For September, 1923 



219 



In the Garden and in the Greenhouse 



GEORGE F. STEWART 



Ix THE Garden 



Till'", month covered by these notes (late September 

 and earl\' ( )cti)bcr ) is as a rule here in the East the 

 most bracini^" and delightful period of the whole year. 

 The days are bright and warm, followed by cool evenings 

 and nights, which are most enjoyable after the heat of the 

 previous months. Unfortunately, in the locality in which 

 I write these notes, we nearly always have a frost in 

 September that kills and mars the beauty of many of our 

 garden plants. Quite often we afterwards have a long" 

 spell of fine mild weather in which no frost occurs. If 

 we had any means of staving the frost off it would help 

 us greatly in our Fall flisi)lay. Qur native hardy her- 

 baceous plants are very seldom affected by these early 

 frosts, but it is generally the more tender annuals that 

 we use for filling in the gaps in the borders, made by the 

 early flowering perennials, that are cut down and black- 

 ened. However, in our profession we are contending 

 many times with the elements of Nature, which are be- 

 yond our control, except in very limited areas. 



It is a great pity that many of the so-called hardy 

 chrysanthemums are not to be relied on without some 

 means of protection in this section. While attending the 

 gardeners' convention two years ago in New York, I paid 

 a visit to my friend, James Stuart at Mamaroneck. He 

 had a display in the middle of October of chrysanthe- 

 mums in Mrs. Constable's garden that was worth going 

 a long way to see. There was a fine range of color 

 among them which blended well together. Our brethren 

 in the vicinity of New York are fortunate in having these 

 plants for such a long Fall display. 



This month the harvesting of some of the crops will be 

 in order, and preparations should now be completed to 

 accommodate them. As soon as the potato vines die 

 down, if the weather is at all favorable, they may be 

 lifted. A sharp lookout needs to be made to eliminate 

 any tul>ers that show the least sign of disease. They are 

 better if dry when removed indoors, and if time permits 

 they should be gone over a second time to take out any 

 which have a tendency to decay. Carrots and beets 

 may also be stored in the root cellar in clean sand. 



Be sure that the onions are thoroughly dried before 

 placing them in their winter quarters. It is necessary 

 to spread them out thinly on a dry floor and turn them 

 over several times to make sure that they are well ripened. 

 The larger the onion, the poorer they keep, so we have 

 learned from experience. It is, therefore, better to re- 

 serve the smaller ones for later use. 



This month cauliflower will be heading up and the 

 leaves are better if tied over the heads when they form. 

 They keep cleaner and whiter for a longer period. 



During this month the celery plants probably grow- 

 more rapidly than at any time since they were planted. 

 The important operation of "earthing up" will have to 

 be attended to at intervals of about ten days, a little at 

 a time and often is more advisable than at long intervals. 

 Tie up the leaves of the plants and make sure that the 

 soil does not come in contact with the young and tender 

 centres. Be sure that it gets abundance of water at the 

 roots before "earthing up." Continue to use rust pre- 

 ventatives at this season as this is the worst time of the 

 year for rust. 



Those who grow Globe artichokes should give them 

 some attention at this season. Flower stems need to be" 

 cut down to the ground and the exhausted sail removed 



from the roots and covered by about six inches of good 

 farmyard manure. Then cover the same with sifted coal 

 ashes. Some protecti<in to the roots will be necessary 

 later. 



( live the late spinach every attention as regards hoeing 

 and thinning out the plants. Brussel sprouts should 

 have the leaves removed to allow light and air to circulate 

 through them which helps to make them firm. 



Lettuce should be sown in frames for succession. We 

 find it best to dro]) a few lettuce seed where the plant is 

 to grow and later thin lait to a single jilant. 



If one has plenty of space available and can maintain 

 a temperature aroimd 50 deg. a sowing of beans may be 

 made indoors. I have seen excellent crops grown in 

 eight-inch pots on a shelf in a warm greenhouse. 



Collect horse manure for mushroom growing and turn 

 it once a day to make sure that it does not get too dry. 

 A little, good loam may be added to the mass to help it 

 to retain moisture. \Vhen the bed is made up, allow the 

 temperature to fall to 80 deg. before the spawn is put in. 



All apples and pears that are ready for harvesting 

 should be picked before they attain their full ripeness. 



Continue to keep the flower borders and beds clear of 

 weeds. Spread out any plants in the borders that are 

 in flower to cover any gap that may have been made by 

 early frost, or by plants that have passed out of flower. 

 Make preparations for any changes in the herbaceous 

 borders after the last of the flowers are cut down by 

 frost. This should be done as early in the Fall as pos- 

 sible, so that any bulbs that are to be jilanted may be put 

 in place as soon as they arrive. 



Oriental poppies may be moved in September, and any 

 of the early Spring flowering herbaceous plants. 



Dicentra S[>ectabilis, now that it can no longer be im- 

 ported, can be easily divided and increased at this season. 

 Small pieces of root will grow into nice plants if well 

 taken care of. It was once largely used during the Win- 

 ter for forcing. Dicentra spectabilis is one of the most 

 beautiful of our early Summer flowering plants and lasts 

 a long time in flower. There is a pure white form of it 

 now very rarelv seen. 



Japanese Anemones will be in all tlieir glorv. unless 

 injured by early frosts. It is a pity that in" our section 

 this quite often hai)pens, as they are undoubtedly among 

 the ciioicest of our Fall flowers. They do very well grown 

 in tubs, and thus grown are more easily protected. There 

 are quite a few hybrid forms of these plants, some of them 

 very beautiful. 



Another beautiful Fall flowering plant is Cimicifuga 

 racemosa ; the variety simplex is also quite common. They 

 are among the best of our Fall flowering plants, and are 

 perfectly hardy, doing well in shady positions. A fungus 

 blight disease, quite often attacks them, which is very 

 unfortunate. This Fall, however, we have seen none af- 

 fected. The same also was true of Hollyhocks. Never 

 have we seen finer foliage on these plants. 



Continue to take good care of the hybrid tea roses, 

 which remain flowering until quite late in the year if well 

 watered, sprayed for blight, and fed. 



Transplant all mid-Summer sown herbaceous plants 

 into good soil and give them every encouragement, if in- 

 tended for the borders next Summer. 



Dahlias, where early frosts have not injured them, will 

 be in all their glory. They like plenty of water during 

 their flowering period. The rage lately seems to be after 

 large flowers, which, to my mind, are too coarse for ef- 



