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GARDESERS- CHROMCLE 



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I Work for the Month in the Garden 



I SAMUEL GOLDING 



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FEBRUARY ushers in the beginning of the gardener's 

 busy season, and by the end of the month the cam- 

 paign will have opened in real earnest. This does 

 not refer to large establishments where, by up-to-date 

 methods and equipments, production is carried on with- 

 out a break throughout the Winter season. 



Where greenhouses or heated pits are not available, 

 and cold frames the only means at one's disposal to raise 

 the early plants, it will be time to commence towards the 

 end of the month. No doubt plans have been made before 

 now for the coming season for vegetable, fruit, and flower 

 gardens. 



Foresight is the one great asset the gardener nuist 

 possess to cope successfully with the demands that will 

 be made upon him. The needs of the individual establish- 

 ment and his ability to supply the demand for fruits, flow- 

 ers, and vegetables at the seasons when wanted, is the 

 most important problem that confronts him. 



It is always most gratifying to be able to produce early 

 vegetables and no time must be lost in collecting and pre- 

 paring materials for hot-beds. Enough should be gath- 

 ered at one time to fill the pits and frames which we have 

 decided to start with. Methods differ somewhat in the 

 procedure of constructing the hot-bed. If a rapid ger- 

 mination is desired and the hot-bed be placed in an other- 

 wise unheated pit, strawy stable manure with a small per- 

 centage of forest leaves can be used, but where a lasting 

 and steady heat is wanted, an equal amount of leaves (oak 

 or beech preferred) and fresh stable manure should be 

 used. It should be turned and thoroughly incorporated, 

 afterwards forked into the pits and treaded down firmly. 

 If on the dry side, throw a few cans of water over it. or 

 sprinkle with the hose when mi.xing; in a few days fer- 

 mentation will commence and the bed can then be covered 

 with soil, the depth of which must be determined by what- 

 ever uses we intend to make of our beds. If desired only 

 to rai.se seedlings, just enough soil is necessary to keep 

 down the rank ammonia and too violent heat which is the 

 cause of too rapid germination and consequent damping, 

 making it more difticult to manage after the strong heat 

 has subsided. Where crops of beets, carrots, and spinach 

 are sown about six inches are necessary. 



Growers who anticipate exhibiting their produce at the 

 fall shows should now sow their onions, leeks and celery. 

 Sow thinlv in flats and as soon as the seedlings are suffi- 

 ciently large to handle, transplant into other receptacles. 

 Aim to have good stocky plants when the time arrives for 

 planting into their final quarters. This desirable condi- 

 tion is gained by attention to the smaller details. Avoid 

 coddling : keep growing near the glass ; and admit an 

 abundance of fresh air wherever the climatic conditions 

 allow. He careful to avoid cold draughts, especially dur- 

 ing the early seedling state, as there is nothing more con- 

 ducive to mildew or other evils to plant life at any stage of 

 growth. 



Other vegetables to be sown include early cabbage, 

 cauliflower, dwarf peas, all kinds of salads, potatoes, string 

 beans, etc. V\'ith the increase of sunshine and light, ger- 

 mination quickly takes place. 



.\mple provision should be made for covering cold 

 fraiues durinr;: severe weather which is often experienced 

 during this month. Snow is one of the best protections 



for frames and some caution should be used before remov- 

 ing it, referring, of course, to zero conditions which may 

 prevail. Heated pits should always be clear to take ad- 

 vantage of any sunshine. 



Plants for Summer bedding can now Ije propagated. 

 These include heliotrope, Colcus, geraniums, lantanas, 

 Agcratum, and salvias. Standards of Fuchsia, heliotrope, 

 and lantanas should be grown rapidly. Keep them pinched 

 to furnish shapely heads. Standards make a decided 

 featiu-e in a garden and can be used to advantage in many 

 ways, as pot plants or in beds with a ground work of other 

 dwarf plants, which blend harmoniously with the stand- 

 ards. This is necessary to appreciate fully this style of 

 bedding. 



Sow seeds of Begonia gracilcs and sciupciiiorcns; Sal- 

 via splriidcns, S. patens, and 5". farinacca. Seeds of the 

 hybrid ].)enstemon can be sown, which is a most useful and 

 very attractive plant, and deserves to be more widely used 

 for cut flowers or borders. The majority of bedding an- 

 nuals can be handled more successfully if sown ne.xt 

 month. 



Seeds of Delphinium or larkspur should be sown as 

 early as posible to insure bloom during the coming season. 

 I ireat improvements, both in size and range of coloring, 

 have been accomplished in the last few years with this 

 wonderful genus of plants, but the old variety Belladonna 

 still holds its own as a clear, true blue. It may be lack- 

 ing in size and probably may be of a somewhat less robust 

 constitution than the hybrids, but it is more reliable when 

 used for the blue border. The dwarf variety Chinense is 

 also fine for this purpose, its lasting qualities being only 

 one of its good points. August is a good month to raise 

 seedlings of these plants, wintering them in a cold frame. 



Another fine blue flowered hardy plant which can be 

 sown is Salvia azurea. It will bloom during September 

 and make a pretty combination when planted with Arte- 

 misia hictitiora. 



Sweet peas should be sown this month in pots or flats, 

 and plunged in ashes in the cold frame where severe frost 

 can be avoided. It is best to sow the new and more ex- 

 pensixe varieties singly in small pots ; others about four 

 in three-inch pots ; or in rows in flats. Use fairly light 

 soil so that when the time for planting is here, the roots 

 will hot be broken when shaken out. Avoid rough or 

 half decayed leaf soil for drainage as the roots penetrate 

 this, making it impossible to separate them without in- 

 jury. Some may ask, "Why shake out the soil?" The 

 .mswer is that the sweet pea is a very deep rooting plant. 

 When shaken out, the roots are often considerably over a 

 foot in length. It will repay any extra care to endeavor 

 to keep them intact, and, in planting, to get them down 

 as deep as posible, assuming, of course, that the ground 

 was deeply dug and manured last fall. 



If we expect success with sweet peas, they nuist have a 

 good deep rooting medium, otherwise their beauty and 

 usefulness are soon over when the hot weather arrives. 

 If attention is not paid to this phase of their culture, they 

 prove very unsatisfactory subjects, but where conditions 

 suit theiu. few flowers excel their beauty and abundant 

 returns for the labor expended. After germination, give 

 all the air nossible to encourage steadv growth. 



