The Garden Magazine 



Volume XVIII 



NOVEMBER, 1913 



Number 4 



GARDEN work is scarce in November, but what there 

 is, is decidedly important. 

 Those bulbs that were delivered late must go in now 

 or the risk be taken of their spoiling by next spring. 



If you enjoy experiments and want to try fall sown sweet peas, 

 now is the time to plant them. Strictly speaking, this is no longer 

 an experiment. A year or two ago one of our leading seedsmen 

 would have been entirely without sweet pea blooms in his trials, on 

 account of poor spring conditions, if it had not been for his fall 

 plantings. 



Visits to chrysanthemum shows ought to be charged up as 

 garden experience. For the sincerely interested the winter floral 

 exhibitions are invaluable. 



Protect young evergreens, especially newly planted ones, from 

 severe winter winds. Detailed directions and photographs of 

 actual examples may be found in The Garden Magazine for 

 November, 1902, 1906, 1908, and elsewhere in this issue. 



Cabbage, corn salad, spinach, parsley, and other vegetable 

 crops that grow all winter, should be mulched like the hardy 

 border. Study the principles of winter protection given below. 



Tender varieties of blackberries and raspberries need more than 

 mere mulching. Bend the tops over, hold down with earth, and 

 cover the whole plant with straw, etc. 



Winter pruning has two general effects: (a) the stimulation of 

 growth next spring; (b) a shaping of the head of the tree. Begin 

 now and do the work slowly, carefully, and with a definite reason 

 for every cut. 



Of the many lovers of trailing arbutus, but few think of it save 

 as a wild flower that cannot be grown in the garden. True, it is 

 hard to start from seed. But why not try November taken cut- 

 tings? Root in sand, where the night temperature is below 50 

 degrees, water about twice a day, and shade during the middle 

 of the day. In about six weeks there ought to be some worth 

 potting. Handle the root ball very carefully, and pot in a mix- 

 ture of leafmold and sand. 



Some people are not satisfied with the barberry even after it 

 gives them bright yellow flowers in spring, brilliant green foliage 

 all summer and bright red berries all winter. Some such enter- 

 prising soul has discovered that the berries yield a juice which, 

 when sweetened and diluted, adds a delightful acidity to cold 

 fruit drinks. 



Lily-of-the-valley clumps can be divided right up to freezing 

 time. 



For winter forced rhubarb and asparagus, dig up some roots 

 now and pack away in a cold corner of the cellar with some sand. 

 By the 25th of the month begin to force the roots for Christmas 

 dinner. 



The weapon of the cranberry grower against destructive early 

 frosts is plenty of water. See that the pumps are in order and the 

 pipes clear. Then, when need arises, flood the bog and hold the 

 temperature up a bit. 



The reason winter winds seem so much stronger than summer 

 breezes is that they are not checked by the barriers of leaves. 

 For this reason newly planted ornamentals need to be staked now 

 even if they were safe all summer. 



Composting vs. Burning 



PERHAPS you can sympathize with the puzzled correspondent 

 who writes as follows: 



"In the September Garden Magazine you advise burning 

 the asparagus tops and all other garden litter. But I have re- 

 cently read somewhere that all such material, including weedh', 

 should be saved, and composted and used later on as fertilizer. 

 What is the best thing to do? " 



All kinds of garden litter cannot be treated alike, nor the same 

 kinds in different gardens, on different soils. Asparagus tops, for 

 instance, like corn stalks, are coarse, woody, and would take at 

 least two years to decay to a usable state. On the other hand, 

 cabbage leaves, etc., contain so much moisture that their manurial 

 value is almost nil save in the case of a very great quanity. This 

 gives one basis for classification. 



As to weeds, if the seeds are not ripe, compost them by all means; 

 otherwise, it is safer to burn the plants to insure the destruction 

 of the seed. 



The health of the material is an important fact. All diseased 

 specimens should be burnt as soon as possible, rather than allowed 

 to spread their seeds and perpetuate the trouble. 



Lastly, certain rich, fibrous loams may contain such generous 

 amounts of humus as to render unnecessary the trouble of making 

 compost every year. In fact, the ashes may prove more valuable 

 than the more nitrogenous compost. On light, sandy soils, how- 

 ever, considerable trouble in increasing the humus content is 

 justifiable. 



In other words, use your judgment and handle the various 

 materials in such a way as to bring out their greatest possible 

 efficiency. 



Insects and Diseases to be Fought 



TO LET the sleeping dog lie is well enough; but the sleeping 

 insects and the dormant plant disease are the legitimate prey 

 of every gardener, and winter is the time to catch them off their 

 guard. 



As the leaves fall and the bare twigs and branches begin to 

 stand out against the sky, these are the signs to look for and the 

 attentions they require: 



Cocoons. Everybody knows what these look like. Inside 

 each one is a potential parent of countless crawling, devouring 

 caterpillars. Therefore, destroy them all. You may include a 

 few harmless forms, but unless you are an entomologist and know 

 them all by sight you cannot afford to pick and choose. 



Oval, flattened, whitish, downy egg masses of the gypsy moth, 

 plastered against smooth spots on tree trunks, stone walls, rail 



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