The Garden Magazine 



DURING this month thor- 

 oughly clean up the gar- 

 den, and make snug for 

 winter. See that every 

 nook and corner is thoroughly raked 

 out and all refuse burned. Spade 

 the garden before the soil freezes; 

 let the ground stay rough over win- 

 ter, if the soil is acid. This is a 

 good time to apply a dressing of 

 lime; sprinkle it over the surface, 

 using as much as you can afford. 

 This, allowed to stand all winter, will neutralize the acids in the 

 soil by spring. Air slaked lime is the best for the purpose. Last 

 month it was suggested that trenching the garden would prove of 

 value in reducing the crop of cutworms next year. It is still not 

 too late to do it; in which case the lime would not be applied until 

 after the trenching is finished. 

 Keep right on raking leaves 

 and piling them up at some con- 

 venient, yet out of the way, 

 place for a stock of leaf mold 

 later on. Also pile all leaves 

 near by on your rhododendron 

 bed. 



During December, consider- 

 able heat is required in the 

 greenhouse and without proper 

 precautions the plants will be- 

 come badly infested with green 

 fly, red spider, thrip, etc. It is 

 a wise policy to use preventive 

 measures, as these pests, when 

 once well established, are very 

 hard to get rid of. Therefore, 

 make a habit of spraying your 

 plants once every week or ten 

 days with a weak solution of to- 

 bacco water or some such prep- 

 aration, such as aphine. This, 

 with an occasional dusting with 

 tobacco dust, will keep the 

 plants free. 



DLENTY of dry leaves, salt 

 hay and other covering 

 materials should be on hand, for 

 additional cov- 

 vering for all 

 the vegetable 

 trenches during severe weather. 

 In mild weather very little cov- 

 ering is required, but it should 

 be on hand for additional cover- 

 ing for all the vegetable trenches 



THE MONTH'S 



REMINDER 



COMPILED WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THE HOME GARDEN, FROM 

 THE TEN YEARS' DIARIES OF A PRACTICAL EXPERT GARDENER 



For reckoning dates, the latitude of New York City is generally taken as a 



standard. In applying the directions to other localities, allow six 



days' difference for every hundred miles of latitude 



during severe weather. Do not put 

 on the extra covering unless it is 

 necessary as too much covering 

 will create heat and cause the vege- 

 tables to decay. 



It is still not too late to mulch all 

 permanent beds, such as asparagus, 

 rhubarb, horseradish, herbs, etc. 

 In fact, when mulching, it is always 

 advisable to wait until the ground 

 is slightly frozen. 



Vegetables in 

 Trenches 



When winter comes the beauty and value of the evergreen is fully realized. Look 

 around your garden now, make your plans for spring planting and place your orders. Ever- 

 greens may also be moved in winter, with frozen balls 



' n pHE final protection may now be applied to all the tender per- 

 A ennials, such as anemone, anchusa, tender iris, campanulas, 



p . . pompon chrysanthemum, Incarvillea, tender lilies, 



r d poppies, etc. Any attempt made to cover these plants 



should be with the idea of protecting them from exces- 

 sive moisture as this, coupled 

 with freezing weather, is very 

 disastrous. Kept dry, all the 

 plants named — and most 

 others too — will stand very 

 severe weather. This fact is 

 proven by perennials which 

 are considered tender, living 

 out all winter without any 

 protection in dry mountainous 

 regions where extreme cold is 

 encountered. Boxes, boards, 

 mounds of earth, tar paper, or 

 anything that will turn water, 

 should be used in connection 

 with litter or leaves in the pro- 

 tection of the tender plants. 

 Tritomas and montbretias are 

 considered very hard to winter. 

 In fact, I have never had any 

 success leaving them outdoors 

 on Long Island no matter how 

 carefully I have protected 

 them, although both are hardy 

 at Lenox, Mass., and even at 

 Bar Harbor, Maine, where the 

 winters are much more severe. 

 In low places, where alternate 

 freezing and thawing is the 

 usual winter weather, it would 

 be best to lift them and 

 store in a cool cellar for the 

 winter. 



PROTECTING materials 



should now be applied to 



all tender shrubs and trees when 



necessary. All the tender ever- 



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