38 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



September, 1914 



Plant Peonies 

 Now 



This is done in layers, using a foot of soil and about four inches of 

 manure so that when finished it resembles in formation a layer cake. 

 Young borders or plantings of perennials which are not to be dis- 

 turbed for this year, should be carefully cultivated, being par- 

 ticularly careful to remove by hand any weeds that are right at the 

 base of the plants, as these weeds start off in spring with such vigor 

 as to smother the plant. Also be sure that all labels are in good con- 

 dition. This is a very important, but often neglected detail. 



A LTHOUGH a trifle early for most perennials, September is 

 the accepted time for the planting of the peony. This well 

 known herbaceous plant has become so popular that there are now 

 a number of growers who specialize on the peony and have large 

 and rich collections of this beautiful flower. By 

 a careful selection of varieties you can prolong the 

 season of peony bloom, which is desirable because 

 the flowering season of any given variety is rather short. The 

 dealers' lists convey very full information on this and other de- 

 sirable points. 



(CANTERBURY BELLS, foxgloves, daisy (Bellis), etc., that 



are to be wintered over in 

 coldframes, had better be planted 

 in them soon so as to become estab- 

 lished before winter arrives. This 

 is a good time to 

 start feeding the 

 pompon chrysan- 

 themum, also to provide some 

 means of protection from early 

 frost which ruins the flowers. A 

 few stakes driven into the. ground, 

 with wire stretched tightly over 

 the tops, will support some heavy 

 paper, old bed sheets, wagon 

 covers, or anything of that nature 

 which may be used as a covering. 



Dahlias should be doing well at 

 this season. An occasional dose 

 of nitrate of soda will improve the 

 flower, providing the soil there is 

 very fertile; if not, a good liquid 

 food should be used in connection 

 with the soda. It is also a good 

 plan to thin out the lateral shoots 

 on the plants; this reduces the 

 number of flowers, to be sure, but 

 gives much longer and stronger 

 stems and far better quality 

 blooms. 



Flowering spikes should be show- 

 ing on the fall anemone at this 

 time; an application or two of 

 liquid manure will considerably 

 improve the quality of the flower. 



you will deceive yourself because the border always looks as if 

 there were an abundance of space when the foliage is off. 



It is not yet too late to move evergreens; but the sooner that 

 work is completed the better. Remember to get as good a ball as 

 possible when moving. Therein lies the secret of success. 



This is a good time to look up some protecting material for 

 tender evergreens, such as rhododendrons; the common pine 

 makes an ideal protection and arrangements can now be made to 

 purchase the supply you will need later on. 



DLANT an orchard this fall, no matter how small. Now is the 



very best time to study what you really want in the various 



kinds of fruit and to get your order into the nursery. All fruits 



can be planted in the fall even better than in the spring, except 



the stone fruits in the colder sections, but they can 



be planned for now, and ordered. 



Cover crops can again be sown in the orchard. 

 Rye sown at the rate of two bushels to the acre, mixed with a 

 leguminous crop, such as cow peas or crimson clover, or the last 

 named mixed with oats, makes a good crop. A good spring com- 

 bination is turnips and soy beans; in every case sow thick enough 



to insure a good stand. 



Look to 

 the Orchard 



Flowers 

 Now Growing 



Trees and 

 Shrubs 



DREPARE now for any con- 

 templated changes in the 

 shrubbery borders, and for setting 

 out of deciduous trees or shrubs of 

 any kind. While it 

 is still too early to do 

 any actual planting, 

 the ground can be made ready so 

 that when planting time comes 

 there will be no delay. 



Take time now to look over old 

 borders or plantings while the 

 foliage is still on; you can see now 

 where there is any crowding and 

 can plan properly for any changes 

 that may be desirable. If left 

 until entirely devoid of foliage, 



Why You Should Plant in the Fall 



By A. E. WILKINSON, Cornell University 



<I If the home gardener is fully alive to the opportuni- 

 ties, he will not only order his trees in the fall, but he -will 

 plant his trees during the fall months, <£t e£t <£l 



^ Fruit trees and ornamentals may be planted with some 

 assurance of success in the fall, especially if the location 

 is thoroughly drained. Thorough drainage may mean a 

 soil with tile or a soil with a gravelly subsoil. Land which 

 has some slope would tend to have sufficient drainage. 



* ; The soil must be in " good condition." The meaning 

 of good condition is : thoroughly supplied with humus, 

 properly plowed and cultivated — and it should have 

 been worked a year or two previous with other crops. 



<l In fall setting trees, notice whether the trees are of 

 a stocky, well matured growth, that is, whether they 

 are of a brown appearance with a thick, strong growth. 

 They should not be in any way soft, green, and slender, 

 because the latter are " stripped " trees. The former are 

 thoroughly matured. Stripped trees will give weak, un- 

 satisfactory growth. <£ t£ J& <£ <£ «J* 



<J Of the many advantages from fall planting, some of 

 the most important are : The roots send out a small 

 growth. Wounds on the roots have a tendency to callus 

 over. The soil settles about the roots, and in every way 

 the trees become established during the warm days in the 

 fall. As the result of becoming established before winter 

 the plants make an earlier start in the spring. They 

 begin to grow long before others could be planted 

 during the spring. As they are established and begin 

 this growth early, they generally have a larger root sur- 

 face and are, therefore, able to endure later droughts 

 much better than spring-planted trees. <£* t£* <£ 



^ It is often noticed that young trees do not ripen 

 thoroughly in the fall of the year, that even along to- 

 wards frost the growth is green, and sappy, and not well 

 hardened. Trees of this nature go into winter in a soft 

 condition and are nearly always injured by winterkill- 

 ing. This is often the condition of spring-planted trees. 



<J Trees planted in the fall have a tendency to mature 

 the foliage and stem early, going into winter in a much 

 better condition and suffering less from winterkilling. 



<J Since the weather is, as a general rule, settled in 

 fall, the gardener can do much better work than during 

 the unsettled weather of spring. <£ <£ <£ <£ 



<J The fall of the year offers more opportunity for 

 planting than the hustle and bustle of the busy spring, 

 when all the work of plowing and harrowing and planting 

 the garden needs attention. <£* <£ <£* J& <£ 



<I In the fall of the year the soil is in workable form; 

 much more so than in the spring, when it is wet and 

 unyielding. <£ j£ <£* *£ <£ <£ <£* 



<l Fall planting facilitates spring cultivation ; about the 

 time other people are beginning to dig holes for spring 

 planting, it will be possible to cultivate fall-planted trees. 



"K'pMpP: 'ppI 4 '^PW'pPx. 44s 



V\Z"ORK under glass must now be 



given serious attention. 



Careless, indifferent methods cause 



more failures in most things, but 



j .. this is especially true 



Greenhouse °{ g reenhous <: work 

 where attention to 



detail counts for so much. Keep a 

 sharp lookout for pests of all kinds, 

 and use preventives frequently 

 rather than waiting until the plants 

 have been weakened by being 

 overrun with insects. Watch car- 

 nations closely for green fly; chry- 

 santhemums must be kept clear 

 of black fly or they will not amount 

 to much in November; roses must 

 be kept after to keep green fly and 

 red spider in check. And so it goes ! 

 Every plant has its own enemy and 

 one who has learned to fight these 

 successfully has accomplished the 

 greatest step toward success in the 

 greenhouse. It is not hard if you 

 will only take the matter in hand 

 at the proper time, but once en- 

 trenched the pests are very hard to 

 rout out. There are many manu- 

 factured preparations on the market 

 that are efficient. Use them now. 



PHE greenhouse owner misses 

 a great opportunity if he 

 fails to raise some vegetables in- 

 doors. Start now. 



Beans can be had 

 all winter from suc- 

 cessional sowings ; 

 cauliflower can be had continuously 

 by sowing every two weeks in small 

 patches; lettuce sown now and 

 forced indoors will come in about 

 the time the outside crop is finished 

 — sow in small patches and at two- 

 week intervals. 



Beets and carrots can be easily 

 forced. They do best in solid beds 

 but can be grown very well on 

 raised benches; sow every three 

 weeks for a regular supply. 



Vegetables 

 Indoors 



