'5 GARDENS EVERYWHERE 



Garden Results 



AS THE season advances we look for 

 returns from our gardens. After 

 a boy or girl has learned some of the more 

 simple lessons in plant culture, he should 

 advance to real garden problems. 



Have any of you tried the effect on a 

 plant of pinching off its side shoots? This 

 is a garden problem. Try it with tomato, 

 aster, chrysanthemum and carnation 

 plants. Here is another problem : If only 

 end or terminal buds are allowed to come 

 to blossom will this have any effect on 

 the flowers? Take asters or chrysanthe- 

 mums for the experiment. Of course 

 all other buds must be pinched off or the 

 experiment is spoiled. 



The clubs formed in different states for 

 the advance of children's garden work 

 really stand for problem gardening. The 

 following report from Mr. Wallace Mason 

 shows a little of the 

 work done in Massa- 

 chusetts along this 

 line. 



"Children's gar- 

 den work in the 

 towns and smaller 

 villages of Massa- 

 chusetts is being 

 given a most prac- 

 tical turn through 

 the influence of the 

 Corn and Potato 

 clubs organized un- 

 der the auspices of 

 the State Agricultu- 

 ral College. Prof. 

 W.R.Hart, the head 

 of the Education 

 Department of the 

 College, began these 

 clubs in a small way 

 two years ago. Last 

 year 5,000 boys and 

 girls in the state 

 planted corn or po- 

 tatoes, and it is es- 

 timated that the 

 number this year 

 will exceed 10,000. 



"Each boy or girl 

 who joins the club is 

 provided with seed 

 by the college — four 



WHAT ONE CLUB HAS DONE TOWARD 

 THE SOLVING OF REAL PROBLEMS IN 

 CHIIDREN'S GARDEN WORK — SUG- 

 GESTIONS FOR THE MONTH'S WORK 



Conducted by 

 ELLEN EDDY SHAW 



New York 



potatoes, or a half pint of corn. A Corn 

 and Potato Primer is issued by Professor 

 Hart giving directions for the planting, care 

 and harvesting of the crops. The Green 

 Mountain variety of potato is being used 

 this year and directions are given for the 

 preparation and use of the formalin solu- 

 tion for scab, and the Bordeaux mixture 

 for blight. Local exhibitions are held and 

 prizes awarded for the best results." 



It is a problem to see how much corn one 

 can raise from a half pint of seed or how 

 many potatoes one digs from the four seed 

 potatoes. The pests and the weeds are 

 a part of the problems. 



Monthly Suggestions 



TPHE things to do in your garden this 

 *■ month seem to be fewer in number 

 but they are very important: 



(1) Do not let the garden remain with 



A boy's problem work to show yield from one bean under good cultivation 



23 



waste space in it. As one crop comes out 

 add another. 



(2) Attend to hoeing, mulching, water- 

 ing and the prevention of seed ripening. 



(3) The name of the lettuce to put 

 in for the hot days of midsummer is the 

 Black Seeded Simpson. 



(4) Start a pansy bed. In late fall 

 cover this over with a light litter of leaves. 

 Next spring you will have sturdy plants. 



(5) Plant a number of biennials. Put 

 in sweet William, foxglove, Canterbury 

 bell and wallflower seeds. 



(6) A watering of liquid manure will 

 help the fruit of the tomato plants. 



(7) This is just the time when annual 

 plants begin to look straggly and give less 

 bloom. With your scissors cut the growth 

 right back. New growth will spring up 

 and new blossoms form. After cutting 

 back sprinkle fertilizer over the soil or 



water well with 

 manure water. 



(8) As the sweet 

 peas give less bloom 

 look carefully over 

 the vines and be 

 sure no pods are 

 forming. If the 

 pods form the num- 

 ber of blossoms is 

 reduced. 



(9) The tomatoes, 

 dahlias, chrysanthe- 

 mums and gladiolus 

 may need staking. 

 Do not let them 

 bend over. A neat 

 stake painted green 

 is the sort to use. 

 Drive it into the 

 ground and tie the 

 plant stalk to the 

 stake with a bit of 

 rag. Nov/ rag is 

 better than twine 

 because it never 

 cuts the stalk. 



(10) Each year 

 plan to add some- 

 thing to your stock 

 of garden tools. Buy 

 good tools, so your 

 collection is a per- 

 manent one. 



