The Garden Magazine 



Vol. VI— No. 2 



Publi-hed Monthly 



SEPTEMBER, 1907 



I One Dollar a Year 

 '/ Fifteen Cents a Copy 



[For the purpose of reckoning dates, New York is 

 generally taken as a standard. Allow six days' difference 

 for every hundred miles of latitude.] 



Harvesting and Seeding 



SEPTEMBER is the best month in the 

 year to lay down a meadow for future 

 hay crops. The seed will start to grow at 

 once so that the young plants will have 

 covered the ground before cold weather 

 sets in. 



Sow rye for late fall and early spring 

 pasture for the cattle. 



Plow any land which has lain fallow all 

 summer and seed it down with winter grains. 



Gather all the windfall apples for making 

 cider. This early made cider will not keep 

 well but it makes good vinegar. 



Bank up the celery. It must be blanched 

 before it goes into the cellar. 



The growth of full-grown cabbage should 

 be checked by bending the plant over first 

 one side then the other. This will also 

 prevent the head from splitting. 



Cut off the asparagus tops and burn them. 



As soon as the melon vines are killed by 

 the frost remove and burn them. 



Whitewash the interior of the poultry 

 houses and spread kerosene over the roosts. 

 Do it before noon so all will be dry for the 

 night. 1 Clean out the droppings at least 

 once a week. 



Renew the sand on the floor of the scratch- 

 ing-pen at once, before the fall rains set in, 

 so that it may be secured dry. 



HOW TO BUY BULBS 



Order your bulbs before September, if 

 possible, even though tulips and hyacinths 

 are best planted in October. The earlier 

 you send your order, the surer you are to get 

 the best bulbs and the varieties you want. 

 Shrivelled bulbs and disgraceful substitu- 

 tion are features of the tag end of the 

 season. The Dutch growers are responsible 

 for most of the substitution, but ultimately 

 the American people is responsible because 



we are not willing to pay enough for first- 

 class bulbs. 



Don't buy mixed varieties of anything, 

 because they are dirt cheap. You never 

 learn anything that way. Buy named 

 varieties, note the kinds you like best and 

 improve from year to year. 



Don't buy second-size bulbs; buy the first 

 or standard size. First-size bulbs produce 

 first-class flowers that you won't be ashamed 

 of when people come to see your garden. 

 Second-size bulbs produce commonplace 

 flowers. A few varieties, however, normally 

 make small bulbs. 



On the other hand, don't go to the extreme 

 of buying "mammoth hyacinth bulbs" or 

 "top roots," unless you can afford to lose. 

 About three seasons out of five big bulbs 

 from the south of Holland will throw enor- 

 mous flowers. The other two they will split 

 up into a lot of measly little ones. It is 

 supposed that they go to pieces in the years 

 when Holland has a wet season. 



If you are a beginner, concentrate on the 

 things that are sure to give the most for the 

 money — tulips, daffodils and crocuses, for 

 outdoor bloom. For indoor bloom, concen- 

 trate on tulips, hyacinths and narcissi. These 

 aro the heavy bulbs, which have to travel 

 by express in quantity. The little fellows 

 that can go by mail in quantity are Ixia, 

 Sparaxis, Babiana, etc. Don't buy cheap 

 mail-order collections that are mainly com- 

 posed of these little bulbs. Anything you 

 never heard of is pretty likely to be small- 

 bulbed and rather hard to grow. . Grow the 

 important things first. 



HARVEST THESE FIELD CROPS 



Cut and stack the corn as soon as the ker- 

 nels have glazed. It must be done before 

 the first frost or else the crop will be badly 

 damaged. 



Harvest the potatoes. Do not let them 

 lie in the sun very long ; it will turn them 

 green and give them a very disagreeable 

 taste. They should remain spread out long 

 enough to dry off. If the potatoes are damp 

 when they are put in the cellar, sprinkle a 

 little air-slaked lime over them. It will 

 absorb the moisture. 



Harvest the root crops, i.e., beets, turnips, 

 carrots, etc. These are better put in before 

 frosts arrive. The rutabagas, however, do 

 not need harvesting for a month yet. 

 > Fruit and vegetables stored outdoors in 

 the ground will taste earthy. This can be 

 obviated by putting them in barrels and 

 boxes. When stored in the cellar put some 

 straw or salt hay on the floor under the roots. 



Handle the beets carefully so as to bruise 

 them as little as possible. Every abrasion 

 bleeds, which lessens the value of the root. 



Leave an inch or two when cutting off the 

 leaves to prevent bleeding. 



Harvest the buckwheat. It is a hard 

 grain to handle because when ripe and dry 

 it drops easily. When cured haul it to the 

 threshing floor on a damp day if possible, 

 to guard against loss. Thresh on a clear, 

 brght day. 



IMPORTANT GARDEN JOBS 



September is the only month recommended 

 by the American Peony Society for planting 

 peonies. 



Prepare for frost ! Have plenty of material 

 ready to cover flowers and you can enjoy 

 them two to six weeks later. 



Before frost comes take cuttings of bedding 

 plants and pot any plants in your garden 

 that you want for indoor bloom in fall and 

 winter. 



Divide all perennials (except peonies and 

 Dictamnus) every second year. The earlier 

 you do this in September the better they 

 will get established before winter. 



Transplant a few evergreens in the last 

 half of August or before the middle of Sep- 

 tember. Preserve a large hall of earth and 

 cover it with burlap while out of the ground. 



Study the important flowers of September 

 that have dozens of varieties — tea roses, 

 phlox, Japanese anemone, perennial asters, 

 and perennial sunflowers. Go to the nearest 

 nursery that has a large collection of these, 

 and note in a book the kinds you want. 



Do you wish to beat your neighbors on 

 sweet peas? Try planting a few in late 

 September. 



To gain a fortnight on poppies, sow them 

 outdoors toward the end of September. 



The best way to grow that charming 

 catchfly, Silene pendula, is to sow the seeds 

 outdoors in late September. This flesh- 

 colored or rosy-flowered annual is lovely 

 for spring bedding. It is a branched trailer, 

 completely covered with small flowers. 



Make a coldframe and have spinach for 

 Christmas; also lettuce and radishes for 

 October and November. 



If you won't make a coldframe, sow corn 

 salad outdoors in September, cover the plants 

 lightly with litter and you will have a salad 

 from your own garden next March or before 

 snow melts — a full month earlier than you 

 ever had a salad from your own garden. 



Plant currant bushes and gooseberries. 

 Make cuttings of grapes. Small fruits are 

 best for small gardens. 



You can have mushrooms for Christmas 

 from beds spawned October 15th. Order 

 the spawn at once and get a booklet on 

 mushroom culture, and read " Growing 

 Mushrooms on a Ping-Pong Table" in The 

 Garden Magazine for October, 1906. 



