Lav/^n at\d Garden Hints for October 



EVERYTHING that is accomplished 

 this month is so much towards the 

 gardening of spring. Gather seeds 

 of poppies, cosmos, calendulas, mari- 

 golds, and other annuals that you 

 marked earlier in the season for seed 

 gathering. Keep each kind of seed in a 

 separate box or bag properly labelled. 

 Store in a dry place. 



Plant tulips, hyacinths and narcissi. 

 Place the bulbs three or four inches deep 

 and firm the soil over them. Later on, 

 the beds should be covered with a mulch 

 of leaves, straw or other coarse material. 



New beds for flowers next spring may 

 be prepared now. Dig the ground deep- 

 ly and remove all stones and rubbish. 

 Dig iri plenty of manure. 



Enrich the soil of poor beds and bor- 

 ders where the plants have not flourished 

 as well as they should have done. Work 

 in a good coating of manure. The man- 

 ure may be left on the surface until the 

 spring and serve as a winter protection 



Frost-killed annuals should be re- 

 moved, roots and all. Burn them to 

 prevent a recurrence of the insects and 

 diseases next year. 



Clean the garden, collecting all stakes 

 and other things of like nature. Store 

 them. Rake the leaves off the lawn, and 

 put them on the compost heap. Look 

 after the tools that will not be needed 

 again this fall. Clean them, coat with 

 oil and store them in a safe place. Have 

 on hand a supply of spruce boughs, straw 

 or strawy manure for protecting the bulb 

 beds and any plants that may need it. 

 Secure and prepare potting soil for use 

 in winter. Top-dress the lawn. 



FLOWERS IN-DOORS 



Pot house bulbs. Place them in a 

 dark place for six weeks or more. When 

 the pots are well filled with roots, bring 

 them to the light. Freesia bulbs may be 

 placed in the window at once. 



Grow China sacred lilies, paper white 

 narcissus and some \arieties of polyan- 



Some of the Vegetables at the Niagara Dittrict Horticnltural Exhibition at St. Catharinei 



but, in this case, it should be applied 

 only after the ground is frozen. 



Herbaceous plants may be divided and 

 transplanted. Plant new, hardy peren- 

 nials. Old lily clumps may be renewed 

 by dividing and replanting. ' 



Dig canna roots before being frozen 

 and place them in a shed for a week or 

 two to dry, then store them for winter 

 in a temperature of about 45 degrees. 



Dig dahlia roots, allowing a little 

 soil to adhere to them. Cut off the tops 

 at a point about six inches above the 

 tubers and place the clumps in an airy 

 place until dry, then store them. They 

 may be kept in a cooler place than that 

 selected for canna roots. 



Gather the corms of gladioli. Dry 

 them off partially and store in a fairly dry 

 cellar where the temperature is about 45 

 degrees. Tie them in bunches to the 

 joists or place them in paper bags. 



If you have oleanders, pot roses or 

 fuchsias that are to be consigned to win- 

 ter quarters, harden them off first. Do 

 the same with pot hydrangeas. 



thus narcissus in stones and water in a 

 glass dish. .Select strong bulbs for the 

 best results. Hyacinths may be grown 

 in special glasses that can be purchased 

 for the purpose. Allow the water to rise 

 only half way up the bulb. Keep the 

 bulbs in a cool place until well rooted. 

 Change the water every three or four 

 days. 



Re-pot ferns and palms that may need 

 it. Remove some of the earth from the 

 roots and place in fresh soil in pots 

 slightly larger. 



Bring in the old geranium plants from 

 the garden and prune them back severe- 

 ly. Pot them in sand and a little deeper 

 than they stood outside. Place them in 

 the cellar until early in February, then 

 re-pot in good potting soil and bring to 

 the light. 



IN THE KITCHEN GARDEN 



Harvest the squashes, pumpkins, 

 melons, cucumbers and such crops at 

 once, if they have not been injured by 

 frost. Store in a shed that is cool and 



220 



dry, but frost-proof. When harvesting 

 leave a couple of inches of the stem to 

 prevent rotting. 



Break down the tops of asparagus as 

 soon as dry. Rake together and burn. 

 Work into the soil a top dressing of 

 manure. 



Bank the celery wth earth if it still 

 needs it. Most celery should be stored 

 by the end of the month. 



Pull and store cabbage, carrots, par- 

 snips and such crops and put at once in 

 the cellar. Root crops will keep better 

 if covered with earth. Some parsnips 

 and salsify may be left in the ground 

 over winter for use next spring. 



To have a winter supply of parsley, 

 dig some of the roots and plant them in 

 a pot or box and place in a light cellar 

 or shed where the temperature is not too 

 cool. 



Home-grown raddish and lettuce may 

 be had for Christmas by sowing the seed 

 ill a mild hotbed. Watch the plants 

 carefully, and protect against heavy 

 frosts and freezing. 



The old rhubarb patch may be renew- 

 ed by taking up the roots, dividing them 

 and setting new patches. A few roots 

 may be forced in the cellar before taking 

 them inside. Leave them on the surface 

 of the ground after digging and until 

 they freeze, then place on the floor of 

 the cellar or in a barrel where they will 

 produce tender juicy stalks for winter 

 use. 



Why not make a mushroom bed in the 

 cellar? This is an interesting subject 

 to grow and, if you are not successful, 

 what's the odds? Your experience may 

 bring results next time. There is no 

 mystery about mushroom culture. The 

 success of teh operation depends upon 

 strict attention to the details of making 

 and caring for the bed. Send questions 

 to our question and answer department. 



If you intend to have a hotbed next 

 spring, now is the time to make prepara- 

 tions. Purchase or make the frame. 

 Store some rich garden soil for use when 

 the time comes. If you purpose making 

 an excavation, better dig it now. Fill 

 the excavation with straw until spring, 

 when this can be removed for the recep- 

 tion of the manure. 



Photographs of first prize gardens and 

 lawns that won in horticultural society 

 competitions, are wanted for publication. 



Plant some bulbs this month for bloom 

 next spring. Recall to mind the brilliant 

 displays that you saw last spring and 

 plan to have one as good on your own 

 lawn next year. Bulbs are easy to grow. 

 For best results they should be planted 

 right away so that a good root growth 

 will be produced before the ground 

 freezes. Choose early and late kinds for 

 bloom over a long period. 



