182 GARDENS AND THEIR MEANING 



club and then get the family to read them aloud in the evenings. If you 

 are to be the reader, look up beforehand the meaning and the pronun- 

 ciation of the hard words ; practice a bit beforehand and you can give 

 much pleasure. A few pictures, a specimen or two, or an experiment of 

 your own shown along with the reading will make it as interesting as 

 an illustrated lecture. 



January : Bring from the cellar the bulbs for the house. Begin to test 

 seeds for the spring planting. Visit the big seed houses in order to keep 

 apace with their appliances. If your home is too far away, so that not 

 all in a club can go, then subscribe enough money to send one or two 

 members who will give a first-rate account to the rest. Start some plants 

 in boxes just for the sake of experiment. Renew subscription to a good 

 garden magazine for your own reading and for exchange. Country Life 

 and The Garden Magazine are two of the best. Sort newspaper clip- 

 pings that are worth saving, for your scrapbook. Write for the new cata- 

 logues and the new Agricultural Department bulletins. Put in your 

 order before the rush. 



February : Visit forcing houses and greenhouses. Visit the big mar- 

 ket to see how the bounty of many latitudes is heaped at our very doors. 

 Sow the first lettuce, cabbage, tomato, and peppers indoors to transplant 

 in due time. Tin cans and cigar boxes will be in great demand. 



March : Plant indoors a second series of vegetables : cabbage, egg- 

 plant, and parsley ; sow also lettuce, radish, and tomato seed in the 

 hotbed. Raise some hardy flower seedlings to set out. Asters and nas- 

 turtiums will be good. Uncover the perennials and the bulbs. Work 

 the dressing well into the ground ready for outdoor planting. Wait a bit 

 if the ground is still wet. 



April : A long list of vegetables may be sown in the cold frame. 

 Many can also be planted outdoors : potatoes, onion sets, early peas, as 

 well as radish, lettuce, parsnips, beet, carrots, salsify, spinach, and chard. 

 Put in some corn, if you are willing to take risks, and then you may 

 be able to crow over your less optimistic neighbors. Gather the glass- 

 grown lettuce and radishes. Uncover the rhubarb and feed it up well. 

 It will surprise you by growing famously within a headless barrel set 

 down over it. Keep a watchful eye for the eggs and larvae of insects. 

 Allow some to develop in the house, but guard against their escape. 

 Tend the wild garden. Plant seeds of the trees that are fruiting. Plant 

 acorns, horse chestnut, peach, and apple seeds. Unite in some neighbor- 

 hood project for Arbor Day celebration. 



