April, 1915 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



formation of a 'good lawn, and during 

 drv weather this work should be done 

 in the morning, spraying water on as 

 often as required. It is better to mow 

 moderately close twice a week than to 

 cut once a week with the knives of a 

 machine set too close to the surface. 



As stated, a lawn formed with turfs 

 can be brought into use much sooner 

 than when seed is sown, but special at- 

 tention must be given to the selection 

 of the turf. That containing or consist- 

 ing of coarse grasses and weeds should 



^our li^ J^ JWtA€<tO 



be rejected. The site of the lawn should 

 be prepared in ex-actly the same manner 

 as described for seed, with a fairly thick 

 layer of good mould on top. The turf 

 must be cut with sharp tools (see 

 sketches) so that the edges are cut square 

 and clean. A handy size to cut turfs is 

 three feet long, one foot wide, and from 

 two to three inches thick. In laying the 

 turves, those around the edges of the 

 lawn should overlap the edges, so that 

 they can be cut off straight when the 

 whole is complete. Every piece must be 

 laid to break joint with its neighbor, as 

 shown in the sketch. A barrow of good 

 soil should be at hand so that any in- 

 equalities in the turf may be remedied, 

 and when all are laid, beat well down 

 with a proper lawn-beater, filling any 

 spaces between the turves with soil. 

 Water thoroughly, and roll well every 

 day, continuing this treatment until the 

 grass commences to grow, when the 

 edges before referred to may be cut 

 straight. Mow when required with a 

 eood sharp mowing machine. 



Fertilizing Made Plain 



John Gall I 



LEAVES collected in the fall form a 

 splendid plant food. These should 

 be buried in a hole in the ground 

 tt) decompose, and after the lapse of a 

 year taken out and dug into the soil. If 

 a little manure be mixed with them, this 

 will greatly assist in the decomposition. 

 Such a collection of leaves can be turned 

 CO good account in the following late 

 spring, such as a bed for vegetable mar- 

 rows, cucumbers, or melons. After the 

 crop has been taken off the leaves and 

 manure can be used with excellent re- 

 sults, either in the flower border or vege- 

 table garden. 



Does the amateur gardener thorough- 

 ly appreciate the value of soot as a fer- 

 tilizer? It is known that it has its uses 

 as a deterrent to the ravages of slugs, 

 but seldom is it used as a manure. It 

 ought to be applied to the roots of plants 

 of every description in a liquid state. The 

 method used in the preparing of it is 

 as follows : Secure a small bag, such as a 

 discarded flour bag, which will serve the 

 purpose well ; fill it three parts full with 

 soot, which has been kept for two or 

 three months, and allow it to hang sus- 

 pended in a pail of water from a stick 

 fixed across the top of the bucket. Allow 

 it to hang for a few days, and when 

 wanted for use, squeeze the bag until the 

 water becomes a brownish color. The 

 liquid may then be applied to the plants 

 with good results. Again fill the pail, 

 and suspend the bag of soot in the water 

 so as to be ready for use when required. 



In its dry state soot may be sown 

 freely on a windless day with good effects 

 on the onion patch; just scatter it over. 

 This not only acts as a fertilizer, but 

 proves itself great in warding off insect 



nglewood, Ont. 



pests. If, after sowing such root crops 

 as parsnips, beets and carrots, the sur- 

 face of the soil be dusted over with soot, 

 the crops will receive a considerable 

 benefit. But a word of caution is essen- 

 tial. Fresh soot contains a large amount 

 of heat, and if allowed to be sown too 

 early after it has been collected from 

 chimneys and flues, its burning proper- 

 ties are likely to do more harm than 

 good. The safest plan, then, is to keep 

 it in some dry place for a couple of weeks 

 before making any attempt to use it. 

 Soot may be purchased through the seed 

 stores either in large or small quantities. 



Potash is a most valuable plant food. 

 Wood ashes contain this necessary ele- 

 ment to quite an appreciable degree, and 

 it is for this reason I should like to lay 

 emphasis upon the importance of their 

 use. These have a manurial and fertil- 

 izing value that is often forgotten even 

 by the experienced gardener. They should 

 be carefully preserved, and, as opportun- 

 ity permits, be scattered over the onion 

 or asparagus bed in the early spring, or 

 mixed with potting soil, or in fact be 

 used anywhere where the soil requires 

 enriching. 



The value of liquid manures, especi- 

 ally when plants are nearing their high- 

 est stage of maturity in the course of 

 the season, can hardly be exaggerated. 

 The advantages of liquid over solid man- 

 ures arc that the effect upon growing 

 plants is immediate, and for this reason, 

 if for no other, care should be practised 

 in their use. It is advisable, therefore, 

 to consider briefly how they should be 

 made, and when and where applied. 



Liquid manure is water holding in 

 solution all the chemical constituents of 



fertilizers which go to supply plants with 

 their natural support. Many materials 

 can be employed in this composition . 

 Those most often used are horse, cow, 

 sheep, pig, and poultry droppings ; soot 

 and house slops. These can be utilized 

 either separately or altogether. In the 

 later case, the best plan is to get a large 

 tub or barrel which is watertight and 

 fitted with a good tap, the best being a 

 beer barrel tap ; then obtain a small bag, 

 fill it with the manures, and suspend it 

 inside the barrel by means of a strong 

 stick placed over the top. Next fill up 

 the barrel with water, stir well with a 

 stick every day for about a week, after 

 which the bag and contents can be taken 

 out and the liquid will be ready for use. 



In the making of liquid manure whose 

 ingredients are mixed, it is necessary to 

 consider the relative values of the differ- 

 ent manures used. It may be mentioned, 

 as a rule by which to work, that pig 

 and sheep manures are the richest ; those 

 from the horse coming next ; and last of 

 all, cow manure. Poultry droppings are 

 much stronger than any of these, and 

 should be used very sparingly, and with 

 care. About a peck of poultry manure 

 will make thirty gallons of liquid man- 

 ure, if used separately. 



The applying of liquid manures in too 

 strong a condition is the great danger 

 to be faced. A good rule is to use them 

 when they have attained the color of 

 weak tea. It is better to err on the weak 

 side than to run the risk of ruining the 

 plants by applying liquid manure that 

 is too powerful. Again, it should only 

 be used when the greatest strain is being 

 thrown upon the plants and they are 

 searching for foods that are to carry 

 them through — that is to say, when the 

 plants are either ripening their fruits or 

 sending forth their blooms. 



Making liquid manure. A rtjprcsl'iiin^j 

 t^inine a peck of soot aiul B w^te^; in nu«vu 

 is suspended. See a«ooinpan7lUk» artloML 



