10 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



August, 1917 



THE number of things that can still 

 grow from seed to edible size is really 

 surprising. Watch just two points: Sow 

 the seeds promptly and sow varieties 

 adapted to the season. This means quick- 

 maturing types, and since the same 

 weather conditions prevail during early fall as 

 during early spring, in most cases, the extra 

 early spring sorts will again serve their purpose. 

 Two kinds of gardens you can still have: 

 (i) from seeds and (2) from plants. If you 

 can, persuade your neighbors to let you have 

 beet, lettuce, kohlrabi, or any other plants 

 which they arenow" thinning "from July plant- 

 ing. Most seed stores are prepared to supply 

 plants of late celery and cabbage during the 

 early part of the month. But if a garden 

 from plants is out of the question, by all means 

 start one with seeds and here is what you can 

 grow: 



Planting Orders for the Month 



Beans. Where the first average frost does 

 not occur until the last week in September, 

 Bountiful or either of the Yellow Six Weeks 

 Beans will produce pods from seeds sown up to 

 August 10th. With September 21st as the 

 frost date, depend on Hopkins' Strain of 

 Round Podded Red Valentine to furnish pods 

 in 48 to 52 days. But you must sow not later 

 than August 5th (latitude of New York) or 

 arrange to protect the plants. By placing 

 rows eighteen inches apart, quite a space may 

 be enclosed with bags or burlap. Thus pro- 

 tected, the approach of heavy frosts need not 

 menace the late started beans. 



Beets. Plant more rows at once. Not 

 only do the young, "thinned out" seedlings 

 furnish delicious greens, but varieties like 

 Faust's Early Crimson (which is a white beet) 

 and special strains of Crosby's Egyptian will 

 form roots two to two and one-half inches in 

 diameter by the end of September from seeds 



FOOD CROPS 



That You Can Sow Now 



sown during the first week of this month. Be 

 sure to press the seeds firmly into contact with 

 the soil by walking over the rows. Though 

 beets are really quite hardy and stand consid- 

 erable frost, pull them for winter storage, 

 before the centre leaves of the tops freeze, to 

 ensure keeping quality. 



Carrots. Both Chantenay and Oxheart 

 will grow to good size if seeds are sown 

 promptly early in the month and the seedlings 

 are "thinned out" promptly. No other 

 single factor will retard longer development 

 than crowding in the row. 



Other "root crops." Plant kohlrabi, rad- 

 ishes, and turnips. Early White or Purple 

 Vienna kohlrabi are ready for use or storing 

 in sixty days from date of sowing seeds. They 

 stand considerable frost and may be left out- 

 doors until the middle of October. 



Radishes. The early sorts are again the 

 order of the day. Scarlet Globe, Icicle, and 

 Rapid Red will develop roots fit for use in 25 

 to 35 days and will retain their crispness for 

 some time. Make no attempt to store these 

 radishes since they are not of sufficiently solid 

 texture to keep well. But by making re- 

 peated sowings of 15-foot rows during the first 

 two weeks of the month, you may enjoy these 

 delicacies up to hard frosts. 



Turnips are one of the most profitable crops 

 to sow now. Either of the Milan varieties 

 or Snowball will reach edible size in 45 days. 

 But for winter storage Purple-top Strap-leaf 

 is better, since it is firmer. However, since it 

 requires at least 65 days to reach good size, it 

 must be sown very early in the month. It 

 will grow right up to severe cold weather, 



when it should be pulled and stored along 

 with carrots, beets, and kohlrabi. 



Kale and spinach are two cold-loving 

 plants for "greens" that will thrive in 

 the garden until after snow flies. Sow 

 seeds in rows, which makes it ever so much 

 easier to cultivate the crop, than the old-fash- 

 ioned method of "broadcasting" the seeds. 

 Dwarf German or Scotch Kale will develop 

 superb plants by the end of October from 

 seeds sown up to August 15th. 



Spinach. Any kind, excepting New Zea- 

 land, will reach full size from seeds sown any 

 time this month. 



Peas. You may hope to gather luscious 

 peas if you start with either Pedigree Extra 

 Early, Market Surprise, or any other first early. 

 Sown in double rows, four inches apart, with 

 eighteen inches between the rows, Pedigree 

 Extra Early needs no support, though Mar- 

 ket Surprise will be better off if provided with 

 brush or strings. The latter matured in 53 

 days this spring. 



Lettuce thrives to perfection during the cool 

 months of early fall. Either Black Seeded 

 Tennisball,Wayahead, or Naumburger (among 

 the butterheads) will form fine heads by the 

 end of September from seeds sown early; 

 among the crispheads, Crisp-as-Ice beats all 

 for hardiness. We have seen this thrive out- 

 doors, under a covering of dry leaves, right 

 up to Thanksgiving. The thing of paramount 

 importance in connection with lettuce is 

 promptly thinning the seedlings to stand four 

 inches apart when three to four inches tall and 

 of taking out every other plant as soon as they 

 begin to crowd in the row. 



Directions as to time given in these columns apply 

 generally to the latitude of New York as a standard. 

 Except where specifically otherwise mentioned allow 

 a difference of about a week earlier or later for 

 each hundred miles south or north, as the case 

 may be. 



YOU may expect a second crop of 

 slugs on the pear foliage. If one 

 appeared in your neighborhood during 

 June, it will be due about the first week 

 in August. We mean the ones that 

 were green until full grown, then turned 

 yellow when they shed their last skins before 

 going into the ground to pupate. The flies 

 from the first brood emerge in about two weeks, 

 lay eggs on the leaf and die. The slugs of the 

 second brood hatch in about two weeks and, 

 if allowed, reach maturity in about four or 

 five weeks. If not convenient to use arsenate 

 of lead (which possibly you can't buy by the 

 time this appears) — an ounce to two gallons 

 of water — lime dust, pyrethrum powder or 

 even road dust will make them uncomfortable 

 enough to drop to the ground where if ex- 

 pectant chickens are at hand they will help 

 reduce the H. C. L. 



ic Wormy quinces are made so by the cod- 

 ling moth larva which also makes wormy ap- 

 ples. Spray with lime-sulphur wash (an 

 ounce to two gallons of water) when the fruit 

 is half grown. Of course, the spring spraying 

 is more important. But it's now too late 

 for that for this year! 



if Those little flute-like holes set close 

 together on grape, raspberry and other canes 

 that you perhaps saw late last summer, or until 

 this spring, were made by the beautiful pale 

 green or snow tree cricket which makes so 

 much noise in shrubbery on warm summer 

 evenings. Neither the adults nor the larvae 



ENEMY ASSAULTS 



You Must Repulse 



are troublesome because they eat plant lice 

 and other insects. Their egg-laying habit 

 weakens and injures the canes somewhat. 

 If seriously abundant, cut off and burn the 

 canes during winter or early spring. 



it If there are only a few cabbage worms 

 — the green velvety fellows — on your cabbage, 

 cauliflower, and related plants, you needn't 

 worry because their parasites will relieve you 

 of their attentions. But if they are very 

 numerous treat them to paris green (1 03.) 

 and whale oil soap (4 oz.), in water (6 gal.) 

 any time up to the formation of the head. 

 Hellebore one part by measure to three parts 

 of flour, or lime dust is good to shake over the 

 plants while still wet with dew. Some people 

 use slug shot. 



if Cabbage aphis or lice increase genera- 

 tion after generation all summer and fall. 

 Better see if any of the little fellows are on the 

 plants (cauliflower, brussels sprouts, etc.) 

 this month as there will be many times more 

 in a few weeks unless attended to now. 

 "Black leaf 40" or other nicotine preparation 

 such as aphine according to directions on the 

 package but with. 'two ounces of whale oil 

 soap added to each three or four gallons of 

 water may be used to good effect. 



ir Melons and cucumbers are very 

 shallow rooted plants. They send their 

 roots long distances laterally only a 

 few inches below the surface and fully 

 as far out from the "hill" as the vines 

 extend. With ' this fact in mind the 

 method of handling them is obvious: use a 

 scuffle hoe or a garden rake frequently but 

 no deeper than the surface half inch of soil. 

 Do this every week from the time the 

 vines begin to "run" until they cover the 

 ground, all the time keeping just out of 

 touch with the vines themselves. The less 

 the vines are touched or moved, the better, 

 as they are then less likely to be injured or to 

 become victims of disease and insects. Other 

 things being equal this method will produce 

 finer quality fruit than any other method. 

 It is distinctly the home or amateur practise 

 which the commercial melon grower cannot 

 approach, much less equal. 



if Borers in apple trees are of two prin- 

 cipal kinds: the "flat-headed" which may be 

 found in any part of the trunk and the main 

 branches, which reaches maturity in one year 

 and which feeds mainly just beneath the 

 bark; and the "round-headed" which is usu- 

 ally found mostly near or just below the sur- 

 face of the ground, lives three years, during the 

 second in deep burrows though at first feeding 

 in the sapwood arid the inner bark, and lastly 

 pupating just beneath the bark. Both 

 species are very destructive especially to trees 

 not kept clean around their trunks and t© 

 failing trees. Clean cultivation is a partial 



