What Amateurs Can Do in May 



lyti 

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 tfais 



f^ EFORE good work can be done in 



the garden, the amateur gardener 



must have the proper tools. One can 



irden quite satisfactorily with a garden 



rk, spade, rake, hoe and trowel. An- 



er great utility is a wheelbarrow. A 



extra conveniences that will prove 



y useful, are a fifty-cent garden line, 



seventy-five cent pair of pruning shears 



id a ten-cent hand weeder. Get a few 



it of hose if you can afford it. 



When digging a plot of ground, al- 



vays begin at one end and work back- 



ards. Thus ytou will not be bothered 



>y the earth you have already broken. 



When digging, work in fertilizer or 



nanure at the same time. Drive the 



ipade or fork in as deeply as you can 



Hish it with the foot, lift it up and down, 



ift the clod of earth, give it a smart blow 



o break it and go on to the next spot. 



KITCHEN GARDEN 



When digging soil for the vegetable 

 arden, work in an application of well- 

 Btted manure. A few wood ashes are 

 seful. 



Plant or sow hardy vegetables as soon 



the ground is fit for them. These in- 



ude onions, peas, spinach, radish, let- 



ice, carrots, beets and parsnips. Sow 



le seed in freshly-stirred soil. 



A delicious plant for home-growing 



^salsify or vegetable oyster. Sow the 



as early as posible. Handle 



ii| crop the same as parsnips. Sand- 



":h Island is a good variety. 



AMONG THE FRUITS 



Spray the leaves of your currant 



es for currant worm when the leaves 



half open. Use one ounce of Paris 



n to about ten quarts of water. Dust- 



J with hellebore will also do the trick. 



If there are no small fruit bushes in the 



rden, start a few this spring. They will 



ow almost anywhere, but good atten- 



Q and care give best results. 



!teep the old strawberry patch as 



ar of weeds as possible, but this is not 



important as during the first year of 



growth. If you are starting a new 



:ch this spring, do not allow the plants 



blossom. Cut the flower stalks and al- 



' the plants to give all their attention 



the production of runners and new 



nts rather than the production of fruit. 



IN THE FLOWER GARDEN 



'lants that have been started in the 



ise should not be planted outside be- 



i being hardened off. Expose them 



a few hours a day at first to outside^ 



iiences. A cold frame is useful for the 



' , jijpose. If this is not available, place 



1 "^ plants outdoors and take them m at 



II ht until they become accustomed to 



' -door conditions. 



ulbs that have been left in the ground 

 > two or three years should be lifted 

 i r flowering. Take them to an out-of- 



[or I 

 are, 

 tn* 



pers) 

 a 



leri! 



fpe 



lak. 



net 



■ft!!' 



the-way place in the garden and heel 

 them in. Leave them there until July; 

 then lift again and keep them in a dry 

 place indoors until they are required for 

 planting in the fall. When the time 

 comes, only the best bulbs should be 

 selected. 



Read the excellent articles elsewhere 

 in this isue on annuals and annual climb- 

 ers. They contain much valuable infor- 

 mation for the amateur gardener. 



ON THE LAWN 



Bare spots on the lawn may be re- 



well raked and sown with some good 

 lawn mixture that can be purchased from 

 any seedsman. 



If you purpose making a new lawn, do 

 the work thoroughly. The creation of a 

 permanent sod depends largely upon the 

 preparation of the soil. Dig it deeply 

 and evenly. Before sowing the seed, 

 have the surface fine and smooth. After 

 sowing, rake and roll. 



When pruning the rose bushes cut out 

 all dead and weak branches. Head back 

 the remaining ones to a few inches of the 



A Fair Guide to the Village det Aulnaies, Quebec. 



Fruit experiment station and nurseries of fruit, forest and ornamental trees and shrubs, founded in 1860 

 by Mr. Auguste Dupuis, and managed by MK A. 1). Vernault, proprietor since 1899. 



paired either by seeding or sodding. old wood. The best time to prune most 

 Lawns that are becoming thin should be roses is just as the buds are starting. 



How to GroAv Asparagus 



Frank Williams, Ottawa South, Ontario 



ASPARAGUS has not been given as 

 much prominence by the majority 

 of market gardeners, as it deserves, 

 partly on account of the length of time 

 required to establish the plant, and also 

 the difficulty of keeping the bed free from 

 weeds and grasses of different kinds. 

 Time and labor given to the preparation 

 of the ground is well repaid in the grow- 

 ing of this crop. 



A well-drained, sandy loam soil, that 

 will not bake or get hard, is the best 

 for this crop. If the land is not perfectly 

 free from weeds, it should be made so by 

 summer fallowing thoroughly. As as- 

 paragus is a great feeder, the soil should 

 be made very rich to as great a depth 

 as can be reached by the plough, say, 

 one foot, at least. 



While this permanent location is be- 

 ing prepared, seed may be sown in early 

 spring, in rows about eighteen inches 



105 



apart in good rich soil. As the- seed is 

 slow to germinate, and the plants so 

 small when they first appear, we usually 

 mix some lettuce seed with the aspara- 

 gus seed when sowing. The lettuce 

 soon makes its appearance, and the row 

 is much easier to follow when weeding. 



Thin the plants to two or three inches 

 apart to get strong crowns. If all condi- 

 tions are right, the plants should be 

 large enough for setting out the follow- 

 ing spring, when planting should be 

 done before growth starts. 



Plants may be dug with a spade, but 

 we prefer turning them over with a 

 plough, and then shaking out with the 

 fork. Care should be taken that the 

 roots are not allowed to get dry, or heat- 

 ed, while out of the ground. 



DISTANCE TO PLANT AND HOE 



For a small patch on city lot, or the 

 house garden, they may be .set in beds 



