for example, you can grow a lily bulb in
pebbles and plain water. For the amateur, success with
the spring flowering bulbs is more certain than any other
class of flowers. As already stated, their culture is the
simplest; furthermore, they are practically free from insect
pests and diseases, more so than any other class, not even
excepting shrubs; finally they escape that greatest of all
garden plagues—the midsummer drought. When your
other choice flowers are drying up or necessitating the
daily use of the hose and the constant maintenance of a
dust mulch, your bulbs are lying dry and dormant, “‘resting
up” for the autumnal root growth and the spring flowering
period, at both of which seasons moisture is usually abun-
dant. Nor is their cost excessive: the most beautiful of the
narcissi for planting in mass or naturalizing can be purchased
for from half a cent to a cent and a half apiece. Nor, again,
is the fact that their cheery blossoms come at a season when
practically no other flowers are in bloom, to be overlooked.

Plan Your Bulb Garden Before You Order

Before making out your bulb order, even though you
take pains to select varieties that will give you a long season

228 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

of bloom, careful consideration should be given the method
in which the bulbs are to be used. There are three quite
distinct general methods of planting: in formal or designed
beds; in informal beds or in long borders, and in naturalizing
either in single specimens or small groups, or in large col-
onies. A great change in the method of planting has taken
place during the last decade or two—a change that proves a
boon to the gardener. In passing it may be noted that for-
mal beds are no longer popular save in certain locations, and
the bad reputation bulbs had in regard to their short bloom-
ing season was due mainly to the fact that when used for
bedding or designs, as they formerly were, the gardener had
to select sorts that would be as uniform as possible in time of
flowering, height, color and in habit of growth. It is rather
interesting to note, too, that whereas the hyacinth formerly
occupied the chief position among these spring blooming
bulbs, since they met these conditions most satisfactorily,
this state of things is being reversed and tulips and narcissi
are being given more and more prominence. Practic-
ally every fall catalogue now emphasizes and makes a
special feature of Darwin tulips. Formal beds, and espe-
cially those laid out on the lawn to display geometrical
designs, are, it is a pleasure to note, growing out of favor.
In these days one seldom sees the old-fashioned anchor,
ship or cartwheel that used to mar the appearance of an
otherwise pretty front lawn. Such abortions never did have
any practical or artistic raison d’étre, although the legiti-
mate, formal bed still has its place, either in the laying out
of formal grounds or to supply a mass of color as part of
some landscape scheme.

I would urge most emphatically that the bulb buyer get
over his habit of sending in an order for Collection A or
Collection B to ‘‘be planted according to the diagram here-
with.” Don’t be tempted into buying a.collection of bulbs
just because, for the same money, you get a dozen or two
more than you would by making your own collection of
named varieties. What you are looking for for your money
is not the largest number of bulbs, but the most satisfactory

SEPTEMBER: SECOND WEEK 229

and longest display of flowers, and this is only accomplished
by making your own collection for planting an informal bed
or border, or by naturalizing them, or, better still, by using
both methods.

Figuring Out the Number of Bulbs Needed

To select and plan for a long season of bloom, first meas-
ure your bed or border and see how many bulbs of the re-
quired variety it will take to fillit. Hyacinths and the late
flowering tulips should be set six to ten inches apart each
way; the smaller earlier flowering tulips and Dutch Roman
or miniature hyacinths a little closer, say five to eight inches.
The various narcissi should be put from six to twelve inches
apart, depending on variety and size of bulb, for full effect
the first season. ‘The narcissi, however, multiply very
rapidly. From a few dozen bulbs you can, in the course of
three or four years, get enough to make further plantings or
to fill in a good deal of space, if, in the first place, they are
set rather far apart.

Naturalizing is simply getting as natural an effect as
possible. The simplest way_is to get a sufficient number of’
the bulbs of the flowers you want, scatter them thinly broad-
cast, and plant where they fall. For this purpose, of course,
only plants are used which are perfectly hardy and will
increase themselves from year to year; therefore, perfectly
satisfactory results can be had by using bulbs that are not
all of the first size. For instance, if you get a third of the
quantity in first size bulbs and the rest in smaller, you will
have a good show the first year after planting and plenty
of other bulbs coming on for succeeding years.

Having then determined the number of bulbs you will
require, there remains the problem of selecting those which
will give the best satisfaction.

Early and Late Tulips

I mention the tulips first, for they are at this time prob-
ably the most popular of all the spring flowering bulbs.

230 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

There are three main classes or sections: the Early Flowering
sorts, single or double; the May Flowering or Cottage Gar-
den, and the Darwin type, which also flowers in May. The
other classes that are not so important are the Paris or
Dragon tulips, which are good, strong growers and are
beautifully colored with fringed and grotesque shaped
flowers, and the class known as the Breeder tulip, from
which the Darwins have been selected and developed.
In size, season of bloom, robustness of growth, etc., these
are similar to the Darwins; the reason for their having
dropped out of the public eye is doubtless that their dull,
solid “‘self colors” were not popular for bedding effects.
Some catalogues do not list them, but I can assure you that
it will be very worth while for you to find one that does and
to try out a few varieties.

The time of flowering depends upon variety as well as
type; therefore, for the longest flowering season for tulips,
pick from the earliest of the single and double early flower-
ing several of the late and mediums of both the Cottage
Garden and the Darwin types, and a few of the extra late
of the latter. Some of the best extra-early singles are Kaiser
Kroon, scarlet, edged with yellow; Prosperine, Sir Thomas
Lipton, Vermillion Brilliant and White Swan. In the May
Flowering, Darwin and Parrot sections are many splendid
new varieties, which are described in the catalogues.

Narcisst, Daffodils and Jonquils

Of the narcissi there are also a number of different types,
all more or less confused under the names given them in the
trade. The most important class is the Giant Trumpet
narcissus. This includes such popular and splendid sorts as
Emperor, Glory of Leiden, ‘‘the king of daffodils,” and the
new giant flowered King Alfred, which has attracted a
great deal of attention at the flower show.

In addition is the Medium Trumpet class, which is listed
under such various catalogue names as ‘‘Star,’’ “‘Crown,”’
“‘Chalice-cup” and “‘Peerless”’ narcissi. This class includes

SEPTEMBER: SECOND WEEK 231

Barrii Conspicuous, one of the most beautiful of all narcissi
and especially valuable for cutting, and the several fine
Incomparabilis and Leedsii varieties.

The Polyanthus, ‘‘Cluster-flowered,” or ‘‘Nosegay”
narcissi are different from the foregoing in that the flowers
are borne in clusters and are also deservedly popular on
account of their pleasant fragrance. Paper White Grandi-
florus, which is a favorite cut flower of the florists, and the
‘“‘Chinese Sacred Lily,” which everyone has seen growing in
bowls of water and pebbles, are the two best known of this
class, but a number of the others are equally fragrant and
beautiful and should be tried. This class is not as hardy as
the others, but you should order a few of them along with
your bulbs for outdoor planting, to grow in the house during
the winter, either in bowls of pebbles and water, or in pots
or bulb-pans of light, rich soil. Most of them will come
through all right outdoors, although they must have ade-
quate winter protection.

The double-flowering sorts of daffodils are distinct from
all the foregoing in having their flowers conspicuously dou-
ble, which gives them an entirely different appearance. Of
this class Van Scion, the old-fashioned favorite Dutch
daffodil, is the best known. ~ Sulphur (or Silver) Phoenix is
dull white with a pale yellow center and is the largest and
finest of the double sorts.

The double Poet’s narcissus, Alba Plena Odorata, is also
exceptionally beautiful and sweet scented, but it requires
for its successful culture rather heavy soil and a partially
shaded position.

Jonquils might be termed miniature narcissi, the whole
plant being smaller, but with an exceptionally graceful
and attractive habit of growth. Campernelle Rugulosus is
the largest and strongest growing of these, and is very
fragrant.

The Poet’s type of narcissus has flowers that are white
and much simpler in construction than the others, the
petals expanding flat open or even reflexed. Instead of the
“‘trumpet” they have a shallow cup, usually golden in

232 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

color, distinctly margined with some sharply contrasting
tint, such as red or scarlet. Poeticus Ornatus and King
Edward VII are improved forms of the type, but they
flower earlier, and for a succession of bloom you should
plant with them some of the old Pheasant’s Eye, or original
Poeticus. The Poet’s type is the most recent addition to the
family, the result of a cross between the Poeticus and
Polyanthus types, and is sometimes called the Hardy
Cluster-flowered Daffodil, in contradistinction to the semi-
hardy Polyanthus type. The several splendid varieties of
this new section are all robust, healthy growers, with
Poeticus-like flowers borne in clusters on strong, stiff stems.

For a succession of narcissi of the several types mentioned,
here are some of the best for early, medium and late bloom-
ing: Early—Trumpet Major, Golden Spur, Princeps, Henry
Irving, Beethoven, Stella (Incomparabilis); for medium—
Glory of Leiden, Emperor, Empress, most of the Incom-
parabilis and the Leedsi sorts, Burbidgeit, Poeticus Grandt-
florus and Alsace (Poeta); for late—Conspicuus Bari, the
single Jonquils, the other Poeta varieties, Poeticus, P.
Ornatus, and P. King Edward VII.

Hyacinths for Succession

The matter of making out your hyacinth order is much
simpler. For outdoor culture there are only two types, the
single and double Dutch hyacinths in various colors, al-
though the same varieties in smaller bulbs are to be had
under the name of Dutch Roman or Miniature hyacinths.
Many catalogues now list the named varieties classified as
to color, so that the selection of those adapted to your spe-
cial needs is an easy matter.

For a succession of hyacinths, here are a few of the best
standard-named varieties:

EarLty—Baroness Van Thull, L’Innocence, white; Scho-
tel, blue; Garibaldi, red; Moreno, Rosea maxima, pink.

Mepium—La Grandesse, Madame Van der Hoop, white;
Czar Peter, Grant Maitre, La Payrouse, blue; Aoi des

SEPTEMBER: SECOND WEEK 233

Belges, Robert Steiger, red; Jacques, Gertrude, pink; Yel-
low Hammer, Ida, yellow.

LaTtE—La Franchise, white; King of Blues, blue; King of
Yellows, yellow; Etna, dark rose; Queen of the Pink, pink.

Almost all above are old standard single sorts; the new
named sorts show improvement In size and color.

It is advisable to make out your order for bulbs as early
as possible. Orders are filled in rotation, as the supplies
arrive—practically all the spring-blooming bulbs are im-
ported—and if there is a shortage the late buyers are the
ones who have to accept substitutes or go without. Plant-
ing should not be done too early, but it is always advisable
to have the bulbs on hand so that they can be put in at
once when conditions appear favorable. The object is
to get a good root growth without having the tops start.

It is a great mistake, however, to send in an order before
you have taken the time carefully to figure out your needs.
As a general rule, you will get more satisfaction for your
money by avoiding ready-mixed collections and varieties
about which you know nothing except that they are low
priced. Estimate carefully the amount of space you can
devote to bulbs, keeping in mind that all the spring-flower-
ing sorts may be used in a double-flowering system, with
annuals or bedding plants set out in late spring in the bulb
beds. Or the bulbs may be put in the rose bed, or the hardy
border, to bloom early and be out of the way.

As to the proportion of each kind of bulb to order, that is
a question both for personal taste and for the results which
are aimed at. For design beds and formal effects, hyacinths
are the most reliable for uniformity in height, color and time
of blooming. Fortunately, however, design beds, dis-
figuring the otherwise pretty lawns of small places, are less
frequently seen than they were a few years ago.

Tulips, through the development of many splendid new
varieties that have increased season of bloom and range of
colors, particularly in the more artistic and delicate shades,
have gained greatly in popularity during the last decade.
‘Many of the new sorts are fine for cut flowers, as well as

234 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

useful for all kinds of gardening—solid beds or borders,
lines of color against the house, or scattered groups to lighten
up the shrubbery borders.

Small groups of even a dozen or so Darwin or Dutch
Breeder tulips, with their enormous blossoms borne on
stems two to three feet tall, and remaining in flower for
several weeks, make a striking display. Tulips should be
replanted every second or third year, but this is easily done.

The narcissus group, which includes the jonquils and
daffodils, is especially suited for naturalizing or for planting
in irregular groups on the lawn, in semishady positions, to
propagate and look after themselves. I know of plantings
of narcissus that have not been disturbed for twenty years,
but that still bloom freely. For the best blossoms, however,
the bulbs should be separated every four or five years.

For flowers in the lawn, where the grass must be cut
early in spring, the smaller earliest-flowering bulbs, such as
crocuses, squills, snowdrops and chionodoxas, should be
selected because they are hardy, and bloom early and never
grow tall. Even with these the foliage should be allowed to
remain as long as possible before cutting, so the bulbs will
have every possible chance to ripen naturally.

September: Third Week

FALL PLANTING OF SHRUBS AND OTHER ORNA-
MENTALS: WHEN TO PLANT; PREPARATION
OF SOIL; TREATMENT ON RECEIPT; PRUNING

The planting of hardy shrubs and perennials which are
not subject to winter injury presents the greatest opportu-
nity for constructive work at this season of the year.

There are two good reasons why it is advisable to do this
work now: The first is that such plants, if set out now, will
have from two to four months’ more growth before encoun-
tering the usual summer drought than they would if set out
next spring—and during the first year after planting dry
weather is the biggest source of loss, even though the plant-
ing is properly done. In the second place, this work if de-
ferred until spring is apt to be put off until quite late or
postponed altogether, because there are so many other
things insistently demanding attention at that busy season.
Moreover, with many plants, especially those blooming
during the spring and early summer, a whole year is gained
by planting now, instead of waiting a few months until
spring.

In fall planting, as in spring planting, there is no set rule
as to the best time to plant that can be applied to every-
thing and to every season. ‘‘The earlier the better” is a
slogan that can be quite generally adopted for fall planting.
In seasons when the ground is very dry from a prolonged
summer drought it may be advisable to wait until the fall
rains begin, but even then, unless planting is to be under-
taken on a very large scale, water can be given at the time
of transplanting, and if necessary two or three times there-
after, to carry the plants through until the fall rains come.
The extra time gained, even if it is but a week or so, is im-
portant, because the more firmly the roots become estab-

235

236 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

lished before freezing weather the more certain is the success
of the planting.

When to Plant Shrubs

The ornamental shrubs comprise the most important
group of plants for setting out in the fall. The proper time
for planting is just after the first hard frosts—from the
middle of September to the middle of November, according
to the latitude and location. But if you wait until the
hard frost comes before making your preparations and be-
fore engaging your stock you will be too late. Like the
evergreens, the shrubs when once planted will become per-
manent features of the place, and the task of planning where

Fall planting. 1, Dwarf evergreens. 2, Large individual shrubs. 3, Tall shrubs for back-
grounds and screening. 4, Lower shrubs for foregrounds. 5, Low shrubs or bulbs for
edge of planting. 6, Tall informal hedge and street screen. 7, Formal or semi-formal
hedge along street. 8, Tall, dense evergreen hedge and windbreak north and west of
vegetable garden.

they are to go should not be done in a hurry. Shrubs with
ornamental foliage and with colored berries and bark are
just as beautiful as those which flower. Moreover, they
serve to brighten the landscape during fall and winter when
the deciduous flowering shrubs have lost their beauty.
There is no “‘best way” of using shrubs; they are avail-
able for all sorts of purposes—hedges, windbreaks, screens,
masses, low and tall borders, single ornamental specimens,
and for everything between the stiff formality of the closely

SEPTEMBER: THIRD WEEK 237

clipped boxwood or privet hedge to the naturalistic abandon
of a mixed border planted against a wall or a boundary line
with every appearance of having grown there as naturally
as the weeds by the roadside.

Shrubs can be bought at from fifteen to fifty cents apiece,
the majority of them for not over a quarter, so that a few
dollars a year invested in them will soon make a represent-
ative collection. Even if only a few shrubs are set out,
care should be taken to select those that bloom at different
seasons of the year. With half a dozen, flowers can be had
practically throughout the summer and early fall. In
estimating the number of shrubs required for a bed or border
of a given size allow about five feet each way for the taller
sorts and three for the lower. A good principle to keep in
mind, either in making groups or in placing individual
specimens, is to maintain what landscape architects call
the “open center.”” Do not set the plants indiscriminately
here and there, breaking up the lawn and abruptly termi-
nating views from the front porch, veranda, windows or
other frequented places. Keep the shrubbery plantings
rather at the outer margins and be careful to use low-
growing shrubs where some nearby attraction or distant
vista would otherwise be shut off.

Preparation for Planting Important

As a rule, shrubs are not particular in regard to soil,
but it is highly important that the best possible prepara-
tion should be given. And as several years’ supply of nour-
ishment is to be incorporated a generous supply of coarse
ground bone and acid phosphate, as well as some potash,
should be included with the manure to be dug into the
soil. For the shrub border the whole space to be planted
should be plowed or dug. Where individual specimens
or small groups are to go the ground may be prepared by
digging out and enriching holes of suitable size. Where a
hard subsoil is encountered it may be advisable to loosen
it with dynamite.

238 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

The manure should be worked well down below the
surface; a couple of good forkfuls and two or three hand-
fuls of a mixture of bone, acid phosphate and potash to
each shrub will not be too much. The sooner the ground
can be got ready the better. An interval between its prep-
aration and the actual planting gives it a chance to settle,
and the various fertilizers used will be in more available
form for the newly set plants to appropriate.

Pack the Soil Firmly about the Roots

From the nursery, properly grown plants will be received
with a mass of fibrous roots carefully wrapped in burlap to
keep them moist and in good growing condition. If the
packing is dry when they arrive they should be placed,
packing and all, in a tub, and water applied slowly until
no more will be absorbed. Put in only a little water at a
time; do not soak the whole mass. It is advisable to plant
as soon as possible after they are received; but if for any
reason they must be held for a few days keep under cover
and out of the wind. Or if planting must be delayed for a
week or so cut the bundles open, take out the individual
plants and heel them in in a trench.

Firm planting is of the greatest importance, because
even if a favorable fall is encountered the plants will not
be very firmly established by winter, and damage from
strong winds or from the heaving of the soil is pretty sure
to result unless the earth has been packed round the roots
solidly enough so that there is no “‘give”’ to the plants.

In planting do not expose the roots even for a few minutes
to wind and sun. The most convenient method is to carry
the plants in a large, shallow basket, keeping the roots
covered with moist burlap. Any broken or bruised roots
should be cut back to clean, hard wood. Deciduous trees
and shrubs which flower after midsummer should be well
cut back after planting. The early flowering sorts have
already formed their buds, and pruning means fewer flowers
the first spring; but if many of the roots have been removed,

SEPTEMBER: THIRD WEEK 239

so that there seems to be too much top in proportion, it is
best to sacrifice part of this first crop of flowers to make
more certain of the ultimate success of the plant.

If water must be applied put it in the bottom of the hole,
before the plant is set, and again after it is about half filled
with earth; never pour the water on top of the soil. See that
the soil is well pressed in about the roots as the hole is being
filled. Do not fill the hole up level and then make it firm
by pressing on the top. The top inch or two of soil should
be left loose to act as a mulch. Most shrubs should be set
slightly deeper than they were growing at the nursery. Tall
specimens which appear the least bit wabbly should be im-
mediately staked and tied with bits of soft cloth or fastened
with pieces of old rubber hose to prevent injury from the
wind.

September: Fourth Week

PERENNIALS FOR PLANTING AND RE-PLANTING
THIS FALL: PHLOX, IRIS, PEONIES

Most perennials can be planted in the fall with advantage,
because there is more time to do the work, and they will get
a stronger and much earlier start, than would be possible by
spring planting. The spring blooming perennials, in fact,
must be planted in the fall if one would be certain of regults
the first year. In addition to new beds to be made, or new
plants added to one’s collection, there are quite sure to be a
number of perennials which should be taken up, separated,
and replanted, to continue to give the best results. Both
those which form new ‘‘crowns,” like Golden Glow (rud-
beckia), helianthus, Physostegia, and others similar, and
those which propagate by making increasingly larger
clumps, such as phlox, hibiscus, iris, and others of similar
growth, gradually exhaust the plant food and overcrowd,
reaching a point, after several seasons’ growth, where they
will deteriorate rapidly unless separated and replanted;
preferably they should be given fresh soil, although replant-
ing in the same place, after the ground has been thoroughly
dug and enriched, will renew their vigor and size.

As all of this work will more or less upset the garden it is
best to delay it until after the first killing frosts. New beds
or borders, however, should be made in the meantime.
They should be trenched to a depth of some two feet. Nat-
ural drainage should be good, and the beds so located that
no surface water will stand on them during the winter.
As the plants are to remain for several years, the soil can
hardly be made too rich, and plenty of coarse ground bone
should be used in addition to the manure or compost em-
ployed, as this will decay gradually and continues to furnish
an even supply of plant food for several years.

240

SEPTEMBER: FOURTH WEEK 241

Do the Fall Planting Early

Unless a late dry summer has made soil conditions un-
favorable, early planting is, generally, advisable; there
may be dry weather later, or an extra early fall. Most
of the plants may be safely handled soon after their bloom-
ing season is over, especially such sorts as go into a semi-
dormant state of growth, as indicated by their foliage
turning brown or dying down altogether. Therefore the
early flowering things should be moved first, Bleeding
Heart (Dicentra), the early phloxes and hardy poppies,
lily-of-the-valley, primroses, and many others can all be
planted immediately. Hardy perennial plants which are
bought from the nursery or seedsmen, and have been
grown in pots, may also be set out immediately, and the
sooner they are set out, the stronger plants they will make
before winter. The things still in active growth, like the
late phloxes, chrysanthemums, fall anemones, helianthus,
cardinal flowers, Tritomas, can wait until they are through
flowering or after hard frost. In ordering from a nursery,
the proper time for sending the plants may be left to the
grower, but if a considerable number of things are being
bought it is well to have them sent in two lots,—the earlier
things a couple of weeks in advance of the others. This will
be better for the plants, and the work of planting will not
have to be so rushed.

Increasing Plants by “ Division”

In replanting your own plants or in exchanging plants
with your neighbors,—which is a good and inexpensive way
of increasing your collection,—the plants should be kept
out of the ground as short a time as possible, and at all times
should be protected by moss or wet bagging from sun and
wind. There are two common mistakes to be avoided. The
first is leaving the clumps to be replanted too large; most
perennials can be divided easily by hand, and part of a
clump or a section of a plant with a few strong buds or
crowns, will give much better results in almost all cases than

242 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

a large clump or several pieces of roots together. The other
mistake is, with such an abundance of material on hand as
one will have in taking plants up from an old border, that
the plants will be reset too close. Give them plenty of room.
In most cases, the average height of the plant will not be too
great for the distance apart to set them. All tall growing
things such as Aquilegias, Delphiniums, Digitalis, and so
forth may be set closer in proportion to their height. In
taking plants up, the lawn edger, which should be well
sharpened, is very much better for cutting around the plants
than the spade; and also for cutting up things which make
dense clumps, and are not readily separated by hand, such
as phlox. Some of the other good perennials which may be
set now, include columbine (Aquilegias); Dictamnus (Gas
plant); Hardy Daisies; Hardy Pinks; Liatris; Lychnis;
Sweet William; Veronica. Some perennials especially good
for shady positions are Aconitum; Anemones; Anchusa
(Alkanet); Hepatica; Primroses; Polyanthus; Ranunculus;
Saxafrages; Trillium; Vinca; hardy Violets.

Selecting Phlox for a Long Season of Bloom

The most important of all our American hardy perennials
and, in the opinion of many, the most indispensable of all
perennials for the hardy border, are the members of the
phlox family. By careful selection of the varieties from the
different species, they may be had in bloom continually from
quite early in the season until frost. There is a wide range
of colors, practical freedom from diseases or insect enemies,
and the flowers of many varieties are fragrant. The ear-
liest flowering varieties are of creeping habit. One of these
is phlox subulata, which is very hardy and good for a ground
cover, even under somewhat adverse conditions, provided
only the soil is not too dry. The foliage is evergreen and
somewhat resembles moss, giving it its common name of
Moss or Mountain Pink. While the old variety of this,
the one still most commonly seen, is of a jarring, purplish
rose color, it may also be had in pure white, light rose and

SEPTEMBER: FOURTH WEEK 243

pale lilac colors. Phlox Douglasit may be used successfully
where the soil is too dry for the above. For shady places
use Divaricata; while the plant itself is creeping in habit,
the stems rise to a height of a foot or a foot and a half; it
remains in flower throughout the early summer. There are
two splendid new varieties of this, one dark blue and the
other white, which make it still more valuable. The earliest
of the upright phloxes come into bloom in May; among
these are Miss Lingard, white with a dark colored eye;
Mrs. Dalrimple, rosy white with scarlet eye, and Ninon,
deep rosy lilac. Among the best of the standard summer
flowering varieties are—of the pure white—Mrs. Jenkins;
Frau Anton Buchner; Jeanne d’Arc, which come into bloom
in the order mentioned and are especially good; Frau Anton
Buchner has the largest individual flowers of any white sort.
Among the brightest of the crimson and red sorts are
Tragedie, brilliant carmine; Coquelicot, pure scarlet with
crimson eye; Henry Marcel, red with bright salmon shading;
Siebold, one of the best bright reds; Vesuvius, dazzling red
with purple eye. Between these there is a wide range of
colors, shading through lilac, light pink, mauve, magenta;
Elizabeth Campbell, salmon pink with red eye; Thor, some-
what similar but darker color; Gefion, peach pink; W. C-.
Egan, a newer sort and one of the best both in vigor and
color,—lilac with bright center—and with immense in-
dividual flowers; Bridesmaid, white with crimson eye;
Mme. Paul Dutrie, soft lilac rose, extra large flowers and
panicles; Rynstrom, carmine rose; La Vague, pure mauve.
These are all splendid varieties but can be bought very rea-
sonably, from fifteen to twenty-five cents each, or in collec-
tions at an average of little over the former figure. Your
order for phloxes should also include some of the Arendsi
type; this new race is entirely distinct,—of very vigorous,
branching habit, only one to two feet high, coming into
bloom between the early flowering tall sorts and those de-
scribed above, and are more free-flowering than any others.

The late blooming phloxes will not be ready for re-setting
until well into October, and may be set from then until

244 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN |

November; 18’ apart is the proper distance for most vari-
eties, and the taller or stronger growing can be given a little
more. The old clumps should be cut up into separate
pieces, containing several shoots only, using an edger or a
very sharp spade. Do not be tempted to keep more plants
than you have room for, even though you have to throw
some away,—although there are generally friends available
who would be very glad to use them in their gardens.

Planting and Replanting Peontes

Peonies can remain longer in one position without any
necessity for replanting than most of the perennials. They
are very hardy, free from insects, and usually from disease.
The new peony disease has not become widespread and if
the plants are bought from a nursery where one is sure that
they are healthy, it is not likely to cause trouble. The plants
are not particular as to soil; and the ordinary garden soil in
which vegetables or flowers do well is all right, but one
should be selected that is rather heavy, if it is available.

Although the flowering season is usually over early in July,
the plants continue to grow for some time; the growth should
be encouraged as it stores up energy in the fleshy roots for
next season, in the same way as rhubarb or asparagus; but
the foliage will have completed its growth and will begin to
ripen off by the middle of September, and the sooner the
plants are put in or replanted after that the better. As
each root, although it may seem quite small when put in,
will make a very large clump within the course of a very few
years, they should be planted from two to three feet apart,
and nearly that distance from other plants, where they are
set in the hardy border. It is a good plan to set out some
of the early, flowering spring bulbs near them in the border,
as these are gone by before the peonies require the room.
Care should be taken that the manure used is old and does
not come into contact with the fleshy roots when setting
the plants out. Very frequently the roots are set too deep.
The crown of the root after covering should be only 2 to

SEPTEMBER: FOURTH WEEK 245

21%"’ below the surface. While the peonies are sufficiently
hardy to require no protection, the mulch which is applied
to the mixed border will do no injury. And for the first
season after planting, a mulch which may be of manure,
is advisable, as it protects the soil from the heaving some-
times produced by alternate freezing and thawing. The
peony is one of the grossest feeders of all the garden flowers
and the soil can scarcely be made too rich before planting
or too much manure or fertilizer used thereafter.

Twelve of the best varieties are Festiva Maxima, a giant
white; Couronne d’Or, white with yellow and carmine;
Duchesse de Nemours, sulphur white; Modeste Gurin, bright
rose pink; Marie Lemoine, sulphur white, late blooming;
Felix Crousse, brilliant red; Eugene Verdier, flesh pink; Del-
icatissima, delicate, light pink; Mons. Jules Elie, flesh pink;
Madame Calot, early flowering pink; Mme. de Verneville,
sulphur white with white center; La Tulipe, very large flower
shading to white; and M. Krelage. A few plants also of the
old Peonia Officialis should also be used as these bloom some
two weeks earlier than the varieties named above.

The Iridescent, International Iris

One of the best old-fashioned garden flowers was the iris,
or blue flag, or fleur-de-lis. The clumps of blue flags in the
front yards of old farm homes always give a fine air of dis-
tinction.

These old-fashioned irises were mostly of the type known
in the catalogues as German iris. There are literally thou-
sands of varieties on the market, representing the newest
and best fashions. In colors they show almost every shade
of blue, yellow and red, with some pretty fair whites.

The blues are the best known and probably the most
effective; but the yellows are also desirable. The reds are
not so popularly distributed, but deserve much more
general planting. They run mostly toward dull brownish
and coppery shades, very rich and pleasing.

These German irises thrive in any good garden soil—

246 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

say a soil suited to potatoes or corn. They should be
planted where they can be cultivated and where they
need not be disturbed for several years.

The Japanese irises when properly grown are larger and
finer than the German varieties. In color they are mostly
blue or white. A common belief assigns them to swampy
spots along the shores of ponds, but this is hardly correct.
In fact, the plants will not live in a soil where water stands.
The soil must be rich and moist but well drained. Fine
Japanese irises may be grown in any garden where the
soil is reasonably heavy and retentive.

The Iris, like the phloxes, must be carefully selected as to
species in order to get the longest season of bloom possible.
By a proper selection they can be had from early spring until
past midsummer; the two most widely known species are
the German Iris and the Japanese Iris,—J. Germanica, and
I. Kaempferi, respectively; the former bloom the earlier,
beginning to flower in May. A new species, Iris Interregna,
blooms still earlier and the flowers are of fine form and
of clear and distinct colors. The German Iris should be
planted on well-drained soil, the roots slightly covered; they
appreciate plenty of sun. The Japanese Iris, on the other
hand, while succeeding in almost any soil, and in either sun
or partial shade, require plenty of water, particularly while
they are developing their flowers; all are quite readily re-
planted, but the Japanese sorts do not increase rapidly.
In planning for a succession of bloom, either in the mixed
border, or in the iris beds, plants of the following species will
bloom about in the order named. J. Pumila, the ‘‘baby”
iris; Aszatica and Florentina, old sorts, smaller, but earlier
flowering than the new German sorts; pumila hybrida, and
imterregna, newer species,—of each of which there are sev-
eral good varieties,—having German parentage, but bloom-
ing earlier; the regular German type, including such grand
sorts as Madame Cherau, pure white with sky-blue edging,
Pallida Dalmatica, lavender, with fall petals shaded blue,
and very fragrant, Maori King, golden yellow with choc-
olate falls, Queen of May, old rose, Mrs. H. Darwin, white

SEPTEMBER: FOURTH WEEK 247

with violet veining, King of Iris, yellow and brown, extra
fine; the Siberian iris (J. Sibirica) including several good
sorts, orientalis being the earliest, and one of the best, and
Snow Queen, a new ivory white, a good companion to it;
the Japanese iris, concluding the season’s bloom, with a few
stray blooms up to the end of July, the grandest of all, with
the widest range of color and combinations, but the varieties
are not as generally known by name because their Japanese
nomenclature means little to American gardeners, and the
unregulated re-naming of varieties which has taken place
has resulted in much confusion, so that the most satisfac-
tory way is to order from descriptions, or, where it is pos-
sible, personal inspection.

The “Spanish” and “English” irises are quite distinct
from the above, and usually listed as “bulbs.”

September: Fifth Week

BULBS FOR WINTER BLOOM: NARCISSI, HYA-
CINTHS, AND TULIPS FOR FORCING; OTHER
FLOWERING BULBS; CUTTINGS TO ROOT
NOW

Of all the flowers available for indoor culture in the winter
window garden, bulbs give the greatest assurance of suc-
cess with the least trouble. Their requirements are the
simplest; they are perhaps the cheeriest of all flowers;
many of them are deliciously fragrant; their cost is trifling;
and they may be had in a constant succession of bloom
throughout the winter and early spring. In fact, with the
proper facilities for storing them after planting, practically
all the work for a whole winter’s succession of flowers can
be done in one afternoon; they are then simply taken from
their winter quarters into warmth and light as required,
with about as little trouble as it takes to get the day’s
supply of canned vegetables from the cellar shelf.

The cultural requirements of bulbs for winter bloom,
although simple, are imperative. They may be mentioned
in order as follows: Selection of suitable varieties;
purchase of healthy, heavy bulbs; properly mixed soil;
correct planting; development of root growth before forcing;
a gradual start in forcing; and congenial conditions of light
and temperature while growing and blooming.

A great variety of bulbs are forced commercially, some
of which the amateur grower, particularly the beginner,
will do best to omit. With the possible exception of the
lily-of-the-valley, the bulbs which the commercial grower
can force have no advantages over those available for the
window garden. The latter include hyacinths, narcissi,
tulips of some varieties, Easter lilies, freesias and gladioli.

248

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SEPTEMBER: FIFTH WEEK 249

Hyacinths for Forcing

Some of the best varieties of hyacinths for forcing are La
Grandesse, and L’Innocence, and Madame Van der Hoop,
(early) all pure white. Among the red shades are Baron
Van Thuyll, Gertrude, Gigantea and Robert Steiger;
City of Harlem, yellow, and King of the Yellows; and
Czar Peter and Grand Maitre, light blue and deep blue
respectively, and Queen of the Blues, make a dozen sorts,
giving a good range of color. These are all large singles.
The double sorts may be forced, but usually they do not give
as satisfactory results, and to most people, are not nearly
as attractive in appearance as the single sorts. A hya-
cinth at best is a stiff and artificial looking flower, but the
double varieties are even more so than the single. The
Roman hyacinths, are quite distinct from any of the above,
and much more graceful, sending up many stalks from a
blub. It is wonderfully fragrant. It is one of the easiest
of all bulbs to force and is the earliest, flowering by Thanks-
giving if started early in September. It may be had in
pale pink and blue shades as well as in the white, but the
latter is the universal favorite.

Narcissi and Tulips for Forcing

Among the Narcissi, the two that are the best known
and should be found in succession throughout the winter
in every window garden, are Paper White and the Chinese
Sacred Lily; both are too well known to need description;
the latter is universally grown in pebbles and water. The
Paper White is usually forced in soil like the other bulbs,
but will give equally good results and will come into bloom
much sooner when treated in the same way as the sacred
lily. Along with these should be mentioned the new Nar-
cissus Poetaz Hybrids. This beautiful new race lends it-
self readily to forcing, either in pots or in pebbles. Of the
‘“‘Trumpet” sorts, the Trumpet Major is one of the surest
and earliest and may be had in flower by Christmas. Hors-

250 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

fieldii is another of the best and earliest. Others good for
forcing are Princeps; Glory of Leiden; Emperor; Golden
Spur; and Victoria. If these do not afford a sufficiently
wide range of form and color, other new and old varieties
may be drawn upon.

The tulips are not so well Aeeted to forcing as the hy-
acinths and narcissi but may be used with success. They
are so decidedly different that, unless one is limited in the
number of things which can be grown, at least a few will
repay the trouble required. Early varieties should be
selected, such as the Duc Van Tholls, in various colors,
from the single early flowering section,'and Kaiser Kroon,
and Murillo from the double flowering; the May flowering
sorts, planted at the same time, will flower a little later,
and the Darwins will finish up the succession of bloom in
March and April.

Bulbs should always be purchased only from a thoroughly
reliable source. Almost always for forcing purposes, it is bet-
ter to pay the price and get the largest there are to be had.
These are usually listed as Mammoth, Jumbo or some other
super-superlative term. ‘‘First size” bulbs will also give
results. Very often, two or three smaller bulbs, planted
together, will be very much more effective than a single
large one, although the individual flowers may not be quite
so big. Hyacinths cost from ten to twenty-five cents apiece;
Roman hyacinths, from fifty to seventy-five cents a dozen;
narcissi and tulips, from twenty-five to seventy-five cents a
dozen; crocuses, from fifteen to twenty-five cents per dozen;
freesias, twenty-five to fifty cents a dozen; gladioli, twenty-
five to fifty cents a dozen, and Easter lilies, ten to forty
cents apiece. When ordering, it is well to specify that bulbs
are to be sent as soon as received. Tulips, and hyacinths
and narcissi which are wanted for early flowering, should be
started as soon as you can get them. Where you are buy-
ing the bulbs personally, select those of regular form, round
and plump. If there is any choice between plumpness and
size, the former will usually be the safer bet. Bulbs which
have become slightly shrivelled in transportation, may

SEPTEMBER: FIFTH WEEK © 251

often be restored to good condition by placing them in
slightly moist sawdust or moss in a shaded place. If this
does not seem to restore them, it will be best not to risk
planting them. All bulbs which are to be kept on hand for
planting later, should be packed in sawdust in a box or
wrapped in heavy paper away from the light and high
temperature.

Soil for Forcing Bulbs

The most important thing about the soil for bulb forcing
is to have it friable enough to drain rapidly and thoroughly.
A mixture of garden loam, manure so old that it is thor-
oughly disintegrated (or manure and leaf mold mixed to-
gether, if only ordinary manure is to be had), and sand, will
give the results sought. The two former may be mixed half
and half, and enough sand be added so that it will crumble
readily when moist. There will be little danger of getting
too much sand, even if added in an amount equal to the
soil. In case neither manure or leaf mold are to be had,
a few thick sods taken up by the roadside and then shaved
with a sharp spade or an old knife, mixed with sand and
enriched with fine, ground bone, two quarts or so to the
bushel, will answer the purpose. ‘‘Humus’”’ also is excellent.

In planting, ordinary flower pots, ‘‘bulb pans,” which are
very shallow flower pots, or flats may be used. For general
purposes, the bulb pans are the most satisfactory. The 6”
size costs about seven cents, and the 10’’ about twenty
cents apiece. If the flowers are to be used for cutting, or to
be brought into a conservatory, the flats, which may be
made in smaller sizes than those ordinarily used, are more
convenient, as they hold more bulbs and do not dry out
so quickly. Bulbs which have made their root growth in
flats may be later planted in pots to be taken into the house,
thus economizing space during the preliminary part of their
growth.

Whatever is used in the way of a container, the essen-
tial things in plantings are to see that good drainage is

252 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

provided and that the bulbs are planted to a suitable depth
for the kind being used. Sphagnum moss (B) excelsior, or
screenings should be placed in the bottom of the flat, or a
few pebbles or pieces of broken flower pot (A) put in the
bottoms of the pots or bulb pans,
before planting. Then put in a
layer of soil (C), on top of this
place the bulbs, about a half inch
to an inch and a half apart. After
being placed, they should be cov-
ered in firmly. Hyacinths should
be left about a half inch below
the surface; tulips a little deeper,
while the tops of the narcissi

e which are more elongated, will
often come up to the surface of the soil. A very thorough
watering should be given after setting, and as soon as any
surplus has had a chance to drain off, the flats, pots or
pans should be set away to make root growth.

The Easter lily, unlike the other bulbs, forms roots on the
base of the flower stalk as well as at the bottom of the bulb
itself; for this reason, and also to give it as firm a support as
possible, it should be planted well to the bottom of the pot
and only partly covered at first, or else planted in a small
pot and repotted again once or twice during the early
stages of growth into larger pots, putting it well at the
bottom each time, and filling it in about the stalk with new
earth.

The Secret of Success

The “‘secret of success” with bulb culture, so far as there
is one, is in getting a good, strong root growth before the
tops are allowed to start. Darkness, low temperature and
sufficient moisture to keep the soil from getting dry are
the conditions required to achieve this result. Freezing
later on, before they are taken into the house, will not hurt.
But for convenience in getting at them they are usually ©
kept in a cool cellar or in a dark closet, or in a cold-frame

SEPTEMBER: FIFTH WEEK 253

or in a trench covered with litter and leaves enough to
prevent hard freezing.

Before putting them away, every pot and flat should be
carefully labelled. Don’t trust to your memory!

If no cellar is available and you have not a cold-frame,
dig a trench or a square with dirt sides some 12” to 18”
deep, but large enough to accommodate your flats or
pots or pans. They can then be placed in this in just the
order in which you want to take them into the house,
so that you can start at one end of the trench and remove
them in order as required. Dry coal ashes make an ex-
cellent covering, or soil can be used. Either should be
about 8” deep, and on the approach of freezing weather,
leaves and litter enough to prevent freezing should be
placed over this. Bulbs stored thus will need no further
attention until time to bring them in. If they are kept ina
cellar or in a closet they should be looked at occasionally
and watered if the soil gets too dry; keeping them well
covered with sphagnum moss will retard evaporation.

The most prolific source of failure with bulbs is in start-
ing the tops before sufficient root growth has been made.
The different kinds, and even the different varieties of the
same kind, vary considerably in the time required for root
development before they should be started. As a general
rule, the longer they can be held back, the stronger the
root development and the better flowers will be. Roman
hyacinths and other early things that are wanted in bloom
for a special time, such as Thanksgiving or Christmas, can
be brought in after six or eight weeks. But tulips, and the
later varieties of hyacinths and narcissus, will do better
with ten or twelve weeks, so that the bulbs planted in the
latter part of September or the first of October should not
be taken in before December.

In removing the bulbs to the house, they should at first
be given a temperature of only forty to fifty degrees and
kept in a somewhat subdued light,—some room that is not
much used, with a north window being an ideal place. They
should be given a thorough watering and allowed to re-

254 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

main here for a week or so until they are well started. Then
give them more heat or bring them into a warmer room so
that they will have a temperature of fifty or sixty, and more
light; but full sunlight is not good for the bulbs except for
a few days just as the flowers are opening. Under the right
conditions, the top growth will be very rapid and an abun-
dance of water will be required. If the pots seem to dry out
too quickly, it will be well to keep the saucers filled with
water. Or the pots may be set in larger pots or pans and
wet moss stuffed around them. A high temperature, dry
air, or coal or illuminating gas, will prove fatal, blasting the
buds even before they open. In addition to plenty of water,
a watering with liquid manure or nitrate of soda, as the
buds swell, will be found very beneficial.

Insects are not likely to prove troublesome, but if they
do, they should be treated at once. Some tobacco dust
sprinkled about the soil and at the base of the leaves will
prove effective asa preventive. Plenty of fresh air should
be given at all times,—the more the better, so long as the
plants are not chilled. When the blooms do open, if the
plants can be kept in a cooler temperature in a somewhat
subdued light, they will last much longer.

Freesias and gladioli can be planted in much the same way
as the bulbs which are mentioned above, but do not have
to make preliminary root growth, although they should be
kept cool for a few weeks after planting.

Cuttings to Root Now

Before danger of the first killing frost, make your first
supply of cuttings of geraniums, heliotrope, verbenas and
other tender perennials or annuals of which you will want
plants for stock or for setting out early next spring. The
directions as to how to make and root the cuttings are
given elsewhere in this book. The cuttings can be rooted
out of doors, if provision is made to give ample protec-
tion against the first hard frosts, which are almost always

SEPTEMBER: FIFTH WEEK 255

followed by two or three weeks of good growing weather.
Place the flats of sand in which the cuttings are to be rooted
where they can be shaded, and cover, when necessary,
with old bags or rugs,—in a frame, on the north side of a
building, or in the shade of the veranda, are good places.
Water the sand well before putting in the cuttings, and then
give only enough to keep the sand thoroughly moist, not
soaking wet. Pot up as soon as the roots are a quarter of
an inch or so long.

October: First Week

HOT-BED AND COLD-FRAME GARDENING:
EQUIPMENT; SOIL; HEATING: VARIETIES
OF VEGETABLES FOR FORCING

The ‘‘frames’’—the cold-frame and its artificially heated
counterpart, the hot-bed—are ordinarily looked upon as a
garden adjunct the main purpose of which is to get plants
started a month or two earlier in the spring, so that certain
crops in the garden may be forwarded to that extent. In
this case the sash are used only for about three months in
the year and lie idle for the rest of the time. But where one
wishes to get the maximum results from his garden space
and garden equipment, such half-efficient management
should be changed, as the frames may be used to advantage
for seven or eight months in the year instead of three. This
is especially desirable where the garden space is limited, as
it is in the great majority of suburban places; and, further-
more, it is not only a matter of having more garden produce
than could otherwise be grown, but of having it at a season
when it is especially valuable—such things as lettuce,
radishes, green onions, and spinach, which you have usually
not had before May and June, during the winter months;
and such things as beans, cucumbers, muskmelons, etc.,
which ordinarily you do not have until well along toward
the end of the season, during early summer.

In planning to make your frames a really important part
of your garden operations, two things must be provided
first of all—soil which is naturally thoroughly drained and
will not become wet and soggy through the winter and early
spring months, and an abundance of water to use in dry
weather when it is needed. You must realize at the outset
that cold-frame gardening is a highly intensified form of
gardening, and that therefore to be successful with it you

256

OCTOBER: FIRST WEEK 257

must have the factors for success, of which water is, of
course, a vitally important one, well under control. At the
same time, it is just as well for you to realize that the returns
from it on the basis of the amount of space allotted to it
will be much higher than from any other part of your gar-
den. For instance, outdoors you set your rows of lettuce
twelve to fifteen inches apart and set out the heads or thin
them to about twelve inches. In the cold-frames fifty heads
are set to a space three by six feet (eight inches each way),
from which space outside you would get eighteen or twenty
heads.

Three Kinds of Sash

The equipment for intensive gardening of this sort is a
little more diversified, but on the whole much less expensive
than ordinarily supposed. You are probably familiar with
the ordinary cold-frame—a box or frame with sides of wood
covered with a standard glass sash (size three by six feet),
and provided with a wooden shutter or a straw mat for
covering in extreme cold weather. The equipment which I
am going to recommend contains sash of three distinct
sorts, each of the three especially valuable for its special use.
In the first place, there are the double light sash; these cost
a little more than the others, for they are made with a
double layer of glass with an air space between them which,
being an efficient non-conductor, answers the purpose of the
mat or shutter in keeping out the cold, but with this great
advantage, that at the same time it will let all the sunshine
in. The double light sash is a distinct and valuable im-
provement in the way of garden equipment, and is proving
wonderfully valuable to thousands of places. But it is when
used to supplement sash of the ordinary kind rather than
to take the place of them, that one gets the greatest amount
of service from them. Because with the double light sash,
where one has no greenhouse, seeds may be sown and the
plants started and grown to a size large enough to transplant
to the frame under the regular sash at a season when, under
the old methods, you would just be starting them.

258 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

‘The standard sash, three feet by six in size (and preferably
having three instead of four rows of glass, as more light is
obtained) does not need any description here, as everyone
‘is familiar with it; of these, one should have two or three
times as many as of the double sash; and then there are the
sash made with light wooden frames and covered with pro-
tecting cloth; these are not nearly so well known nor so
largely used as they should be, but they will keep off several
degrees of frost and for many uses will answer just as well,
and in some cases even better than glass: and, furthermore,
in severe weather they can be used in the place of mats or
shutters over the glass sash.

The frames on which the sash are supported may be of
inch boards and two by four inch uprights for holding these
in place; the usual dimensions are two feet in back and a
foot and a half in front, which gives a slope sufficient to
carry all the rain water off the sash, and also catches the
sunlight at a better angle. Frames which are to be used as
hot-beds—that is, supplied with manure to give artificial
heat in cold weather—should be made a foot or eighteen
inches deeper on the inside. While the board frames may
be banked up with earth on the outside, so as to be imper-
vious to frost and cold wind, and, if substantially made,
will last for a number of years, nevertheless, it is far better
to go to a little more trouble and possibly a greater expense,
and have the frames made of concrete. If you cannot have
them all made this way, then those which are to be used as a
hot-bed at least should be so constructed, as these are used
for more months in the year and the rotting caused by the
manure will cause them, if made of wood, to go to pieces more
quickly than the ordinary cold-frames. A sill or cap of
wood or iron—preferably the latter—may be bought to put
on top of the concrete, and is so constructed that the sash
will fit firmly on it.

The Cost of Equipment

The amount of garden stuff which can you get out of a
limited space which is taken up by your frames is truly re-

OCTOBER: FIRST WEEK 259

markable; not only because the planting is done more
closely in the frames, but because where several crops may
be taken from it each season you would get one or two from
the garden. A ten-sash frame used in connection with the
regular garden would give an ample supply of winter and
early spring vegetables to a good sized family, besides fur-
nishing room to winter over such things as might be re-
quired and an ample supply of plants for the garden in the
spring. For such a cold-frame garden a convenient division
of the sash would be as follows: Two double light sash cost-
ing about $7.00, four single light sash costing $10.00, four
cloth-covered sash costing $2.00, three double-sized burlap
mats costing $3.0o—a total of $22.00.

In addition to this, the lumber for the frame would cost
from $5.00 to $10.00, depending upon the price per thousand
feet in your vicinity. The cost of a concrete frame in-
stead of a wooden one would depend almost entirely upon
the price you would have to pay for the sand and gravel,
as the amount of cement used would not be very great. In
most instances, unless you have the sand and gravel on your
own place, the cost would be more than for wood, but as
has already been stated, it would be much cheaper in the
end. After the frame is put up two partitions should be
built across it, to divide the spaces for the two double-light
sash, the four single-light sash, and the cloth-covered sash.
If the frame is a long one it should be strengthened by cross-
bars every three or four sashes apart, to keep the side
walls from warping out of position; or they may be put in
every three feet even with the sash as described above.
It is a great convenience, however, to have them removable.

Good Varieties for Frame Use

It is time to begin work now for the crops you will want
this fall and this winter. The first step in this direction
is the selection of varieties of vegetables which are good
for growing in frames, as the use of the wrong sorts, even
with other conditions all favorable, may mean failure in-

260 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

stead of success. In lettuce there is Grand Rapids for the
loose heading sort and Big Boston and Wayahead, both of
which make fine, solid crisp heads and will thrive in a cool
temperature. For your first attempt it will be best to try
several varieties, so that you ¢an tell which will give you the
best results under the conditions which you have. The
Grand Rapids, grown under glass, is deliciously tender, and
in my opinion in no way inferior to the head lettuces, al-
though the latter are, of course, more blanched in the cen-
ters. Of radishes there are a number of good sorts for using
in frames, but after trying a number of varieties I now use
nothing but the Crimson Giant Globe and the White Icicle.
Both these varieties, besides being of good size and quick
to mature, have the further great advantage of remaining
an extraordinarily long time without growing pithy, so that
not more than half the number of plantings have to be made
as with such sorts as the old-fashioned French Breakfast.
Of cauliflowers, both Early Snowball and Best Extra Early
make a very compact, quick growth, and are early maturing
and well suited to growth in frames. Either Victoria or
Hardy Winter spinach is suitable for winter growth under
glass, and the former, while it will not stand quite so much
cold, is of better quality. Personally, however, I prefer
Swiss chard, which will give you repeated cuttings, and
where the weather is not too severe can be used right through
the winter until you need the frame for other purposes in the
spring.

Of the vegetables suitable for fall planting, the lettuce,
cauliflower and parsley should be started early, the latter
part of August or early in September, and transplanted later
to the frames. The radishes, spinach or Swiss chard and
also onions for bunch onions early in the spring, and carrots,
if you prefer to use some of your cold-frame space to have
these fresh rather than to depend upon those stored in the
cellar, should be planted where they are to grow, but the
rows may be made and the beds prepared long before it is
necessary to use the glass to protect them from cold weather.
If you put them in about the same time that you sow the

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PLATE 24.—Slatted or open work boxes and barrels and the usual tight boxes
and barrels for storing vegetables and fruit for winter. All of the containers
shown here can be purchased second hand at any grocery store. (Lower)
Beets and carrots packed in moist sphagnum moss-for storing for winter.
Moss is much cleaner and lighter than sand, and is especially useful where one
has not a regular cellar in which to store winter crops.

OCTOBER: FIRST WEEK 261

others for the first group they will give you results early in
the winter.

Soi for Frame Gardening

The soil in the frames should be made rich, mellow and
deep by the addition of well-rotted manure to the soil, or by
filling in, unless the soil that is in the frame is already in good
condition, with several inches of good garden soil. The
ground should be soaked thoroughly at least several hours
before planting, and it is advisable to have some method of
shading the seed bed until after the plants are up, in case
of hot, dry weather. An excellent way of doing this is to
use one or two of the frames for the seed bed. Then one of
the cloth-covered sash may be put over this, supported on a
temporary framework a foot or two above the frame, and
furnishing the right degree of shade without excluding the
air. The lettuce and cauliflower should be transplanted
once before being set in their permanent positions, giving
the little seedlings three or four inches space each way.
The soil for radishes should not be very rich, and especially
should it be free from stable manure and supplied with
plenty of lime or plaster, otherwise there will be excessive
leaf growths with small and poor quality roots.

As already stated, the hot-bed is different from the cold-
frame (which depends for its heat upon the retention of the
warmth from the sun’s rays), in being heated artificially,
either by fermenting manure or, in rare instances, by hot
water or steam pipes. Now, while your earliest crop of
lettuce or cauliflower can go directly into the cold-frames
and mature there, the crop which is to follow that, and
which will be ready about Christmas time, will in most
localities need some artificial heat to carry it through.
Therefore, while the plants are growing, make preparations
to furnish the heat as follows:

Preparing the ‘‘ Heat’’ for a Hot-bed

Secure a supply of manure, getting that from a livery
stable, if possible. This should be in good condition and

262 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

not ‘‘fire-fanged’’; that is, not burned to a gray ash ap-
pearance by its own heat. This should be composted with
litter or leaves, putting in about a third in bulk of the
latter material. Pile up the whole in a square heap and
give it a thorough wetting, and after about three or four
days fork it over, at the same time turning it “inside out,”
or putting what was outside into the middle when you
repack it. For best results this operation should be re-
peated three or four times, after tramping it down firmly
each time. Half a cord of manure will be enough for two
or three sashes, as it should be packed in from one to two
feet deep, according to the severity of the climate and
the vegetables to be grown on it, and be covered with four
or, still better, six inches of soil. This manure, of course,
after it is used in the hot-beds will be as good as any other
for use on your garden or to enrich the cold-frames next
spring. The manure should be put in the frames a few days
before you want to use it, and its gradual fermentation will
then continue to give off heat for a long period.

After setting the plants in their frames in their perma-
nent position they will require no care except an occasional
watering to keep the soil in good, moist condition, and the
going over the bed with the hand weeder to keep the soil in
good, loose condition. As cold weather approaches, how-
ever, it will be necessary to put the sash on, and then your
real work begins, first because you have got to attend strictly
to seeing that they get proper ventilation, and, furthermore,
the moisture from rain being cut off, you will have to be more
careful about the watering. There is only one rule about
ventilation—give all the fresh air you possibly can while
maintaining the proper temperature. On bright days strip
the sash off altogether, and in rainy weather when it is not
too cold. The two greatest troubles with lettuce under
glass are the green lice (aphids) and rot.. The former may
be taken care of by spreading tobacco stems or tobacco dust
about the bed under the leaves of the plants, and if this does
not keep them away, at the very first sign of one, spray
thoroughly with ‘‘Aphine,”’ ‘‘ Black Leaf 40”’ or some other

OCTOBER: FIRST WEEK 263

nicotine preparation. Rot is caused by too close a tempera-
ture or by water lodging in the axles of the leaves; there-
fore aim to be careful about giving proper ventilation,
and in watering see that the soil only is wet, keeping the
water off the leaves as much as possible. For this reason
also it is a good plan to water only in the early morning,
so that the sunlight will have a chance to dry off the sur-
face before night.

October: Second Week

PLANTING BULBS FOR NEXT YEAR’S BLOOM:
PROPAGATING ROSES

One of the most important fall planting jobs is to get
the spring-flowering bulbs into the ground in good season.
The Dutch or French gardener who grew the bulb has made
of it what is practically a finished product; the flower is
already formed inside, in miniature, and requires only
congenial surroundings to bring it to perfection.

Bulbs will bloom the first year in almost any soil, provided
they are not kept wet enough to rot. The roots of most
varieties will stand an abundance of moisture below the
bulb—can, in fact, be flowered in plain water, provided the
bulb itself is held above the surface. But even the first
season’s bloom will be better in soil that is properly pre-
pared, and in poor soil the bulbs will soon peter out, the
blossoms becoming fewer and smaller each year.

In congenial soils many sorts may be naturalized and will
bloom indefinitely without further attention. Others will
continue to give good results as long as they are taken up
every second or third year, when the bulbs have become so
numerous as to crowd, and replanted. Most bulbs prefer
a soil that is sandy in texture—in fact, the sandier the better,
provided it is not too poor. Manure may be used to en-
rich the bulb border or bed, but other materials give as
good results and are safer. A mixture of bone meal and
ashes, with soot added if it is obtainable, may be used gen-
erously as a top-dressing, worked into the bed before the
bulbs are planted. If the soil is lacking im humus it may be
advisable to employ manure, but only that which is thor-
oughly rotted; and it should be trenched, or stamped into
the bottom of each furrow so it will be well below the bulbs
when they are planted. Direct contact of the manure with

264 .

OCTOBER: SECOND WEEK 265

the bulbs is likely to cause injury from rotting or disease.
If possible it is always well to plant in soil in which bulbs,
particularly those of the same kind, have not been grown
recently.

Perfect Drainage is Essential

But no matter how rich and otherwise good the soil may
be, perfect drainage is essential. There is little danger of
being overthorough in this matter, because in the fall, when
the root system is being developed, and in the spring, when
the flowers are being produced, there is likely to be abun-
dant rainfall. Bulbs can often be used successfully where
other flowers would fail on account of midsummer droughts.
In heavy soil, which naturally holds a great deal of water in
fall or spring, the bed should either be raised a foot or so
above the general level, with sod edges, or drained by put-
ting a layer of coal ashes or other coarse material, six inches
or so in depth, a foot below the surface.

The beds should be well rounded up and made several
weeks before planting. The soil will usually settle two or
three inches, but it should be, after settling, high enough
so that no surface water can collect on it from winter rain
or melting snow when the ground is frozen.

All these bulbs should be planted in the fall in order to
get a good root growth before freezing weather. The
narcissuses, daffodils and jonquils should be planted three
to four inches deep to the tops of the bulbs, and put in as
soon as received.

Hyacinths should be put in three to five inches deep,
in sandy soil, and it is better to use no manure in the beds.
They should be planted about the time the maple leaves
are beginning to change color.

The Darwin and other large late tulips should be put
four to six inches deep, and the early flowering sorts three
to five inches deep. The tulips may be left until the last
_ to be planted—any time within two or three weeks after
the leaves fall, or five or six weeks before hard freezing
weather.

266 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

The crocuses, bulbous irises, and other small bulbs should
be planted when received. In very light soil planting should
be an_inch or so deeper than the figures given above: in
grass or sod slightly shallower planting will usually do, as
they are more protected than in the open ground.

While most of the bulbs do well in any kind of soil, for
the best success it should be made rich; you should not,
however, use fresh manure for this purpose, as portions of
it are quite sure to come in contact with the bulbs and
injure them. Bone meal, prepared sheep manure or very
thoroughly rotted and fine stable manure may be used, or
nothing at all added if the ground is in fairly good shape
from manuring of previous plantings.

While the bulbs may be set any time until the ground
freezes, the best results are to be had if they are planted
immediately after the first hard, killing frost, as this gives
them a longer period in which to take root growth in the fall
before the ground is frozen so hard that all growth stops.
If put in too early, however, they will make some top
growth, which should be avoided. If you have not yet
ordered your bulbs for this year you should send in your
order immediately. Get the bulb bed or border ready now,
and plant as soon as you receive the bulbs from the seeds-
man.

How Deep to Plant Bulbs

As to the depth at which they should be planted, place
them down far enough, being sure to get them right side
up, so that the top of the bulb is about one and one-half
times as far below the surface as the bulb is thick through.
This will give a depth of from three to four inches for the
average size hyacinth and two to five inches for tulips, and
two to four inches for the various sized narcissi. Where
bulbs are naturalized in a sod they need not be put in quite
so deep, as the sod and grass form part of the covering and
also form some protection from freezing.

In planting in the beds first lay out all the bulbs with their
_ proper tags, to be sure of getting them evenly distributed

OCTOBER: SECOND WEEK 267

and correctly placed. If they are to be put in quite thickly,
as in using hyacinths in designs in solid beds, it will some-
times save time and insure perfect results to excavate the
whole bed to the depth of several inches, put the bulbs in
place, and cover. When several sorts are to be used in the
same bed, planted at different depths, the same method
may be used, starting with those to be planted deepest and
covering a layer at a time.

Usually the quickest method of planting is with a blunt
dibble, marked plainly from two to ten inches, so that
you can tell just how deep you are making the holes. A
pail of coarse sand should also be at hand, and a handful
or so placed in the bottom of each hole; this protects the
bulb, insures good drainage directly under it, and prevents
it from resting over an empty air-space left by the point of
the dibble.

The Bulbous Irises

The Spanish irises seem to be less known than either
the Germans or the Japs, but they deserve wide popularity.
They may be grown easily almost anywhere. Moreover,
they are the cheapest of all irises, the bulbs usually costing
only a few cents a hundred. They are more delicate in
form and coloring than any of the popular sorts.

All the common forms of iris should be transplanted in
summer. Handling at the usual spring-gardening season
is a direct injury and involves the loss of at least one year.
At any time after the blossoms fall the plants may be lifted
and divided and the separated root stocks put out wher-
ever they are wanted. This highly important fact with
respect to the time to transplant irises seems to be widely
overlooked.

Exception must be made, however, in the case of the
Spanish irises. These grow from bulbs like tulips or cro-
cuses. The bulbs are grown extensively in Holland and are
brought to this country every fall along with the other
bulbs, arriving in September. They should be planted out
at once. They will make a splendid display the following

268 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

spring, and in favoring soils will continue to grow and bloom
for several years. Those who have never tried the Spanish
irises should do so this fall.

In planting lay out carefully all the bulbs first on the
surface of the soil and then plant them. Or, if several
different sorts are to be put in one bed, you can remove part
of the surface of the soil and plant them in layers, putting
in first those that grow, say, four inches deep, covering
them with an inch of soil, then putting in the three-inch
depth ones, covering another inch, and then the two-inch
deep ones.

As well as the bulbs which have been mentioned in detail
in the preceding paragraphs there are a number of others
valuable for fall planting for spring flowers, particularly
where the longest possible succession of flowers is wanted—
snowdrops, scillas and chionodoxas—all of which are suit-
able for naturalizing in the grass and are the first to come
into bloom. These are followed by the crocuses, and these,
in turn, by the hyacinths, tulips and narcissi, with the
hardy lilies completing the programme and carrying the
succession of flowers in the garden from early April through
July into August.

All fall-planted bulbs, except those naturalized in sod,
should be protected with a winter mulch. Leaves or straw
should be used; manure, which is excellent for most pur-
poses, should be avoided. The mulch should not be applied
until after a week or so of continuous cold weather has
frozen the surface of the ground.

Prepare Hardwood Rose Cuttings to Root Next Winter

It is not a difficult matter to increase your supply of
garden roses from rooted cuttings. To grow plants by
this method take cuttings of the current season’s wood
at the end of the growing season, allowing three eyes or
buds to each cutting. Tie each variety in a bundle and
bury outdoors until midwinter. Then strike them in moist
sand in flats three inches deep. Be sure to get the lower bud .

OCTOBER: SECOND WEEK 269

on the cutting—the one nearest the main stem—in the sand
about an inch and have the sand fit tightly about it, or air
will get in and prevent proper callusing and rooting. The
two buds above the sand should send out shoots.

In about twenty-five days they should be rooted enough
to pot into two-inch pots, in loose, loamy soil, and put into
heat and moist air. After the cuttings are struck water
them only early in the morning, so the top of the sand will
dry before night, or they may be attacked with a fungous
disease known as cutting-bed fungus, for which there is no
cure. When the two-inch pots are filled with roots change
the plants to four-inch ones or set them at once in the
borders where they are to remain.

October: Third Week

SAVING THE SEASON’S PRODUCE: HARVESTING
AND STORING VEGETABLES AND FRUITS

In harvesting, as in planting, the various crops may be
considered in two general groups—the hardy and the tender.
The small grower may not be able to have storage facilities
especially designed to accommodate special crops, but he
can provide suitable quarters by the use of a little ingenuity.
A good dry, cool, tight cellar is of the greatest value for
storage purposes, but even where such is not available,
substitutes may be found. Among the tender crops which
will need attention first, are the following:

SQUASHES, PUMPKINS, MELONS and CUCUMBERS should be
gathered before danger of first killing frost. Usually a light
‘“‘touch”’ that blackens the foliage will come first as a re-
minder, but if it is getting late in the season, do not wait for
this warning. The muskmelons and cucumbers may be cut
where the stem joins the vine, but the squashes, pumpkins
and watermelons should be cut with an inch or so of vine
on each side of the stem, which should never be broken off.

Brush the soil from under the side, and turn them bottom
side up to dry thoroughly. Handle them always as if they
were eggs. Even though the rind may seem quite hard it
bruises very easily, and a bruise that cannot be seen at all
when it is made will develop later into a decayed spot that
will spread rapidly over the whole fruit and possibly spoil
those next toit. The drier the air the better (an ideal place
being in a room with a furnace or stove); but the temper-
ature should be kept as near forty degrees as possible.
Don’t discard the small immature squashes gathered: these
are the best to keep, and often may be had in good condition
for the table after the larger ones have been used. Melons

270

OCTOBER: THIRD WEEK 271

and cucumbers may be stored in straw or leaves in a dark
cool place, and used up as they ripen.

BEANS. All the pole beans and most of the bush beans are
good for winter use, gathered as soon as the pods dry, even
if there is no danger of frost. If the work has to be done in
a hurry, the plants may be pulled and hung up under cover
where they will dry.

Tomatoes. The first hard frost usually doubles the price
of tomatoes. All the fruits on the vines should be gathered
when the first hard frost threatens. The more mature will
ripen up gradually for some time to come, and the green
ones are usually in good demand for pickling. A few plants
may be taken up and hung upside down in a shed or dry
cellar, letting the fruit ripen on the vines, which it will con-
tinue to do for a surprisingly long time. Some of the best
of the green fruits placed in clean straw in a dry cold part
of the cellar or storehouse or in a frame will often ripen for
Thanksgiving and even later.

Oxra. The plants may be cut and the pods allowed to
dry, and saved for use in soups or for flavoring.

SWEET POTATOES should be dug as soon as the tops are
killed, dried thoroughly, and then stored in open crates in
the attic near a chimney, or in some similar spot where they
can be kept as dry and as warm as possible.

EGGPLANTS and PEPPERS, though usually not injured by
the first light frosts that blacken the leaves, should be
gathered before danger of frosts that would blister the
fruits, and kept in the same way as suggested for melons and
cucumbers.

SwEET Corn. When frost threatens, cut stalks and all,
just as for field corn. It may be “shocked” in the same
way, and the ears will remain in good condition much longer
than if pulled from the stalks.

Fruits. In picking the tree fruits too much care cannot
be taken to prevent the slightest bruising. A bruise so
slight as to be invisible at the time will develop into a de-
cayed spot later. Only the soundest and greenest should be
stored away. Barrels, or cracker boxes, which hold prac-

272 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

tically a bushel each, make good containers. The latter for
home use are more convenient. Pears should be stored in a
dark, cool, well-ventilated place. The rapidity with which
they ripen will depend to a large extent upon the temper-
ature. For long keeping it should be kept as near thirty-
two as possible.

Late Crops for Winter Storing

While a number of the late crops are handled in much the
same way, three of the most important of them,—potatoes,
onions, and celery,—require individual methods of treat-
ment.

PotaToeEs for storing should not be dug until they
are thoroughly matured as indicated by both the firmness of
the skin and the cooking qualities. Dead vines are not a
sure guide, as they may dry up prematurely from drought,
blight or frost. In cases where it is due to blight the tubers
in the soil will begin to rot, and should be left until all that
are going to spoil have done so. Otherwise they will rot
after digging. The tubers should be left in the sun long
enough to get thoroughly dried off, but not to sun-burn, as
this spoils the table quality.

ONIONS. Success in keeping onions will depend very
largely upon the care given in harvesting. After the tops
dry down they should be pulled and laid in rows, and turned
every day until they are thoroughly dried. Then they
should be brought under cover—cutting off the tops or not,
as conditions permit—where the air may circulate freely
about them in all directions. Spread them out thin on the
floor or pack them in slatted bushel crates. The white
varieties must be cured under cover or they will turn green,
and if they get a ghost of a chance begin to sprout again
immediately. No onions, after the tops die, should be left
in the ground. Before hard freezing weather they should be
sorted over again and the soundest and driest stored for
long keeping, the others being put aside for more immediate
use.

OCTOBER: THIRD WEEK 273

CELERY. Such celery as is wanted for early use is blanched
in the field by drawing the earth up to the stalks in two or
three successive hoeings; by the use of boards; or by the
use of one of the convenient “‘celery bleachers’? now on
the market. The latter are especially useful for the home
garden, where only a few stalks are wanted at a time. The
stalks should be blanched clear up to the foliage. That
part of the crop wanted for winter and spring use should
have the soil worked in about the stalks sufficiently to
hold them in an upright position. Upon the approach
of hard frosts, about November first, part of it may be
“‘trenched,” or blanched in a long narrow ditch, dug in
some well-drained convenient position. It should be
about a foot wide and deep enough to take the celery plants,
standing on end as they grew, with the tips of the foliage
about level with the soil surface. It should be taken up,
roots and all, and packed in close in the trench. As hard
freezing weather approaches the tops should be covered
with meadow hay and boards to prevent freezing. This will
keep in good condition until the advent of real winter
weather.

The part of the crop wanted for winter and early spring
use should be taken up, before hard frosts, and stored in long
narrow boxes about a foot wide and deep enough to take the
plants upright, packed in snugly together. As in trenching,
the roots should be left on, and a couple of inches of moist
sand should be put in the bottom of each box. These boxes
may then be packed in a cold dark cellar, and the stalks will
blanch out by the time they are needed. Boxes of the re-
quired shape and size may readily be made from plain pine
boards, with a row of small holes bored in the ends of each
to serve as handles. Celery should be handled or stored
only when it is perfectly dry.

BEETS, CARROTS, and TURNIPS and RADISHES will not
be injured by the first light frosts. PARSNIPS and SALSIFY
(or oyster plant) may be left in the ground all winter, with-
out injury, but of course the bulk of these crops should be
taken up, as once the ground freezes, it is next to impossible

274 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

to get the roots out until spring. All these root crops should
be gathered and “‘ topped,” being careful not to cut too close,
causing the roots to bleed, and stored temporarily in piles
so that they may be covered at night if there is danger of
freezing. To keep well for a long period they should not
only be stored in a dark cold place, where the temperature —
may be kept well down toward the freezing point, but
should be packed in sand or moss. The only objection to
the former material is its great weight. Sphagnum or swamp
moss may be gathered free in most places, or a few bushels
bought from a local florist. It is clean, and light, and stays
moist without being wet, for a long time, making an ideal
packing for the root crops.

CABBAGE. A small quantity may be kept in a storeroom
if it is cool and dark. A good way is to tie several heads
together, first removing the outside leaves, by the roots, and
suspend from a nail. Where any amount is to be saved,
however, it is usually ‘‘pitted.””, A common method is to
simply dig a trench wide enough to take two heads side by
side, and deep enough so that when another head is placed
on top, the roots will come about level with the surface of
the soil. Cabbages should not be trenched or pitted until
cold weather, and as hard freezing weather sets in should be
gradually covered up with meadow hay, corn stalks or other
mulching sufficiently deep to prevent their freezing hard.
Those to be kept over winter, through very hard freezing,
should have a layer of earth over the mulch, and a second
layer of mulch over this. The trench may be lined with
hay, straw, or boards to make more certain of keeping the
contents dry and clean. BRUSSELS SPROUTS and KALE may
be left where they grow, as they are perfectly hardy.

LETTUCE will stand more or less cold weather, and may be
had for several weeks later than usual by simply covering
it with bog hay to protect it from the first frosts, after
which we frequently have two or three weeks of good grow-
ing weather. Small plants, which were started in August
or September, may be transplanted to the cold-frames in
October, where by the use of double sash, they may be

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PLATE 26.—Rose bush protected by pine boughs tied in position with tarred
string. (Lower) Chicken wire border to hold mulch in place for a hardy border

or a rose bed.

OCTOBER: THIRD WEEK 275

had through most of the winter, even in quite severe
climates.

ParsLeEy should be cut back severely, a few roots taken
up and put in pots or a small box, with drainage holes in the
bottom, and after being allowed to root for a week or so in
a cool shaded place, may be kept throughout the winter in
any light place where the temperature does not go below
forty at night.

Substitutes for Cellars

If a furnace is used, a double partition should separate it
from the part of the cellar used for storing the vegetables.
Where the cellar is only one large room such a partition may
be cheaply and quickly put up with “wallboard,” which
comes in large sheets and is very easy to use. Where no
cellar is available a room on the north side of the house,
which may be kept dark and cool but safe from freezing on
cold nights, may be utilized to advantage. Root crops may
be stored in a pit, like cabbage.

All fruits and vegetables should be clean, dry and sound
when stored, and the storage room and boxes and barrels
kept perfectly clean. Cellars should be whitewashed every
fall. Ventilation is also very important. Until freezing
weather ventilation should be given on cold nights, and shut
off during warm days, the aim being to keep the temper-
ature as constant as possible—about 35 degrees F. being
right for most vegetables. Where any amount of things are
to be stored it will pay well to get a few each of the following:
sugar or flour barrels; clean cracker boxes; slatted crates;
slat vegetable barrels; and peach baskets, which are handy
for small amounts.

October: Fourth Week

FRESH VEGETABLES ALL WINTER: PLAN TO
KEEP THE SMALL GREENHOUSE BUSY WITH
SUCCESSION CROPS UNTIL SPRING

At least some of the fresh vegetables which winter gar-
dening makes possible should be enjoyed by every possessor
of a greenhouse, no matter how small it is. Anyone whose
gardening experience has been confined wholly to crops out- _
of-doors will be surprised at the very small amount of space
required to furnish the average home table with such fresh
vegetables as are usually forced during the winter months.
Take lettuce, for instance: in the garden, under what you
consider intensive cultivation, you plant it 12 inches apart
each way—144 square inches to a plant. Under glass, it
can be grown as close together as 6 inches each way for the
loose leaf kind, and 7 x 7 inches for the heading sort—36 and
49 square inches, respectively! At the former distance, on
a bench space only 3 x 6 feet, seventy-two heads can be
grown. True, for commercial purposes, these distances are
usually increased an inch each way; but, where the crop is
to be used for the home table, and where every other head
can be taken out, before they are quite matured, the dis-
tances named are ample.

I have grown tomatoes successfully as close together as
18 inches each way; and in a small greenhouse, where many
flowers are grown, and where space is not available for
tomatoes, I have seen them grown successfully in wooden
boxes about 15 inches square and 8 deep, which were placed
upon the floor in positions where the vines could be trained
up. In both cases they were, of course, trained to a single
stalk and a great deal of the foliage removed. Cucumbers
may be handled in much the same way. Where forced
commercially, they are usually given at least 8 feet of head

276

OCTOBER: FOURTH WEEK 277

room, but it is possible to grow them on a side bench within
two feet or so of the glass, the vines being trained on heavy
string or wires run some 6 inches below the glass and sup-
ported from the sash bars. Half a dozen vines, with good
results, will yield a generous supply of cucumbers at a time
when a single one is prized.

Radishes mature so quickly where they are given ideal
conditions that they may be used as a ‘‘catch” crop be-
tween other vegetables, or a short piece of row 2 or 3 feet
long sown every week—the rows need be only 4 to 6 inches
apart—will keep the table supplied with delicious, crisp
roots.

Varieties for Under Glass Gardening

In achieving success with vegetable forcing in winter,
nothing is more important than the selection of suitable
varieties. The loose leaf type will do better than the head
lettuces, and for winter use, nothing is superior to Grand
Rapids. It not only takes less room than a heading sort,
but matures in a shorter time, can be eaten at any and every
stage of development and is the healthiest and easiest to
grow of any lettuce I have ever tried under glass. If,
however, you must have a head lettuce, there is none
superior in quality to the little Mignonette, and it can be
planted as close together as 6 or 7 inches. Other sorts that
can be used, however, are Hitinger’s Belmont, Hothouse,
Boston Market, and Big Boston, the last thriving well in a
cooler temperature than that required for the other sorts,
except Grand Rapids.

Of radishes which can be grown in the same temperature
as lettuce, Rapid Red is one of the earliest and best of the
small or button type. Personally, however, I prefer Crim-
son Giant, a sort which, while it does not mature as early
as many others, is large enough to eat as soon as any of them
and retains its good quality until it attains large size.
Comet is a good tomato for inside use; the fruits, while not
as large as those grown outside, are specially pleasing in
appearance and are superior in quality. Bonnie Best and

278 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

Chalk’s Early Jewel I have also grown successfully inside.
The English forcing varieties of tomato are especially fine.
Of cucumbers, Davis’s Perfect and Vickery’s Forcing are
both excellent kinds. Telegraph and Sion House are proved
varieties of the English cucumbers, which grow to a much
greater length than the American sorts and are generally
considered to be of much superior quality. Of beets, Early
Model, Eclipse, and Crosby’s Egyptian are good for forcing,
but the latter, although it is still a favorite variety, I do not
consider equal in quality to the others. Among carrots,
Early Scarlet Horn, French Forcing and Nantes are good.
If growing only one variety, I should plant the latter as some
of the roots will be ready to use almost as early as some of
the other sorts, and those remaining as the rows are thinned
out for use will continue to grow. If you want to try beans,
grow a first quality early sort, such as Early Bountiful.

After settling the question of varieties, there are, of
course, the details of temperature, ventilation, fertilization
and so forth, which have to be looked after with each of the
several crops that have been mentioned.

Lettuce All Winter

As I have already said the loose-leaved lettuce is more
certain to give satisfactory results under glass than the
heading sorts. There is, however, no reason why you
should not succeed with the latter if you like it enough bet-
ter to pay for the extra care required. Greater care in water-
ing will be necessary, especially after the heads begin to
form. It is best to apply the water to the soil only, and to
water on bright days, so that the surface of the soil and any
parts of the foliage which have become wet may be dried
off before night. During the larger part of the development
of the plant a temperature of 45 to 5o degrees at night
should be maintained, but just after setting the plants in
the bed and while the heads are forming about 5 degrees
less than that will be safer. Both Grand Rapids and Big
Boston will do well with a temperature of 40 to 50 degrees

OCTOBER: FOURTH WEEK 279

throughout their growth. For quick results with lettuce
now you should buy plants from some neighboring florist or
market gardener, or they may be had by mail at very slight
expense. The plants are transplanted once before being
set where they are to mature, thus securing a saving of
space during more than half their period of growth. A
small flat of seeds or a couple of feet of drill along the edge
of a bench planted now will give you enough plants to follow.
up the crop which you set out at this time.

Cucumbers and Tomatoes Follow Letiuce

December and January are the months in which cucum-
bers and tomatoes are generally sown, so they can be used to
follow the lettuce when the strengthening sunshine and the
warmer nights makes it more feasible to maintain the 60 or
70 degrees at night and the 80 to go degrees during the day
required for the best development of the plants. If the
greenhouse is so small that there is no separate warm section
in which these things can be started and brought on until
space is available in which they may be set out, a small
frame on the order of a cold-frame may be used iz the house
so that the temperature in it may be carried a few degrees
higher than in the rest of the house.

The tomatoes are started in the usual way, but at the
transplanting after the first (or at the first if the seed is
sown very thinly so that extra strong, large seedlings may
be attained) the young plants may be put into three or
four-inch pots, and after they have filled these, which will
be in the course of two or three weeks if the conditions are
right, they may be shifted into a size larger if bench room
is not yet available for setting them out. An abundance
of well-rotted manure and a little fine bone meal should be
mixed with the potting soil. If paper pots instead of clay
are used, it will be a much easier task to keep them from
drying out. As cucumbers are difficult to transplant unless
one has had experience with them, it is best to start a few
seeds, not more than four or five, in each of the required

280 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

number of paper pots, and after these are well up, thin them
out to not more than two. They should be given plenty of
light and kept as near the glass as possible so that they will
not become drawn and weak. A rich compost with a layer
of fine manure at the bottom, if used in the pots, will give
the plants a strong start in the few weeks’ time they have
to get ready for their permanent position.

When the plants are ready to be set, and a solid bed and
manure that is still actively fermenting—such as you would
use for a hot-bed—are available, a narrow trench with the
manure packed in tight at the bottom under the plants will
give them an extra start after transplanting. Where this
method is not practicable, make a generous hole for each
plant, enriching it well with either fine, short manure or a
good handful of a mixture of cotton-seed meal, bone-dust
and dried-blood or tankage. Keep the plants carefully
shaded for a few days after setting them out. Under these
congenial conditions, both tomatoes and cucumbers will
make a very rapid growth. Training should be attended to
carefully and constantly. All side shoots should be re-
moved from the tomatoes as soon as they are big enough to
pinch out and a large part of the foliage, where it interlaces
or shades the young fruit, may be cut out with advantage.

For radishes, beets, and carrots the soil should not be
made too rich, especially in nitrogen, as this has a tendency
to produce rank growth of top and an inferior quality of
roots. I have found that a liberal dressing of unleached
wood ashes gives especially good results with these, and a
single pailful of ashes goes quite a way in the greenhouse.
All of these things will do well with a temperature the same
as that given lettuce. The radishes may be sown in rows
very thinly from 4 to 6 inches apart and the beets and
carrots from 10 to 12 inches. The beets-are generally trans-
planted the same way as lettuce except that they are set
only 3 or 4 inches apart, but they may be grown directly
from seed if there is space enough for them. You can grow a
row of radishes between the rows of beets and carrots.

OCTOBER: FOURTH WEEK 281

Ventilation and Watering

In growing vegetables under glass, there are a number of
things to be attended to that one ordinarily pays no atten-
tion to out-of-doors. One of the most important of these is
fresh air. This is essential not only for keeping the plants
in vigorous growth but it is practically a preventive for
troubles with insects and disease. While direct draughts,
especially in cold weather, should be avoided, ventilation
should be given every day and for as long a time as possible
without getting the temperature of the house too low.

While plenty of moisture is essential, the beginner is more
likely to do damage by giving too much of it. The soil
should be thoroughly wet just before—or just after—setting
out the plants. After that water should be given only as the
condition of the soil seems to indicate that water is needed.
Water as seldom as possible, but water thoroughly, and if
possible only on bright days so that the foliage and the
surface of the soil will be dried off by evening. While
watering once in several days will be sufficient for a crop
grown at a low temperature in midwinter, cucumbers and
tomatoes which usually are making their greatest develop-
ment in early spring when the sun is strong enough to run
the house up to 80 or go degrees on bright days, often require
a good watering every day. Frequent cultivation, whether
any weeds appear or not, is just as essential indoors as
out.

Don’t Let the Bugs Get a Start

What is perhaps the most important point of all I men-
tion last for the sake of emphasis—that is—never let a bug
appear, or if he does appear, never let him live 24 hours.
But prevention is very much easier and quicker than any
remedy. Use good strong tobacco dust freely on the soil
and about the plant and if necessary on the foliage. If this is
attended to, further trouble will seldom be experienced.
The green plant lice or aphids and the white fly are the
things most likely to cause trouble. If these do appear,

282 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

spray the former with a nicotine extract (which may be
had in a number of readily available forms such as “Aphine”’
and ‘‘Black Leaf 40”’ to be used after simply diluting with
water); and for the latter use fumigation or nicotine extract
for the matured flies and kerosene emulsion for the young
or nymphs, which resemble, and must be treated exactly
as if they were scales. Examine your plants carefully
at least once every week, as these, like other insect pests, are
inconspicuous when they first put in their appearance and
keep out of sight until they have mobilized large armies of
descendants.

October: Fifth Week

CONCRETE: WHAT YOU CAN DO WITH IT; AND
HOWTO. USE IT. IRON PIPE ‘FOR MANY
PURPOSES

Exceptional indeed is the place the owner of which cannot
think of some improvement, or some dozen improvements,
that he would like to see made. Walks, culverts, troughs,
hitching-posts, fence-posts, fountains, retaining walls,
hot-beds, vegetable pits, steps, foundations and supports
for buildings, floors, pergolas, summer-houses, hand-rails, to
say nothing of more elaborate things, such as ice-houses,
root-cellars, tanks, and so forth, are all within his reach
when he has at his disposal concrete and iron pipe. Such
jobs may be undertaken at any time of the year until
freezing weather.

The use of concrete is simplicity itself. The only in-
gredients required are Portland cement, clean, medium-
coarse sand, gravel, and water. In place of gravel, clean
cinders or crushed stone may be used. Sometimes it is
possible to get gravel that is mixed with sand in the proper
proportion as it comes from the bank. Ordinarily, however,
it should be screened, so that the sand and gravel may be
measured separately. Having the ingredients accurately
proportioned is one of the most important factors in achiev-
ing successful results with concrete, and requires some
attention.

The mixture of the ingredients is based on the principle
of having the particles of sand of sufficient number to fill
the spaces in the gravel or crushed stone, and the particles
of cement—which is ground to a microscopic fineness—fill
the minute spaces between the grains of sand. After such a
mixture has ‘‘set” or hardened, the result is a monolithic
compound so strong that if it is broken with a hammer the

283

284 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

fracture will be found to run through the stones. It is
practically solid rock.

The proportions of the ingredients are varied according
to the nature of the work for which the concrete is to be
used. There are three standard formulas, known respec-
tively as ‘‘lean,” ‘‘medium” and ‘‘rich” mixtures. The
former is used for thick retaining walls, floors, sub-bases
and anywhere where bulk and weight, rather than strength,
are required. A medium mixture is used for ordinary pur-
poses, such as walks, curbs, steps, walls, etc., and a rich
mixture where great strength, fine finish or imperviousness
to moisture are needed, such as for more elaborate forms of
walls, garden furniture, supporting posts, thin walls, etc.
‘“‘Reinforced”’ concrete is simply concrete with some mate-
rial, usually metal in the shape of wires, rods or woven-wire
netting, to give it extra strength for such uses as complicated
forms, thin walls, floors, and anywhere where special stress
and strain may be encountered.

The proportions for these several mixtures are usually as
follows, though, of course, they may be varied after one has
a little experience, as the requirements of the job suggest:

Lean mixture: One part cement; three parts sand; six
parts gravel.

Medium mixture: One cement; two and one-half sand;
five gravel.

Rich mixture: One cement; two sand; four gravel.

Finishing mixture: Three shovelsful of clean, sharp sand
to ten pounds of cement.

The latter mixture is used for finishing off curbs and
gutters, surfacing walks or walls, etc. It should always be
applied before the first form has set hard.

After the materials are got together, and you know
exactly what you want to construct, the forms must be
prepared. For most work they are made of wood. The
“‘form” is simply a casing to hold the wet cement in shape
until it hardens. For any job that requires considerable
concrete, the forms are generally made in sectional units,
which can be used over and over. In making up the forms,

OCTOBER: FIFTH WEEK 285

two things are necessary: They must be rigid; any ‘‘give,”’
bulge or leak will leave a corresponding defacement on the
finished job that cannot be rectified afterward. And the
‘“‘face”’ of the form, which comes next to the wet concrete,
must be smooth; any crack or roughness will leave a corre-
sponding mark on the concrete, or the form may stick to
the concrete so that it will have to be broken away, thereby
spoiling the job. The forms are kept from spreading by
bracing on the outside and by using bolts and washers at
intervals to hold them together. In the latter case these
should be well greased before the concrete is poured into
the forms, and removed as soon as the concrete takes its
initial set—when it has become firm, but not hard—so that
it holds its own shape. For very smooth surfaces the forms
should be carefully fitted and planed and oiled before each
using. Bolts, braces, rings, studding for partitions, or
anything of that nature, may be put in place and the con-
crete made around them, or holes or slots of any desired
size and shape may be made by putting in a piece of wood
made smooth and well greased so that it may be withdrawn
after the concrete is partly set. Holes can be filled with the
‘finishing mixture.”

Mixing and Tamping Concrete

Having the forms ready and the materials on hand, the
job of mixing, once it is begun, should be done as expedi-
tiously as possible. A substantial, smooth, tight platform or
a shallow box of suitable size should be provided. On or in
this place the gravel, sand and cement, in the order named,
measuring each carefully. With a shovel or hoe mix them,
dry, quite thoroughly; then add the water a little at a time,
while continuing the mixing, until you get a uniform,
slushy mass just wet enough to pour. The water may be
added in quite large doses at first, but as the ‘“‘batch”’ ap-
proaches the proper degree of slushiness it should be added
sparingly. A mixture that is too wet will not make uniform
material.

286 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

As soon as the batch is mixed it should be placed at
once in the forms, using for the purpose a shovel or cheap
metal pails, if it has to be carried. It should be tamped
down into the form firmly enough to prevent air spaces be-
ing left. If a wall is being made, a thin paddle of wood
or iron passed along either side next to the form will leave
a smoother surface, as the larger particlés of gravel or
stone are pushed back. After the form is filled it should be
left absolutely undisturbed until it has set hard—usually at
least twenty-four hours, though forty-eight is preferable.
The forms, if carefully handled, may then be removed, to
use again, although the concrete will still be “‘green” and
easily marred or broken. If made where it will be subject
to weight or stress when the forms are removed the con-
crete should be left to harden thoroughly with the forms in
place. If there is danger of frosty weather cover the con-
crete with old bags, blankets, or, for outside work, with
warm manure, to protect it from freezing. Be careful
to mix only what can be used at once for each batch; any
surplus must be thrown away, as it is useless after it begins
to harden. Wash up clean at once all shovels, hoes, trowels,
markers, pails, forms or mixing-bed, etc., which have been
in contact with the wet concrete; otherwise you will find
them ruined when you go to use them again.

Concrete Pots and Vases

By taking advantage of ready-made forms a great num-
ber of difficult-looking things may be moulded with prac-
tically no trouble. Large concrete pots or vases, for in-
stance, are easily made by getting lard-tubs or candy pails
of such size that one will fit inside the other, leaving a space
of an inch or two as a form, and imbedding a cork or wooden
plug in the concrete bottom (which is put in the large pail
before the smaller one is set inside), to be removed for a
drainage hole. An ordinary cracker-box, with the bottom
removed, makes a good form for a small stepping stone.
Cylindrical posts or supports of any size, or rounded cor-

OCTOBER: FIFTH WEEK 287

ners for walls, may readily be constructed by using pieces of
sheet iron or tin, held in place by wire or nails or by short
stakes, until the concrete sets. A machine may be pur-
chased at a reasonable figure which makes hollow concrete
blocks. They may be made a few at a time and kept in-
definitely. With them almost any sort of building opera-
tion may be undertaken.

Iron Pipe for Many Purposes

With anything but the very simplest kinds of work it is
best to make a detailed line drawing, with exact dimensions
of just what you plan to construct. Otherwise you will
find yourself making numerous inaccuracies and mistakes.
Very often, too, it is possible to make an excavation serve
as one side of the form. In making a cold-frame or a root-
pit against a bank, for instance, the back and at least part
of the two ends may be formed by digging the bank down
square and erecting the inner form several inches.in front of
this. For cold-frames it is possible to buy a cast iron “‘cap”’
that fits over the concrete wall and designed especially to
make a good, snug fit for the sash. There are permanent
wash colors also made especially for use with concrete, with
which one may get any desired “‘tone” to harmonize with
buildings or surroundings.

Along with concrete, one should learn the possibilities
of iron pipe. Common water or gas pipe is used, and for
most purposes secondhand pipe will answer as well as new.
Embedded in concrete, it is practically everlasting. It
is ideal to use for inexpensive arches, trellises, supporting
columns, etc. Formerly it was necessary to have a set of
pipe-tools to fit and thread the pieces into their various
positions. Now, however, one may get “‘split fittings” to
hold the pieces of pipe together wherever nothing is to be
used inside of them. They are put on with an ordinary
monkey wrench; a short bolt which passes between the ends
of the pipe, or double bolts, straddling it, being used to hold
the fittings in place, so that the only tool necessary is a pipe-
cutter or a hack-saw to cut the pipe into required lengths.

November: First Week

MAKING HOUSE PLANTS AT HOME FOR THE
WINTER: THE CONDITIONS THAT FAVOR
HEALTHY GROWTH; THE PROBLEM OF HEAT-
ING. MATERIALS FOR NEXT SPRING

There are several sources from which plants for winter
bloom and decorative purposes may be obtained. Some
may have been saved from the summer garden, others may
be regular “‘house plants,” kept in pots the year round;
still others may have been bought at the florist’s in the fall,
either especially for the winter window garden, or, being
new and expensive varieties, to serve as “‘stock’’ plants to
be used for purpose of propagation. But whatever their
sources, or the reason for keeping them over winter, they
will alike demand congenial conditions if they are to prove
a pleasure and a success instead of a nuisance and a failure.
And while there are dozens of plants which may be grown
with at least a fair degree of success in the ordinary dwelling
house, they all demand, with comparatively minor differ-
ences in the matters of light and temperature, the same
general conditions.

In establishing a congenial environment for plants in-
doors there are of course four chief factors to be considered—
light, temperature, moisture, and soil.

Give Abundant Light

An unstinted supply of light is required by most of the
plants suited for house culture; during the winter months
very few of them can be given too much even of direct
sunlight. Many plants will for a time tolerate a rather dim
light, especially if they are in a semi-dormant condition,

288

NOVEMBER: FIRST WEEK 289

as some plants are at this period; but for plants which it is
desired to keep growing, as a general rule, the more light the
better. Without sufficient light, they will fail to make
strong, normal tissue, although growth will continue; the
stems are drawn out and weak, and the foliage is pale and
soft; one of the most serious results is that the whole plant
will readily fall prey to the first attack of insects or disease,
which in turn are usually encouraged by just the condi-
tions which are unfavorable for the plant. In selecting
quarters for your winter garden, then, procure all the light
possible. And for flowering plants, such as geraniums,
heliotropes, and begonias, direct sunshine, for at least part
of the day, is quite essential.

What ts the Right Temperature?

There are few dwelling houses in these days where the
temperature cannot be kept sufficiently high in at least the
one or two rooms selected for the window garden to answer
the requirements of all the commoner house plants. Great
extremes of temperature during the day and night are more
likely to be a cause of trouble than too low a temperature.
During the day, and evening when the rooms are occupied,
and while the sun is shining, the temperature may run up
to 70 or 80 degrees, and then drop during the night to 4o
or below: such a range of temperature is trying on the con-
stitution of any plant, especially when it is accompanied,
as is most apt to be the case, by a desiccated atmosphere.
A temperature of 60 to 70 degrees during the day, and 50
to 55 during the night, will be sufficient for most house
plants, though a few degrees more will not be harmful,
and a few degrees less will not prove fatal, but simply retard
or check growth. But a temperature as even as may be
given is highly desirable. The fewer variations above or
below these figures the better. In extreme weather it may
not be possible to keep the temperature from going down to
forty, or even below; this need not prove serious unless it is
repeated so frequently that the plants are checked, or seem

290 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

to stand still. A sudden chill may cause a heliotrope,
fuchsia, or lemon verbena to drop its leaves, without in the
least permanently injuring it. Plants that are quite dry
will stand colder temperature than if moist; and the same
is true if they are partly dormant rather than in active
growth.

The plant room need not necessarily be proof against the
very coldest winter weather, In case of emergency several
thicknesses of newspaper placed just inside the glass, so as to
form a dead air space, will keep out extra severe cold;
and if this is not enough the plants can be huddled about
the stove or radiator for a night or two.

Moisture the Most Difficult Problem

The matter of moisture, which at first glance probably
seems the factor easiest to control, is the most difficult.
When ‘‘moisture” is spoken of in this connection, most
persons assume that it is merely the watering of the plants
which is meant. That in itself is not as simple a problem
as may at first appear; but it is not nearly so difficult
as the greater one of the moisture zu the air, which directly
affects the health and condition of the plants. A dried-
out atmosphere is the most difficult disadvantage to over-
come in growing plants in the house. Houses heated by
steam and hot air are the most likely to be objectionable
in this respect. If plants are to be grown successfully under
such conditions, provision to counteract this dry atmosphere
must be made. Extra care in the matter of watering will
help to some extent, but that alone is not sufficient. Water
kept where it may evaporate freely, and thus to some
extent re-saturate the dried-out air is very effective; keep
bowls or pans of water on the radiators or registers—the
number of times you find it necessary to replenish them will
give you some idea of the amount of moisture that is burned
out of the atmosphere by such a heating system. Another
corrective is frequent ventilation; the new air is valuable not
only for the fresh supply of oxygen, but has a normal

NOVEMBER: FIRST WEEK 291

moisture content. As a general rule, give all the fresh air
you can, while keeping the temperature sufficiently high.
The arrangements for ventilation should be such, however,
that no direct draft strikes the plants.

In regard to the soil, plants which have been freshly
potted in the fall or summer, should in most cases have
sufficient nutriment to carry them through the winter.
But growing plants, which may require repotting before
spring, and those which are wanted for continuous blooming,
will require additional plant food either in the form of soil,
or in concentrated. fertilizer of one sort or another. More-
Over, proper watering of the plants in pots,—as the great
majority of house plants are kept—requires that when they
are watered the soil be thoroughly saturated, and then
allowed to drain off freely. All these things mean more or
less mussing about, and can be done better where provision
for just this work has been made.

Make a Place Especially for Your Plants

Here, then, are the conditions which the indoor gardener
has to establish if he would make reasonably certain of
success. Needless to say, there are few houses where all
of them may be had at their best without some special pro-
vision being made to overcome the lack of some one desir-
able thing or another. In the great majority of cases it
_ will pay and pay well to give a little thought and time to
providing a place for your plants where they may be cared
for with the greatest ease and under the most favorable
conditions. In selecting or constructing such a place, re-
member your objects are (1), to supply an abundance of
light; (2) to control the temperature; (3) to maintain a
normally moist atmosphere; and (4), to provide a place
where you can do the work which may be required in prop-
erly tending the plants, watering, etc.

Where a bay-window, or a part of a tightly enclosed
porch that may be heated, is available, all of these con-
ditions may be supplied with little trouble. One of the first

292 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

things to do is to arrange things so that the space to be
used for flowers,—great or small as the case may be—may
be cut off from the rest of the living-room or porch. This
partition does not have to be either air-tight or permanent,
but the tighter the better. One simple plan is to arrange
fairly heavy curtains, reaching from ceiling to floor, which
may be drawn at will to shut the plants in by themselves.
Light doors, made largely of glass, have the advantage
over curtains that the plants can still be seen and enjoyed
while the doors are shut.

Two Simply Made Window Gardens

Where no such ready-made advantage as the above is at
hand, and nothing as ambitious as a small conservatory
can be attempted, the garden may be placed wholly or
partly outside of the window or windows by constructing
a miniature glass ‘‘lean-to” on the outside, supported by
suitably strong brackets attached to the house. I have
seen several very ingenious forms of the little winter gardens,
which afford all the conditions required quite perfectly
where there are but a limited number of plants to be grown.
Two of the simplest were constructed as follows.

The first was formed of a standard cold-frame sash and
two narrow storm windows. The latter were secured to the
sides of the window, on the outside, so that they stood out at
right angles, and the sash was screwed firmly to these, thus
making a glass box outside of the window. Top and bottom
were then added, the latter being given slant enough to
carry off water and melting snow. (Ordinary plowed and
matched ceiling boards, covered with a high grade of roofing
paper, answer this purpose, the roofing paper being brought
in under one layer of clapboards or shingles, to get a tight
joint.) A pane of glass removed from one of the storm-
window sides, and replaced by a light wooden frame of
the same size, on hinges, furnished sufficient ventilation.
Ordinarily the living room supplied enough heat, but a
kerosene lamp, placed in a metal box for safety, gave ex-

NOVEMBER: FIRST WEEK 203

tra heat at night when needed. Removable shelves were
fitted at intervals onto cleats supported by the sides, so
that a goodly number of plants were accommodated.

The second was made on much the same principle, but was
formed of two cold-frame sashes, one of which was carefully
sawed and cut (with a glazier’s diamond, the glass being
cut first) from inside of one corner to a corresponding point,
diagonally from corner to corner. This gave the two sides;
the other sash forming a slanting roof from the top of the
window to the outer edge of the bottom, placed just below
the window, and supported by stout braces. Heat in this
case was supplied by a small gas stove in the cellar below
the window, covered by a metal hood from which a hot-air
flue led through the wall, and then up through a wooden
box to the bottom of the “‘conservatory.”’ A very small
pipe, running from the regular steam or hot-water system,
will do equally well. Or a small lamp, properly protected,
may be made perfectly safe, and will heat a small space
of this sort at an unbelieveably little cost. When a lamp
is employed, however, very strict attention must be paid
to ventilation.

A Convenient Plant Shelf

If the plants are wanted in the living-room itself, then
make a substantial shelf for the window in which they are to
be kept. This can readily be attached in such a way that it
can be taken down in summer. The shelf should be formed,
preferably, of a single piece of well-dried cypress or pine,
that will not warp, with lath or furring strip planed smooth,
or moulding neatly and tightly nailed about the outer edge,
and projecting an inch or so above the upper surface. By
painting the edge thickly with white lead just before nailing
this on, a tight joint will be secured. The shelf or stand
itself should be painted with ‘‘outside’ white. If this
shelf is covered with a layer of moss, and on top of this clean
white pebbles, it will not only look much more attractive
than a plain board support, but the pots, while having

204 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

perfect facilities for draining, will not dry out so quickly,
and the surplus moisture absorbed by the moss—instead
of running down to water the roses in the carpet on the floor!
—will evaporate and help to keep the air about the plants
normally moist. Even with an inside shelf of this kind, it is
not a difficult task to shut off a separate space for the
flowers by arranging curtains which may be pulled about
them, giving much better control of the conditions of mois-
ture and temperature, and making it possible to fumigate
the plants with tobacco smoke, if necessary.

Provide Now for Next Spring’s Needs

In addition to these details of construction, do not for-
get to provide yourself with all the materials which may be
needed before open weather in the spring in the way of
soil, sand, fertilizers, leaf-mould or chip-dirt, sphagnum
moss, etc.—anything that is likely to be required for re-
potting, starting cuttings, starting plants from seed, and
potting up new plants. All these things may be kept in
boxes in the cellar, out of the way, but readily available
when needed. Keep them as far from artificial heat as
possible, however, to avoid their drying off excessively.

November: Second Week

FRUITS AND VEGETABLES IN STORAGE; ODDS
AND ENDS OF OUTSIDE WORK; ROOTS FOR
FORCING; “BUDS” FOR GRAFTING; MAKING
BEDS AND BORDERS FOR SPRING PLANTING

Before the advent of real cold weather make certain that
you have collected and put into their final winter quarters
all vegetables and fruits which may have been stored tem-
porarily in the hurry of harvesting. A careful ‘going over”’
at this time of such things as apples, pears, squash, onions,
and cabbage, and—if you have had any to keep—melons,
tomatoes, and cauliflowers, will be of double value: not only
will you be sure that they have been stored as carefully as
possible, but you will have a chance to weed out, and set
aside for early use, any which may not be perfect specimens.
Any lot of fruits or vegetables, no matter how carefully
they were selected at the time of harvesting a few weeks
ago, nor how perfect they appeared, will have some spec-
imens which by this time may be readily picked out as those
which will be the first to cause trouble, even if they have not
already begun to do so. Any effort spent now in culling
out such “‘seconds”’ will be well worth while. One apple
slightly bruised in harvesting, and decaying, will quickly
contaminate a box, or even a whole barrel-full, if it is not
discovered in time. The same is true of the other things
mentioned. Make sure that everything you put away is in
good sound condition before it is finally ‘“‘O. K’ed,” and
given its place on shelf or in bin.

Another thing which is frequently neglected in connection
with winter storage is the matter of ventilation. Fresh air
is good for the things you have stored, especially if they

205

206 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

are kept where moisture collects, even to a small extent, as
it does in most cellars and dark store-rooms. Open up
windows or doors every week or two on a bright dry day, or
for a night, if it is not too cold; and don’t forget to keep this
up, at intervals, during the winter. Most vegetables, and
fruits, will keep best in a cold temperature—about 35 de-
grees—where the air is not too dry. Squash and sweet
potatoes, however, keep better in a rather warm tempera-
ture,—45 degrees or over—and a very dry atmosphere: a
place near the chimney in the attic, or in the cellar near
the heater, furnishing the right conditions.

Clean up the Outside Jobs

Take advantage of every warm bright day to clean up any
outside jobs there may be left to do: any day now may
bring weather conditions which will mean the cessation of
work of this kind.

Don’t leave until spring any garden debris or rubbish
that can be cleaned up or burned up now. The vegetable
garden that is left full of dead vines and pea-brush and to-
mato and bean poles, is not only the most desolate of sights
and the most aggressive signboard of slip-shod methods,
but a pleasant and safe winter resort and encampment for
all sorts of insects and disease spores.

In making the final rounds of inspection, look carefully
over your fruit trees, and small fruits. Go over the cane
fruits—blackberries, raspberries, etc.—and cut out all old
canes that fruited this year, if they have been left till now.
Cut out and burn any new ones which show signs of borers.
Carefully examine currants and gooseberries for borers
also:—a light-colored slightly wilted shoot will enable you
to recognize where one is present. The bushes may be
thinned or cut to shape now if desired, but as a general rule
it will be better to leave pruning until late winter or early
spring. Grapes however may be pruned now to advantage,
as soon as other outside work has been attended to.

NOVEMBER: SECOND WEEK 207

Late summer and fall flowering shrubs and ornamentals
may be pruned now if there is likely to be lack of time for
doing this work in the early spring; the advantage in waiting
until the latter time is that winter injuries and killing back
may be attended to at the same time.

A Stitch in Time for Spring Repairing

Trellises or other supports for grapes and trained fruits
should be looked to now before the ground freezes, and any
needed repairs made. If this is put off until later there is
more danger of damage from winds and snows. If any new
wire is to be used, get the kind known as “spring coil,” as
this will remain tight at all times, while ordinary wire soon
sags. If you will examine an old trellis you will see that
decay almost always starts around the nails. Paint all
nails and joints with white lead, and keep the whole trellis
painted every other season or so, with some neutral color.

Espalier or lattice trained fruits are often planted in warm,
sunny, sheltered positions: if against a wall the support for
them should be a foot or more in front of the surface of the
wall, so that there may be room for the air to circulate freely
back of them. In such a situation injury is often caused
either during winter, from bright sunshine, or growth is
started prematurely in the spring, and damage done by late
frosts. Protection against these possibilities may be had
by thoroughly mulching the soil about the roots after the
ground freezes, and by shading the tops with a screen of ever-
green boughs: such a screen is not unsightly, and may be
constructed quickly and easily by lacing the boughs through
a few strands of stout wire placed a few feet in front of the
plants to be protected.

Small fruits, growing in an exposed position, where ex-
perience has shown there is some danger of winter-killing,
may be protected by evergreen boughs so placed as to shelter
them from prevailing winter winds. In very cold climates,
the cane fruits are given winter protection by laying them
down—first loosening the roots with a fork, if necessary—

298 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

and holding them in position by shoveling some soil onto
the tips: this must be removed as soon as possible in spring.

Get together now all the material you will need for winter
mulching during the next few weeks. For the hardy bor-
ders, bulb beds, box-wood edgings, rose beds, less hardy
shrubs and vines, etc., well-rotted, dry, strawey manure is
one of the best things to use. Gather up fallen leaves and
keep them in a dry place, as they will be useful for many
purposes, and any surplus will be valuable for composting
with manure for hot-bed material, and supplying humus for
garden, frames, or potting soil. For the rose garden, where
the bushes have to be protected above ground, dry leaves are
excellent. Procure a generous supply of evergreen boughs;
they are useful for many purposes in putting the garden to
sleep for the winter. For strawberry beds, covering for
frames, etc., bog-meadow or salt marsh hay is the most de-
sirable material—it is free from weed-seeds, inconspicuous,
and stays put. If that cannot be procured, get rye or oat
straw. Get as much as you are likely to need of all these
things in advance, and have them where they will be ready
to use, under cover and dry, when things freeze up for
keeps:—remember that the purpose of mulching is to keep
things frozen, not to protect from frost.

Roots for Forcing

Before the ground freezes hard, take up a supply of
rhubarb, asparagus and sea-kale roots for forcing under the
greenhouse benches or in a hot-bed, during the early winter
and spring months. Use a sharp spade—or cut down about
them before lifting with the lawn edger or a hay-knife—
and remove them with a generous lump of soil, kept as
intact as possible. The safest way is merely to cut about
and under them, making sure that they are loose, and then
leave them where they are until they freeze solid, after
which they may be moved to some cold shed where they
will remain frozen, but be get-at-able when wanted.

NOVEMBER: SECOND WEEK 299

Increase Your Orchard by Grafting

Have you as many varieties of fruit growing on your
orchard trees as you would like? and are all that are growing
perfectly satisfactory? If not, it is an easy matter to add
new varieties or substitute them for unsatisfactory ones,
without increasing the number of trees. The actual opera-
tion of grafting—or of budding, which is similar—is not
performed until early spring (next March or April), but it is
well to decide now what you would like to do in this line,
and provide yourself during the next month or so with
‘“‘whips” of the various varieties you may wish to add to
your collection. Right now, while the apple season is in its
height, is the time to “sample” the different kinds, and
make your selections—three bites of a good specimen will
tell you more about the eating quality of that particular
kind, as far as your taste is concerned, than pages of
catalogue or book descriptions and ‘‘acid,”’ ‘‘sub-acid,”’
“mild,” and “tart” adjectives. Whenever you sink your
teeth into an apple that particularly appeals to you, find out
what it is, and then put the name down in black and white.
Then find out, either from local growers or from your State
experiment station or county agent, which of the several
sorts you may have on your list will do well in your vicinity.
The “‘whips” or small branches of “‘buds’”’ may then be
procured locally or ordered from a reliable nurserymen.
In the former case, bury them, carefully tagged, in the
cellar, or keep them in a cold, fairly moist place, such as an
ice-house, so they will remain dormant until you are ready
to use them. If ordering from a nurseryman, it will be more
convenient to have them reserved until you want them.

Make a Rose Garden Now

There is still time in November, before the ground freezes
hard, to prepare a rose garden for next spring’s planting,
and if you intend to set out any roses next spring by all
means prepare the bed now. Of the thousands of roses set

300 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

out every spring, only hundreds go into beds that have been
given thorough preparation. In spring there is never time
to do the job so well as it should be done, and you will have
lost the advantage of winter’s action on the soil and the
pre-digestion of the manure and bone, which make an ideal
condition for spring planting.

Stake out a bed of the desired size, allowing eighteen
inches each way for teas and hybrid teas, and twenty-four

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inches for hybrid perpetuals. Select a position that is
naturally well drained, sheltered if possible from north and
northwest winds, but exposed in other directions, so there
will be free circulation of air about the plants—an impor-
tant point. Dig out the bed to a depth of two to three feet,
the latter depth being necessary if artificial drainage must
be added. Place the sod and the good soil in separate piles
along one edge of the trench, and the poor soil and subsoil
along the other edge. Break up the subsoil at the bottom
of the trench with a pick.

First put in the drainage, if required—eight inches of
coarse gravel, broken stone, old plaster, clean cinders, or
any similar material. Over this put a layer of sods, grass
side down, or long manure. Fill in to within six or eight
inches of the surface level with good soil—the heavier the
better—well enriched with rotted manure and coarse or
inch bone. The last six or eight inches should be of soil that

NOVEMBER: SECOND WEEK 301

has not been enriched, so the roots will be tempted to feed
well below the surface. Make the bed a couple of inches
above the surface, to allow for settling.

With such preparations made now you will have next
spring, not only a bed that will produce superb blooms, but
one that can be planted out in a few minutes after your
plants arrive from the nursery. The same preparation may
be made, to just as great an advantage, for a new flower
border. In this case it will not be as essential-—though of
course desirable—to make the bed quite as deep, or be so
particular about the drainage, as for roses.

November: Third Week

PUTTING THE GARDEN TO SLEEP FOR THE
WINTER: PROTECTION OF ROSES; SHRUBS;
BULBS; PERENNIALS; SMALL FRUITS.
CHRYSANTHEMUMS FOR STOCK PLANTS;
MATERIALS FOR SPRING WORK INDOORS

One of the last things to be done outside, and one of the
most important things for the success of the garden, is to
put to bed for the winter plants that require protecton —
to apply mulching where it is needed, in the right way, at
the right time.

Mulching is used to protect plants from thawing rather
than from freezing. Consequently care should be taken
that it is not applied too soon. Nothing that is hardy
enough to survive in the open ground will be injured by
the first few cold snaps of autumn—in fact, Nature provides
for this as a process of ripening that the plant should go
through in order to do its best the following season. As a
general rule the mulch should not be put on until the ground
is frozen hard and severe weather appears to have set in.

Winter injury to plants is usually due to one of three
conditions: Alternate freezing and thawing; heaving of the
soil, causing exposure of the roots; and too severe freezing
of tops or roots. The latter condition is seldom the cause
of damage.

It will often be as late as the middle of December before
the mulch is required, but the materials should be obtained
at once. There are several good materials for mulching,
any of which may be obtained with little trouble in most
localities. Stable litter, or thoroughly dry stable manure,
will serve both as a mulch and a valuable source of plant
food. Marsh or meadow hay, or grain straw, may be
utilized; the former stays put better and is not so conspicu-

302

NOVEMBER: THIRD WEEK 303

ous. For the small place in the city or suburbs leaves may
be used. Evergreen boughs are also well worth having,
either to hold leaves or other mulching in place, or by them-
selves to provide protection, especially where the climate is
not very severe. These boughs are also good for tying up
plants that need protection above ground, being much
more attractive in appearance than unsightly straw jackets.

The Neatest Mulch for Beds and Borders

For covering beds or borders about the house, or wherever
a particularly neat, trim appearance is desirable, run a
strip of twelve-inch chicken wire round the edges of the bed,
holding it in position with small stakes every five or ten feet.
Fill this with leaves to the desired depth, placing a few
boards or boughs on top if the winds are high to hold the
mulching in position until it becomes settled. The wire
should be put in place before the ground freezes; the mulch
may be put on at any time afterward.

Both ground and mulching material should be dry when
the mulch is put on. Though the ground will dry off very
quickly on a bright day, the mulching material, if once wet
through, may freeze, and in any case will require several
days to dry out. Therefore it is best to keep it under cover
if possible until wanted.

Winter mulching is required in many places—in the
flower, fruit and vegetable gardens, on newly planted
borders, on the bulb beds, and round newly set shrubs or
trees. After hard frosts have killed the foliage of the late-
flowering hardy perennials, such as chrysanthemums, asters
and anemones the borders should be gone over with a scythe
or sickle, and the tops cut down to within three or four
inches of the roots. Burn this dead material, as one can
never be certain that disease spores or insect eggs or cocoons
will not be harbored to make trouble next year. Manure
makes a good mulch for the hardy border, as a large part
of it may be worked into the soil about the plants in the
spring.

304 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

Protection for the Roses

Some of the hybrid-perpetual and hybrid-tea roses are
hardy enough to go through the ordinary winter without
protection, but it is best to mulch the whole rose bed. Ina
severe climate, or where tender sorts are grown, the earth
should be drawn up round the canes in little hills before the
ground freezes. This not only gives extra protection, but
also insures better drainage. Before putting on the mulch
it is usually advisable to cut back the longer shoots by a
third or so. This applies especially to the taller, stronger-
growing rose bushes, as it not only makes them less in
the way, but lessens the danger of their being whipped and
beaten about by the winds. The regular pruning, of course,
is not given until spring. Tea and hybrid-tea roses, that
need more protection than the usual mulching affords,
may be put into winter quarters by running a strip of wire
round the bed, as already described, and filling this with
leaves to the depth of a foot or more. This method, with
evergreen boughs laid over the top, will carry through most
teas, even where the winters are severe.

The shrubbery border should be mulched, especially
during the first winter or two after planting. For this
work it is better to use rough manure or leaves in preference
to straw, so the material can be worked into the surface
soil in the spring, making a drought-resisting summer cover-
ing. As the mulch for shrubs is to keep the soil from heav-
ing, rather than to protect the plants, the soil about each
shrub should be well covered; but the mulch should not be
crowded up round the stem or trunk of the plant, where it
may furnish protection to field mice or other rodents to
the injury or even loss of the shrub. This is an additional
reason why the mulch should not be applied before the
ground freezes, as by that time these marauders have made
their winter quarters elsewhere.

Some of the native hardy lilies are safe without protection,
but most of the others, such as the hardy Japanese sorts,

NOVEMBER: THIRD WEEK 305

the candidum or Madonna, the longiflorum, and the spe-
ciosum, are better for protection, especially when they are
growing in dirt beds. Any bulb or plant naturalized among
shrubs or in grass is mulched to some extent by Nature.
Beds and borders of spring-blooming bulbs—tulips, nar-
cissuses and hyacinths—should also be thoroughly mulched.

Winter Mulch for Strawberries and Fruits

In the fruit garden and in the vegetable garden mulching
is also required. For strawberries nothing is better than
clean marsh hay, which is free from weeds, stays in position
well and makes a clean, dry ground covering for the fruit-
ing season. Straw is more likely to blow about over the
rest of the garden in spring, and to become an endless
nuisance by catching in the wheel-hoe teeth through sum-
mer. In cold parts of the country the whole surface—the
ground between the rows as well as the plants—should be
covered to a depth of several inches. In more southerly
sections, especially when the rows are far apart, mulching
over the plants alone will be sufficient.

The small fruits—the cane fruits, currants and goose-
berries—are benefited by winter mulching, which, in their
case, is of double value, as it may be utilized again for a
summer mulch after the plants have been cultivated or
hoed out in spring. All plants of this class suffer from dry
weather at fruiting time, and as it often happens that one
is too busy to provide a mulch just when it is needed, it pays
to put it on now and have it ready, in addition to getting
the benefit during the winter. Late plantings of onions or
spinach, to be carried over winter for spring use, should also
be mulched; hay or straw is better in this case than leaves
or manure, as it may be removed more readily in the spring.

All newly planted shrubs or trees, or newly made beds,
should be mulched. Be sure that the surface of the bed, or
the soil about the trees, has enough slope to drain itself
readily before the mulch is put on. Otherwise water may

306 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

collect, resulting in a frozen mass of ice and mulch that in-
jures the plant, or keeps the ground about it frozen in spring
until long after the rest of the garden has thawed out.

Winter Protection for Tall Plants

A number of plants require protection different from, or
in addition to, that afforded by mulching. Some of the
tenderer roses and shrubs, which might be injured by severe
weather, are jacketed with straw. For this purpose ever-
green boughs, or clean, long rye straw and tarred string
should be used. A good way of putting on a jacket of this
sort is to have a number of adjustable corn ties to use while
getting it on and making it firm and snug, then to wind
securely with tarred twine, when the corn ties may be re-
moved for the next plant. Still other plants, such as hardy
azaleas, or fruits trained against the south side of a wall, may
need protection from the sun and to prevent premature
swelling in the spring. A mulch on the ground will, of
course, tend to hold the roots back, but a sun shield is
sometimes also required. Such a shield may be constructed
by putting up stout posts, of any height required, stretching
across these a few stout wires, and interlacing evergreen
branches. A similar fence may be made to serve as a wind
shield.

The more tender roses and standard or tree roses, which
are more susceptible to winter injury than the same varieties
grown in bush form, may be given efficient protection in
severe climates by being taken up, roots and all, and win-
tered over in a trench or a deep frame, covered with hay
or straw, with a foot or so of soil on top. If the ground is
very dry give the soil round each plant a thorough soaking
with the hose the day before taking up. Cut down about
each plant with a sharp edger or spade that will cut the
roots off clean and leave a good ball of earth. Climbing
roses may be laid down, the tips being held in place with
earth or a notched stick, and covered with mulch or dirt.
In this way many of the beautiful semi-hardy climbers may

NOVEMBER: THIRD WEEK 307

be kept quite far north, and the hardy climbers up into
Canada.

The tender hydrangeas and the old-fashioned century
plants should be carried over winter in a cool greenhouse,
or a partially lighted cellar or cold room, where the temper-
ature will average between thirty and forty degrees. Give
only enough water to keep the soil from getting completely
dried out.

Select Chrysanthemums Now for Stock Plants

If you grow or would like to grow chrysanthemums,
now is the time to select stock for next fall’s blooms. If
you have some of your own carefully tag a plant or two of
the best sorts before the blooms are cut. Try to take in
one of the flower shows, and note some of the newer sorts
that appeal to you. At any rate make up your mind to try
a few next year. You may grow the big single blossoms, the
medium-sized flowers, or the small blooms in sprays, as
you fancy.

If you haven’t a greenhouse the chrysanthemums may
be grown in pots during the summer and brought in at the
approach of cold weather, flowering indoors at the very
season when other plants, after their shift from the outside
garden, are recuperating and barren of bloom. In sections
where the falls are late and mild the chrysanthemums may
be brought to bloom under a protection of plant cloth.

It is an easy matter to get plants for stock, as there is
always a surplus as the cutting season draws to a close.
Pack the old roots into a box or flat, which may be kept
in any cool light place, with an occasional watering to keep
the soil from drying out, until January or February, when
more water and a higher temperature staat be given to
start them into active growth.

Materials for Spring Work Indoors

This is the last chance to make preparations for starting
seedlings and cuttings in the spring. Secure at once a

308 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

couple of flour barrels from your grocer. If you have no
good compost on hand make a mixture of garden soil,
adding sand if it is heavy and leaf mold or sod scrapings.
Enough of this material—usually about a third, in bulk—
should be added to the garden soil, or soil and sand, to make
the resulting mixture very light and porous, and friable
enough so that it will not lump when squeezed in the hand.
A barrel or two of this soil put away in the cellar, or in some
other place safe from freezing, will make the starting of seeds
and plants in the spring, when the ground outside is still
frozen hard, an easy matter. A surplus of the leaf mold or
sod shavings should be kept to mix with the soil for the seed
boxes, as this should be made more light and porous than
that used for transplanting and potting. An hour at this
job now will save you trouble next March.

November: Fourth Week

WORK FOR THE HOME TREE DOCTOR: HOW TO
REPAIR OLD WOUNDS AND SPLITS; FALL
TRENCHING AND DRAINING

The beginning of winter sees no cessation of work on the
part of the industrious gardener. The ground may be frozen
or covered with snow, but there will still be warm after-
noons when there is keen zest in a few hours’ brisk work in
the open air. It is nevertheless unwise to put off these
winter jobs, for the good days are numbered.

One of the first things is to put the trees, both fruit and
ornamental, in order. Be your own tree doctor. For or-
dinary tree ills there is no necessity for a specialist. You
will require only a sharp cutting-off saw, preferably newly
“set”; a good strong knife; a mallet and two chisels, one half
an inch and the other one and a quarter inches; some heavy
paint, preferably creosote; Portland cement and a small
mason’s trowel; a tree scraper, which may be improvised by
nailing a flat three-cornered piece of metal to a short handle;
and possibly a bitstock or an auger.

Decaying cavities in trunk or limbs are the most common
injuries of serious nature. These are the results of former
abrasions of the bark and the cambium layer, or living skin,
of the tree; or of improper pruning. If neglected such decay
will extend rapidly into trunk or limb until, in the course of a
few years, the living wood will be destroyed out to the bark in
every direction,—and when an unusual strain of wind or
ice comes it will all be over but the crash! This decay is the
result of disease spores or germs that have found lodgment
and congenial conditions for development in some neg-
lected wound, often a very slight one. It could have been
prevented by proper precautions at the time of the infliction
of the wound, or when the tree was pruned.

399

310 5 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

Repairing an Old Wound

The fixing of an old wound of this sort is sometimes a
lengthy job, but unless the limb or tree is ready to collapse
it can generally be successfully accomplished. Fortunately
the real heart, or the circulation system, is near the outside,
so the tree can flourish vigorously with an inner heart of
stone.

One of the most common types of injury is illustrated in
an accompanying photograph. Had this limb been sawed off
close to the trunk and painted over, the bark itself would
probably have closed in over it. The first thing to do in all
rotting cavities of this kind is to cut back in every direction
to clean, live wood and bark. In order to do this it may be
necessary to cut away a good deal of live wood and bark
round the mouth of the cavity; or, if the heart of the tree
has rotted out too far down to be reached from the opening,
it may be necessary to make another opening near the
ground. But get out all the dead and partially decayed
wood. If it is impossible to clean it all out by any other
means a gasoline torch may be held against the inaccessible
parts for a few minutes.

Then give the whole a thorough coating of creosote.
Other paints with disinfectant action may be used, but
creosote, being both sticky and penetrating, is especially
good for this work. To havea perfect job the cavity should
be filled to the last crevice and sealed air-tight. As the
wood sometimes parts slightly from the filling at the mouth
of the cavity a layer of elastic cement may be used to join
wood and cement at the opening, but usually a heavy coat
of paint will afford all the protection required.

The filling for the cavity should be a fairly rich mixture
of sand and cement. For very large holes a regular 1-2-4
mixture will do for the bulk of the work, being finished off
with cement and sand, one part of the former to two or
three of the latter. If long vertical openings are to be filled
a form may be made of stiff roofing paper, greased or soaped
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NOVEMBER: FOURTH WEEK ait

of the tree. The filling should be built out just level with
the inside of the bark, which will grow over the cement
with remarkable rapidity. Sometimes, to fill the cavity
to the top, it is necessary to bore a hole from above and to
pour in the wet concrete. After the filling is in place care-
fully paint over any exposed wood, especially where it
comes in contact with the cement.

Care should be taken not to use cement just before a
freeze may be expected. A newly finished job, however,
may be protected from several degrees of frost by tying a
heavy blanket or some old sacking over it. Do not let the
cold prevent your cleaning out and painting the wounds
now. In the spring, after further treatment if required, the
filling may be put in in a few minutes.

How to Mend a Split

Next to decay, splitting from wind or ice or over-fruiting
probably causes more damage than anything else. Besides
the breaking apart of limbs there is
usually more or less injury to the ad-
jacent bark. In cases of this kind the
limbs should be put back into their
proper position as soon as possible by
tying heavy chains or ropes round
them—protecting the bark with old
sacking or slats of wood—and twist-
ing these tight with an iron or stout
wooden bar. To hold the damaged
limbs in place permanently it is well
to have made iron rods of the right
length, with ring bolts at each end.
Extra large washers, which may be
slightly countersunk into the outer
surfaces of the limbs, should be used
for the bolts. All injured parts should be cut away
and the surfaces painted thickly just before the pieces are
drawn tightly into place, as shown in the drawing on this
page.

eo 8

312 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

Protect Your Young Fruit Trees

Do not neglect to protect trees from injury. Guard the
roots of young fruit trees from bark injury by rabbits or
other rodents. Earth should be drawn up ina mound round
the trees just before freezing weather. Newly planted
trees so situated that they may be injured by wagon wheels
should be protected by strong stakes driven about a foot
distant, to which they may be held lightly by bands of
burlap or pieces of old rubber hose, but not by string or
wire. Trees near the curb, where horses may get at them,
should be protected by wire guards. Older trees may be
used as hitching posts without danger of injury by the
simple expedient of putting a screw ring or a short chain
and snap into one end of a short stake and securing the
other end to the tree by two stout staples, allowing the
stick to hang down out of the way when not in use.

Limbs that have been broken should be cut back to the
trunk or the parent limb of the tree, and the scars, if more
than an inch or so in diameter, should be painted over.

Grading Around a Tree

Sometimes fine trees are injured in grading work. Earth
is filled in directly against the base of the trunk. To over-
come this danger a low wall may be built round the tree,
a couple of feet or less distant, and up to the grade line. If
the ground can be given a slight pitch in all directions from
the tree, and the soil below it is well drained, this is all that
is necessary. If from the nature of the soil or the grade
there is danger of water collecting at the foot of the tree,
a circle of drain tiles should be laid about it with several
connecting lines or spokes extending from the base of the
pit, so that any surplus water will be distributed through
the tiles over a considerable area.

Forcing Roots Indoors

Before the ground freezes hard prepare some asparagus
and rhubarb roots for winter forcing under the bench in
the greenhouse or in a warm, fairly light cellar. With a

NOVEMBER: FOURTH WEEK re

sharp spade cut round and under some of the largest and
oldest crowns. Good balls of earth should be secured with
the roots, which should be taken out intact if possible.
It is not necessary to take them up now; if they are simply
loosened and left in the hole they will freeze solid, to be
removed later, a few at a time, if a good supply is available.

This plan will not only give you fresh rhubarb for winter,
_but your bed will be benefited, for you will have room to
take up and divide the remaining roots. If you have no
outdoor bed from which to take roots a few may be bought
at a reasonable price from some neighboring market
gardener, or from your seedsman. But before forcing let
them freeze.

Place a few roots in a tight, shallow box, pack moss,
chip-dirt or coal ashes about them to help hold the moisture,
water thoroughly, and place them where they will have a
moderate degree of heat. In cutting the first shoots of
asparagus be careful not to cut through the other buds that
are just starting.

If you have grown a supply of Witloof, or French salad
chicory, take up the strongest roots, trim them back to a
convenient size, and plant them in a box of sand or sandy
soil, covering them well. With warmth and plenty of mois-
ture in a dark place, the new growth of leaves sent out will
be tenderly blanched and will make a delicious salad at
the season of the year when fresh salads are scarce. Or
the roots may be placed, upright, in a frame, covered with
soil, and a layer of warm manure put over this, to stimulate
growth.

Drain Now to Save Time in Spring

After all the other fall work is cleaned up there is usually
a chance before hard freezing to do a lot of work that will
save time next spring. For some time past both spring
and fall in the East have averaged later than in former
years. In several recent seasons we have been able to plow
almost up to Christmastime, but our spring operations have
been delayed from one to three weeks.

314 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

If you have any patch of land that is cold and backward
in the spring, remaining too wet to be worked when you
would like to be getting ready to plant, by all means drain
it now. A few dollars’ worth of drain tile and a couple of
. days’ work by an ordinary laborer under your supervision
will vastly improve a considerable sized garden patch, and
you may have the satisfaction of knowing that such soil
is usually the best after it is properly drained.

The tiles should be put down as deep as possible, at least
two feet, preferably three, and if possible four. The lines
of tile should be about twenty-five feet apart for a three-
foot depth, and may be forty feet apart for a four-foot
depth. The extra foot in the depth of the trenches pays well.

In jaying out the lines for the ditches locate the highest
and the lowest points of the piece to be drained, and see
that the tile, slopes slightly but without any exceptions, in
the right direction. After the tile has been put in and before
the ditch has been filled with the soil it will be well to test
the system in two or three places with pailfuls of water.

Fall Trenching

In gardens small enough to be worked by hand thorough
““trenching”’ will pay well. Instead of spading up the garden
in the ordinary way throw out a furrow or ditch one spade
deep across the plot. Then go over the same strip again,
spading up and thoroughly breaking the lower soil, but
leaving it where it was. Throw the next strip of top-soil on
this, and in the same way thoroughly pulverize the strip of
soil beneath it; and so continue to the other side of the piece.
If you can give the surface a good dressing of manure before
trenching by all means do so. You will then have your
garden in the finest possible shape for next spring’s planting
—the manure well below the surface and largely converted
into available forms of plant food, and the surface soil ready
to work up fine as silk after the winter’s disintegrating
action on the soil particles. By the same token late fall
plowing is desirable, except on slopes, where the soil may
wash during heavy rains.

December: First Week

THE WINTER WINDOW GARDEN: VENTILATION;
MOISTURE; ‘SOIL; CARE. PROPAGATING
BUSHES AND SHRUBS

Something more than an appreciation of their beauty is
required to make plants succeed in the house. It is com-
paratively seldom that one sees really good specimens
even in the living-rooms of those whose outside gardens are
a summer-long delight. The cause of failure is generally
lack of realization of the change of environment under
which the plants must be grown, rather than ignorance
of their general requirements. The matter of being regular
in the care of plants in the house is the most important
step to success. Only a few minutes a day need be given,
but those few minutes should be given every day. If you
are not willing to concede this much attention at the outset
you would better let the florist see to the growing of your
plants. :

Devotion and regularity alone, however, will accomplish
nothing. In addition you must provide a suitable place
in which to keep the plants; kinds and varieties that are
suited to the conditions under which they must be grown;
and common sense, mixed with some experience, in their care.

The matter of a suitable place is open to some discussion.
Many persons have the idea that if the room is only kept
hot enough the plants will grow. They could make no
greater mistake. A suitably high temperature is neces-
sary, but other conditions just as essential are light, ade-
quate means of ventilation, and moisture in the air.

Light and Temperature

Most of the flowering plants and many of the others
should be given all the light possible during the winter

315

316 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

months. Direct sun through a south window is sometimes
too extreme, but this may be modified by drawing a thin
white curtain across the upper part of the window. A
sunny window is decidedly desirable for the geranium
and some other flowering plants, but others, such as the
begonia, will do well in indirect light or in partial shade,
and still others, such as the fuchsia, should be kept out
of the direct sunlight.

So far as temperature requirements are concerned, plants
suitable for indoor culture may be divided into two classes:
First, those that will thrive with a night temperature of
forty-five to fifty degrees; second, those requiring fifty to
sixty degrees. If it is not possible to have two rooms or
two windows where a difference in temperature may be
maintained, more satisfactory results will be had by select-
ing all the plants for your window garden from either one
class or the other. A drop of five or ten degrees for a few
hours, on an exceptionally cold night, will not prove fatal,
but many repetitions will severely check the plants and keep
them in a practically dormant condition. The day tem-
perature may range from five to fifteen degrees higher
than the figures given.

Plants Must Have Fresh Au

Two facts that the grower of plants in the house is likely
to overlook are that fresh air and normally moist air are
as essential to the plants’ continued good health as are
warmth, light and watering.

Neglect of these two things undoubtedly causes the
great majority of house-plant troubles, either directly or in-
directly, through the fostering of insects and disease. For
best results the plants should be given fresh air every day,
with the very occasional exception of very cold, windy
or stormy days. The more indirect the ventilation can
be, the better, so long as it is thorough. Direct drafts
should be avoided. Fresh air from an adjacent hall, or
from a window in the next room, with a window in the

DECEMBER: FIRST WEEK 317

plant room opened at the top to allow the escape of dead
air, makes an ideal arrangement, and one that incidentally
will be very beneficial to the human as well as to the botan-
ical inmates of the room.

Next to the variations in temperature the chief drawback
to growing plants in the house is the burned-out condition
of the atmosphere. Steam, hot air and hot water all rap-
idly dry up the normal amount of moisture in the air.
A certain degree of air moisture, however, is just as essen-
tial to plant growth as is soil moisture. The only sure
way of keeping the air moist is to have a special place,
large or small, for the plants, that can be regulated inde-
pendently of the living-room. When plants are kept in
the living-room, however, moisture can be maintained to
a satisfactory degree by frequently changing the air and
by keeping bowls or pans of water on or near the stoves
or radiators, where it will evaporate. Another thing to
be kept in mind is to select a place for the plants where
they may readily be got at, watered and cared for. Inac-
cessibility is frequently one of the causes of troubles;
bugs get a start or pots dry out before one notices;
or because of the trouble of tending them the plants are
neglected.

If you plan to keep anything more than a rubber tree, a
fern dish or a single geranium in your winter window garden
it will pay to fix a place of suitable size that can be shut
off from the rest of the room temporarily when required,
and where watering can be done without making a muss.
If you have a bay window that can be devoted to the pur-
pose and that can be shut off by glass doors or heavy cur-
tains, nothing better could be asked.

A Window Conservatory

If you cannot use a bay window, here is a simple plan
that will be found satisfactory: Secure a wide cypress or
white-pine board an inch thick and as long as or a little
longer than the window. Round the edges nail thin strips

318 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

about two inches wide, flush with the bottom and pro-
jecting an inch or so above the upper edges of the board.
Stain or paint this to match the window frame and give
it a heavy coating of spar varnish. Get two stout brass
brackets and fasten the shelf to the window frame in such
a way that the window may be opened, and the window
shade drawn down inside the shelf. If desired a similar
shelf, but preferably a narrower one, may be placed at a
suitable distance above it.

To the top of the window fasten a small rod upon which
a curtain may slide easily. This support, which should
project far enough so the curtain will hang outside the
plant shelf, may be made of two heavy sockets strong
enough to support the rod and the curtain, two short end
pieces, two elbows and one piece of rod or tubing the width
of the window or of the plant shelf.

A layer of sphagnum moss topped with white pebbles
or with clean, coarse gravel, into which the pots can be
sunk, will look neat, will absorb surplus water and will
keep the plants from drying out as quickly as they do on
unsightly saucers. The shelves may be taken down after
the plants are set outdoors in spring.

An ordinary window may easily be converted into a
miniature plant conservatory. A storm window placed
outside the regular window forms the front, two narrow
windows of the desired width form the sides, and inch
boards covered with roofing paper and painted to match
the window trimming, form the roof and the floor of this
simple but roomy little bay.

Soil for Potted Plants

Soil for most house plants should be light, friable and
moderately rich. The ingredients may be good garden
loam, sifted leaf mold or decomposed sod, sand, and a
little bone meal—about a teaspoonful to a four-inch pot.
Geraniums do well in a heavier soil. Ferns, begonias and
other plants with root growth of a fibrous character do
well in a lighter mixture—that is, more leaf mold or sod

DECEMBER: FIRST WEEK 319

in proportion to the loam. Pots more than three or three
and a half inches in diameter should be supplied with
drainage material—a few pieces of broken pot so placed
that none of them will lie flat across the hole in the bottom
and clog it up, and any rough, porous material on top of
them.

As to daily care of plants in the house remember it is
just as easy and as fatal to overdo as to underdo. Don’t
‘fuss ”’ with your plants. They should be looked after every
day and examined every few days, but the less they are
handled the better, except for occasionally turning halfway
round so they will not be drawn toward the light and made
one-sided.

The surface of the soil in the pot should be stirred oc-
casionally. Weak liquid manure may be fed to advantage
to the plants, especially when they are blooming. Nitrate
of soda, used at the rate of a tablespoonful to a ten or
twelve quart watering can, is excellent for this purpose.
Fine bone flour, sprinkled on barely to cover the surface
of the soil and worked in with an old spoon or a knife is
also effective, and these two make a combination contain-
ing nitrogen and phosphoric acid in forms that will be
both immediately and gradually available. Unleached
wood ashes may be mixed with the plant soil to form a
source of potash.

Give your plants water only when needed; then water
thoroughly. To find just how much to give knock some
of the earth balls out of the pots ten or fifteen minutes
after watering and see if the water has soaked clear through
to the bottom; if it has not you are not applying quite
enough moisture. If the soil in the pots becomes dry
enough to get hard stand the pots in a basin or tub, partly
filled with water, until it becomes moist.

Keeping Plants Healthy

One of the important secrets of success is to keep your
plants clean—free from both dust and bugs. Close the
doors or curtains of the plant-nook whenever the rooms are

320 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

being swept or dusted. Every week or two syringe both
upper and lower surfaces of the leaves of the plants with
clear cold water. For this purpose a hard-rubber, goose-
neck sprinkler costing seventy-five cents or a dollar is very
convenient. If you have only a few plants they may be set
in a sink or a tub for this operation.

Palms, rubber trees and other large-leaved plants should
occasionally be wiped off with a moist, soft cloth. Do not
use olive oil or try any other stunts to make the leaves
clean and shiny, as this will clog up the pores, which is
just what should be avoided. Cut off promptly all dead
leaves and flowers and any leaves that show signs of disease.

Plants that are carefully looked after and given an
abundance of fresh air will seldom be troubled by insect
pests. Avoid furnishing your enemies congenial conditions,
such as overcrowding, overheating, poor light, dryness—in
fact anything that will have a tendency to check or weaken
the growth of the plants. The insects most likely to be
encountered inside the house are the green aphis or plant
louse; the ‘‘mealy bug’’—a soft-bodied scale that hides
under a white covering resembling a minute tuft of cotton;
the white fly; and the red spider, which is about the size
of a grain of pepper, infests the under sides of the leaves
and is indicated by a light green color of the foliage, with
minute yellow spots. Nicotine sprays, kerosene emulsion,
etc., are as effective indoors as out. The plants should be
watched carefully, and a suitable remedy used at the first
sign of trouble.

The quickest, simplest and cleanest remedy for any of
these pests is a hot bath. This can be given readily when
only a few plants are to be treated. Dip them quickly,
several times in succession, into water heated to 140 to 160
degrees; rinse them off in clear, cold water. In applying
this treatment for the white fly do it when the plant is
quite cold, and the insects are dormant. Other remedies
are: Nicotone in one of the several trade forms that simply
have to be diluted with water and applied; tobacco dust,
which is specially good as a preventive; and kerosene

DECEMBER: FIRST WEEK 321

emulsion for scale and for the sucking nymphs of the white
fly. Cold water applied with as much force as possible
will help to dislodge the red spider; a small brush dipped
in alcohol or kerosene will quickly dispose of the pernicious
mealy bug.

Propagating Bushes and Shrubs

If you have use for any more grapevines, gooseberry
or currant bushes, or such shrubs as deutzias, weigelias
and forsythias, you can propagate your own. All these
things may be bought at reasonable prices, but it is fun to
do the work yourself. The cuttings should be six to ten
inches long, and made of new growth that is ripe enough
to be firm. At least two buds or pairs of buds should be
taken in each cutting, the bottom one being quite close
to the lower end. These cuttings should be placed in a
small box of sphagnum moss, sand or sawdust in the cellar.
For convenience, if you are making several of each sort,
tie them in small bundles, carefully tagged. This winter
- storage allows the cuttings to callus and to undergo other
changes that make them ready to root quickly when set
out in spring.

Set New Varieties of Flowering Plants Now

Every enthusiastic gardener likes to add to the collection
of flowering plants the newer varieties. Frequently, how-
ever, these cost in the spring from two to five times as
much as standard plants of the same size. If you are
keeping plants in the house and have room for a few ad-
ditional pots, buy now small-sized plants of these newer
things, and grow them on during the winter. This will
give you not only several additional months of enjoyment,
but also good stocky plants at half or quarter what they
would cost you if you waited until May or June. If you
are near a florist you can generally buy small plants of
these newer things and have them repotted when you
get them; they will then grow without further attention,
so far as pots are concerned, for some months.

December: Second Week

THE WINTER CAMPAIGN IN ORCHARD AND
GARDEN: WINTER SPRAYING; WINTER
PRUNING OF FRUIT TREES; CANE FRUITS
AND SHRUBS

Early winter is the ideal time to catch many of the
orchard and garden pests off their guard. They are in a
torpid state and can be located more readily. We can
also use much stronger sprays on dormant trees than we
can use in summer, and the absence of leaves makes possible
a much more thorough and convenient job of spraying.

The work may be done at any time from fall until growth
starts in spring, but the best time is now. We may have
one of those remarkable Indian summers running almost up
to Christmas, but remember what kind of weather we
are likely to get in January, February and March, and do
your Christmas spraying early!

The outfit required for the home grounds, the fruit trees
and garden, is simple. In addition to your regular knap-
sack or compressed-air garden sprayer you need a spray
pole, or a length of quarter-inch hose which you can fasten
to a sawed-off bamboo fish pole, and one or two suitable
spray nozzles. If you don’t already own a knapsack or a
compressed-air sprayer make yourself a Christmas present
of one at once—not for winter spraying alone, but because
you will need it every month, almost every week, to take
proper care of your summer garden, flowers, potted plants,
house plants, and so forth. Your sprayer should be
equipped with an automatic valve and an anti-clog noz-
zle, then the starting and stopping of the spray can be
controlled with your left hand while your right is free to
manage the pole and to direct the spraying.

322

DECEMBER: SECOND WEEK 323

There are a number of good nozzles on the market, but
for operations on foot under the trees select one of the
goose-necked or angle type. With this, a simple turn of
the wrist will direct the spray in any desired direction and
save a great deal of shifting from one side of the branch or
tree to the other. A cup-shaped washer of stiff leather,
three or four inches in diameter, that will slip tightly over
the pole, will keep the spray material from running down
the pole and up your sleeve; and a wooden handle made
of soft pine, bored out just large enough to fit snugly over
the spray pipe, and held in any desired position by a set
screw (made of any ordinary screw with the end squared off),
will make the handling of the pole more convenient. These
can be made with jackknife and bitstock.

The Pests to Spray For

The orchard pests that we can fight successfully in winter
are the various scales and scabs, though spraying now
will help to control a number of the other insect pests, and
will check still others by destroying cocoons, egg masses or
dormant larve. Some of the scales are rather hard to find
and all are very small and innocent looking in comparison
with the serious damage they can accomplish. Here are
some of the things to spray for:

San José scale, which is about the size and shape of the
head of a small pin, with a miniature ‘‘crater” at the center
of a full-grown spectmen. When they have been allowed to
multiply unchecked, plainly discernible colonies, or small
patches of “‘crust,” form on the branches. If any of your
fruit showed small red-rimmed spots last fall they were
the trade-mark of the San José scale.

Oyster-shell scale forms colonies that incrust small apple
twigs and make patches on the larger limbs like the fore-
going. The scale, however, is of a different form, being
something the shape of an oyster shell, with a distinct point
or head at one end.

Scurfy scale, about one-eighth of an inch long, resembles

324 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

the oyster-shell scale, but underneath the minute crust
you may find small purplish-colored eggs.

Cottony maple scale attacks not only maples but numer-
ous other ornamental trees. In early spring or summer it
resembles small tufts of cotton at the outer ends of the
branches. It winters over as an inconspicuous brown scale
on the rough bark of larger limbs and branches.

Rose scale resembles the scurfy scale, but is lighter in
color and attacks roses and cane fruits.

The saw fly has greenish, spiny larve that feed upon
the leaves of the cane fruits. It is susceptible to winter

spraying.

Winter Sprays and Spraying

The two specifics for winter spraying are lime-sulphur
wash and miscible oil preparations. For use in the small or-
chard it is generally more convenient to buy sprays ready
to dilute with water than to attempt to mix them at home.
If you are not familiar with the different brands it will be a
good plan to write to your experiment station for advice.

If you prefer to make your own lime-sulphur boil for an
hour in an iron kettle four pounds of lump lime, three
pounds of flowers of sulphur and five gallons of water,
adding five gallons more water when ready to spray.
Spraying is done preferably before the mixture has entirely
cooled. A “‘self-boiled”? mixture may be made by using
lump lime, flowers of sulphur and water in the proportion
of eight each of lime and sulphur and fifty gallons of water.
Slake the lime in a little warm water, and when it is slaking
freely sift in the sulphur and stir thoroughly until a thick
paste results. Keep it covered until it is through “‘boiling”’
and then cool down with the remainder of the water, and
use as soon as possible.

Success in spraying—with a reliable mixture—depends
entirely upon the thoroughness of the job. Every square
inch of surface and each crack and crevice must be entirely

PLATE 28.—New trees from old! First: tall, brushy apple tree, the
result of several years’ neglect. Second: after the first pruning, top low-
ered, decayed and surplus wood removed.

_—
fe

PLATE 29.—New trees from old! Third: Two years later: many, vigorous
new, young branches, again beginning to get crowded. Fourth: Pruned again;
much of the old wood left the first time, removed; a “‘head”’ of healthy, young
wood, that can be trained into a low, spreading tree, on the old foundation.

DECEMBER: SECOND WEEK 325

covered or the work will avail little. San José scale, for
instance, reproduces at the rate of about three billions a
year; so a comparatively few scales left by careless spraying
will very quickly get the tree back into as bad condition
as it was before. One decided advantage that the miscible
oils have over the lime-sulphur is that they spread and
work more thoroughly into the crevices and under rough-
nesses of the bark.

The Important Work of Winter Pruning

Just as important as the spraying is the winter job of
pruning. With the exception of a number of the flowering
shrubs growing in borders or masses, and a few of the orna-
mental trees, every tree, bush and brier on the place re-
quires attention in this regard if you aim for the best results.
It is possible to keep them healthy without pruning, but
you cannot get the best quality or the biggest quantity of
fruit or flowers by letting the trees and shrubs alone. The
plants will produce too much wood and consequently more
buds than they can develop.

The equipment required for pruning is even more simple
than the necessary spraying outfit—a sharp knife, a wide-
set cutting-off saw, and a stepladder or light, long ladder.
If you are going to buy any special tools a combined pole
saw and pruning knife may be had for $1.75, and will
enable you to handle ordinary-sized trees from the ground
and to do the work very quickly. A pair of pruning shears,
costing from fifty cents up, is also a great convenience.
Specially prepared creosote or tree paint may be had at
a reasonable price, but ordinary outside heavy lead paint
will do. All branches more than an inch and a half in
diameter should, after being sawed off, be painted over
to prevent decay before the bark has a chance to grow over
the wound.

The first thing to remove in all pruning operations is
dead, decaying, bruised or diseased wood. What you
should cut away in addition to that will depend upon the

326 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

nature of the tree or shrub being pruned, and the result
you are after. As a general rule, the danger is that you
will do too little rather than too much pruning. When in
doubt cut it off!

The amount of winter pruning that should be done on
your fruit trees depends upon their age and previous treat-
ment. Newly planted apple, pear, peach and cherry trees
will require very little pruning if they were properly cut
back when planted. From those that have been planted
several years superfluous crossing limbs should be cut,
and lateral growth, which will tend to form spreading,
open heads, should be encouraged. Peach trees in bearing
should be cut back severely. Old trees, especially apple
trees, may be cut back very severely to advantage, but it
is best to spread the pruning over two or three seasons
unless a fair amount of good, live wood can be left to prevent
too severe checking of growth.

Remaking an Old A pple Tree

Tllustrations Number 28 and 29 show a middle-aged
apple tree that had grown practically no good fruit for
a number of years. It bore well the first year after prun-
ing and spraying and has since come back very satis-
factorily. In cases of this kind some of the larger sprouts
or small, new, upright limbs are left to develop into new
wood; then after these have had two or three seasons’
growth more of the older wood may be cut away. Prac-
tically any old apple tree that is not entirely gone at the
heart can be saved and with a few years’ care made to pro-
duce excellent fruit.

In all pruning of old trees try to re-form the tree as near
the ground as possible, in order to facilitate spraying and
picking of the fruit. Old trees that are up in the air alto-
gether can be brought back into captivity only by “ dehorn-
ing.’ This process leaves nothing but the main trunk and
the stubs of the main branches, the idea being to form
practically an entirely new head upon this skeleton. Gen-

DECEMBER: SECOND WEEK 327

erally only a half or a third of the tree should be so treated
at one cutting, and some experienced person should be con-
sulted if this form of treatment is to be attempted.

Drastic Treatment for the Cane Fruits

The cane fruits—raspberries, blackberries, dewberries,
and the various hybrids recently introduced—should also
be severely pruned, or rather thinned. Next season’s crop
of fruit will be borne on canes produced this year. Old
ones should all be cut out clean now if this has not already
been attended to; the others should be shortened back
slightly to lessen the chance of their being injured by
whipping about in strong winds. Have your hands and
wrists well protected when you tackle this job. In very
cold climates it is necessary to lay down the more tender
varieties, and in some cases even to cover them with earth
to protect them during the winter.

These things are prickly, but some of the gooseberries
are more so; yet they need severe pruning, not only to pro-
duce better fruit, but to make sure of any at all. Branches
that bend over and touch the soil should be cut off, and
the plants should be kept very open so that light and air
can get to every part of them, as they are very susceptible
to mildew. Currants will continue to bear year after
year even if they are not pruned, but the quality of the
fruit will be very greatly improved if the bushes are kept
quite severely cut back. The best fruit is borne on wood
that is two or three seasons old, therefore in pruning cut
out any surplus new growth of the present season and wood
that is four years or more old. Examine the remaining
canes carefully for the borer.

Winter Pruning of Shrubs and Roses

Single or specimem shrubs should, after several years’
growth, have a little of the old wood cut out each year to
prevent overcrowding. The longer branches should be

328 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

headed in to maintain symmetrical shape. Regular prun-
ing of rose bushes should be given in the spring. All that
they require now is the heading in of any long, new canes
that are likely to be beaten about in the winter’s storms.
In pruning shrubs at this time of the year it is well not to
touch any of those that bloom in spring or early summer,
as the flower buds are already formed for next year, and
whatever wood is cut away will mean a corresponding loss
in blossoms.

Keep a sharp lookout for the egg masses and cocoons of
caterpillar or insect pests in your section. If you are not
familiar with their winter costumes your state experiment
station probably has a bulletin describing them. The tent
caterpillar, which for the last two years has denuded wild
cherries and unprotected apple trees throughout large sec-
tions of the country, may readily be destroyed in winter.

December: Third Week

THE CARE OF GIFT PLANTS AFTER CHRISTMAS:
HOW TO KEEP THEM IN GOOD CONDITION
AND SAVE THEM FOR ANOTHER YEAR.
PICK OUT SHRUBS FOR WINTER BEAUTY
NOW

It would be an interesting job for an energetic statis-
tician to figure out how many thousand dollars’ worth of
potted plants and flowers annually find their way from the
florists’ shops to the ash barrels during the brief holiday
period. Part of this loss is due to the fact that the plants
used are unsuitable for saving for further use; but by far
the greater part is due to the recipients’ lack of knowledge
as to how the plants should be cared for. If you yourself
give plants as presents select the more substantial sorts,
which may be kept for a season or for several years. Many
of the plants that the florists display at Christmas have
been in preparation for a year or more, and with proper
care most of them can be kept in good condition.

Azaleas are perhaps the most beautiful of all the many
beautiful holiday plants, but since their requirements are
different from those of ordinary house plants, most of them
perish immediately. A good azalea costs the person who
gives it to you several dollars; it is worth saving, especially
since, with proper care, it may be made to increase in beauty
for several years.

After you have removed the florist’s careful wrappings
and examined the little card dangling from a lower branch,
do not leave your azalea in the superheated atmosphere
of the living-room, to be forgotten during the excitements
of the following days. The little tree may be covered
with blooms, and you will probably find that it also con-

329

330 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

tains a number of buds. If you do not take care of the
plant these will wither and drop off, though with reasonable
treatment they should nearly all make flowers for some
weeks to come.

Keep your azalea in a cool place—that is the first step
toward preserving it. There is very little danger of its
being too cool. Give it plenty of fresh air; there is no
danger of giving it too much so long as direct cold drafts
are avolded. A gas-laden atmosphere will very quickly
ruin such blossoms and buds as there may be.

By all means guard against the plant’s drying out; it
will require, while blooming, an abundance of water. The
soil in which azaleas are potted is of such color and texture
that it does not show lack of moisture so plainly as that
used for other potted plants; furthermore, the fibrous
roots are so thickly matted as to make the soil almost
impervious to water once it becomes dry. The surest and
easiest way to get the soil moist is to set the whole pot in
a basin or a tub of water until it has absorbed all that it
will. If the flowers begin to fade it is a pretty sure sign
that the soil is getting too dry.

To Make Azaleas Bloom Again

So much for saving the flowers and buds that are on the
azalea when you get it. An equally beautiful display
during a large part of next winter is quite possible, but
you should make preparations for next year’s blooms as
soon as this year’s wither and fall. Secure from a neighbor-
ing florist, or mix for yourself, a soil made up of sand, leaf
mold and garden loam in equal proportions, with rotted
peat added to about double the bulk. Shift the plant to a
pot only about one size larger than that in which it has
been growing. Have the new pot thoroughly crocked or
drained, preferably with charcoal. Break up the old ball
of roots with the fingers, and shake off or wash off a good
part of the soil. Place it in position in the new pot, sift
in a little of the prepared earth round it, and ram it down

DECEMBER: THIRD WEEK 331

hard with a blunt stick or the handle of a trowel; put in
another layer of soil and treat it the same way. There is
not much danger that you will pack the soil too hard, but
there is much danger that you will not get it firm enough.
It is not necessary to cover the plant any deeper than it
was covered before; a few of the roots may show at the
surface where they join the stem, but instead of hilling up
round them let the earth slope up toward the edge of the
pot, leaving a depression at the center. This will be a help
in keeping the earth ball thoroughly wet.

After repotting the plant give it a thorough watering;
then withhold water for a week or so, but give the foliage
a daily sprinkling or syringing. When the plant begins
to show signs of new growth give more water round the
roots, meantime keeping it in a shady place and not too
warm. If it requires trimming into shape cut it back
before new wood begins to form. As soon as it becomes
established in the new pot keep it where it will get an
abundance of light and fresh air. Do not let it lack for
water, and as soon as the weather is warm enough in spring
it may be plunged into the shrubbery border or some place
near the house where it will be in partial shade during the
heat of the day, and where it may be easily cared for.
Take it into the house again just before freezing weather,
keep it cool until you are ready to force it into flower again,
and then give a little more heat and moisture. Apply
liquid manure or nitrate of soda as the buds begin to swell.

Araucarias, Begonias, and Cyclamens.

The Araucaria, or Norfolk Island Pine, has become a
favorite Christmas plant. This is as often killed by over-
care as is the azalea by neglect. When it comes to you at
Christmas, instead of being at the height of its season of
active growth, like the azalea, it is at the middle of its
natural dormant period. Instead of the high temperature
and abundance of water that are usually given, it should
be kept in as cool a position as possible and watered very

332 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

sparingly. Early in spring it may be plunged into the
ground out of doors. This is the time to repot it if repotting
is necessary. Use a soil of half loam and half leaf mold and
sand mixed together. A handful of unleached wood ashes
will be beneficial.

The beautiful Lorraine begonia frequently coaxes the
dollar out of the pocket of the Christmas shopper. Un-
fortunately it is not well suited to house conditions, but
if you have one do the best you can with it. This plant
should remain in flower for a long time. See that it has
plenty of water, is protected from sudden changes in tem-
perature and from gas, and is kept in a room where the air
is as moist as possible. Many of the other begonias make
ideal plants for growing in the house, and when well flow-
ered are unsurpassed as Christmas gifts.

A well-flowered cyclamen vies with the azalea in profu-
sion and beauty of bloom, and it may be kept without much
trouble from year to year, increasing in size and beauty.
If it is just beginning to bloom it should continue to send
out buds and flowers for a long time. The plants of this
kind sold at Christmas are usually twelve to fourteen
months old from seed, and are having their first crop of
flowers. Keep them very cool—as low as fifty degrees at
night will not hurt—well supplied with water, and watch
them carefully for the green fly. When the crop of flowers
seems exhausted and the leaves begin to turn old and
yellow gradually withhold the water and dry off the “bulbs”’
to give them a resting period before starting new growth
preparatory to next season’s bloom. They may be kept
in the pot or repotted in soil of the same character, but
the so-called ‘“‘bulbs” should not be allowed to dry out
enough to shrivel. As soon as they show signs of making
new growth, give more water and light. During the sum-
mer keep the plants outdoors in a cool, shady position,
where they may be given plenty of water. Sprinkle to-
bacco dust freely to keep off aphids. As the new bud

DECEMBER: THIRD WEEK 333

stalks begin to form, occasional applications of liquid
manure will add greatly to the strength of the plants.

Roses as House Plants

The dwarf roses make charming pot plants and are coming
into more favor each year. A number of them are adap-
ted to house culture and flower almost all the year round.
A number of other roses are used for Christmas sale, but
unless they happen to be of the very few varieties adapted
to withstand the hardships of house culture there is not much
hope of having them for another season’s bloom indoors.

The greatest drawback to growing roses successfully in
the house is the dry atmosphere. The plants must be
kept clean by syringing the foliage frequently. Cold drafts
or any sudden drops in temperature must be avoided, as
these usually result in injury to the foliage through mildew.
All the care needed by the dwarf roses is the cutting out
of old flower spurs, an occasional repotting, and, for an
abundance of bloom, the use once in a while of liquid
manure, bone flour or wood ashes worked lightly into the top
of the soil. In addition to the Baby Rambler, and several
of the other “Baby” roses, La France, Hermosa, Agrippina,
Clothilde Soupert and Maman Cochet, both white and
pink, may with care be grown in the house.

One way of handling roses is to cut back the old wood
quite severely when they are through blooming, and to
keep them rather dry and cool so they will remain dormant
during summer. In early fall start them into growth and
take them into the house as cold weather approaches; or
they may be plunged into the ground outside and allowed
to grow through the summer until the leaves drop. Then
they should be put where they may be brought into the
living-room and given heat and water when desired. Slight
freezing in the meantime will not hurt them, but it is better
to keep them in boxes rather than in pots, both because
the earth may be maintained in a more even state of mois-
ture, and because there is no danger of boxes cracking in
case of a freeze. +) |

334 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

Callas, Ferns, and Daisies

Most of the many bulbs forced into flower for Christmas
are of no further use in the house after we have done what
we can to prolong their blossoming season. The old favor-
ite callas, however, are an exception to this rule. They
are rank feeders and appreciate frequent applications of
liquid manure, but are not otherwise exacting in their
demands so long as they have plenty of sunlight and water
and are kept free from green aphids. The more sunshine
and heat they can get the better they will like it. Dry off
gradually, and let the bulb rest during the summer by turn-
ing the pot on its side in some shaded spot and leaving it
there until about August. Then start it into growth again,
repotting it first in soil that is about a third well-rotted
manure, preferably cow manure.

The various ferns, which also are very popular as Christ-
mas gifts, are particularly satisfactory in positions where
full sunlight cannot be given. They do best in compara-
tively cool rooms, and do not require very frequent water-
ing during the winter months. They should be watched
carefully, however, and not allowed to dry out, as they
may be considerably damaged before the foliage begins to
show it.

A number of the daisies and the Jerusalem cherry are
used quite extensively as Christmas plants. Though not
so beautiful as some of the foregoing, they are very bright
and attractive and with any sort of care will thrive, even
when the temperature occasionally drops quite low.

Shrubs to Add Winter Beauty to the Place

Though no transplanting and setting out of shrubs may
be done at this season of the year, there is no other time so
good for selecting shrubs to give life and color to your
winter landscape. If possible visit some nursery, where

DECEMBER: THIRD WEEK 335

you can compare the various things that are valuable
for winter foliage, berries or bark, and plan a selection to
meet your own requirements.

The various evergreens, low and tall, command first at-
tention. Green, golden and silvery foliage can be had in
the retinispora, thuja and juniper, and in the taller pine,
hemlock and spruce. The red Siberian dogwood is one of
the most showy of all the colored-bark shrubs. The willow
family has a number of members with attractive yellow
bark, including some of the common native sorts. And
our beautiful native birches are in many localities free for
the taking. |

Among the winter berried shrubs are the barberry, snow-
berry, Indian currant, rugosa rose, viburnum and euony-
mus, to mention a half dozen of the best. None of these
things is expensive, with the exception of some of the
evergreens. A little planning now, and a few dollars in-
vested next spring or fall, will enable you to add perma-
nently to the winter beauty and attractiveness of your
place.

December: Fourth Week

STARTING PLANTS FOR NEXT SUMMER’S
FLOWER GARDEN: HOW TO MAKE AND ROOT
CUTTINGS; POTTING AND CARE

About the turn of the year you must begin to take
thought for a supply of plants for next summer’s flower
garden. The chief advantage of growing one’s own plants
is the fun of doing it. In addition, there is the pleasure of
being able to perpetuate some favorite flower that cannot
be duplicated when one buys plants in the spring. Ina very
limited amount of space it is possible to start plants which,
if bought in the bedding season, would cost several dollars.

Select such of your own plants as you care to propagate.
To start a couple of hundred plants takes little room, for
they may be placed, at first, about as close together as you
can pack them. Do not, however, be tempted to start
more than you can care for properly afterward, for each
cutting after it is rooted will have to be given at least four —
square inches of room, whether it is placed in a pot or ina
flat; and within a few more weeks it will need twice as much
room. By the time the second shift is required, however,
some of the plants can usually be put into a hot-bed or a
cold-frame or placed in sunny windows, as there will be little
danger of their being pinched by extremely cold nights.

If your plants are in the right condition your cuttings
may be prepared at any time and rooted at once. Often,
however, it is desirable to start the plants into more active
growth before the cuttings are taken. Plants of all kinds
require a resting period or vacation some time during the
year. During this period growth is checked. Softwood
cuttings from plants in this condition are not so likely to
root readily as cuttings from plants in active growth. It is

336

PLATE 30.—Here is a batch of fifteen geranium cuttings obtained from the
two plants shown in plate 31 opposite page 337. A second lot was ready a
few weeks later. (Lower) Two begonia cuttings. The one at the left has just
begun to throw out its new roots and is ready to pot up. That on the right
has been left in the cutting bed rather too long, and many of the roots had to
be broken off in taking it up. Try to pot up your cuttings before the new
roots get over half an inch in length.

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DECEMBER: FOURTH WEEK 337

best, therefore, before taking cuttings to start up into active
growth any plants that may be resting. This is accom-
plished, of course, by giving them more water and warmth
and a little fertilizer, and by repotting, if that is required.
Abnormal conditions, such as too much heat or too much
stimulation, should, however, be avoided, as new growth
that is soft, watery and weak is just as worthless as that
which is too old.

The wood where the cutting is to be taken should be
plump and firm, but not hard. Of course the degree of
firmness varies in different plants. In a coleus or a snap-
dragon it may be comparatively soft, while in a geranium it
is much harder.

The Snapping Test

You can determine when wood is in the right condition by
applying the snapping test. This consists simply of bending
the branch or shoot between the thumb and fingers to a right
angle. If the wood snaps, but does not break clear off, it is
in the right condition. If it merely bends it is too young or
soft. If the bark cracks, but the interior fibers do not part,
it is too old and tough. Often all three conditions of wood
may be found on the same shoot, the tip being too soft and
the lower joints too hard, while the middle is in just the
proper condition to make one or more cuttings.

As one of the most effective methods of starting plants
into active new growth is pruning or cutting them back,
you can often get a small supply of cuttings from the
ripened but not hardened terminal shoots or branches of the
plants that are cut back, and a second supply a few weeks
later when the plants brought into active growth have pro-
duced new supplies of wood suitable for the purpose.

This plan is especially good when space is limited during
the early spring months. Some plants will be in bloom
ready to set out at the beginning of the bedding season;
others will come out and bloom freely during the latter part
of the summer and early fall; and still others, which should

338 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

be kept disbudded in summer, will bloom inside during the
fall and winter.

The operation of making the cuttings is very simple. Use
a sharp knife, so that it will make a clean, neat cut, leaving
no bruises or ragged edges. The cuttings should be made,
for most kinds of plants, from two to four or five inches
long. If the wood is in the right condition several may be
made from the same branch. The cutting may be taken off
just below a joint or between the joints, depending on where
the wood is the best. If it is cut off slightly slanting the
slip may be more readily pushed down into the sand, but
it will root just as well if cut straight across. The leaves
should be removed from the lower part of the cutting, and
those near the top, if large, should be cut back about half.
This is to lessen the possibility of their wilting, which should
be guarded against while the cutting is forming new roots.
Cuttings or slips are sometimes broken off, instead of cut off,
and though they frequently root, this is not so sure a
method as the other. In early summer, when conditions
are favorable, whole branches of geraniums that have been
accidentally broken off may be rooted by simply sticking
them into the moist soil of the bed out-of-doors. After
cuttings have been made they may be kept a reasonable
length of time before being used, but they should not be
exposed to hot sunshine or allowed to become dry. If they
are wilted badly when ready to be used they may be revived
by allowing them to soak in clear, cold water.

If the plants from which the cuttings are taken are in-
fested with insects or scale of any kind get the cuttings
absolutely clean before you attempt to root them. This
may be accomplished by dipping them quickly several
times in water heated to about 150 degrees, or by rinsing
them in a nicotine spray solution, and rinsing them after-
ward, in either case, in clear, cold water. As a rule, how-
ever, cuttings should be taken only from perfectly healthy
plants in vigorous condition of growth.

DECEMBER: FOURTH WEEK 339

Starting the Cuttings

The cuttings may be rooted in any of several ways. A
room or place where a fairly even temperature may be main-
tained is necessary. Plants that start in a moderate tem-
perature are more likely to be healthy and vigorous than
those grown in a very warm place. The temperature should
if possible be kept up to forty or forty-five degrees, though
frequently cuttings will take root when the temperature
drops occasionally to very near freezing during the process.

The material in which to keep the cuttings until the new
roots form may be sand, sand and water, or pure water.
The former is generally used, though the second, which is
known as the saucer system, may sometimes be used to
advantage when only one or two dozen cuttings are to be
made. If sand is to be used procure an ordinary flat or
shallow box, two or three inches deep. If the bottom is
very tight, bore half a dozen holes in it. In this place a
layer of coarse chip dirt or excelsior from the woodshed and
then put in two inches of clean, medium coarse sand, such
as masons use. Dirty sand may be cleansed in a few minutes
by placing it in a pail and shoving a piece of hose through
to the bottom, letting the water carry the impurities off
from the top. After thoroughly saturating the sand, let it
drain to remove all surplus water, and then place the cut-
tings to about half their depth in it, seeing that the sand is
packed firmly and closely about them. Do not leave them
in a wabbly state.

By the second, or saucer, method, the sand is placed in a
shallow glazed bowl or dish and kept wet enough so that
water stands upon the surface all the time. The dish is
placed in a warm window in the full sunlight, and the sand
is kept constantly saturated, which will require the addition
of a small amount of water each day. If the sand once dries
out the cuttings are lost.

Some plants, such as the oleander, that have compar-
atively hard wood and are slow in rooting, may be made
into long cuttings and stuck into a bottle of water into which

340 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN

a few small pieces of charcoal have been dropped to keep it
pure. One or the other of the foregoing methods is, however,
usually more satisfactory.

For several days after the cuttings are put into the sand
they should be kept shaded during the hottest part of the
day. If they show any tendency to wilt give them an
occasional sprinkling with a plant sprinkler or, if that is not
at hand, with a clothes sprinkler or a wet whisk broom.

The sand itself, however,
sP ep “> 9 2-7.°2e5 will not need another
pi ey watering for shaie ae

not until it begins to dry
out on the surface. The

Y ends of the cuttings callus
bi over before any roots be-
Ol come visible, and during
this stage the cuttings are

likely to rot if the sand is

kept too moist.
; Zk a If possible give the cut-
tings box bottom heat. Set
it up on two or three blocks or bricks on a radiator, or sup-
port it over aregister. If neither of these is possible a simple
propagating arrangement may easily be made as follows:
Line a cracker box (A) with cheap tin, or old metal roofing,
cutting in the bottom a number of large holes with an auger
or with an expansive bit. To this bottom nail a six-inch
section of another cracker box or a shallow cooky box (B).
Cut a section from one side of the whole box for a door (C),
holding it in place with leather straps or cheap hinges.
Make this door large enough to admit an ordinary hand
lamp (D) or a small oil stove so that it can be put in and
taken out conveniently. Bore a small hole in the door so
you can see the flame of the lamp when it is in place.

DECEMBER: FOURTH WEEK 341

This apparatus, with reasonable care, will be perfectly
safe and will not require attention frequently. If the lamp
seems to heat the tin above it too much, the shallow box
may be raised to any desired height on blocks. The cut-
tings box, which should of course be of the same size as the
others, should be placed on top of the second box. The mild
bottom heat secured in this way will greatly facilitate the
rapid rooting of the cuttings. If two flats of cuttings are
to be rooted they may be set crossways of the box and any
warm-blooded cuttings, such as heliotrope, salvia or coleus
may be placed in the middle.

When the cuttings are rooted, which will usually be in two
to four weeks, they should be taken from the sand and put
into pots or into other flats. Do not let the roots get very
long—a quarter of an inch is long enough. If room is very
scarce set the plants in a flat. Fill this with fairly rich
earth containing a good proportion of sand, and see that it is
well drained. Plant the little rooted cuttings in this, about
two inches apart each way, shading them for a few days
from the hot sun, and watering them sparingly until after
they have become established. Or they may be put singly
into two or two-and-a-half inch pots, or several cuttings may
be placed in a four or five inch pot; in the latter case, plant
your cuttings near the edge of the pot, and be very careful
about overwatering.

Buy Some Novelties Now

If you want to keep your flower garden up to date you
will be interested in trying several of the best of the novel-
ties that appear from time to time. Now is the proper
time of the year to get at low prices some of the fine new
things that are offered. You will have to get smaller plants
than if you waited until the bedding season, but there is
ample time to grow them into good-sized plants before
they should be set out. Space in greenhouse, hot-bed or
warm window, and a supply of pots and soil, are the only
requisites.

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INDEX

Acid phosphate, 53

Air, need of, in soil, 50

Ammoniacal Copper Carbonate, 110

Annuals, making beds for, 90; start-
ing of, 80

Anthracnose, 137

Aphis, 136; (on roses), 154

Apple, grafted, distance apart, 57;
scab, 113; tree, distance apart, 57

Apples, varieties of, 60

Araucaria, 331, 332

Arbor Vite, 207

Arsenate of lead, 139

Asparagus bed, care of old (renewing
and maintaining), 116; bed, making
of, 92; beetle, 118; beetle, 136 (right
one); cutting of, 117; for winter
use, 313; varieties, 23

Aster beetle, 136

Asters, early and late, 129

Azalea, care of flowering plant, 320,

339, 331

Beans, as a succession crop, 145; gen-
eral suggestions, 106; good variety
of, 23; harvesting, 271; lima, start-
ing of in pots, 106; putting in, 102

Bed, flower, squaring corners of, 96;
rose, 79

Bedding plants, 124 (geranium); keep-
ing over, 194

Beds, flower, preparing, 76

Beets, for winter use, 143; good varie-
ties of, 23; growing under glass, 280;

Binders, soil, 191

Blackberries, distances apart,
varieties of, 58

Black rot, 114

Blanching celery, 187

Blight, 137

Blister mite, 113

Bone flour, 53; for growing plants,
64

Bordeaux mixture, making of, use of,
109

Border, hardy, 79; preparing, 90;
spring work with, 79

Borers, 136

Bouquet, qualities of a good, 158

Broccoli, varieties of, 23, 24

Brussels sprouts, for winter supply,
143; varieties of, 23

Buckwheat, 191

Bud moth, 113

Bulb garden, planning, 227

Bulbs, best varieties for forcing, 249,
250; depth to plant, 266; fall, 226;
fall planting of, 264; forcing for
winter bloom, 248; how to force,
252, 253; method of planting, 228;
number needed, 229; ordering, 233;
preparation of soil for fall planting,
264, 265; soil for forcing, 251;
spring, 227; winter mulch for, 268

Cabbage, for winter storing, 174; for
winter supply, 143; good varieties
of, 24; planting of, 72; storing for
winter, 274; the year around, 24

573

planting of, 72; storing for winter, | Callas, 334

273
Begonias, care of, 332

Cane fruit beds, care of, 121; fruits,
pruning and care, 327

343

344

Cankerworm, 113

Carrots, for winter supply, 143; varie-
ties of, 24; growing under glass, 280;
planting of, 73; storing for winter,
273

Catch crops, 191

Caterpillars, 136

Cauliflower, as succession crop, 145;
varieties of, 24; planting of, 73

Celery, 183; blanching, 273; for the
winter supply, 143; good varieties
of, 25; methods of blanching, 187;
soil for, plants, handling of plants
in flats, buying plants, 183, 184, 185,
186, 187, 188; storing for winter,
273; transplanting, 18; trimming
roots, 186

Cherries, varieties of, 60

Chewing insects, 135

Chionodoxas, 234, 268

Chrysanthemums, for indoor bloom-
ing, 307; time to select stock, 307

Climbing roses, training of, 157

Codling moth, 113

Cold frames, 256; repairing, and up-
keep, 5; substitutes for, 76

Commercial manure, 63, 64

Compost, for hotbed, 42, 43

Concrete, 283; forms for, 285; how to
mix, 284

Corn, general suggestions, 106; good
varieties of, 25; putting in, 102

Cottonseed meal, 53

Cover crops, 189

Cowpeas, as cover crop, 190

Crimson clover, 191

Crops, cover, for turning under, 189;
for green manuring, 189

Crocuses, 234

Cucumbers, for succession, 146; varie-
ties of, 25; growing under glass,
279; putting in, 102; saving for
use after frost, 270

Cultivation, as a means of fighting
drought, 148; in dry weather, 148;
late, 223; shallow, 173; time of, 17,

INDEX

18; to retain moisture, 148; with
wheel hoe, 17

Curculio, 113

Currants, distances apart, 57; handling,
122; soil for, 57; varieties of, 58

Currant worm, 113

Curves, road, making of, 96

Cut flowers, keeping fresh, 158

Cuttings, 321, 336-341; care of, 101;
handling of, 197; hardwood, 100;
when to root, 254

Cutworms, 136

Cyclamen, 332

Daffodils, 230

Dahlias, care of, 128; handling of, 128

Dewberries, distances apart, 57; varie-
ties of, 58

Diary, garden, keeping of, advantages
of, use of, 33, 34

Dirt bands, use of, 105

Diseases, 137, 138

Drainage, lawn, 201

Dried blood, 53

Drought, methods of fighting, 148, 149

Dry weather planting, 142

Dwarf roses, as house plants, 333

Edging lawn, 100

Egg-plants, and peppers, saving for use
after frost, 271; varieties of, 25;
putting in, 102, 106; summer care
of, 172

Elm-leaf beetle, 113

Endive, varieties of, 25

Espalier, fruit, 297

Evergreen shrubs, 335

Evergreens, planting of, 207

Fall draining, 313, 314; frosts, pre-
paredness for, 223; planting, 207,
241; planting, advantages of, 235;
plowing, 314; sowing, 222; trench-
ing, 314

INDEX

Fence, garden, 61

Ferns, as house plants, 334

Fertilizers, applying of, 54; com-
plete, 50; detailed, 189; garden, 50;
home mixing, 53; how to buy, 52;
in planting vegetables in garden,
70; storing of, 53

Field peas, as cover crop, 190

Firming seed, 176

Flats, tagging of, 40; use of and mak-
ing, 39

Flea beetle, 136

Flower beds, watering, 151; garden,
available material for, 46; garden,
planning the, 45

Flowers, arrangement of, 46; cutting,
158; for special purposes, 47; keep-
ing fresh, 158

Forcing frames, 85

Frames, construction of, 258; cost
of material for, 259; making, 11;
soils for, 256, 261; uses of, 11; vege-
tables for growing in frames, 250,
260

Frosts, first, 223

Fruit, espalier and trained, 297; gar-
den, available material for, 56; gar-
den, layout of, 56; garden, pianning
of, 56, 57; harvesting and storing,
271, 272; importance of, 55; trees,
buying of, 60; trees, drainage for, 67;
trees, location, 58; trees, protec-
tion, 312; winter protection, 297

Fruits, cane, satisfactory varieties, 58,
59; soil for, 57; dwarf, distance
apart, 57; small, care of, 121; small,
hardiness, 55; small, order, 50;
small, propagating, 100; small, rea-
sons for, 55; soil for, 57; tree, satis-
factory varieties of, 60; tree, soil
for, 57

Fungicides, 110

Garden, cleaning up in the fall, 206;
preparing, 297

345

Geraniums, 124; good varieties of,
124

Gift plants, their care, 329-334

Glass, laying of, in greenhouse con-
struction, 219

Gooseberries, distance apart, 57;
handling, 122; soil for, 57; varieties
of, 59

Grades, construction of, 96; steep,
sodding of, 98

Grafting, 299

Grapes, distances apart, 57; handling
of, 122; varieties of, 59

Grapevine for porches, 163

Green fly, 154

Greenhouses, 212; different types of,
212; gardening, ventilation and
watering, 281; heating of, 220; in-
sects and diseases in, 281; making
of small, 217; what can be grown
in, 276; yields of vegetables that
can be expected, 276

Grounds, home, improving of, 93

Guano, Peruvian, 64

‘Hardening off, 68, 103, 104

Hardy perennials, from seed, 166, 167,
168, 169; growing of, 165; plants,
cost of, 165

Harvesting,
270

Heating greenhouse, 220

Hellebore, 139

Hill system for strawberries, 181

Hills, for vine crops, 115

Hoes, different types, 8; onion, dif-
ferent types, 9; scuffle attachment,
18; single, wheel, 13; warren, 109;
wheel, attachments for cultivation,
18; wheel, different types, advan-
tages of each, 9, 14, 15; wheel,
double, cost of, 13, advantages of,
points in buying, 13, 14; wheel,
extra attachments, 16, 17; wheel,

vegetables and fruit,

346

INDEX

handling in garden, 16; wheel, use| Lawn, amount of seed required, 99;

of, care of, 15

Home mixing, of fertilizers, 53

Hose outfit, 150

Hot beds, 256; filling of, 42, 43; frames,
how to heat, 261; repairing and up-
keep, 5

House plants, 288; care of, 290, 291;
favorable conditions for, 289; from
cuttings, 196; from seed, 196; mak-
ing, 189; old, 198; shelves for, 293;
soil for, 291; temperature for, 289

Hyacinths, distance apart, 229; varie-
ties of, 232

Indoor preparation for spring work,
307, 308

Inoculation of soil, 192, 193

Insect enemies, 320, 321; attacking
celery, 188; general classes of, 135;
methods of fighting, 138; of vege-
tables and flowers, 136; on plants
in frames, 262, 263

Insecticides for vegetables and flow-
ers, 110, 139

Irises, bulbous, 267

Iris, handling of, 246; transplanting,
267; types of, 245

Iron pipe, for trellises, etc., 287

Irrigation, garden, 151; methods of,
150; system, cost of installing, 152

J
Japanese iris, 246
Jonquils, 231

Kerosene emulsion, 110, 139
Kohl-rabi for succession, 146; varie-
ties of, 25

L
Labels, 85
Laurel, 207

making a, 200, 201, 202, 203; re-
making of, 99; spring work with, 98,

Leaf blight, 114; hopper, 114, 154; on
roses, 154

Lean-to greenhouse, making of, 212;
required material, 215

Legumes as cover crops, 190

Lettuce for succession, 146; good va-
rieties of, 26; growing under glass,
278; planting of, 73; saving for use
after frost, 274

Lime, need of, 54; test for, 54

Limestone, 54

Liquid manure, 131, 64

Liquid nitrate of soda, 64

Lorraine begonia, 332

Manure, handling of, 51; for growing
plants, 63; for hotbed, 43, 44; pre-
paring for hotbeds, 262; substitutes
for, 64

Markets for plants, 85

Materials for greenhouse work, 225

Matted row for strawberries, 181

Mealy bug, 137

Melons, 26, 102; saving for use after
frost, 270

Mildew, 115, 137

Moisture, in soil, need of, 50; retain-
ing, 173

Mulching, 297, 298, 302, 303, 304, 305;
from rose bed, 77; kinds of, 149; to
retain moisture, 149

Muskmelons, putting in, 102; varieties
of, 26

Narcissi, 230; distance apart, 220;
forcing, 248 ef seq.

Nasturtiums, good points, 80

Next summer’s garden, when to start,

336

INDEX

Nitrate of soda, 53; amount to buy,
uses of, 54; as top dressing, 130

Nitrogen, deficiency of, 130

Norfolk Island pine, 331, 332

Nozzle-line irrigation, 151, 152

Novelties, in seeds, 22; when to buy,
341

Okra, general suggestions, 107; har-
vesting, 271; putting in, 102

Old lawn, renewing, 205

Onions, fall sowing of, 222; for succes-
sion, 73; garnishing, green, 73; har-
vesting and storing, 272; planting
of, 73; sets, 73; soil for, 73; varieties
of, 26

Overhead irrigation, 151, 152

Oyster-shell scale, 114

Painting garden implements, 4

Paper pots, use of, 106

Paris green, 139; as a rose insecticide,
153

Parsnips, for winter supply, 144, 275;
planting of, 74; storing for winter,
273; varieties of, 27

Parsley, planting of, 74; varieties of, 27

Peaches, varieties of, 60

Pears, harvesting, 271, 272; varieties
of, 60

Peas for succession, 146; planting of,
74; sweet, getting most out of, 80;
varieties of, 27

Peonies, best varieties, 206; planting,
244; replanting of, 210; starting a
bed, 206; varieties of, 245

Peppers, general suggestions, plant-
ing, 107; putting in, 102; varieties
of, 27

Perennial border, 88; border, need of
drainage, 89; border, preparing, 90;

_ garden, making of, 88

Pergola, making a homemade, 159

347

Perpetuals, hybrid, 78

Petunias, value of, 81

Phlox, selection of, 242

Phosphoric acid, 53

Picking, early, 134

Plan, garden, data for, 30; fitting in
crops, 31; following it, 33; for future
development, 2; how to make, 1, 2;
importance of, 29; making of, 20,
33; rules covering, 32; utility of,
36

Plant food, available, 49; kinds of, 50;
proportion of, 52, 53

Planting, first, time of, 69; in dry
weather, 104, 142; points on, 82;
rule for, 69, 70; spring, 71; fall,
207

Plants, care of, 62 ef seq., 63; failing,
62; flower, buying of, 77, 123;
flower, growing of, 76; flower, han-
dling of, 76; food for, 63; for early
use, 69; for the house, 194; from
cuttings, 196; fumigating of, 67;
hardening off, 68, 104; hardy, 67;
helped by mulching, 149; in the
house, 288; need of light, 65; nur-
sery, handling of, 83; pinching off,
“68; potted, 47, 196; propagating
by division, 41; protection of, 65;
protection of from late frosts, $3,
104; shading of, 105; shifting of,
67; spraying of, 67; strawberry,
180; taking from garden, 195;
tender, starting in paper pots, 106;
transplanting in summer, 105

Plow, one horse swivel, 8

Plowing, 61; with wheel hoe, 16

Plums, varieties of, 60

Pole beans, starting of in paper pots,
106

Poppies, good points of, 80

Potash, 53; desirability of, 132

Potato beetle, 137

Potatoes for winter supply,
harvesting and storing, 272

Pots, paper, 67

144;

348

Potted plants, soil for, 318, 319

Potting, midsummer, 198

Preparations for fall frosts, 223; for
work under glass, 225

Propagating bushes and shrubs, 321;
small fruits, 100

Protectors, early plants, 11; plant, 84

Pruning, 325-327; roses, 77

Pump, bucket, as a sprayer, 10

Pumpkins for the winter supply, 143;
winter storing, 270

Putty, liquid, for glazing, 5

Radishes for succession, 147; growing
under glass, 280; planting of, 74;
storing for winter, 273; varieties of,
27

Rake, correct use of, 82

Rakes, hoe blade attachment for, 8;
garden, different types, 12

Rambler roses, dwarf, 126

Rape, I91

Raspberries, distances apart, 57; va-
rieties of, 58

Refuse, 221

Returns, from gardening, how deter-
mined, 12

Rhubarb bed, care of, 120; for winter
use, 313

Roads, construction of, 98

Roguing, of plants, 22

Roller, on lawn, 100

Roots, forcing, 298; indoor forcing,
312, 313; tree, in flower beds, 76, 77

Roots, workers, insects attacking, 136

Rose beetle, 137, 153; enemies, fight-
ing, 153, 154; garden, 77; garden,
first work in, 77; garden, when and
how to prepare, 299; slug, 154

Roses, bed for, 79; buying of, 78; dis-
eases, 155; hybrid perpetuals, 78;
large blooms, 78; potted, setting out
of, 125, 126, 127; preparation of
hardwood cuttings of, 268; protec-
tion, 304; pruning of, 77, 78; rooting

INDEX

hardwood cuttings, 269; setting out,
78, 79; summer mulching of, 156;
summer pruning of, 156; varieties
of, 125

Rows, straight, importance of, 16;
making, 16; marking out, 70

Rubber plants, new, making, 197

Rust, 115

Rye, as cover crop, 190; soil binder,
IQI

Salsify for winter supply, 144; plant-
ing of, 74; storing for winter, 273

San José scale, 114

Sash, double light, 257; for hotbeds
and cold frames, 257; glazing, 5

Scale, varieties of, 323, 324, 325

Scillas, 268

Sea kale, care of, 121

Seed bed, for flowers, 76; for hard 7
perennials, 167; preparation oi,
70; buying, points about, 22; cover-
ing of, 40; depth of planting,
70; drill, 10; drill, combination,
cost of, 13; drill, seed-sowing with,
16, 17; drill, utility and life of, 13;
flower, starting of, 75; hand plant-
ing of, 71; hastening germination,
83; longevity, 3; ordering, difficul-
ties of, 21; sowing for winter supply,
175; sowing, getting a good stand,
176; sowing in dry weather, 142;
sowing, with wheel hoe, 16, 17;
starting of, 36-39; tender, starting,
106; testing, 3, 4

Seeding, lawn, 99

Seedlings, handling and transplanting,
40-42

Selection, by seedsmen, 22

Shrubs, 208, 209; for beds and borders,
209; hardy, 235; planting of, 207,
237, 238, 239; time to plant, 236;
use of, 208; winter pruning of, 327,
328

Side-dressing, 130

INDEX

Slopes, steep, care of, 98

Snapping test, 337

Snowdrops, 234, 268

Sodding steep slopes, 98

Soil, enriching of, 50; for lawn, 201;
for seedlings, 39; for vegetable and
flower seedlings, 34, 35; heavy, 61;
materials for enriching, 51; need
of moisture in, 50; sandy, 61; when
to work, 61

Soy beans, cover crop, 190

Spade, correct use of, 82

Spanish iris, 267

Spinach, varieties of, 27

Spray, powder or dust, 11

Sprayer, compressed air, care of, 5;
hand, different types, 10; need of a
good, 138

Spraying, general discussion, 108, 109;
late, 223; machine, buying, 112;
points on, 112; time, 112

Sprays necessary, 109

Sprinklers for irrigating, 151

Squash borer, 137; bug, 137; for winter
supply, 144; varieties of, 28; putting
in, 102; winter storing, 270

Squills, 234 :

Storing of vegetables, preparation of
place for, 275

Strawberries, bed, making, main-
taining, 118; bed, new, care of, 118,
178; bed, new, location of, 180; bed,
plants for, 91; bed, renewing old,
179; bed, spring work with, 118;
bed, start of, 91; distances apart, 57;
fall fruiting, 118, 120; fall fruiting,
varieties of, 182; hill system of, 182;
matted row, 181; mulching, 182;
plants, 180; plants for new bed, 181;
soil for, 57,177; summer care of, 177;
up to frost, 92; varieties of, 58, 92

Succession crops, 145; plantings, mak-
ing, 102

Sucking insects, 135

Summer house, constructing simple,
161

349

Summer mulching for roses, 156; prun-
ing of roses, 156; work, 170

Sun dial, 164

Supports, for tomatoes and beans, 11;
making of, 12; plant, 87

Sweet corn for succession, 146; corn,
saving for use after frost, 271; peas,
time of planting, 75; potatoes, har-
vesting, 271

Tall plants, protection, 306, 307

Tankage, 53

Teas, hybrid, 78; varieties of, 126

Tender crops, putting in, 102; start-
ing, 106

Tent caterpillar, 113

Thinning out, 133

Tobacco dust, 139 :

Tomatoes, care of, 171; for succession,
147; general suggestions on plant-
ing, etc., 107; growing under glass,
279; putting in, 102; saving for use
after frost, 271; supports, 171; va-
rieties of, 28

Tools, buying of, 12; care of, 4; chest,
advantages of, 12; depreciation of,
6, 7; garden, 3; garden, small, 20;
keeping sharp, 86; necessity for
good equipment, 6; outfit, garden,
19; sharpening, 4; small, 19; small,
points about, 20; special, for dif-
ferent kinds of work, 7

Top-dressing, 130

Trained fruit, 297

Training climbing roses, 157

Transplanting, 67; celery plants, 184;
hardy perennial plants, 168; in
summer, 105; summer, 174; vege-
tables in dry weather, 142

Trees, cavities in, 309; how to repair
old wounds and splits, 309, 310, 311;
protection of, 312

Trellises, grape arbor, preparing of,
297; preservation of, 162; simple,
163

350

Tulips, early and late, 229
Turnips, for winter supply, 145; plant-
ing of, 74; varieties of, 28

Varieties of geraniums, 124; of cane
fruits, 58, 59; of tree fruits, 60; of
vegetables, 23-28

Vegetables, for late use, 176; for the
fall garden, 145; for the winter
supply, different kinds of, 141, 143,
144, 145, 175; harvesting and stor-
ing, 270; kinds and varieties for
growing under glass, 277; picking of,
134; storing for winter, 295; ventila-
tion of stored, 296

Verbenas, 81

Vetch, as cover crop, 190

Vine crops, preparing, putting in right,
115; starting of, 106; summer care
of, 172

Vines for pergolas and trellises, 163;
making grow, 163

W
Walks, different kinds of, 97, 99; good,
97; making of, 97

INDEX

Water, various ways of applying,
150

Watering, best time for, 151; forms of,
150; when transplanting, 67

Watermelons, 28

Weeders, hand, 19

Weeding, fall, 221; first, 132; by hand,
18

Weeds, destruction of, 17; growth of,
19; keeping out of lawns, 100; re-
moving, 174

Wheel hoe, in cultivation, 17

White fly, 137

Whips, 299

Wild sorrel, 54

Window conservatory, 317, 318; gar-
den, air, light and temperature
necessary, 316, 317

Winter gardens, 288; preparation

for, 302-307; pruning, 325-32 ;
salads, 313; shrubs, 334, 3343.
spraying, 322-325; supply, crops

for, putting in, 103; supply of
vegetables, 141; window garden,
315, 321

Wire, for trellises, etc., 297

Wood ashes, 64

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Full text of "Around the year in the garden, a seasonable guide and reminder for work with vegetables, fruits, and flowers, and under glass"

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