a UGUST has its activities for the gar- 



^L dener no less than April and May 



/-■% — and yet the ninety-nine out of 

 A- A every hundred seems to regard 

 August as a "dead" month. Let us see 

 what's to be done — orders for bulbs and 

 flowering roots (iris and peony) for prompt 

 delivery! Seeds for late crops for winter 

 supply to be bought; also plants for the 

 greenhouse and all indoor material for 

 winter; and in the garden the big work for 

 the month is planting evergreens and 

 making lawns. 



The dahlias should be showing bud 

 formation at this time. If they stiU continue the heavy coarse growth with 

 no tendency to flower, cut the roots slightly to check the growth. Those 

 that are showing flower should have bone meal or strong, concentrated 

 fertilizer forked in around the base of the plant. Don't use too much liquid 

 manure on dahlias as it is conducive to soft growth. 



AUGUST is an excellent time to move evergreens, and it is a time of the 

 year when we can give attention to the details of the work. Any new 

 work that involves evergreens can best be now undertaken as all nurseries will 

 ship evergreens at this season. This applies also to herbaceous plants that rest 



Planting- suc ^ as * r * s > or i enta l P°PPy> an( i Madonna lily. 



Be very careful of red spider on your evergreens, especially 

 Evergreens jf there is continued dry weather and particularly newly set 

 out plants. Red spider is the worst enemy of the evergreens, but is fortunately 

 easy to fight though nothing short of persistent effort will exterminate him. 

 Any of the standard spraying preparations for this purpose are suitable. Don't 

 wait until the tree is ruined; spray often! 



APPLY a top dressing to the lawn, using a mixture of equal parts of wood 

 ashes and bone meal, or either one by itself. Apply on a wet day or just 

 previous to a rain if possible. 



The proper time to sow lawns is an old, old topic, and there are numerous 

 T arguments pro and con. My idea is that one gets better lawns from 



awns August sowing than any other. Weed growth has practically ter- 

 minated for the season and if you get good clean seed, you will find a very small 

 percentage of weeds in an August-sown lawn. There is but one drawback to 

 August sowing and that is the dry weather which often prevails at this season 

 of the year. There is no use watering grass seed; you simply must have all 

 the conditions that go with a wet spell to get a stand. 



MAKE the final sowing of string beans not later than the middle of the month. 

 Sow several rows at one time, keeping them about eighteen inches apart, 

 so that they may be easily protected from an early frost. In this way you may 

 have beans outdoors until the middle of November. Final sowings of beets 

 o , j and carrots are to be made early this month. The roots are 



easily stored for winter use. 

 Late Crops a couple of sowings of peas can be made this month; and 



while possibly these late sowings may not mature there is not much lost and 

 the gain is considerable if you get the crop during late October and in November. 



Make a big sowing of lettuce. If properly handled this will keep you supplied 

 until the holidays, if well protected later on. 



Several sowings of spinach may be made during this month. If you want 

 quality never allow spinach to suffer for want of water. 



This is the time to sow artichoke for next season's supply (if you have a cold- 

 frame to protect them during the winter). I always carry the plants along in 

 pots. They should be in 6-inch pots and well rooted by the time it is necessary 

 to put them in the frames. 



Keep late cabbage well watered to prevent club root. .Also spray it with a 

 light mixture of arsenate of lead. If you do this before the cabbage heads are 

 up there is absolutely no danger; and it surely keeps the cabbage worm in 

 check. It is still not too late to set out late celery. Of course you won't get 

 enormous heads but you can get fair sized ones of excellent quality. Dig plenty 

 of manure into the ground and keep the plants well watered if the weather 

 is dry. 



Onions will be ripening toward the latter part of this month. When the tops 

 start to turn yellow, pull them and lay them on their sides for a day or two until 

 they dry up. Then place them where they will have abundance of air, but no 

 moisture, until the stems dry up entirely. 



CLIMBING roses and all vines should now be gone over and tied to the 

 trellis or trained into position. When necessary to restrict flowering 

 vines of all kinds remove the older wood which is practically spent, and keep 

 a supply of young vigorous shoots. Do not let the rose plants suffer for water; 

 p _ v . a good application of bone meal spaded in will very much im- 



• prove the quality of the flowers. Hedges clipped at this time 



and Shrubs should keep their shape for the balance of the season. The 

 actual growing season is drawing to a close so shape up now all hedges and 

 plants that are kept trained. 



THIS is bulb season and preparations should be made for planting. Place 

 your orders promptly to secure just what you want and of reliable quality. 

 Bulbs require good soil; the flower which is in the bulb is brought forth to the 

 various degrees of perfection according to the conditions under which it is grown. 

 Bulbs for the Poor conditions produce poor flowers. 



_,. „ , For showy beds for display purposes, hyacinths, tulips, 



.blower Lraraen anc j na rcissus prevail; for naturalizing, the narcissus, 

 crocus, lily-of-the- valley, and trilliums are excellent; for rock garden or alpine 

 effects scilla, grape hyacinth, fritillaria, chionanthus, and crocus are dependable; 

 for cut flower purposes, the Darwin tulip is excellent, also the various types of 

 narcissus, all the hardy lilies, etc. 



HT2 \A ^\ IV T T I I * C K" F ' EP tne runners cut Irom tne £>traw- 



JL jyi V«J IN Jfl ^ berry bed " This is a ! most a contin- 



uous performance at this time of the year; 



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 



but it must be done, as to leave the run- 



The Strawberry Beds ners means that 

 . _, , . the bed must be 



and Raspberries disposed of after 



next season's crop, because it is impossible 

 to care for the plants if the runners are 

 allowed to root promiscuously. Now is an 

 excellent time to set out a new strawberry 

 bed. Early runners which are taken and 

 pot grown will, if set out this month and 

 given good care, produce a good crop next 

 season. Spade plenty of good manure into the bed. 



Raspberry and blackberry canes that have borne fruit should now be cut 

 right down to the ground. The heavy young stalks which are now growing 

 rapidly will be the fruit producers next season and should be given plenty of room. 



\ /[ USKMELONS should be ripening fast now. Here is a little trick about 



1V1 



ripening a melon that I have found improves the flavor. A melon when 



thoroughly ripe leaves the vine of its own accord, but when this occurs you have 

 a melon that is very likely overripe on one (the flower) end. Pick melons when 



A Trick stem ^ rst sbows any s *§ n °^ l eavm g tne melon; the melon 



will then be hard and firm, but put it in a very high tem- 

 with Melons perature (in a greenhouse or frame that is not occupied by 

 plants) turn once to secure even ripening full to the outer rind, leaving only the 

 thin rind to be wasted in place of the usual inch or so. After several hours in 

 a high temperature the melons are placed on a cellar floor to cool and then in a 

 refrigerator to chill. 



TX/HY not start a good big lot of hardy perennials if you have a coldframe in 

 VV which to winter the plants? Any sort of a crude frame will do; if you 

 haven't glass covers, boards or mats will do. Nearly all the hardy perennials 

 can be sown at this time and will flower next season; they simply require some 

 Perennials very ^ g ^ lt P rotect i° n over tne winter. This is also the accepted 

 time to sow those two showy biennials the foxglove (Digitalis) 

 from Seed an( j CU p an( j sa ucer (Campanula). Winter in a frame, and 

 set out in very early spring. 



NOW is the time to do any necessary repairs, broken glass should be replaced, 

 all necessary painting both inside or out done at once. Look over the 

 boiler, clean out the chimney, put the benches into good condition. It is 

 easier to do this work now than later on when the houses are filled with plants. 

 Greenhouse ^ y° u want early flowers, sow sweet peas now. A solid 



. . . . "' bed is undoubtedly the better, but good results can be had 



Activities from raised benches; a bench without bottom heat, however, 



is preferable. Sweet peas delight in a rich, mellow loam. Use plenty of good 

 quality, well rotted manure and work it thoroughly into the soil. Sow the 

 seeds in drills where they have at least from six to eight feet of head room, and 

 have the rows about four feet apart. 



Calla lilies should now be started. Use rich soil when potting or benching, 

 and don't water them too freely until they have started root action. 



Freesias are procurable now and should be potted or boxed when received. 

 It is still too early for planting in the benches; put the pots or boxes in a cold- 

 frame and cover them with about an inch of ashes. 



Lilies of all kinds are excellent for winter forcing; cold storage bulbs of some 

 are needed to give good results. They can be obtained now and should be 

 immediately potted. The Easter lily (Harrisii) is delivered this month. Put 

 these bulbs in a frame and cover with about one inch of ashes until growth starts. 



If you haven't already ordered forcing bulbs of other types do it at once; 

 tulips of all types, hyacinths, both Dutch and Roman, all the various types of 

 narcissus, Spanish iris, alyssum, anemone, Gladiolus colvillii, lily-of-the-valley 

 ornithogalum and numerous other bulbs which can be forced successfully. 



Carnations can be benched; select a dark day if possible. Use a good rich 

 soil — just as it comes from the compost heap is all right if you mix some coarse 

 bone through it. Shade the houses for a few days, but this can be easily over- 

 done as the plants get soft very quickly. 



Snapdragon (Antirrhinum) for forcing can now be benched, where there is 

 plenty of head room. Grow this plant cool, not over 50 degrees nights, for 

 quality flowers. If you haven't already sown calceolaria and cineraria for next 

 winter forcing do it now. 



All potted plants, such as primula, cyclamen, etc., which have been carried 

 through the summer in coldframes, should be brought inside, and repotted if 

 required. In most cases this will be the final potting. 



Mignonette, when well grown, is a very beautiful winter subject. It forces 

 well, but must be grown cool (not over 50 degrees) and a rich, mellow loam is 

 essential. Sow the seeds some time this month, and carry the plants along in 

 pots until they are finally benched. 



Start sowing stocks now for winter forcing. For pot work this flower is best 

 when handled as a successional crop and sown in patches about three to four 

 weeks apart. For benching sow early in the month and carry along in pots; 

 when well rooted in 4-inch pots bench them in the cool house. 



FRESH shipments of mushroom spawn are procurable at this season and it 

 is an excellent time to start a bed. 

 Sow tomatoes for forcing as early this month as possible. Use the forcing 

 types for this purpose because they set more freely during the dark winter 



After the Outdoor ™ ea l h f ', Sow cuc ^ mb , ers u for winter forcin - the 



English frame type is the best. 

 Vegetables jf y OU wan t some snowy white cauliflower for 



Thanksgiving dinner, and from then on throughout the winter, start sowing 

 early this month in small patches and sow about three weeks for succession. 



New Zealand spinach is a very profitable crop for cut greens. Started now 

 in rich soil, the quality is improved wonderfully by growing in the greenhouse 



14 



