10 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



August, 1918 



thick, plus abundance of water, is the pre- 

 scription for a good lawn in six weeks. The 

 soil of course must be well drained, not sour, 

 and well enriched with bone meal or other 

 suitable fertilizers. 



Greenhouse and Frames 



DEFORE you do another thing — D 

 -'-' Have you got a good sod pile put up? 

 That is the basis of all next season's success. 



— good thick turfs, out of rich soil, stacked 

 grassy sides together, or with alternate layers 

 of manure will be ready to chop down when 

 you want it most. 



Both inside and in the frames it is time to 

 have everything in readiness for the first 

 plantings of under-glass vegetables, and 

 flowers, such as lettuce and carnations. 

 Success depends largely upon having these 

 things well started before artificial heat has 



to be used. Thoroughly whitewash all wood- 

 work, benches, etc., before making ready 

 for the incoming crops. 



Irrigation under glass. □ If you have 

 30 lbs. or so pressure with your present water- 

 ing system, by all means put in a line of \ 

 inch pipe, with "indoor" nozzles, to cut down 

 the constant and slow work of watering in- 

 doors — it spreads the water in a fine mist, that 

 will not injure the most delicate flowers. 



Light Activities All Along the Line 



THOUGH there is no major operation to 

 be carried out at this time, yet there 

 is plenty of activity on all fronts in 

 gathering the fruits of the earlier efforts 

 and at the same time giving consideration to 

 the future welfare of the garden. 



The Month of Realization 



/"'ROPS are maturing, yet the ripening is 

 ^- J always subject to weather conditions 

 and while these are broadly general at 

 specified periods of the year, there is some 

 variation. Onions will be ripening. Ter- 

 mination of growth is indicated when the tops 

 turn yellow and the outer skin becomes tough 

 and transparent. The bulbs should then be 

 pulled up and laid singly in rows to dry. If 

 they are turned several times it will improve 

 them. After a few days' curing the roots and 

 tops can be twisted off and the bulbs placed 

 in an open crate, so that the air may circulate 

 around them freely. Then store for future 

 use in a cool dry place. 



Early celery will be ready for use. Bank- 

 ing with earth is dangerous during warm 

 weather as the lack of air is liable to cause 

 decay. By preference use boards or paper 

 collars which are-made for this purpose. Blanch 

 in usable quantities. It takes from ten to 

 fourteen days to blanch celery, so it is not 

 difficult to figure out how much to cover at 

 any one time. 



Tomatoes may be hastened to ripen by re- 

 ducing the amount of foliage. Cutting out the 

 leaves admits air to the interior of the plant 

 and so also prevents the fruit from decaying. 

 The leaves may be removed to the last joint, 

 but not entirely. 



Melons are ripening. Muskmelons leave 

 the vine voluntarily when ripe and should 

 never be cut. Place the fruit in an empty 

 frame for a few hours to finish the process and 

 ripen the flesh to the outer skin. Ripe water- 

 melons give a very perceptible crunching 

 sound on pressure if ready to gather. 



Sowing Crops for Fall 



\yf ANY quick maturing crops may now be 

 *y *■ sown for fall use. Indeed those of 

 "cool habits" cannot be sown in summer with 

 any degree of satisfaction. This is true of 

 the heading types of lettuce, radishes, spinach, 

 peas, and turnips; beets, carrots, and ruta- 

 bagas can be added as winter crops. 



The common complaint that fall crops are a 

 failure can usually be attributed to improper 

 cultivation. Let us reason out the matter. 

 I sually dry, hot weather prevails at this time 

 of sear; evaporation of moisture is therefore 

 more rapid than at any other season; the 

 ground fin most cases) has yielded previous 

 crops and is somewhat exhausted; rarely is 

 any effort made to refertilize. Lack of at- 

 tention is the cause of failure with fall crops. 

 If we saturate the drills thoroughly with water 

 before sowing the seed, if' we replenish the 

 fctility of the soil ("with some well rotted 



manure or other means), and in addition give 

 ordinary good cultivation to conserve the soil 

 moisture, the results are certain. During 

 the month make two sowings of peas, spinach, 

 radishes, lettuce, and endive; one sowing each 

 of beans, carrots, beets, turnips, and ruta- 

 bagas. Remember when making late sowings 

 that the ground must be dug over and pre- 

 pared exactly as for spring plants. 



Value of Summer Cultivation ' 



EVAPORATION is most rapid during the 

 ■*— ' hot dry weather of summer and plants 

 do not differ from other living things in re- 

 quiring more moisture to offset the process of 

 evaporation. If the soil is lacking, the plants 

 will soon be easy victims of the hot sun. No 

 amount of surface moisture will prevent this; 

 plants gather the required moisture from the 

 soil. It is drawn up into the leaves and used 

 to build up growth. The excess is passed off 

 into the air. This constant circulation of 

 moisture is essental. The soil moisture need 

 not be in direct contact with the roots, as, by 

 capillary attraction, the roots can draw mois- 

 ture from a considerable distance. There- 

 fore cultivation at this time is the key to suc- 

 cess in the garden. It should be practised 

 regularly and deeply. No cultivating tool 

 that I have yet seen, cultivates the ground too 

 deeply. 



Bugs and Diseases — How to Fight Them 



A MONG the worst enemies of plants 

 ■£*■ are the larvae (caterpillars) of moths and 

 butterflies which operate to a considerable 

 extent at this season of the year. They are 

 terrific feeders and, if not checked, will very 

 shortly ruin any plants attacked. Fortu- 

 nately the fact that they are tremendous eaters 

 makes them easy prey to any poison that may 

 be applied to the plants, and there is no excuse 

 for the ravages of these pests since they are so 

 easily detected and so easily destroyed. 

 For the spraying of most plants, arsenate of 

 lead is preferred because it adheres to the foli- 

 age, and being white shows clearly the finished 

 work, leaving no excuse for misses. On plants 

 that are to be used within three weeks of the 

 spraying period, it is advisable to use some of 

 the non-poisonous insecticides. These can 

 be secured at any supply house. 



Soft foliaged plants such as muskmelons, 

 celery, tomatoes and potatoes should be con- 

 stantly inspected for blights and mildews and 

 sprayed with bordeaux mixture at biweekly 

 intervals as a preventive. 



If the larva of the asparagus beetle is oper- 

 ating dust the plants when moist with dew 

 with one of the dry poison compounds, such 

 as arsenate of lead or hellebore. 



Examine each plant at the terminal growth 

 and the inside of the leaves for the presence 

 of aphids. These are unquestionably one of 

 the hardest of all plant enemies to destroy 

 because their presence is in many cases not 

 detected until they have seriously injured the 



H' 



vitality of the plant; spray them with nicotine 

 solution or a fish-oil soap. Spraying on three 

 consecutive evenings should assure success. 



Squash, cucumbers, and pumpkin are often 

 affected with the squash bug or cucumber 

 beetle. If the insects are present spray the 

 underside of the leaf with a strong nicotine 

 solution, using an upward directed nozzle as 

 the spray kills by contact only. 



Look over corn for the presence of ear worm 

 and, while a little late, some dry arsenate of 

 lead dusted on the silk of late maturing 

 crops will be helpful. Where the worm has 

 hatched, the only course is to slightly strip 

 the ear and remove the worm by hand. 



Pulling Up Finished Crops 



'ERE are some practical follow up crops 

 for succession: Replace crops of cabbage 

 and corn with lettuce or spinach or vegetables 

 of a similar nature. Try to regulate the 

 ground so that the root crops will succeed 

 such crops as peas and other leguminous 

 plants on account of the quantity of nitrogen 

 which these plants have stored in the soil. 

 The onion bed makes an ideal place for the 

 finishing of lettuce of the heading types, which 

 require a very rich soil. When early potatoes 

 are dug the space should be devoted to ruta- 

 bagas or other winter root crops. Crops may 

 even be sown in between the rows before the 

 potatoes are gathered but of course if this is 

 done, great care must be exercised when 

 digging. 



And if you do not desire to sow late crops 

 in the vacant places in the garden, you should 

 certainly sow cover crops such as clover or rye 

 with the idea of turning under next spring. 

 This will add considerable fertility to the 

 ground at the minimum of cost, and more 

 over such soils will hold moisture better next 

 season. 



Gathering the Fruit Crops 



A LL fruit such as raspberries, blackberries, 

 "^*- gooseberries, and currants should be 

 picked clean; not only from an economic 

 standpoint but because the ripening process 

 is a strain on the plant's resources and the 

 sooner this is relieved, the more quickly and 

 vigorously will the plant be able to begin 

 its growth for the following season s crop. Re- 

 move the old fruiting canes as soon as the crop 

 is gathered, thus giving every chance for de- 

 velopment to the young shoots that are to 

 bear the future crop. 



Peaches and pears, and in some cases 

 young apple trees, will often set more fruit 

 than the wood is able to support, and this is 

 liable to lead to considerable injury to the 

 tree, in the event of a heavy storm. There- 

 fore, provide supports where the branches are 

 bending from the load they are carrying — a 

 crotched stick placed under the branch will 

 answer the purpose, a piece of old carpet 

 being first wrapped around the branch to pre- 

 vent barking. 



