30 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



February, 19 9 



Tomatoes from the Garden 

 in June 



»Y GROWING tomatoes on stakes 

 and watering in a rather novel way 

 I obtained a crop of unusually large toma- 

 toes on June 21st, many of the fruits weighing 

 over a pound. 



I did not possess a hotbed, but prepared 

 a seedbed in the sunniest spot in the garden. 

 Three feet of the old soil was removed and 

 replaced by two feet of manure, on top of 

 which one foot of good potting soil was 

 firmly packed. Early in February I planted 

 seed of Chalk's Early Jewel, fitted over the 

 top of the seedbed an old glass window 

 sash, banked manure around the sides, and 

 covered the glass with straw mats. 



As soon as the tiny plants appeared I gave 

 them light, using the mats at night only. 

 During warm, sunny days I raised the glass 

 to admit air, so that the plants would harden. 



On May 6th I set in permanent places in 

 the garden no thrifty plants, most of which 

 were budded. They were planted two and 

 one-half feet apart each way and trained to 

 stakes, and I thereby secured from the same 

 ground about three times as many tomatoes, 

 which were larger, better, and much earlier 

 than those produced by the usual methods. 



Between each row of plants a piece of 

 pipe was set on end (a leaky tin can would 

 do as well) and filled with water twice a day 

 during dry weather. The plants more than 

 paid for this little trouble by rapid and 

 sturdy growth. 



Ohio. Mrs. Joseph C. Brown. 



How to Grow Peppers 



T^HE pepper plant, being a lover of 

 ■*- warm soil and warm weather, is well 

 suited for the South, and a good crop can 

 be had with but little care. Peppers suc- 

 ceed best in a rich, warm, sandy soil, but 

 can be grown successfully almost anywhere. 



Poultry manure and guano are the best 

 fertilizers, and should be liberally applied 

 before planting. 



Start the seed in hotbeds or in small 

 boxes about the first of February. The 

 plants will then be ready to set out in the 

 open ground the first of April. Have the 

 ground well pulverized; make the furrows 

 three feet apart with a shovel plow, and put 

 a good quantity of fertilizer in each. Then 

 run a shovel plow along the sides of the 

 furrows, making beds or ridges on the 

 manure. After a good rain set out the 

 plants on these beds or ridges, placing the 

 large varieties from eighteen inches to two 

 feet apart in the row, and the small varieties 

 from twelve to fifteen inches apart. 



Plow or hoe the soil around the plants 

 every two weeks to keep it loose and free 

 from weeds and to encourage rapid growth. 

 Put a tablespoonful of nitrate of soda 

 around each plant after it is well started. 

 Pepper seed requires from one hundred and 

 twenty-five to one hundred and fifty days to 

 mature, the largest varieties, of course, 

 requiring the longest time. 



Of the large sweet peppers, grow the 

 Chinese Giant and Sweet Mountain. The 

 former is the largest variety grown, and is 

 better than Sweet Mountain, although not 

 so early. I have seen pods of it so large 



The largest pepper grown is Chinese Giant, a 

 single pod nearly filling a quart measure 



that one would nearly fill a quart measure. 

 The Neapolitan is claimed to be the earliest 

 of all the large early varieties. It should be 

 given a trial in the South as well as in the 

 North. 



The best varieties of the small, hot, red 

 pepper are Tabasco, Long Red Cayenne, 

 and Bird's Eye or Creole. T. J. S. 



Early Spring in the Garden 



IN THIS locality February is really the 

 first spring month, and, if the weather 

 is favorable, seed of all hardy flowers and 

 vegetables can safely be sown in the open 

 ground after the first week or two. All 

 hardy plants may now be placed in the open 

 ground provided they have been first hard- 

 ened off in the coldframe. 



Set out some cabbage plants and you will 

 have this vegetable for use at least a month 

 earlier than you would from seed sown now. 



The best celery I have ever seen grown 

 in the South was from seed sown during 

 February. If it is planted here late in the 

 spring it never succeeds unless the soil is 

 moist and the weather very favorable; there- 

 fore it is best to sow the seed early in Febru- 

 ary in a hotbed so that the plants can get a 



good start before the warm, dry weather 

 comes. The soil must be rich (but neither 

 excessively wet nor dry), as the plants 

 must make a rapid growth to be of good 

 quality. Those interested in growing celerv 

 for home use should read The Garden 

 Magazine for August, 1907, page 8. 



Select and order chrysanthemum plants 

 now for delivery early next month. Do not 

 buy the unnamed sorts because they are 

 cheap, for in the end you' will find them much 

 cheaper in quality than in price. The beds 

 where chrysanthemums are to grow should 

 be spaded at least twelve inches deep, and 

 one inch of well-decayed manure spread over 

 the surface. Spade the beds again just deep 

 enough to mix the manure with the soil. 



A little pamphlet of directions usually 

 comes with plants bought from nurserymen, 

 and this should be read over carefully, as 

 the information contained therein is of the 

 utmost importance. 



Remove the winter protection from 

 around the pansy plants now so that the sun 

 can get to them. At night cover with heavy 

 paper to keep out the frost. 



Everyone who has a garden, no matter 

 what the size is, should own a small spraying 

 apparatus. From March until the end of 

 the season the insect enemies of vegetables 

 and flowers must be destroyed. 



Georgia. Thomas J. Steed. 



A Cattleya With Thick Fleshy 

 Flowers 



THE orchid here pictured is Cattleya 

 granulosa, which differs from the 

 favorite cut flowers of this genus in having 

 blossoms of a thick, fleshy texture. The 

 sepals are olive green spotted with red. 

 The lip has three lobes, the side lobes being 

 yellow inside and whitish outside. The 

 middle lobe is white, covered with numerous 

 purple papillae. This orchid is a native of 

 Guatemala. 

 New Jersey. R. G. Chase. 



Cattleya granulosa, a native of Guatemala, 

 is distinctly three-lobed 



The lip 



