A Glimpse of Autumn — Waiting for Thanksgiving 



Laivn and Garden Notes for October 



AUTUMN is come. The shortening 

 hours of sunHght and the increas- 

 ing sprightUness of the evening 

 air betray its presence. It is the time 

 of the falHng of the leaves. The peace- 

 ful, quiet days of October become the 

 season. They are restful after the busy 

 turmoil and the heat of the summer that 

 is gone. October is the twilight of the 

 year, the passing from summer light to 

 the dark of winter. It is a time for re 

 flection. 



When we review our successes and non- 

 successes in matters pertaining to the 

 garden during the past .season, there are 

 reflections that will present themselves 

 to every mind gifted with the slightest 

 power of contemplation. Have we 

 made the most of our opportunities in 

 the garden? Is there not some change 

 that might have been made to improve 

 the general scheme of arrangement? 

 Have we allowed some helpless tree or 

 shrub or plant to die for want of food, 

 water or attention? These are some of 

 the questions that come to us when we 

 think. 



In October, the evidence of our success 

 or failure is plainly visible. Later, 

 when summer blossom and leaf are seared 

 by the autumn blast or hidden beneath 

 a mantle of snow, the evidence will 

 have almost vanished. Now is the time 



to reflect, to observe and to plan. Next 

 season's results should be better than 

 this. 



THE KITCHEN GARDEN 



If you have let the asparagus bed take 

 care of itself since cutting the crop, 

 you should treat it as directed in our 

 question and answer department. 



Squash, pumpkins, melons and such 

 crops are easily injured by frost. They 

 should be harvested before danger 

 comes. If they are still in the garden 

 and not injured, pull at once and put 

 them in a shed where thev will be cool 

 and dry, but not liable to freezing. 

 When harvesting, leave about an inch 

 or so of the stem, as a stem broken off 

 short induces rot. When severe frosts 

 threaten, remove the cucurbits to a dry 

 room where the temperature is just 

 above the freezing point. Heat and 

 moisture cause them to rot in a short 

 time, so beware of a warm, damp cellar. 



Take up some parsley roots and grow 

 them in a box or pot in a light cellar 

 or in a shed. Thus you will have a 

 winter supply which will be relished. 



Home grown radish and lettuce may 

 be had for Christmas by sowing seed in 

 a mild hotbed. Carefully watch the 

 young plants so as to protect them in the 

 event of heavy frosts or freezing. 



If you intend to shell some peas or 



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beans and want to do it quickly, let 

 them dry thoroughly after picking and 

 then run them through a common clothes 

 wringer. This will separate the peas or 

 beans from the hulls quickly without 

 breaking them. 



Winter celery should be banked up to 

 protect it from severe frosts. It should 

 all be stored awa^' by the end of the 

 month unless specially protected, in 

 which case it may be safe to leave it out 

 a week or two longer. 



To have good seed potatoes for next 

 spring, this is the best time to secure 

 them. They are always cheapest in the 

 fall. Early varieties of potatoes should 

 be in the ground as early as possible in 

 spring; if you wait till then to buy, you 

 may be late in getting them planted. 

 Get them ready this fall, whether you 

 buy them or pick them out of your own 

 crop. Pick them over carefully, select- 

 ing only the nicest ones, and then nail 

 them up tight in a crate till spring. 

 When planting time comes they will be 

 ready. 



Pull and store cabbage and dig beets, 

 carrots, parsnips, and such crops, and put 

 at once in the cellar. Some parsnips 

 and salsify may be left in the ground 

 all winter to be dug in spring. 



Renew the old rhubarb patch by dig- 

 ging the roots, dividing them and set- 



