720 



THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE OF AMERICA. 



• LATE GARDEN WORK 



We are inclined to put oft the work wliich needs to 

 be done in the garden in late fall until the weather be- 

 comes so disagreeable that we either let the work go 

 undone or do it in such haste that it is only half done, 

 writes Eben E. Rexford, in Country Gentleman. As 

 a natural consequence, such plants as require winter 

 protection are pretty sure to suffer severely, and are 

 often killed outright. This being the case, the impor- 

 tance of doing the work while it can be done leisurely 

 enough to insure its being well done cannot be too 

 strongly emphasized. It is safe to count on continued 

 cold weather in the North after the first of November, 

 and hence it is advisable to give such protection as is 

 needed about that time. 



I am a firm believer in the benefit of protection for 

 all our plants, whether tender, half hardy, or entirely so, 

 because our long and severe Northern winter so taxes 

 the vital force of all plants in their efforts to resist its 

 debilitating influence that even the hardiest of them 

 sulTer to an extent that greatly lessens their usefulness. 

 Therefore, I have for many years made a practice of 

 giving protection to all the plants in my collection. By 

 keeping the frost in, after it has gained entrance, all 

 injury to delicate roots is prevented because there is no 

 alternate freezing and thawing, consequently no heav- 

 ing of the soil after the first touch of cold weather — and 

 as long as the ground remains frozen no harm will be 

 done to comparatively tender plants. The impression 

 seems to prevail that we give protection in order to 

 keep out the cold. This is a mistake. The cold cannot 

 be kept out, but we can prevent the warmth of the sun's 

 rays from extracting the frost, and this is what we aim 

 to do in protecting our plants. We aim to prevent a 

 change in their condition, because frequent changes 

 from freezing to thawing are responsible for the injuiy 

 done during winter. 



I find no other covering quite equal to leaves. They 

 are Nature's covering, and we cannot improve on Na- 

 ture's plans. If there are trees about the house, rake up 

 their leaves as they fall and store them in a dry place 

 against the time of need. 



PUTTING THE ROSES TO BED 



Before applying any covering, cut away the old stalks 



of all perennials. Then heap the leaves, or whatever 

 is made use of as a substitute for them, about each 

 plant. When this is done, cover with evergreen 

 branches, if leaves are used, to prevent their being 

 blown away. Lacking these branches, make use of 

 squares of coarse-meshed wire netting, weighting each 

 piece at the corners, or fastening it in place with stakes. 

 Let there be a depth of five or six inches of leaves to 

 each plant, if the supply will admit it. 



When leaves are not obtainable, coarse litter from 

 the barnyard will be found an effective covering. It 

 can either be removed in spring or dug into the soil 

 about the plants to act as a fertilizer. If it contains 

 considerable manure, it will furnish all the elements of 

 nutriment required by the plants for the season. 



Neatness should be a feature of the garden the year 

 round. Gather up the old stalks of perennials, and 

 leave nothing unsightly to make itself conspicuous 

 above the snow in winter. A garden neglected after the 

 close of the flowering season always gives me the im- 

 pression of a friend from whom we turn away when he 

 can be no longer useful. 



If there are any plants or shrubs whose merits are 

 not sufficient to warrant their retention, the fall is a 

 good time to dispose of them. It is a most e.xcellent 

 plan to do as much garden work in fall as is possible, 

 thus preventing the rush which comes in spring. 



TRANSPLANTING BIG PALMS. 



The picture produced on this page illustrates the 

 method of transplanting palm trees from the nurseries 

 of the San Diego 1915 Exposition to the exposition 

 grounds proper. 



The tree is first dug around for a considerable dis- 

 tance, leaving a large ball of earth about the roots, 

 which is securely v^'rapped with burlap. When a suffi- 

 cient depth has been reached the pat roots are cut, and 

 the tree is ready for raising to the surface. 



The raising process is accomplished by "rocking" the 

 tree from side to side, and at the same time shoveling 

 in earth about it, till the hole has been filled and the 

 tree sets on top of the ground. It is then skidded to the 

 deck of a motor truck and sent away to its new and 

 permanent home. 



TKANSPI.ANTINX. A LARGE I'AI.M II 



AT lllK l-.XI'i )Si I I( IX GROUXnS. SAX lilKCO, CAL. 



