1890. 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



151 



Tight planting is the only safe course in 

 planting evergreen trees. 



Set vegetable plants f lom a seed bed firmly 

 by the use of dibble, as shown in Fig. 53. 



With seeds it is much the same. To sprout 

 they must first and continuously absorb 

 moisture from the earth, to cause them to 



"f^<lK 



Govern the depth of covering by the size 

 of the seed. The old rule of covering to 

 the depth of twice the seed's diameter will 

 seldom lead one astray. 

 43. iSoic in a temperature suited to the 

 wants nf the seed. 



For those kinds classed as HarJy Annuals, 

 Hardy Biennials and 

 Hardy Perennials, a 

 temperature of the 

 soil of about 55° is 

 the most congenial, 

 while extremes of 30° 

 for a short time will 

 not harm the sprout- 

 ing seed or plantlet. 



Half hardy kinds 



will fjerminatebest in 



a temperature of BOto 



70" while tender kinds 



will find above 70° the 



most suitable. In no 



ease can the extremes 



be greater than 20° 



above or below for 



any length of time 



without injury. 



44. Provide mois- 



if ^WWll ' '■ > tiirc to the seed. 



.'■*W..''^m''\\W'' IJo tliis by firm- 



•h 4-(V \ ilVi ' 'ing the soil ( 



Pig. 47. 



Fig. 48. 

 The Cojtrse of Failure through five years 



Fig. 49. 



Tree unpruned, hence with too much top. The soil poor and unsuitable. Planted fn 

 a small hole, the roots cramped, and Ivlng In masses. The soil not properly firmed. 

 Land allowed to run to weeds. Results. Being top heavy the tree soon leans. 

 Hardly any growth and that stunted. Sprouts start up freely thus further robbing 

 the head of much needed sustenance. The weakness invites Insects and diseases. 

 In flveyearsthere Is DO satisfactory growth, the tree perhaps looJ£ing worse than 

 when it was planted, if It be not outrlghtly dead. 



swell. This can be far more certainly ac- 

 complished if the seeds are imbedded in a 

 moderately compact soil that will not quickly 

 dry out, than in one that is loose. 



40. Do not plant trees in a water puddle 

 or ^^'hcn the earth is wet. 

 Because moisture is necessary to root and 



seed growth, do not fall into the grave error 

 of thinking that excessive wetness would 

 be yet better. 

 What roots and 

 seed require is not 

 direct continuous 

 wetness (which 

 really is injurious) 

 but moisture as 

 vapour and ob- 

 tained by the 

 mingling of air in 

 the soil. The plan 

 of pouring a large 

 quantity of water 



into the tree hole fig, ^. Rightly pianttd, with 

 when it has been all the roots properly spread 

 , ,. .,, , ... out. SeeNo.m. 



half filled with 



earth, is not a good one except the sur- 

 rounding earth is quite dry, so that it will 

 quickly absorb the excess; in. such a case 

 to apply water moderately would be a 

 proper course. If the soil is at all moist it is 

 seldom best to use any water in planting. 



41. On leaning the tree. 

 It is a good rule to lean trees slightly 



in the direction of prevailing winds, the 



action of which j 



in time will bring 1 

 ^^ji^y^'N 'a^atff^p them to a perpen- 

 0^MSlt\\ /)*^V^t:\ dicular position. 

 r 9.V ^<i iLi^ %' In sections where 



tree-trunks are 



liable to injury 



from sun scald, 



as throughout the 



north-western 



states, it is well to 



lean the tree a 

 little to the south in order that the top may 

 shield the trunk from the sun's rays. 



On Seed Sowing. 



43. The soil shotild be made as fine as 



possible where seeds are to be sown. 



For sowing large quantities a wheel drill 

 should be used, otherwise to open drills or 

 hills with a hoe will answer. 



Fig 51. A young plant set 

 not deep enough. See No. 36. 



ing the soil or by 

 mulching the sur- 

 face with hay or a 

 board until the 

 sprout begins to 

 push through. 



Fig. 55 (at right) 

 shows a gardener 

 treading over a line 

 of Peas or other garden seeds for compact- 

 ing the soil. Rolling the land is some- 

 times made to answer, but treading is better. 

 The advantage of firming is that the soil 

 thus holds its dampness better than if it 

 were loose, while the roots can absorb the 

 moisture required to support the evapora- 

 tion that goes on from the top of the tree 

 at all times. 



45. Surround the home with afi,ne lawn. 



In lawn sowing the margins along walks 

 and borders should first ,be protected by a 

 strip of turf, about one foot wide, to be 

 taken up in some grass spot, free of weeds. 

 Lift such'sod with a sharp spade, cutting it 

 not over \}4 inches thick and rolling up in 

 strips of about four feet long. To lay this 

 turf, the surface of the ground should be 

 slightly lowered and loosened with a rake 

 to make a bed for the grass roots. Join all 

 edges carefully, using a long-bladed knife 

 for trimming the ends squarely. 



As the laying proceeds if some portions 

 of the turf happen to be a little thinner 

 than others, soil should be worked under- 

 neath such parts. The different pieces 

 should all be snugly pushed together as the 

 sodding goes on. It is well to carry the 

 line of sod out a trifle further than the edge 

 should be, and later trimming it back with 

 a sharp spade or edging knife. The sod 

 before beating down, should lie with its 

 surface a little higher than that of the sur- 

 rounding earth. 



In general the foregoing rules will apply 

 to laying sod over entire plots as well as to 

 margins. In all cases after being properly 

 in place the turf should be well beaten down 

 with a flat wooden mallet or the back of the 

 spade. If the sod by any means has become 

 dry, it should be watered before the beating 

 down is accomplished. 



Be at great pains to have the ground 

 where grass seed is to be sown, very even, 

 uniformly firm to prevent settling into bad 

 shape, and lastly the surface made fine with 

 a rake, to receive the seed. For spring sow- 

 ing we advocate fall plowing in order that 

 the soil may have perfectly settled by seed- 

 ing time. If the sowing must be done the 

 same season as the plowing then there 

 should at least intervene a soaking rain. 



Sow not less than three bushels (four or five 

 bushels would be better) to the acre. To 

 ensure evenness divide the seed into two por- 



tions, half to be sown by passing over the 

 land in one direction, the other half by 

 walking at right angles with the first sow- 

 ing. It is easy to guagethe width of sowing 

 by keeping an eye on the tracks made in the 

 firmly raked surface at the last trip across 

 the plats. The sowing should be done 

 when there is no wind stirring, immediately 

 after daylight being usually the best time 

 for this. Afterwards 

 the rake should be again 

 applied lightly and this 

 operation be followed 

 by a thorough rolling 

 of the plat. 



The best time to so.v 

 a lawn is as early in the. 

 spring as the ground 

 will work up dry and Figsa. Howtousethe 

 fine. Sowing lawn seed ^"''''^- *« A'o. 39. 

 in September is also usually satisfactoi-y. 



After the Planting. 

 Keep the surface over the roots cleanly 



46. 



tilled all season. 



It is a rule that should be laid down for 

 all growths from the soil. You would not 

 e.xpect a good Corn crop from untilled land, 

 choked with weeds and grass. Neither must 

 trees, shrubs or other plants be expected to 

 thrive with slighted culture. For three 

 years at least treat all growths as well as 

 you would a Corn crop, and orchard trees 

 had hotter be so treated perpetually. 



Even young trees, shrubs, etc., on the 

 lawn should have the soil tilled for some 

 years. By planting 

 in groups, as advised 

 under " Laying out 

 the Planting," it is 

 easy to treat the spot 

 between and just 

 about the trees, 

 shrubs, etc., as an 

 open border neatly 

 cut in the sward and 

 then kept cleanly 

 tilled. Single specL 

 mens may have a circle from two to five 

 feet across, they standing in the center, kept 

 similarly tilled. 



All crops from seed, and all bedding and 

 garden plants should be kept scrupulously 

 clean of weeds. By beginning early in the 

 season, when the plants are small and ten- 

 der, and passing over the beds with light 

 tools every week or two during the season, 

 it is easier to keep a place clean than by 

 kilHng well-established weeds. 



47. Better till your trees, etc., than to water 

 them. 



This refers to trees in orchards, garden 

 crops, etc. By keeping the soil stirred to a 



Fig. 45. Planted u-ith 

 roots all in a mass. 



Fig, Si. Using thf mavl to Fig. 55. Tramp, Tramp, 

 firm the soil in planting. Tramp. Firming a seed- 

 See No. SS. drill. SeeNo.Sa. 



depth of several inches, the stratum lower 

 dowTi will retain a remarkable degree of 

 moisture, even in the dryest weather. This 

 is because,first, the broken surface prevents 

 largely the escape of moisture upwards by 

 capillary attraction; second, a well-tilled 

 soil absorbs moisture from the air at night. 

 It must not be forgotten that wee-'s are 

 enormous absorbers of moisture; what they 

 take, the crop must go without. 



