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THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



Winter-Flowering Bulbs 



[""\ETAILS of planting in pots, bulb pans, 

 *^ flats and storing in the coldframe, cellar, 

 or pit preliminary to starting the bulbs have 

 already been described in detail in the Garden 

 Magazine for September. [At this writing it is 

 assured that a limited supply of Dutch bulbs 

 will reach us for planting this fall. There is, 

 also, a small supply of domestic grown bulbs 

 available but the total quantity will only just 

 meet normal demands. Therefore place orders 

 at once. — Ed.]. 



Are All New Plants Ready for Winter? 



A RE all the perennials and biennials (started 

 ■** for next year) in their winter quarters? 

 Those started early enough for transplanting 

 to permanent positions for flowering in the 

 spring and early summer ought to be in place 

 by this time and making good growth. 

 Transplant to winter quarters, as soon as pos- 

 sible, smaller plants to be "carried over" 

 under mulching or in frames. Avoid any 

 severe check by shading and giving plenty of 

 moisture, so that they may become as sturdy 

 as possible before growth stops. The mistake 

 is made frequently of merely sticking in these 

 things, and letting them go without further 

 attention. A little liquid manure or nitrate 

 of soda and frequent weeding or cultivation to 

 keep the soil loosened up, and an occasional 

 good watering, in absence of rain, will do just 

 as much now to promote rapid growth as in the 

 spring. 



Make Your Cuttings Before Frost 



r^HIS is the time for making cuttings of soft 

 -*- wooded plants, such as Geranium, Helio- 

 trope, Fuchsia, Verbena, etc. The new late sum- 

 mer growth, which is beginning to "ripen up" is 

 crisp and firm; and the temperature conditions 

 are right to make the work of rooting the cut- 

 tings easy. It is not necessary to have a 

 greenhouse to root these things. An ordinary 

 flat filled with clean, gritty sand and a layer 

 of sphagnum moss in the bottom may be used 

 as a "cutting-bed." Placed where it will get 

 plenty of light without direct sunshine, and 

 covered or closed in at night to keep the 

 temperature at 40 degrees or so, the slip 

 will give good strong rooted cuttings within the 

 next four or five weeks. The little plants may 

 then be potted up and carried along in a deep 

 warm frame, or in the house or conservatory, 

 and will make good strong plants for flowering 

 next spring or setting out of doors in late 

 April or May. Make the cuttings two to five 

 inches long, removing the lower leaves and 

 cutting the others back about a half. They 

 may be placed in the sand about as close to- 

 gether as they will stand and should be put into 

 it about half their length. Keep the sand 

 moist but not wet. Give a light sprinkling or 

 spraying for the first few days to keep the 

 plants from wilting but not enough to wet the 

 sand, which should be kept rather dry until 

 the cuttings have got over their tendency to 

 wilt. 



Plenty of Plants for This Winter's Bloom 



"VV7"HETHER you have a frame, a con- 

 * ' servatory, a greenhouse, or just a 

 "flower-window" you can provide yourself 

 with annuals for winter bloom by sowing the 

 seed now in a frame or in a sheltered place. 

 Use light soil, cover lightly, give one good 

 sprinkling and then keep the soil covered with 

 pieces of moist newspaper or a pane of glass — 

 not quite air-tight — and in ten days to two 

 weeks after sowing you should have an abun- 



October, 1917 



dance of such things as Stock, Clarkia, Calen- 

 dula, etc., coming on to give good plants for 

 pots or window boxes. 



Why Not Eat Strawberries This Winter? 



A NOTHER opportunity, generally over- 

 7^ looked, is that of growing strawberries 

 in the frame for an early crop. Very often 

 frames are allowed to stand idle all winter. 

 Take up good strong plants now and put in 

 generous sized pots of rich soil, water them and 

 keep them shaded for a few days. The pots 

 for the present may be merely sunk in soil up 

 to their rims to prevent their drying out 

 rapidly. On the approach of cold weather put 

 them into the frame where they can be given 

 some protection with sash or shutters. It is 

 not intended to keep the frost from reaching 

 them, as they should have a resting or dor- 

 mant period of at least several weeks before 

 being fruited. If one has a greenhouse they 

 can be brought in at any time during the 

 winter. If not, they can be kept in the 

 frames, and by starting them into growth 

 under the sash in February or March will 

 come in some weeks ahead of the crop in the 

 garden. 



8. 



9. 



10. 



11. 



12. 



DO THIS MONTH 



Do plenty of fall planting — but get it done 



early! 

 Put hardy perennials and biennials into 



winter quarters. 

 Make sojl-wooded cuttings for winter and 



spring plants. 

 Take in "stock" plants of Geranium, Helio- 

 trope, etc. 

 Start annuals for indoor bloom. 

 Provide strawberries for winter and spring 



fruiting. 

 Get the under glass crops — lettuce, radishes, 



etc. — under way. 

 Take care of the tender bulbs in good time. 

 Get after the aphids in frames and indoors. 

 Keep on sowing seed for next year's crop of 



"humus." 

 Get ready materials for mulching next 



month. 

 Get your bulbs planted for winter bloom 



indoors. 



Get the Under-Glass Crop Under Way 



T F YOU have any glass on the place — and if 

 you haven't there is yet time to get some 

 before freezing weather if you order at once — 

 give attention now to the crops for fall and 

 winter. 



Have clean soil in the bed or benches in 

 which lettuce, radishes, tomatoes, etc., are to 

 be grown. It pays to put in fresh soil even at 

 considerable trouble and expense. The old 

 soil may be kept for potting up and using in 

 flats for vegetables, etc., in the spring, or as 

 compost for the garden. The soil for all these 

 things should be, of course, made very rich. 

 If manure is used let it be very thoroughly 

 rotted, and fine. Much more is used than 

 would be applied on an equal amount of space 

 outdoors. The vegetables grown under glass 

 have but 25 to 50 per cent, as much room as 

 they would have in the open and, therefore, 

 the soil must be made proportionately richer. 

 In addition, it is desirable to keep them grow- 

 ing as rapidly as possible so that the same space 

 can be used again. As soon as the various 

 crops are well started, or within a week or so of 

 setting out or transplanting, liquid manure or 

 liquid nitrate of soda — a tablespoonful dis- 

 solved in two or three gallons of water, applied 

 with an ordinary sprinkler — will be very help- 

 ful in giving both flowers and vegetables a 

 strong start. 



Time to Retire the Tender Bulbs 



XTVERY year thousands of dollars' worth 

 of tender bulbs of various kinds are lost 

 by being left in the soil after they should have 

 been taken in. Of those ordinarily grown, 

 which will be injured or killed outright by the 

 first severe freeze, there are tuberous Begonias, 

 Caladium's, Callas, Tuberoses, Cannas, Dah- 

 lias, Gladiolus, Tigridias, and others of similar 

 character. Of these, the first four mentioned 

 are particularly tender and should be taken 

 indoors immediately after the first light 

 frost, which will blacken the foliage. Lay 

 them in some warm, sunny place to dry, and 

 cure under a greenhouse bench for instance. 

 The others may remain until the foliage has 

 been killed down, when it may be cut off six 

 inches or so above the ground and unless 

 severe cold weather threatens the bulbs may 

 be left two or three weeks longer. Take them 

 up before the ground begins to freeze up at 

 night, however. 



Get After the Indoor Aphis Early 



A NOTHER matter likely to be neglected 

 •^*- in the rush of cleaning up the fall work 

 out of doors is attention to plants in the 

 greenhouse or started in the frames. Don't 

 let the aphis get a start! Tobacco dust or 

 tobacco stems around the plants will help to 

 keep them away but cannot be relied on al- 

 together. Thoroughly fumigate or spray from 

 time to time. The simplest, surest way is 

 to spray or fumigate the plants regularly every 

 ten days or so whether any aphis are to be seen 

 or not, using one of the commercial prepara- 

 tions of tobacco-extract such as Aphine, Black- 

 leaf 40, etc. 



Keep on Planting Cover Crops 



13 EFERENCE was made last month to the 

 ■*-^ advantage of sowing all the space in the 

 garden as soon as available with rye, or better 

 still, with rye and vetch together, to form a 

 cover crop for the winter and a crop for plow- 

 ing or spading under in the spring. Keep up 

 this work until freezing weather. Sow the 

 seed extra thick, work it in with a rake and if 

 the soil is dry give a good watering to assure 

 prompt germination. To get big crops you 

 must keep your garden full of humus. Don't 

 begrudge the slight expense involved, even if 

 rye is extra high-priced just now — so is fertili- 

 zer, and so are vegetables. Your cover crop 

 will save fertilizer and help you grow more 

 vegetables. [Read the article On page 86 — Ed.]. 



Get Mulching Material Ready 



Ij^ALL preparation for the winter by mulch- 

 ing is one 6f the important factors in 

 keeping a place in good condition. While it 

 is too early as yet to apply the mulch it is not 

 too early to begin gathering the material re- 

 quired. The advantages of getting it now are 

 several. You can put it under cover and have 

 it dry and ready to use and immediately avail- 

 able. Clean, dry leaves are good for many 

 kinds of mulching. A convenient way of 

 gathering and storing them is to get some old 

 burlap or grain bags and stuff them full of 

 leaves as fast as the latter accumulate on 

 lawns and drives. Marsh hay is better for 

 some purposes than the leaves, especially for 

 mulching strawberries, as it "stays put" and 

 does not decay or remain wet in the spring. If 

 there is not room to keep this under cover, have 

 it piled in a neat stack near the garden or 

 where it will be wanted for use. If properly 

 "capped" when it is put up, it will shed rain 

 and remain dry enough to use whenever 

 wanted. 



