196 



The Readers'- Service iviU give you 

 suggestions for Ike care of live-stock 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



April, 1910 



Childs' Gladioli 



A Trial 



"BLANCHE" 



are Garden Gladdeners 



Will Delight You 



Special "Garden Collection" 



Each 



America — Conceded to be the most beau- 

 tiful variety in the world. Flesh pink, 

 tinged with lavender $.10 



Attraction — Deep, dark, rich crimson with 

 a very conspicuous large pure white center 

 and throat. At once a most beautiful and 

 attractive sort 10 



Blanche — Large flowers, pure snow-white, 

 with but faint marks • • • 20 



Canary Bird — Finest yellow 10 



Irene — Fine large flower and spike. Color 

 a fine shade of pink, freely flaked bright 

 crimson 05 



Kate — Blush white, with crimson blotched 

 throat 05 



Little Blush — Dwarf habit, compact spike 

 of a blush white 05 



Superb — Enormous flower and spike, one 

 of the very largest; pink, flaked and striped 



with salmon pink 05 



1 Bulb each for $.50 5 Bulbs of each for $2.00 



Grand Mixed Gladioli Childsi Hybrids — Mixed $.35 per doz. 

 Floral Park Mixed — Hybrids of the very finest Childsi, 

 Gandavensis and Lemoinei, $.75 per doz. 



Complete catalogue free on request 



JOHN LEWIS CHILDS, Dept. Wh., Floral Park, N. Y. 



anHelpMnion 



ences. ^(pw^w^ M offer ttJiig^Rtfp erior 



y fr^^e^gt^O^trt and postg^lfiumber, andNxralider tJie $«t that if 

 i ^^o^jalT^r"oper care of ft.a&edge fence is gptfd for VU t&p&' Write for 

 -w^aireVitfrformfltdon iajid r lfet us 'send y^u o'Ur nfeWlcaf 

 shade trees .sjBri^niits^jjhrt^bs.^i^s, ^.ziV"- 

 of reaL.eatSte— or those wljp expect to; b£ Afy 



^^HApR}SO^% SUkS^tlS; Berlin, Md. 



;tfe of fruit trees, 

 fte it free to owners 

 . Nursery No, 24 



f 'Wmwm 



Hardy Azalia Mollis 



in many bright colors; bushy plants with plenty of buds to 

 bloom this spring, about 12 inches, with ball, at 45 cents each; 

 $4.50 per dozen; $35.00 per ico. 



Send for our illztstrated special. 



Sunnyfield Nursery Co., Poughkeepsie, N. Y. 



Good's ^w^r^a 811 Soap No. 3 



Best for spraying- trees, plants, shrubs. 

 Protects berries, small fruits, flowers, grapes, 

 cabbages, etc. 



Kills San Jose Scale 



Sure death to all parasites and insects. Con- 

 tains active fertilizers. 



No salt, sulphur, mineral oils or other sub- 

 stances to harm soil or trees. 



Endorsed by 



U. S. Dept. of Agriculture 

 James Good, Original Maker, 931 No. Front St., Philadelphia 





$B)\ ^fP% 



Growing Tomatoes for Quality, 

 Quantity and Earliness 



is the name of the best booklet ever issued on the subject of tomato culture. . It 

 contains 30 pages and illustrations fully describing the Potter method of raising 

 tomatoes. By this method you can have bigger and better fruit and weeks earlier 

 than otherwise. It teaches the secret and science of tomato culture; forcing the 

 fruit by systematic cultivation and pruning. This book is invaluable to every 

 gardener, whether he grows one dozen or one thousand vines. The subjects cover- 

 ed are: History of tie Tomato; Its Nature and Habit; Tomato Culture in General; 

 The Potter Method; Plants and Planting; Home-Grown Plants; Preparing the 

 Ground; Setting the Plants; Cultivation; Pruning and Staking the Vines; Picking 

 the Fruit; Ripe Tomatoes at Christinas; 40 Tomato Recipes; BestTomato Seeds. 

 The information is condensed and to the point — just what every grower wants. 



The cut herewith shows one of a large number of vines in my garden this 

 season. Notice that each stalk is loaded with large, perfect fruit from top to 

 bottom. This is the result of my method. It is easy to raise this kind of fruit 



when you know how. Just send for my book — price 50c, postage or money 



order. Your money back if not satisfactory. 



FREE SEED.— To everyone ordering my booklet within the next 30 days I 

 will send FREE with each book one package each of the best varieties of early and 

 late tomatoes. I make this offer so that you will get ready now for your spring 

 gardening. Don 't wait until the last minute when the rush is on . Send for my book- 

 let to-day and I know you will be thankful that you made such a wise investment. 



dept. c. T. F. POTTER, Tomato Specialist, DOWNERS GROVE, III. 



rot badly after planting, and we have also seen the 

 cut surface become greasy looking if kept for a few 

 days before planting. Such pieces are hardly worth 

 planting, but if used, had better be planted near the 

 surface. Four inches is deep enough to plant. 

 Never plant on land plowed so shallow that the 

 potatoes lie on a hard unbroken bed. Have about 

 three inches of well-prepared soil below where the 

 seed is actually planted. 



Potato plants which come up slowly, unevenly, 

 and with little spindling stalks result from the 

 seed rotting in the ground. If dropped by hand in 

 open furrows, on a dry, hot day, the seed often rots. 

 Machine planting is better, because the row is 

 directly in line, uniform in depth, the soil is cool 

 and moist, and the seed is covered immediately; 

 but hand-planting, if well done, will grow as many 

 bushels to the acre. Every miss in dropping, 

 every seed without any eyes, as occurs with machine 

 cutting, means many bushels less in the y r ield with 

 equal labor. 



Many potatoes are of inferior quality because of 

 late planting. They will grow in cooler soil than 

 corn; therefore may be safely planted earlier in the 

 spring. 



METHOD OF PLANTING 



Three feet between rows and sixteen to eighteen 

 inches in the row is our rule. If given too much 

 space, the potatoes will grow too large, and by 

 crowding the land with seed the size of the tubers will 

 be reduced. For early home use we plant whole 

 potatoes, of good size, twenty-four to thirty inches 

 apart. If a ridge of earth is thrown up at planting 

 time (and this always is to be removed or leveled 



Tile same potato plant showing the root develop- 

 ment. Do not make the mistake of planting too 

 late; allow plenty of time for the tubers to properly 

 mature before harvesting 



later on) be sure it is done before the plant comes 

 into it; never remove the soil surrounding a plant 

 so as to expose to the sun a tender white stalk. 

 This checks its growth. Harrow as much as neces- 

 sary before the plants are up, so as to be sure to 

 kill the weeds. 



When the row shows green do not dig deep and 

 close with the cultivator. Remember, at the joints 

 in the stalk above the seed little rootle's develop, 

 also the stems upon which the potatoes grow. 

 Never disturb nor tear these off. Some are form- 

 ing when the top is up but a few inches, and 

 simply disturbing these will affect the whole growth 

 of the plant. 



Begin hilling by throwing a little dirt toward the 

 plant. This must be done early and finished before 

 the plants are eight inches high, so as never to des- 

 troy an established rooting; then give shallow culti- 

 vation between the rows as long as the tops can be 

 passed. 



For early crops plant just as soon as the ground is 

 settled after winter — the exact time will vary with 

 the season and the place. 



Wisconsin. M. Stenson. 



