THE MONTH'S REMINDER 



DON'T GET OUT OF THE TRENCHES TILL CHRISTMAS! 



THE month of dreariness — and cheer- 

 fulness ! While December is the 

 month when Loki — god of the 

 hearth — holds sway, the man or the 

 woman who sticks to indoors is missing not 

 only the out-door fun to be had in one of the 

 really best months in the year, but a great 

 many garden opportunities as well. There 

 is just as much to be done now in the open as 

 there is inside. 



Make the Last Days Count! 



A TTEND first to those things which should 

 be done before the ground freezes hard, 

 such as finishing up any fall planting jobs. 

 Often it is impossible to get some of the hardy 

 Lily bulbs before freezing weather and this 

 year the bulb supply generally has been irregu- 

 lar. Prepare the ground just the same, 

 covering it with strawy manure or other 

 mulching, so that the bulbs can be put in 

 when they do arrive, even if it is January. 



Root crops, for outside storing that have 

 been left in heaps with a first covering of 

 straw or leaves, will need attention. Put on a 

 covering of soil two or three inches thick, 

 leaving small openings if there is any indica- 

 tion of "sweating." 



Don't Get Out of the Trenches Till Christmas! 



tj^VERY day's work that can now be put 

 -*— * on, work otherwise done in spring, will 

 be as good as two saved from the busier time. 

 Keep spading or trenching every square foot of 

 garden that is not covered with a winter crop. 

 Go two spades deep, and work into the top 

 "spit" all the manure you can get. Soluble 

 fertilizer must not be put on now, however. 

 There is no necessity of inviting trouble next 

 season by harboring it over winter in your 

 own door-yard; so make a final inspection of 

 the whole place with the specific purpose of 

 destroying every possible source of infection. 

 Cut out old canes of berry bushes; search 

 currants and gooseberries for borers; destroy 

 cocoons and egg-masses anywhere and every- 

 where and clean up old flats, pieces of board, 

 bits of rubbish of all kinds. , 



And last but not least — get after your neigh- 

 bors, too ! 



Get the Winter Ammunition Ready 



TV /FAKE ready now for later forcing 

 -*-'-*■ of rhubarb, asparagus, witloof, and 

 strawberries. Store the chicory roots in a 

 cold cellar (in sand) or in a pit, to be used as 

 wanted; dig around the rhubarb and asparagus 

 roots, so that the whole clump will be loos- 

 ened; take up and pot in large pots strong- 

 crowned strawberry plants, water and keep 

 dormant in a cold frame till early spring, when 

 they can readily be started several weeks 

 ahead ot those outside. 



Moving in Midwinter This Year? 



"XJOT your household goods, but a tree or 

 ■*• ^ large shrub. Too big to transplant? 

 Not if you get it while its feet are frozen and 

 it can't kick! Transplanted trees die because 

 the required supply of water is interfered with 

 by the disturbed roots. Therefore, trans- 

 planting in winter with the roots and earth a 

 solid frozen mass and when there are no 

 leaves or new growth to support is plain 

 common sense. Before ground freezes too 

 hard, dig around tree carefully, making a clean, 

 sharp cut across any far reaching roots and 

 leaving as large a ball as can be handled. 

 Burlap worked around this will help hold the 



soil in place. Get another hole ready, in the 

 desired position. Prune the top back when 

 growth starts in the spring. 



The Secret of Successful Winter Work 



/^.ET out the pruning shears: If buying a 

 ^-* new pair, be guided by quality rather 

 than price — a spring that cannot drop out 

 accidentally, and handles that can't pinch 

 your fingers are not mere luxuries. A re- 

 movable blade is a ^worth-while feature, 

 saving the price of a new shears in a few years; 

 and a nut that can be adjusted to keep the 

 joint tight is important. 



If you are a beginner, look up back numbers 

 of The Garden Magazine (December, 1916, 

 is one) or invest two dollars in Kains' new 

 book "Principles and Practice of Pruning." 



DO THIS MONTH 



1. Look over your records of 1917. 



2. Begin thinking of the 1918 Patriotic Garden. 



3. Give final clean-up for all insects and diseases. 



4. Take up roots for winter forcing. 



5. Get ready forjwinter transplanting. 



6. Bring in bulbs for forcing. 



7. Attend to winter pruning of fruit-trees and 



shrubs. 



8. Give the first dormant spray. 



9. Start "stock" plants into growth. 



10. Fix up flats and tools. 



11. Clean old flower-pots and tubs. 



12. Get the cutting-bed ready. 



13. Plant flower-seeds for spring bloom. 



14. Before ground freezes forward spring work 



wherever possible. 



Remember that the first law of pruning is, 

 "the less the better, conditions permitting." 

 [And, by the way, remember that the Editorial 

 Department of the Garden Magazine is pre- 

 pared to 1 assist you in the purchase of any 

 books you may desire]. 



Winter spraying is every bit as important 

 for the small place as for the commercial 

 orchard. The orchard man who does not 

 spray is utterly outclassed, in fact he can't 

 be found, yet the small place owner who does 

 spray is the exception rather than the general 

 rule. // you want good fruit, you must spray— 

 and the winter or "dormant" spray is about 

 as important as the summer spray. 'It pays 

 also to spray shrubs and other plants that are 

 subject to disease or scale, as a precaution in 

 keeping the garden sanitary. No expensive 

 outfit is necessary. If you have no sprayer 

 get one without delay. We have used com- 

 pressed air sprayers like the "auto" and small 

 affairs that fit on to the garden hose and use 

 cartridges and have good words for both. 

 The advantages of the winter spray are that 

 the solution can be used at greater strength 

 than in summer time and it relieves the labor 

 pressure in the busier season. Several differ- 

 ent dormant sprays are in use including lime- 

 sulphur, kerosene emulsion (winter strength), 

 miscible oils, and others. For the small place, 

 it is generally more satisfactory to get a ready- 

 to-use commercial preparation, than to at- 

 tempt home mixing. 



Get the "Stock" Plants Under Way 



TF YOU have stock plants — which may be 

 ■*• little more than roots or stubs — on hand 

 from which to obtain a supply of cuttings 

 for early spring, take them from storage under 

 bench, in cool house or frame and start into 

 growth. A good strong firm growth is es- 

 sential to first quality new plants, so give just 

 as much care and attention from now on, as if 

 they were for the choicest spot in conserva- 

 tory or window garden. Repot them, giv- 



152 



ing a through cleaning and overhauling, and 

 fresh soil. If there are old scraggly worn- 

 out tops, cut back severely. But guard 

 against giving too much manure or nitro- 

 genous fertilizer, which will result in too 

 rapid, soft growth. Plenty of sunshine and 

 plenty of room and fresh air, on the other 

 hand, are desired, as all these make for firm, 

 short-jointed growth. Temperature should 

 be sufficient to assure steady growth, but not 

 to force the plants. 



Bring In More Bulbs for Forcing 



A LL bulbs in pit, cellar, or frame, that are 

 -^■*- to be forced for winter bloom, should 

 have made root growth enough by the end of 

 this month to be brought indoors to heat. 

 Start them in "succession" lots, at intervals 

 of two weeks or so. Begin with very moderate 

 temperature, and increase both temperature 

 and water as top growth develops. 



When the Days are Stormy 



TT IS not a bit too soon to begin getting 

 A one's greenhouse in order, against the 

 spring work. In a very few weeks flats and 

 pots and seed pans will be again in demand. 

 Soak old pots for several days, in two or 

 three changes of water, and rub over with 

 sand, to remove dried moss or earth. White- 

 wash or paint tubs or wood plant boxes that 

 are to be used over again. Get new, fresh 

 sand if possible for cutting beds. Or clean the 

 old sand with a weak solution of formalin. 

 After standing a day or so, "wash out" with 

 clean water by putting the treated sand in a 

 pail or box and shoving the hose down into it, 

 letting the water run slowly for some time. 

 Or the sand may be baked. Clean medium 

 coarse sharp sand, such as is used for concrete 

 work, is just the thing for cuttings. 



Flowers for Early Spring 



r\ON'T run out of flowers indoors before 

 *-^ the outside ones are coming on. Stocks, 

 Mignonette, Clarkia, and a score of other good 

 things may be sown now to keep a full supply 

 when the regular "winter flowers" are begin- 

 ning to go by. Another easy way of having 

 early flowers in advance of the outdoor bloom 

 is by taking branches [and twigs of the com- 

 mon flowering shrubs, putting them in water 

 and occasionally spraying them and keeping 

 them in a warm and sun-lit place. Judas 

 Tree, Japan Quince, Weigela, Pearl Bush, 

 Golden Bell, Mockorange, Bush-honeysuckle, 

 Flowering Almond, Crabapple, Van Houttes' 

 Spiraea, Lilac, Wisteria — all of these may be 

 used in the manner suggested. And, of course, 

 the Willows; any of them will push out their 

 downy buds under the slightest stimulus. 



Get Your Garden "Dope" Ready! 



NEXT month you will once again be plan- 

 ning your vegetable and flower gardens, 

 and the January Garden Magazine will open 

 the new year's new Patriotic Garden campaign 

 by serving you to its best ability. One special 

 feature will be a new planting scheme for the 

 home garden based on actual observations of 

 last season's gardens. We shall tell you how 

 to employ modern scientific industrial man- 

 agement to the home vegetable garden. All 

 last summer careful records were kept to 

 ascertain just how few plants of a given kind, 

 just how short a row was essential to supply 

 the requirements of a definite number of 

 people. All this, with succession planting 

 charts will be laid before you next month. 



