THE MONTH'S REMINDER, NOVEMBER, 1918 



The purpose of the Reminder is to call to your attention the things which should be thought about or done during the next few weeks. For full details as- 

 to how to do the different things suggested, see the current or back issues of The Garden Magazine. An index of contents is prepared for each completed' 

 volume, and is sent gratis on request. Prepare now for next year s war garden. 



Glean Up and Clear Up! M. G. KAIN5 



While "Putting the House in Order" for the Dull Winter Season, Tou get Reach) for Action in the Earlj7 Spring — Forestalling Attacks 



of Insects and Disease 



WHETHER or not your own or your 

 neighbors' gardens suffered from insects 

 and diseases the past season is now 

 of special interest, because every rem- 

 nant of such crops should now be cleaned up, 

 fed to live stock or poultry, buried or burned. 

 Of all these methods of destruction the last is 

 probably the best because it is positive. In the 

 other cases the spores of disease and the eggs and 

 pupae of insects may live merrily through the 

 ordeal and come up smiling next year. Therefore 

 the more complete the destruction of debris 

 the better. In doing such work it is desirable 

 to start in the fence corners and end in the centre, 

 thoroughly combing every part of the place. 



// grass and sod have been allowed to develop 

 around trees and among berry bushes, now is 

 the time to remove it. The ground is moist, 

 so the roots of such grass may be more easily 

 pulled loose than when the soil is dry. This 

 work will save similar attention in spring when 

 it will also be more difficult because the grass 

 tops will be shorter, and the roots more active. 

 It will also probably be more successful because 

 many roots accidentally missed will die during 

 the winter, those left in the spring might live 

 and become troublesome. If the grass has 

 developed enough to be called "sod" pull or cut 

 it out to the depth of say three inches — at least 

 below the roots — and place it on the compost 

 pile to decay. Then fill in the bare area with 

 good earth to which may be added bone meal 

 as liberally as one may feel disposed. 



Asparagus has ceased to grow, so cut the tops 

 even with the ground and burn them. This is 

 especially important where rust has been preva- 

 lent. It is also desirable because it gets rid of 

 the berries which would otherwise fall to the 

 ground and produce little asparagus plants. 

 After cleaning and burning the trash, spray the 

 bed with lime-sulphur wash, copper sulphate 

 solution, or iron sulphate solution to kill the 

 spores of disease. Then apply a heavy dressing 

 of fine stable manure to remain all winter as a 

 mulch and a source of plant food. In the spring 

 work as much as possible into the surface soil 

 with a digging fork — not a spade because that 

 injures the roots. 



The grape trellis. Loosen the wires to allow 

 for contraction during the winter. Unless this 

 is done the action of frost in shortening the 

 wires may pull the posts out of position, more or 

 less. Then when summer comes the wires will 

 expand in the warm weather and they will be 

 slack and unsightly. If you do not wish to 



Eaint the posts and other wood work of the trellis 

 e sure to spray them with copper sulphate or 

 iron sulphate solution or with winter strength 

 lime-sulphur wash to destroy the spores of plant 

 diseases. This should preferably be done after 

 the vines have been pruned. The pruned vines 

 should also be sprayed at the same time and the 

 prunings burned. Similar remarks apply to 

 Rose supports, arbors, and other structures. 



Cabbage and cauliflower. When cleaning up 

 save those plants that have not made heads 

 but that look promising. Plant them in a cold 

 frame and protect the frame by banking with 

 earth or manure. In the spring plant them out. 

 They will give early cabbage, greens or even 

 cauliflower heads long before spring sown plants. 

 Lacking a cold frame, use any rough boards be- 

 side the plants where they stand in the garden and 

 cover these as winter approaches with corn stalks. 



Make Tools Sharp 



CAVE time next spring [by sharpening all 

 ^ tools this fall before painting and oiling 

 them. A great convenience for this work is to 

 have a vise in which to clamp each tool while 

 being sharpened. Such vises may be cheaply 

 bought at the hardware stores. A medium sized 

 flat file is the best tool to use in sharpening. 

 Many people who are not mechanics, and even 

 some mechanics, use the file incorrectly. They 

 try to make it cut both ways. As it is not built 

 for such use it quickly wears out. Notice how 

 rough a new file is one way when you try to push 

 the blade through your closed hand, and how 

 relatively smooth the other way when you draw 

 it back. Now, here is the trick; the file is 

 to be used for a push not a pull stroke. There- 

 fore, when drawing it back for a fresh stroke 

 never press upon it — either raise it clear of the 

 metal or let it barely touch. 



Give the tools a last overhauling. If a tooth 

 or attachment of the wheel hoe has been broken 

 either get the local blacksmith to repair it or 

 buy a new one. See that every bolt, nut and 

 washer is in good enough condition to last the 

 whole of next season. Thoroughly clean every 

 part of the machine, paint all parts that the 

 manufacturer painted and oil all other parts. 

 Painting and oiling are all the more important 

 when the tools must be stored in damp quarters 

 where they will easily become rusty. A rusty 

 tool is not only unsightly; it is harder to use and 

 shorter lived than % one kept bright. 



Value of Paint 



'^TEVER leave any metal in the garden over 

 ■^^ winter unless it cannot be removed and 

 housed. If it cannot be taken under cover, be 

 sure to paint it. Any kind of metal paint will 

 do but preferably it should be of some color 

 that will not "swear" at its surroundings- 

 something "quiet" always! Of course, there is 

 no need of painting galvanized or other zinc 

 materials. These are little affected by the 

 weather except near the seashore where the air 

 contains salt. They are shorter lived under such 

 conditions. Fences, gates, and similar accessories, 

 must now be put in shape for the winter. Such 

 of them as need painting may be treated after 

 the flies, plant lice, and other insects have dis- 

 appeared. 



Overhaul the tomato racks, and make new ones 

 to replace those past their usefulness. If the wood 

 from which these new ones are made is first cut 

 the proper size and then painted by dipping as 

 suggested in another paragraph, the racks will 

 be more expeditiously made and will last longer 

 than if constructed first and painted after, be- 

 cause the cracks between the parts will have been 

 painted also. In these days of high cost of lum- 

 ber, painting will considerably lengthen the "life" 

 of the wood used. 



Overhaul hotbeds, coldframes, sashes, mats, 

 shutters, and everything else connected with the 

 forcing of early plants. See that every broken 

 light in the sashes is replaced with a sound one; 

 also be sure that the putty is in good condition 

 to last through the whole season. Then paint 

 the frames with first grade white lead in pure 

 linseed oil. Also paint the other woodwork. 

 Be sure to avoid every coal tar product in such 

 painting because it is dangerous to use wherever 

 plants are to be grown. If the hotbed is heated 

 by hot water or steam pipes give these pipes a 



117 



painting with black asphaltum to prevent rust- 

 Before the beds are to be used, however, turn 

 the heat on to allow the fumes of this material 

 to escape. Then paint the pipes with a mixture 

 of flowers of sulphur and water. The sulphur 

 slowly vaporizes when the pipes are warm and 

 serves as a disease preventer. 



Every stake, pole and label that has served its 

 usefulness should be burned; first because of its 

 decrepitude, second because it is a harbor for 

 spores of disease. Some of the larger ones 

 may be worth using as kindling; the others may 

 go on the general rubbish pile. Stakes worth 

 saving for another year should "be cleaned and 

 disinfected with formaldehyde. This sounds 

 like a serious matter. It isn't if one has a tub 

 or a trough big enough to immerse them in. 

 A mixture of ioo parts by measure of water to- 

 one of formaldehyde will be strong enough. 



After the stakes and labels have been cleaned 

 and disinfected they may be painted. Here, too,, 

 is an easy but big sounding job. No brush is 

 needed but either a narrow and deep, tin tube 

 with a closed bottom, or a shallow, long and 

 narrow pan or trough. By holding each stake 

 or label by its end it may be lowered vertically 

 into the former and if too long to be all immersed, 

 it may be reversed and dipped a second. time, 

 thus painting the other end. Then wipe off 

 with a rag. 



Be Forehanded with Bugs and Diseases 



HpO DESTROY countless wire worms, white 



_ grubs and other insects that pass the winter 

 in sod, plow deeply during November. This 

 will disturb those insects that form "cells," 

 prevent their making new ones and thus destroy 

 them. It will also bury the others so deeply 

 that many of them will never reach the surface. 

 Of course, plowing cannot be done on lawns. 

 It is feasible only where the sod area is to be 

 planted to vegetables and other crops next spring. 



If the peach trees have not already been 

 "wormed" do the work without further delay. 

 The borer is the arch foe of the peach. It does 

 most of its damage just below ground on the 

 trunks and sometimes on the main branch roots, 

 usually within 6 inches of the surface, and oc- 

 casionally one may be found above ground. To 

 find it scrape away the earth in an inverted, 

 cone-like trench around the trunk and whenever 

 a mucilaginous or gummy mass is found, look 

 sharply for the whitish grub that causes this 

 mess. Cut the bark with a knife if necessary 

 to find him. Often there may be half a dozen, 

 so don't be satisfied with finding only one. 

 Kill all. Leave the little trench open for a couple 

 of weeks and then make a second examination to 

 be sure that all have been found. After this, re- 

 place and tramp the earth around the trees and 

 even raise it in a mound three to six inches high. 



Beneath the plum tree, and near by, clean up 

 all rubbish and let the hens forage there to hunt 

 up and eat the curculios that make wormy plums. 

 The fewer allowed to hibernate the better and 

 the larger the number of plums next year. 



If you noticed little wart-like swellings on 

 pear leaves last summer, it will be advisable to 

 rake up and burn the pear foliage because this 

 will destroy large numbers of the blister mite 

 that causes such swellings. Spraying the trees 

 with winter strength lime-sulphur this month 

 will also help. This spray will serve against 

 San Jose scale as well. 



