576 



GARDENERS' CHRONICLE 



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I Work for the Month in the Garden | 



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MAY is probably the niDSt impurtant iiiunth in the 

 gardener's calenciar. In its early days he tinds 

 himself encumbered with work in every depart- 

 ment. The pits and frames are overflowing with plants 

 awaiting the advent of warmer days and nights, when 

 they can be transferred into their tinal quarters in the 

 vegetable and flower gardens with safety. This happy 

 consummation is generally reached during the last week. 



No hard or fast rule can be made regarding the exact 

 date or time of planting out the more tender garden sub- 

 jects. It is governed bv the climatic conditions and the 

 locality. We cannot hurry the seasons, and however 

 bright and favorable the outlook appears, one is takmg 

 chances when the planting out of the more tender plants 

 is done at too early a date, unless some provision is made 

 for sudden falls of temperature, and there are reserves on 

 hand in case of disaster. 



Continue the succession of peas until the end of the 

 month. This crop revels in a cool, moist atmosphere so 

 that those sown during the earlier season give the best 

 results, and those sown after this month are seldom a 

 really profitable crop. It should be the aim of all growers 

 to have green peas until the sweet corn and lima beans 

 are ready to take their place on the table. 



Where spinach is in constant demand, the New Zealand 

 type is a fine one to raise. It is an excellent substitute for 

 tile early ones in the heat of the Summer and is a never 

 failing source of luscious green leaves until the Fall. The 

 seed should be sown this month when the ground is 

 warm. 



Sow more beets, and carrots to be used as soon as they 

 are large enough, and string beans for succession. Sow 

 Cos or Romaine lettuce, which stands the heat better than 

 the cabbage lettuce type; also endive and chicory, which 

 is invaluable for w inter salads. It pays to give generous 

 treatment in order to have fine roots for lifting in the 

 Fall. Sow in rows about fifteen inches apart and thin 

 out to six in the row, for it requires the same treatment as 

 parsnip?. 



Prepare for sowing melons, cucumbers, and squash out- 

 side by making hills'about six to eight feet apart, incor- 

 porating some good manure, ^^'hen conditions permit, 

 sow about twelve seeds to the hill and cover to the depth 

 of half an inch. 



Early sweet corn, bush lima beans, okra. and gumbo 

 .should'be sown. Plant out those raised in pots. Toma- 

 toes can also be planted out but egg plants and peppers 

 need warm nights before they are placed outdoors. 



Attend to the early thinning of crops for it is most im- 

 portant that this is done as soon as the seedlings are large 

 enough to handle. They soon become weak and drawn if 

 left in too close contact for any length of time. In the 

 case of early carrots or beets, it is not necessary to thin 

 severely as they are soon fit for use. 



Plant Brussels sprouts in fairly rich soil. They well 

 repay any energy expended on them, as in the early Win- 

 ter months sprouts are greatly appreciated when other 

 green vegetables are scarce. 



Transplant the late batch of celery so that it can be 

 moved with balls of earth when planted into its final 

 quarters. This helps to withstand the move, especially 

 if hot sunny days prevail at the time. 



Earth up potatoes as soon as the tops are sufficiently 

 large. A sharp look-out should be kept for the potato 

 bug which will make its appearance on sunny days. Spray 

 at once with Paris green. 



Mulch the strawberry bed with clean straw to prevent 

 damage of the fruit during heavy rams and contact with 

 the soil. 



The asparagus bed should be cut over daily with care. 

 Do not leave the weak and inferior growths as they tend 

 to exhaust the crowns. Give the beds a dressing of super 

 phosphate or of some approved fertilizer. Common salt 

 is generally used as a dressing for it destroys the weeds, 

 but there are many who consider it a questionable prac- 

 tice, especially on the heavier soils. 



Cultivate between the growing crops to keep down 

 weeds and to conserve moisture. This operation must be 

 continued throughout the entire growing season. 



There is every indication at the time of writing that 

 May will open with a veritable blaze of color in the 

 flower garden. The severe weather experienced at the 

 end of March blasted the hopes of many of the early tulip 

 enthusiasts, whose gardens were exposed to the bitter 

 winds which then prevailed. Such plants as Dclpliinimn 

 and Dielytra spcctabilis, which were growing apace, were 

 severely damaged. The gardens in sheltered or favored 

 districts have been bright throughout all April with flow- 

 ers, many. of which ])loom in early May during most 

 seasons. 



The pink and white Phlox suhulata, the white rock cress, 

 Arabis albida; the yellow of the rock madwort, Alyssiim 

 sa.vatile; the blues of the Virginian cowslip, Mertensia 

 I Irginica; Bethlehem sage. Pulmonarm saccharata; the 

 various anemones ; fritillarias ; squills or scillas ; the bright 

 colors of the tulips, hyacinths, and the various types of 

 Narcissi, with the multi-colored pansies are among the 

 most common of the April gems. They tend to increase 

 the interest and make us look forward with pleasant anti- 

 cipation to greater delights in May. 



The Darwin and Breeder tulips supply the chief fea- 

 tures of the early days, and when the shades are well 

 blended, present a picture hard to surpass. It is a good 

 plan at the time of blooming to take note of jarring col- 

 ors, errors of planting, and ideas which would perfect the 

 garden scheme next Spring, that we can refresh otir 

 memories when planning next Fall's planting. 



The pasony, probably one of the finest and most show'y 

 flowers in the garden, is full of promise and each suc- 

 cessive season sees something worth while added to the 

 already long list of wonderful flowers ^ve know. These 

 plants should be disbudded early, and this remark applies 

 as well to the Iris, whose admirers are legion. To the 

 enthusiast the garden is a place of enchantment, each var- 

 iety appearing more fascinating than the other. We begin 

 in April with the dwarf species. Iris biflora, I. piimila, 

 I . cristata. with the German iris in May. culminating with 

 the nol)le /. Kaempferi at the end of June. 



Do not be tempted bv the bright warm weather early in 

 the month to commence planting out the summer bedding, 

 for these are often delicate plants, susceptible to light 

 frosts and wet, cold weather. Many of the hardier an- 

 nuals can be set into their flowering quarters, such as 

 {Continued on page 581) 



