9 The Readers’ Service will give 
202 information about automobiles 
THE GAR DENY MAGAZINE: 
May, 1908 
Why Waste Time 
and Labor? 
trimming and edging a lawn or garden 
with back-breaking shears, clippers and 
edging tools when the 
Capitol Lawn Trim- 
mer and Edger 
will do the work much better, easier, 
and in a fraction of the time. Saves 
its cost in less than a season. An abso- 
lute necessity for lawn gardens, parks 
and cemeteries. If your dealer does not 
handle it, write us for Catalog ‘‘C.”’ 
Don’t put it off. 
The Granite State Mowing 
Machine Co. 
Hinsdale 
Adventures in Contentment 
By DAVID GRAYSON 
“Here is a book so delightful in its literary style, so simple, 
so sound in its philosophy, so full of genuine content and 
with such a sunny outlookyupon life that one almost hes- 
itates to write about it lest its charms shall be clouded, as 
it were, by overmuch handling.” —7he Brooklyn Daily 
Eagle. 
Uniform with “A Journey to Nature,” illustrated 
by Fogarty, $1.32 postpaid. 
’\) THe Worrp'sWenk THe GARDE” 
ss MAGAZINE. 
DOUBLEDAY. PAGE & Co. NEW Yorn. - 
COUNTRY LIFE 
IN AMPHICA 
BERRIES FROM NORTH CAROLINA 
C. C., N. Carolina-—Currants do not do well in North 
Carolina, except in the mountain districts. Red rasp- 
berries do not succeed in the sun, but some varieties 
(Cuthbert, for instance) will do fairly well on the north 
side of a fence. Gregg is probably the best black rasp- 
berry. 
RED SPIDER ON SWEET PEAS 
A. P. H., New Jersey.— The yellow and dried-up 
appearance of the vines is due to the attacks of red spider. 
The easiest and, best method of ridding the plants of the 
pest is to syringe with clear water applied with considerable 
force. Be sure to hit the under sides of the leaves, for this 
is where the insect resides. 
FERTILIZING BLACKBERRY PLANTS 
M. B., Penna.— Use fertilizer whenever the plants need 
it. If you are getting excellent results without its use, it 
does not seem essential that you apply any. At the same 
time a slight dressing, as a mulch, is always good. How- 
ever, if the ground is sufficiently rich, a fertilizer may cause 
the canes to run to wood and destroy the fruiting qualities. 
PREPARING FLOWER BEDS 
F. W. B., Wyo.— The fundamental cause of so many 
failures with flower beds is the neglect of thorough prepara- 
tion of the soil before planting. The great necessity is 
deep digging and thoroughly turning the soil, so that 
when finished the layer that was formerly eight to twelve 
inches before the surface is now on the top. Spread 
manure or other fertilizer over the surface, and turn 
under in the trenches. Use a fork for this and not a 
spade, for the latter has a tendency to cake the clods if 
the soil is at all tenacious or the work done when it Is at 
all wet. 
ELIMINATING QUACK GRASS 
M. L. B., New Jersey — The quitch or quack grass 
(Agropyrum repens) is an obnoxious weed and hard to 
eradicate from the ground. It is usually found in land 
which is in good condition. The plant is a perennial 
and increases by means of underground stems. The 
best method of clearing quitch grass from large areas of 
land is to plant it to a “hoed crop,” 1. e., corn, potatoes, 
etc. Thorough cultivation must be given until the ground 
is entirely shaded by the foliage of the plants. Cultivating 
for a couple of seasons should kill it off. If the piece of 
land infested is small, dig it over with a spading fork, 
carefully picking out all the roots. Each piece of root 
left in the ground, no matter how small, will make a new 
plant. Remove the roots to some convenient place where 
they may be disposed of by burning. In a week or so 
after the ground has been dug over, a few leaves of the 
quitch grass will probably appear above the ground. 
Cut them off with a sharp scuffle hoe, watch the place 
constantly, and each time new leaves appear cut them off 
This will kill the few remaining roots because they cannot 
live without leaves. 
HOW TO USE NITRATE OF SODA 
L. G. B., New Jersey.— Nitrate of soda is unques- 
tionably an excellent fertilizer to apply in the early stages 
of growth of any crop. It might be called, speaking 
broadly, a stimulant rather than a food. It stimulates 
growth and will cause indirectly an exhaustion of the 
soil unless other fertilizers be introduced. Nitrate of 
soda can be used scattered dry over the surface of the 
ground for vegetable plants, or it can be used in solution. 
The dry salt scattered over the surface of growing crops 
might cause “burning,” as it will extract moisture from them 
in dissolving itself. On the lawn, nitrate of soda can be 
used as a top dressing, broadcast, using about thirty 
pounds to 2,500 square feet. Scatter it on the surface 
on a damp day, preferably immediately preceding a rain. 
It can be used in solution at the rate of one pound to forty 
gallons of water, and the same solution could, of course, be 
used for the garden crops. The mixing of nitrate of soda 
with any other chemical is not advised; it is better to 
apply them separately. The effect of the nitrate of soda 
is to supply nitrogen which stimulates the growth of the 
green parts of the plants, and a complete diet should be 
supplemented with something containing potash and phos- 
phoric acid. Phosphoric acid gives quality and flavor, 
and potash gives firmness and rigidity to the growth. The 
actual feeding material that is derived from stable manure 
is identical with that which is introduced by the use of 
nitrate of soda, 
What the papers say about 
Ghe 
Ancient 
Law 
By Ellen Glasgow 
Author of ‘The Wheel of Life,” 
“The Voice of the People,”’ etc. 
“The Ancient Law’ is a distinct advance 
in the work of an author who ranks with 
the best of cur women novelists.’’—Neaw 
York Times. 
“Tt will take its place at once among the 
best of the year, no matter what the re- 
maining eleven months may bring forth.’’ 
—Chicago ‘Record-Herald. 
““The force of Balzac, it has been said, 
lay in representing the innumerable actual 
facts of the French civilization of his day. 
It is the same sort of service that Miss 
Glasgow has rendered to a smaller civili- 
zation.’’—The North American Review. 
“Miss Glasgow now has a creditable list 
of stories to her credit, but none excels in 
interest this latest one.’’—Chicago Tri- 
bune. 
““*The Ancient Law’ is the best novel that 
Miss Glasgow has yet written ... a book 
which, in ethical interest and in ripe 
knowledge of men and women reminds one 
more of the work of George Eliot than 
of any other author.’’—San Francisco 
Chronicle. 
A tale of human strug- 
gle and human _ love, 
which will last in Amer- 
ican literature. 
$1.50 
COUNTRY LIFE THE WoRLD's WORK Te GARDEN 
IN AMERICA MAGAZINE 
DOUBLEDAY, PAGE & Co. NEW YORK. 
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eres Or Wee ~~ Garcen 
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