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My Experience with Fall Planting 



WHILE the idea seems to prevail generally 

 throughout New England that fall planting 

 is not nearly so satisfactory as spring planting, 

 careful personal experiments have demonstrated 

 that, with a very few exceptions, trees planted in the 

 early autumn survive the following summer much 

 more satisfactorily than those planted in the spring. 



For the benefit of the novice it might be well to 

 name the leading exceptions to this rule. Oaks and 

 all nut-bearing trees, birches, catalpas, sassafras, 

 poplars, cherries, peaches, altheas, and a few others, 

 are better planted in the spring. Magnolias, tulip 

 trees and dogwoods have long been considered as 

 belonging to the above class, but a few years ago 

 I discovered a hidden principle which has proven 

 early fall planting for these species most advantage- 

 ous. 



Owing to the need of the land for building pur- 

 poses, it was found necessary to move two rather 

 large magnolias. The owner, rather than sacrifice 

 the trees, was willing to take a chance. On the 

 tenth of September, while in full leaf, the trees were 

 dug with a ball of earth, entirely defoliated, and 

 removed to a new position. Every precaution was 

 exercised in planting. Extra large holes were dug, 

 and a large quantity of broken turf, finely chopped, 

 used in planting. They were then covered with a 

 very heavy mulch of fresh horse manure. To the 

 surprise of all, the following spring, both trees 

 leaved out beautifully, and continued to grow as 

 though they had not been disturbed. 



Believing a new principle had been discovered, the 

 following summer, a large number of dogwoods, 

 magnolias, and tulip trees were transplanted in the 

 same manner. Not a tree failed to do nicely, which 

 confirmed the discovery, and continuous fall plant- 

 ing of these species, for the past several years, has 

 entirely demonstrated the practicability. This 

 same principle may extend to larches, birches, and a 

 number of other trees, but this remains yet to be 

 proven. 



Early fall planting of evergreens gives most 

 satisfactory results, and has its particular advantage 

 in parks, cemeteries, and large estates, where there is 

 a great amount of work to be accomplished in a 

 given season. Labor is always more accessible at 

 this season of the year, the nurseries are not so con- 

 gested with orders, and shipments are much more 

 prompt. The season is a much longer one, giving 

 a chance for more thorough preparation and better 

 planting. In fact, early fall planting of evergreens 

 has a very desirable effect in checking the growth, 

 and causing a thorough ripening of the wood. 



Many plants are apt to make a late and unnatural 

 growth, if watered too freely throughout the growing 

 season. It has long been the custom among 

 amateurs and gardeners to apply the water, as a 

 panacea of all ills in plant life. Some plants may 

 receive too much water with just as serious results 

 as too little. 



It is especially noticeable, in the case of conifers 

 and rhododendrons, that continued watering 

 throughout the season promotes a late and unripened 

 growth which, being suddenly frozen in this un- 

 natural condition by the early frosts, is a serious 

 setback and often a fatal injury to the plant. 



A striking example of this principle is readily 

 seen in the Juniperus communis or common field 

 juniper. When transplanted from its native, well- 

 drained soil, and placed under cultivation where it re- 

 ceives a liberal amount c f water,it burns badly during 

 the winter and is of practically no ornamental value. 

 This same principle holds good in California privet 

 hedges, and much of the winter killing of these is due 

 to late watering, coupled with too close a shearing 

 during the latter part of the season. 



Practical experiments have confirmed two facts: 

 First, that all growth must be allowed to ripen 

 naturally; and second, that all evergreen plants 

 must go into winter quarters with the ground thor- 



oughly moist. To accomplish these results, all 

 regular watering of evergreens and hedges should be 

 discontinued about August 15th. In case of drought 

 some judgment should be exercised. Varying with 

 the season, but about the latter part of October 

 the soil of all beds should be loosened and given a 

 thorough watering, which should be followed by a 

 mulch of leaves, hay, or fitter. 



The application of these principles will, no doubt, 

 lessen to a great extent, the winter killing of so many 

 of our fine specimen plants and beautiful hedges. 



Connecticut Walter E. Campbell. 



Clean up Your Garden 



MANY people, from the appearance of their 

 gardens, do not deem it essential to clean up 

 the garden after the growing season but, aside from 

 the appearances, cleaning up the garden will also de- 

 stroy a place where insects would naturally harbor 

 during the winter and thus reduce the possibility of 

 the spread of these insects the following year. 



If the soil can be plowed or spaded, this is one of the 

 best methods for ridding the garden of obnoxious 

 weeds. In this way, all material is placed under the 

 soil, where it rightly belongs. The soil is left in such 

 a state that many insects which inhabit the soil, 

 such as white grubs and wire worms, are destroyed. 

 In plowing, or spading, the soil should be left 

 rather rough. Seemingly no care is necessary to fine 

 or compact the soil. 



The frost also works on the soil during the winter 

 and renders it much finer, thus benefiting the crop 

 the following year. If the land is not to be plowed 

 or spaded, all the weeds should be removed and 

 burned. Remove the weeds from the corners as 

 well as from the middle of the garden. When re- 

 moving the weeds do not to shake them too violently 

 because many of them scatter their seeds during the 

 fall. Be sure to pull up the weeds before the seeds 

 ripen and scatter. 



Where some vegetables are to remain in the garden 

 over winter, remove all growth which is found 

 above the ground. That is, in the case of asparagus, 

 it is quite essential that the tops of asparagus be 

 removed when they have turned yellow, being care- 

 ful not to shake the fruits from the plant. Place 

 the asparagus tops in a pile and burn, thus destroy- 

 ing any chance of spreading the disease known as 

 asparagus rust. Rhubarb tops may be gathered and 

 treated in the same manner. After they have been 

 destroyed, cover the soil over the plants with a 

 coating of manure, thus protecting the roots some- 

 what during the winter. If parsnip or salsify is to 

 remain in the ground even part of the winter, a 

 covering with manure may help when it comes time 

 to dig out these crops as they are needed. In placing 

 the manure over the plants, do not spread it pro- 

 miscuously. Have some system about your work. 



New York. E. Wilson. 



Fall Care of the Strawberry Bed 



OFTENTIMES a strawberry bed is sadly neg- 

 lected after the fruit has been harvested in the 

 summer time. Through the long period following 

 fruiting, weeds have been allowed to grow; it is 

 highly important that now, in the fall, all of these 

 weeds should be cleaned out, in order to stop the 

 self sowing of the seeds and to lessen the labor during 

 the following year. Oftentimes if these weeds are 

 allowed to remain during the winter, they will serve 

 as a harbor for insects which will help to destroy the 

 fruit or plants during the following year. After the 

 weeds have been properly cleaned out, it may be 

 necessary to look over the strawberry plants quite 

 carefully and determine if they have grown correctly 

 during the season. If the plants are found to be too 

 close together in places it might be an advantage to 

 remove some of the weaker plants. 



As soon as the ground has frozen slightly, it would 

 be a decided protection to cover the bed lightly with 

 straw. A bedding about an inch thick would be 



94 



excellent for this work. There is a difference in the 

 sort of straw used. Oat straw is probably the poorest 

 straw to use on a strawberry patch, because it con- 

 tains so many weed seeds, increasing the amount of 

 labor the following year. Wheat straw is fairly 

 good, but also has somewhat the disadvantage of 

 oat straw. Rye straw seems to be the best, because 

 it contains but very little weed seed and also because 

 it does not pack down in the way wheat and oat 

 straw will. It remains loose and serves as an ample 

 protection for the plant. This straw should be spread 

 broadcast over the rows and between the rows. By 

 so doing, it will stop the formation of honeycombing 

 of the soil, thereby reducing the loss of plants by 

 heaving. It is essential that the layer of straw should 

 'not be too heavy, because this is not the winter 

 covering, but merely the fall covering which has for 

 its object the checking of heaving of the plants and 

 also serves as a slight covering for the plants during 

 the one or two cold snaps which come before the real 

 winter sets in. A little attention given to the bed 

 at this time of year will amply repay for all labor 

 and material used. 

 New York. A. E. Wilkinson. 



Alstromerias Grown Outdoors 



YEARS ago in the nursery grounds of Woolson 

 & Co., of Passaic, N. J. I saw an alstromeria in 

 full bloom, on Decoration Day, May 30th, where 

 it had been growing outdoors for years. Having 

 been unsuccessful with them right along, I thought 

 it might be interesting to raise the question of their 

 culture in your magazine, and perhaps some of your 

 readers might be able to give the needed information. 

 The man who attended to me gave me some of the 

 flowers, said the plant had been standing there for 

 years about three feet from the east side of the 

 house. He said once they dug down to find the roots 

 or tubers, but they could not find anything. Plant 

 there all the same next year- — inference tubers very 

 deep down. The statement was made in the old 

 Garden and Forest that alstromerias were grown out- 

 of-doors in Newport, R. I. 



I have tried in vain to achieve the same success. 

 Will some one help and direct me? 



New Jersey. G. E. Behk. 



Fall Planted Sweet Peas 



IN late October we dug deeply (subsoiled to a 

 depth of two and a half feet) the ground where 

 our sweet peas were to grow, mixing with the soil 

 a barrel of wood ashes. This was for a distance of 

 fifty feet where we intended to plant a double row 

 with an eighteen inch space between the rows. The 

 ground was then covered with leaves, with salt 

 hay over them and a piece of sacking on top of that 

 firmly held in place by stones, the idea being to pre- 

 vent the ground from freezing hard so that the soil 

 could be worked very early in the spring. 



The first part of February we planted the seeds 

 in pots of good soil taken from a coldframe, two or 

 three seeds in each pot, these latter being of five inch 

 size to obviate repotting later on. They were placed 

 in our enclosed porch with slight heat, mostly during 

 the day, and about three quarters of the seeds 

 germinated. They were afterward thinned to one 

 plant in each pot, choosing the sturdiest. Of course 

 there was only one variety in a pot and every pot 

 had its label. 



Directly the weather was at all balmy they were 

 hardened off and put out-of-doors, sunk in the 

 vegetable-garden in a shallow pit dug especially 

 for them so that the tops of the pots were just below 

 the ground-level. Here they were sheltered by 

 slat screens placed to keep off the cold winds. 



They grew well until the middle of April when 

 we transferred them to the rows, planting them 

 eighteen inches apart. The holes were made very 

 big and deep, the earth being shaken off each plant 

 so that little adhered to the rootlets and all the 

 roots were spread out carefully, the hole being then 



