250 



The Readers' Service will furnish you with the names 

 ol reliable firms in any department oj trade 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



December, 1909 



Try a Bit of 



Winter 



Gardening 



The new invention for hotbeds 



and coldframes never needs covering. 



Two layers of glass instead of one. 



Some of the things you can grow 



It gives you fresh vegetables and exquisite flow- 

 ers ahead of the season when most appreciated. 

 You can use your frame all the year round. Can 

 force beets, early cabbage, cauliflower, celery, egg- 

 plants, lettuce, radishes, peppers, and tomatoes — 

 can raise your own violets and pansies and can have 

 cosmos a month earlier than ever before. Pays for 

 itself in a single season if you wish to sell some 

 plants. Sure to pay for your own table. 



The double glass does it 



With it, after your plants are started, you have 

 practically nothing to do but air them, and watch 

 them grow. No covering or uncovering. The dry 

 air between the two layers of glass is the best non- 

 conductor there is — much better protection than 

 mats or boards. Keeps in the warmth — keeps 

 out the cold. 



Plants need light 



The more of it, the better. The Sunlight Sash 

 lets in all the light all the time. By doing away 

 with mats, shutters and boards, the 

 Sunlight Sash has cut out prac- 

 tically all the work. You can 

 handle hotbeds in half the time. 



■: /<■■■ 





or Hot-beds 

 and Cold-frames 



Write for this catalog 



It tells about the making of cold- 

 frames and hotbeds ; where to put 

 your beds ; how others got earlier, 

 stronger plants, etc. 



Many thousands of Sunlight Sash 

 are in use on private estates, in city and suburban lots 

 large and small, from Middle Canada to Southern 

 Florida. Wherever you live you can accomplish a 

 great deal even with five sash. 



Write for our plans for a five sash frame. Full 

 definite information with cost will be gladly given. 



Get our freight prepaid proposition. Order early to 

 insure prompt shipment. Fast freight, safe delivery 

 guaranteed. 



Sunlight Double Glass Sash Co. 

 927 East Broadway Louisville, Ky. 



If You Want to Know 



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TULIPS. Single Early Boston 



Thirty Best Named Varieties $ .35 $2.00 



In Separate Colors 30 1 .50 



Finest Mixtures, all colors 25 1.25 



TULIPS. Single Late 



In Separate Colors 35 2.50 



Finest Mixtures, all colors 30 1.50 



TULIPS. Double 



Twelve Best Named Varieties 35 2.00 



In Separate Colors 30 1.50 



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Twenty-five Best Named Varieties. . .75 5.00 



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Finest Mixtures, all colors 60 3.00 



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Twelve Best Named Varieties 75 5.00 



In Separate Colors 65 4.00 



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THE NEW ENGLAND NURSERIES, Inc., EEIUta. 



Largest ^2 Stock of 

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Catalogue on Application 

 ELLIOTT NURSERY CO., Pittsburg, Pa. 



Competent Gardeners 



The comforts and products of a country home are in- 

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 Or For Your Own Use. 



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 without interfering with regular occupation, no 

 matter where located. Send for Free Book and 

 particulars how to start, etc. 

 JACKSON MUSHROOM FARM, 5381 N. Weatern Are., Chicago, 111. 



Three Magazines 

 For Every Home 



COUNTRY LIFE IN AMERICA 



beautiful, practical, entertaining. $4.00 

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THE WORLD'S WORK 



interpreting to-day's history. $3.00 a year. 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE-FARMING 



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DOUBLEDAY. PAGE & CO., 133 East 16th Street, New York 



SAVING LEAVES OVER WINTER 



I want to save my leaves for use next spring. 

 What will cause them to decay this winter ? 



Oregon. J. J. H. 



— Hardwood leaves cannot be decayed the first 

 season, for they contain too much tannic acid and 

 are not worth considering in the making of leaf 

 soil. Softwood leaves will decay the first season, 

 if ordinary composting methods are used. Read 

 the article on page 190 of the November, 1909, 

 Garden Magazine. 



BRIGHT BERRIES FOR WINTER 



What can I grow for a good winter effect? 



Rhode Island. J.L. A. 



— Trees with brightly colored berries that will make 

 a charming effect in the garden all winter are: 

 American holly, Rosa multiflora, black alder (Ilex 

 verticillata) , Ilex monticolor, high bush cranberry 

 {Viburnum Opulus), Rosa lutescens, Rosa macro- 

 ■phylla, Berberis vulgaris, bittersweet and mountain 

 ash. 



GROWING APRICOTS 



Will apricots grow in this locality? 



Connecticut. C. H. R. 



— It is very doubtful if apricots can be grown in 

 Connecticut in the open air. The tree would hardly 

 be hardy there. In appearance it is similar to a 

 peach, the fruit is small and yellow in color, with 

 a woolly texture and splits easily. It is grown in 

 England, where it is trained to walls, but has to be 

 well protected. 



FERTILIZING WITH ASHES 



Have fine sittings from hard coal ashes any value 

 as a fertilizer? 



Connecticut. W. M. H. 



— Coal ashes are not a fertilizer in the sense that 

 they enrich the soil; only traces of potash and phos- 

 phoric acid are present in a soluble form. Ashes 

 are very useful, however, for improving the physi- 

 cal condition of some soils, especially of heavy clay 

 soils. Applications of coal ashes and leaf mold 

 have converted a heavy, infertile garden soil into 

 a light and exceedingly fertile one. The ashes 

 should be sifted, and the clinkers used as a foun- 

 dation for walks and drives. Coal ashes may 

 also be used in cellars as an absorbent of moisture. 

 The separation of the fine ashes from the clinkers 

 may be dusty work, but it usually more than pays 

 for the time and labor expended. 



WINTERING THE ASPARAGUS BED 



How should an asparagus bed be fixed for the 

 winter? 



Colorado. H. B. D. 



— Many growers give the bed a heavy covering of 

 stable manure in the fall, while others allow the 

 tops to stand through the winter and put the man- 

 ure or fertilizer on the bed in the spring. Either 

 method will give good results, but the bed that has 

 been covered with manure in the fall will start into 

 growth a little earlier in the spring than the one 

 exposed to heavy freezing. In the spring clear 

 the bed of tops, weeds, etc., and make the soil fine 

 and mellow with the spading fork or harrow. It 

 is a common practice to ridge the soil over the crowns 

 of the plants to facilitate the cutting of the shoots 

 as they appear above the ground without injuring 

 the crowns, but this is not necessary as the part 

 of the shoot below the surface is hard and woody 

 and nothing is gained by cutting low. 



