For April, 1923 



87 



In the Garden and in the Greenhouse 



GEORGE F. STEWART 



WITH tlie advent of this season of the year, late 

 April and early ^lay, the garden will be begin- 

 ning- to be clothed with all its Spring beauty — 

 suggesting- many ihoughts to the observant mind. I see. 

 in plant-life and action, i)arables or illustrations of some 

 of the old Bible teachings. After the long Winter sleep 

 we have a resurrection, and then the great truth that it 

 takes death to give life. Dead and decayed vegetation 

 feeding and giving life to the flowers and foliage of the 

 coming season. A verse written by some jx^et — I do 

 not know who. con-ies to mind. I do not even know if 

 I quote it correctly, but it has stuck to me for years, 

 after, no doubt, reading it somewhere. 



Life evermore is fed by death, 



In earth and sea and sky 

 Before a rose can breathe a brenih. 



Something must die. 



If any of my literary readers know the author, and the 

 poem, if it is a poem, I should like to know more of it 

 and who the poet is. 



Evervvvhere the gardener tinns at this season work 

 in many forms confronts him. A cool and calm mind 

 is a great gift to those who possess it. The young gar- 

 dener who has been forttmate enough to secure the man- 

 agement of an estate may be full of Hfe. energ-y and en- 

 thusiasm, which, if not kept in control, may lead him into 

 deep waters. However, we all make mistakes so let 

 us profit by them. 



If there is any belated work on the lawns to be done, 

 let it be pushed to a finish quickly. Grass seed, il sown 

 without delay, will germinate quickly at this season, espe- 

 cially if we get an occasional warm shower. If there 

 comes a dry spell, watering with a fine sprinkler will be 

 necessary on newly seeded lawns. After it is well up 

 a good rolling will help to firm the roots. Careful atten- 

 tion given to a lawn the first season generally determines 

 what it will be in after years. To have it in first-class 

 condition weeding must be resorted to, as no matter how 

 carefully it has been cultivated and made, previous to 

 seeding, there will always be more or less weeds to 

 annoy one. 



Cabbages, caulitiowers, and r>russel sprouts that were 

 started early may now be planted out. In the cultivation 

 of these, and all plants of the Brassica family, newly bro- 

 ken up grass land is best to plant them in. They are far 

 less liable to clubroot. They like a deep, rich, well cul- 

 tivated piece of land to grow in, and plenty of room to 

 develop each plant. Two feet between each plant, and 

 three feet l)etween the rows, is about right, although 

 they may be grown much closer if land is scarce, and 

 one has plenty of time to feed them well with lif|uid and 

 other manures. We once grew, for experiment, thirty- 

 six nice medium sized heads of cauliflower on a piece 

 of ground six feet by six. They, hoavever, were fed 

 heavy with liquid manure until the heads formed. Finn 

 planting is in order; for these plants also care should 

 be exercised that the roots are well down into the soil. 



There is yet time to sow and get a good crop of onions 

 although they are better when planted much earlier. En- 

 rich the land well for this crop and tread and firm the 

 ground before sowing the seed. The leek is one of the 

 healthiest of vegetables. A deep, rich soil is what they 

 require. They are better if trench grown so as to have 

 a better chance to blanch. Dig a trench at least fifteen 

 inches deep and, after it is finished, loosen up and manure 



the Ijottom heavily, and cover with a little loam, as it 

 is safer ti.i plant the young plants in soil not so rich, 

 having the roots gradually reach the more heavily fertil- 

 ized part. 



Peas are probably the greatest favorite of ail vegetables 

 and they should get good care so as to secure a good 

 i-'rop. They have been cultivated since befoire the time 

 of Christ, and are known botanically as (Pisum sativum). 

 Peas like a good deep rich soil, l>ut manure that is used 

 for them should be well decayed. One of the best wavs 

 to plant jjeas, as we have found, is to plough out a good 

 deep trench, and manure it well in the bottom, covering 

 the manured part with a few inches of soil that has been • 

 manured the previous season. Sow the seeds on top 

 of that, covering them about two inches. As the young 

 piant grows the roots gradually i>enetrate the manured 

 part as they gain vigor. We have seen sowings spoiled 

 by sowing the seed too ne:ir the manure especially if 

 it was not well decayed. Peas also like land that has been 

 well limed or has a mixture of chalk in it. A cool steady 

 climate is best for them, and tho.se who live close to sea 

 .shore can have a much longer season of peas tlian those 

 of us who live further inland. 



Get in parsnips as soon as the ground is prepared for 

 ■hem. If one has the time the best way to grow them, 

 after the ground has been prepared, is to'use a good thick 

 dibble about three feet long and bore holes in the prepared 

 ground about six to eight inches apart. Fill these holes 

 ■\vith fine loam, or sand, and sow a pinch of seed on the 

 top of each hole. After the plants are well started, thin 

 them out to a single plant. This, method' ensures a good 

 long straight root. At one time parsnips were recom- 

 mended as a substitute for potatoes, but, of course, that 

 fell flat, as the flavor of the potato is, I helieve. more 

 jXD'ixilar tlian that of the parsnip. Deep rich soil, free 

 from stones, rather sandy in texture is best for them. 

 The motlern name is Pastinaca sativa : older Botanists 

 placed it under Peucedanum sativum. 



Stakes may be placed in jxisition for pole l^eans and 

 by the first of May, a sowing of dwarf beans may risked 

 in a warm sheltered spot outdoors. If a late frost occurs 

 a newspaper placed over the row will, we have found, 

 generally save them. It does not take long to cover 

 them, and if a small stone is placed on eadh corner of 

 the sheet, there is not much danger of the wind blowing 

 it awa}-. See that the paper does not touch the top of 

 the small plants, as if it does, they are ahout as certain 

 of being- nipped, as if they were uncovered. 



A sowing of early corn may also be tried. We ha\-e 

 saved the hills from a late frost by covering them with 

 a flower pot. A well enriched hillside, sloping south is 

 the safest to plant early corn on. For flavor it is hard 

 to beat the various forms of B.antam. 



Keep up successive sowings of beets, carrots, and let- 

 tuce. The main crop of potatoes can be planted any time 

 in May. Xew land is always advocated for them, but 

 we gave them two years on the same piece of groiuid'a 

 year or two ago. and the second year we douibled the 

 yield, ^\'e used a regular commercial potato fertilizer 

 and no barnyard manure. 



Fall blooming plants in the herbaceous border can be 

 overhauled at this time if they require it. The plant 

 should lie completely dug out of the ground and the 

 space for it manured and limed. Select the best part of 

 the crown to replant — merely cutting around a few- pieces 

 of? the edges of the crown is not good gardening. There 



