26 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



August, 1909 



points 5 and 7 and place a dot. Draw full 

 lines toward the left to the intersection of 

 the dotted lines. Measure J inch down 

 from 1 and 3, and place dots. Draw full 

 lines upward to the intersection of the 

 dotted lines. Measure \ inch up from 

 points 2 and 4, place dots, and draw full 

 lines downward to the intersection of the 

 dotted lines. 



Draw a full line from points 6 and 8 to 

 the intersection of dotted lines. 



Cut on full lines. 



Fold on dotted lines. 



Fold A, B, and C, in this order, and paste, 

 leaving D for flap to be pasted down when 

 the envelope has been filled with seeds. 



Vacation Knife Work 



WHY not get markers made ahead for 

 the bulbous plants, such as canna 

 and dahlia, which, later, you take up and 

 put away for the winter. Then, too, we 

 are to have a bulb contest this winter. I 



A good label is worth far more than the labor spent 

 on making it 



mean we shall all plant hyacinths, tulips, 

 and other bulbs in October; in late winter 

 they will be ready for prize winning. Of 

 course, these need labels, too. 



It is absolutely necessary to label so that 

 no mistakes will occur. If you have not 

 labeled your dahlia bulbs how are you 

 going to tell yellow ones from white ones? 

 Suppose you have planted a pot of pink 

 hyacinths, another of blue, and still a third 

 •of white ones. You write or print with 

 chalk on the pot the color of the bulb. 

 But with the watering and handling the 

 marks get so rubbed that when the pots 

 are brought from the dark it is impossible 

 to distinguish one from another. This 

 means you must wait for the bud at least 

 before you can tell. 



Suppose you had planned to give the 

 pjot of blue ones to a friend. Poor labeling 

 has made this impossible. This shows 

 one way that good labeling helps. 



It is just the same way often in school; 

 if a pupil has labeled his own pot of bulbs 

 then there is no disappointment when the 

 time comes to bring up the pots. 



The picture shows three markers. The 

 two outside ones for the bulbs we intend to 

 pack away for the winter. The middle 

 one is to stick into the earth of your pots 

 of bulbs. A pointed end to a marker 

 means it is to go into earth, while notched 



tops and blunt ends show that such markers 

 are to have cords about the notches so they 

 can be attached to the root or bulb you have 

 to save. 



Any soft wood is good to make the 

 marker out of and a sharp knife is tool suffi- 

 cient. 



DIMENSIONS 



The marker on the bottom is 3 J inches long. 

 The distance from head to central point of 

 notch is \ inch. The distance between 

 notches, or from the central point of one 

 notch across the marker to the central 

 point of the other, is f inch. The width 

 is J inch and the thickness §■ inch. 



The middle marker is 4^ inches long, 

 \ inch wide, and i-i6th inch thick. Allow 

 about f inch for the pointing at the end. 



The top marker is rather larger and 

 stronger; it, too, may be pointed and not 

 notched, so acting as a good pot marker. 

 Make it 5 inches long, \ inch wide, and 

 -!% inch thick. The line between the 

 notches measures § inch, and is 1 inch 

 from the top of the marker. 



If you have good plans for markers, let 

 us all hear of them. 



Picking Flowers 



OF COURSE, you all know that the 

 more flowers you pick the more you 

 will have. Keep the flowers in mid-summer 

 picked down pretty close. It pays to do 

 this close picking. For, after it, the plants 

 seem to vie with one another to produce 

 blossoms. 



Now, there are several ways to pick 

 flowers. You may pull them off, you may 

 jerk them off close to the heads, you may 

 leave the stems ragged and bruised, and you 

 may even pull up roots and all. 



There is a right way to pick flowers. 

 Flowers should be cut with scissors. Scissors 

 are better than knives for this work. Take 

 a basket or a newspaper when you go into 

 the garden flower gathering. Place the 

 paper or basket, which is to hold your 

 cuttings, in the shade. The shady spot 

 will prevent too great wilting. 



When you cut woody or tough stems, 

 as those of shrubs, roses, and even zinnias, 

 cut across on the slant or obliquely. It is 

 easier for you, and better for the plant. 

 With soft, juicy stems, as those of the nas- 

 turtiums, it matters less. 



Another thing to remember, and a very 

 important one, too, is this: cut long stems. 

 This makes it possible to arrange flowers 

 more gracefully. Some flowers, as roses 

 or dahlias, when the buds are numerous 

 and have to be considered, may have to be 

 cut with shorter stems. 



When you have cut all the flowers you 

 wish, take them in the basket or paper to a 

 cool place to arrange. Perhaps you'll 

 choose the cellar, or the laundry, or by a 

 shady window in the kitchen. Don't forget 

 to pick leaves, too. They add much to 

 the effect. 



In arrangement of flowers remember 

 that usually flowers of one kind look better 



together than a jumble of many kinds and 

 colors. Another thing to remember is that 

 long-stemmed flowers, as some roses, heli- 

 anthus, zinnia, and dahlias, look best in 

 high vases, while nasturtiums, other kinds 

 of roses, and pansies, look best in low dishes 

 and bowls. Flowers a bit bushy in nature 

 as bachelor's buttons and candytuft, look 

 well when arranged very loosely in a wide- 

 spreading vase. 



When you gather a bouquet to give away, 

 bear this in mind again, that one color and 

 one kind of flower is most acceptable. You 

 must be careful about carrying your flowers. 

 Older boys and girls ought to do better. 

 Tie up the long stems of your flowers 

 loosely or wrap a piece of oiled paper about 

 them. Then the heat from your hand will 

 not wilt them. The oiled paper from cracker 

 boxes is good to save for this purpose. 



Give your flowers away, too. Send them 

 calling on the sick; they are cheerful visitors. 



Sowing a Pansy Bed 



THE middle of July may seem to some 

 of you very early to start plants for 

 next year. But it is not. Really, it is 

 just the right time. 



You will all be glad to know how a 

 successful Scotch gardener plants his pansies. 

 He raises beautiful ones. 



Just about this time, the middle of July, 

 he fixes a place in the garden for his new 

 pansy bed. The earth is dug up afresh 

 and made free from lumps. Then he 

 plants the pansy seed, just covering them 

 with dirt. Over the bed he lays a cloth or 

 old piece of sacking, securing it on the 

 edges with stones. This sacking keeps off 

 the blaze of the sun. Besides this use for 

 the bag, there is another. He waters the 

 bed by watering the sack. Keep the sack, 

 he says, quite moist. So the earth beneath 

 is kept damp. 



As soon as the plants come up, he takes 

 off the bag or cloth. If the plants are too 

 thick, he thins them out. 



When the frosty weather comes he gathers 

 up heaps of dry leaves. With these he makes 

 a thick covering over the pansy bed, covers 

 with sacking, and holds all down with stones. 



When spring comes and the frost is out 

 of the ground he will uncover his pansy 

 bed. He always finds the little plants, 

 strong above ground, a little pale, perhaps, 

 but, after all, weeks ahead of pansies 

 started by his neighbors in their houses. 



In just the same way you can start other 

 flowers. Sweet Williams do very well under 

 this treatment. 



The Fall Contest 



r"\0 NOT forget we are ready to judge 

 -*— " your specimens whenever you send 

 them in. Do not wait if you have something 

 good. Either get it to us or have a picture 

 of it taken. 



Write us what happens in your garden, 

 as some have this month. We are glad to 

 hear from all of you. Send all letters or 

 parcels direct to the office. 



