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THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



Floral Edition 



there was no trouble securing all we 

 wanted at a fair price. 



Of the other vegetables, we obtained 

 all we could eat, being obliged to give 

 away and sell some to prevent waste. 

 All tops and unused parts went to the 

 chickens. Thus everything was turned 

 into some use. As the crops were taken 

 oxit it became possible to enlarge the 

 chicken yards and finally, by yarding 

 tender stuff, the whole place was given 

 over to them. Besides this, beans, 

 peas, tomatoes, cucumbers and similar 

 vegetables were put up in jars for 

 winter use, spreading the use of the 

 crop over the whole season. Pumpkins, 

 squash and such things were placed in 

 the cellar to gladden the hearts of the 

 little ones as well as the grown-ups 

 when turned into pumpkin pies and 

 similar culinary delights. 



Of course the crop did not produce 

 itself just by preparing the soil and 

 putting the seeds in the ground. Had 

 they been left to themselves, 'hardly 

 anything would have growTi, for most 

 of the land would have baked as bard 

 as a brick. The simple plan followed 

 was to make a hurry-up job of hoeing 

 the whole place as quickly as possible 

 after every rain. Having no facilities 

 for watering, this was the only course 

 to follow and it worked well. Of 

 course the vines were sprinkled with 

 lime occasionally to keep off the bugs. 

 This we found the most effective 

 remedy we have ever used. 



We attribute the results entirely to 

 the preparation of the soil, good seeds, 

 frequent hoeing, especially after every 

 rain, and to our never allowing the soil 

 to get in the condition it would have 

 had it been left alone to Choke off all 

 the growth at the start. Anyone who 

 wishes can figure what seven healthy 

 people will eat in a season and then 

 add considerable to that and then de- 

 cide whether the effort to utilize a 

 vacant lot proved profitable or not. 

 By planning a lil/tle noAV, one can ar- 

 range to take advantage of every op- 

 portunity for getting the best results 

 the next season. 



Roll the lawn with the heaviest roller 

 you can get, and do it often. Have you 

 decided to feed the lawn this year? Re- 

 member that constant cutting, year 

 after year, takes away a large amoun' 

 of plant food, so that in time the lawn 

 is sure to deteriorate. It's the same 

 with the lawn as it is with the vegetable 

 garden; if you don't feed it, it won't 

 feed you. You have to feed the grass 

 if you would have a fine greensward. 

 The mulch you had on all winter will 

 have been beneficial to it since the rains 

 and melting snow will have washed 

 down valuable plant food. 



There are specially prepared lawn 

 fertilizers that are good to a certain ex- 

 tent, but the manufacturers of these, 

 wishing to create a good impression at 

 the outset, usually include in them a 

 large percentage of sulphate of am- 

 monia or nitrate of soda. These cer- 



Garden Suggestions 



Henry Gibson 



The mulch of manure that hds been 

 on the lawn all winter may now be 

 raked off and carted away. Go over 

 the lawn with an iron-toothed rake, and 

 tear out all the crab grass that you can 

 find. This is the time to repair and sow 

 down any bare spots in the lawn; the 

 sooner it is done now, the less patchy it 

 will look. Any new lawns that are be- 

 ing contemplated should be sown at the 

 earliest possible moment when the soil 

 is in condition. It is better to sod any 

 steep grades that are likely to wash 

 badly, or you will have to be sowing all 

 the time. 



tainly do what is claimed for them, i.e., 

 make the lawn green in a short time, 

 but the trouble is that the effect is not 

 lasting. These two ingredients are 

 stimulants, rather than real plant foods, 

 and their efl'ect upon the lawn may be 

 likened to a whip upon a tired and 

 hungry horse ; it makes him go faster 

 for the time being, but it does not ap- 

 pease the hunger. 



Roses must be pruned hard bnck to 

 get good results. The hybrids should 

 be cut back to two or three eyes. Teas 

 do not require such heroic treatment, 

 and as they burst into leaf sooner than 

 do the hybrids when pruned, we like to 

 leave them until the last for pruning. 



For trellis work, or around the piazza, 

 if you are thinking of any new roses, 

 don't overlook some of the Penzance 

 sweet briars ; they are good. 



