The Garden Magazine 



JANUARY is a very quiet 

 month for the gardener, 

 unless he has a green- 

 house, when things should 

 be moving along merrily. Yet, 

 while our outside activities are 

 halted our minds should be working 

 on schemes that are to better our 

 garden or grounds for the coming 

 year. It is thoughtful planning 

 followed by proper execution tint 

 produces results. 



Sit down now at your desk and send for the catalogues that you 

 may need. Read up carefully before actually ordering. Set your 

 mind to work now on improvements, make notes and work out a 

 campaign; figure how you could improve your vegetable garden, 

 giving you more of the vegetables that you like, and fewer sowings 

 of those you care for the least. Do the same for the flowers. Then 

 read the articles on the following pages (190 and 194.) Figure out 

 also how you could improve your fruit trees, or perhaps plan a 

 new orchard; start a campaign against the "bugs" of all kinds; see 

 if you can't find better watering facilities for the dry weather. If 

 your garden is late and wet, figure out a drainage system; perhaps 

 some changes to the place itself such as a path or road, a new gate- 

 way, some planting to be shifted. It is possible to go on indefinitely 

 thus suggesting some little item that may have a tendency to better 

 things, but you must apply yourself to your own problems, and 

 decide what is to be done. Now is the only time you will have for 

 this purpose, as next month the active duties start again. 



BULB forcing is rather simple from now on. Any of the bulbs 

 can be flowered very easily and should be brought in as 

 required. Don't neglect to water the bulbous plants rather freely, 

 and feed them liberally with liquid manures after the bud appears. 

 To prepare liquid manures, put about a bushel of manure (sheep or 

 cow preferred) in a bag, and suspend it in a barrel of water; when 



the water 



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 



Bulbs for 

 Succession 



Forcing 

 Bulbs 



Forcing of bulbs can be carried on now. 

 at this stage 



Bring into light 



is the col- 

 or of weak 

 tea it can be used, 

 gradually increasing 

 the strength at sub- 

 sequent feedings. 

 The more concen- 

 trated manures can 

 also be used, using 

 a much smaller 

 quantity, say about 

 one fourth of a 

 bushel. 



BULBS keep well, 

 and when forced 

 in boxes or pans are 

 easily handled. If 



you are likely to have too many 

 flowers at one time, they can be kept 

 for days or even weeks, by putting 

 the boxes or pots in a 

 cool dark cellar. They 

 should be placed in 

 the cellar before the flowers are too 

 far open. I have kept Roman 

 hyacinths in the very best of con- 

 dition for three weeks, but you 

 must have a good place where the 

 flowers can be kept moderately dark 

 and where the temperature can be kept around 40 to 45 degrees F. 



DON'T throw away the bulbs after you have cut the flowers. 

 To be sure they are of no further value for forcing, but they 

 can be planted in inconspicuous places outdoors next summer, and 

 will produce results the second season. This is especially true of 

 „ . narcissus, which can be used for naturalizing. 



«. f\u r, 1. But don't look for results the first year. If you 



the Old Bulbs . , , ,, r , J . % 



are going to use the bulbs for planting out after 



they have finished flowering, it is better that they be gradually 



dried off after the flowering period has passed. They can be dried 



off entirely by late spring, when they can be immediately set out. 



BRANCHES of spring flowering trees and shrubs, such as peach, 

 pussy willow, forsythia, magnolia, Japan quince, plum, apple, 

 etc., if cut now and placed in vases of water, and put on benches 

 in a warm greenhouse, will flower almost imme- 

 diately. Simply spray the branches occasionally 

 and change the water once in a while. 



Flowering 

 Shrubs 



Getting Ready 

 to Sow 



PREPARATION can now be made for seed sowing. It will not 

 be very long before we have plenty of work to do in spring 

 seed sowing and we will need plenty of good light soil for this 

 purpose. Now is the time to prepare! Get plenty of leafmold 



to mix 



with 



the 

 soil for seed sowing. 

 If there be none 

 readily available 

 order a bag or two 

 from your supply 

 house, as it is in- 

 dispensable for this 

 work, or use the 

 commercial forms of 

 humus. 



POTS, pans, 

 boxes for 



and 

 seed 



sowing must now be 

 made ready. Wash 

 the pots and pans, 



Get ready now for sowing seeds in heat next month. 

 all supplies in hand 



Get 



185 



