The Garden Magazine 



Volume XIX 



FEBRUARY, 1914 



Number 1 



THERE was once a country boy named George whose 

 birthday fell somewhere between the 21st and 23d of 

 February. One year his father gave him as a present, 

 a bright new pruning saw and a pair of strong pruning 

 shears, promising to show him how to use them later in the spring. 



But George had not kept his name on the mailing lists of the 

 Department of Agriculture and the State Experiment Station 

 for nothing, and one day he took his tds and a pocketful 

 of bulletins and got busy out 

 in the back orchard. 



A week later his father, look- 

 ing over the farm, discovered 

 five acres of finely pruned apples 

 — no stubs, no barked branches, 

 nice open tops, well painted 

 wounds, and little piles of ashes 

 where the brush had been 

 gathered and burnt. Hastening 

 homeward he found Georgie 

 amusing himself by mixing to- 

 gether copper sulphate solution 

 and milk of lime in a big tub. 

 "My son," said he, "some one 

 has gotten ahead of me and 

 pruned my Winesaps. Do you 

 know who?" 



"Father," said the youthful 

 J. H. Hale, "I can not tell a lie. 

 I did it with my little saw and 

 shears." 



"Oh, George," was the reply, 

 "you are a real tribute to the 

 skill and wisdom of your father. 

 And as a reward I shall send 

 you to take the winter course 

 in pomology at the State Agri- 

 cultural College next year." 



The authenticity of the fore- 

 going may be open to question, 

 but its logic is undeniably 

 sound, and its lesson for the 

 gardener and fruit grower 

 equally valuable. 



Pruning is one of the basic 

 principles of good fruit growing 

 and late February is the time to 

 do it. As suggested above 

 the details to be kept in mind 

 are: 



1. Always cut close to a 

 parent branch to avoid leaving 

 a stub. 



Early seed sowing in a flat means a distinct gain later in the season. These 

 photographs show the correct way of making and filling a flat with drainage 

 and loose material below the actual seed bed. Do not omit to firm the soil 

 by means of a seed board (this is important) after the flat is filled. In covering 

 the seed merely sift a very little fine soil through a small meshed sieve 



2. Cover cut surfaces two inches or more in diameter with 

 paint or tar. 



3. Study the needs of the particular variety and the individual 

 tree and make each one a special problem with its own solution. 



4. In every case remove all dead wood and one of each pair of 

 branches that interfere or chafe. 



5. Have a reason for every cut you make. 



6. Don't stop till you are satisfied and don't be satisfied 



with anything less than a thor- 

 ough job. 



7. Clean up around the trees 

 and don't forget to bring in 

 your tools when you have 

 finished. 



Keep on spreading manure as 

 long as the ground stays hard. 



But save enough, of course, 

 for the hotbed. If you have to 

 buy a supply for this purpose, 

 see that it is fresh. Then fork 

 the pile over at intervals of 

 several days until the entire 

 mass steams evenly. Then it 

 is ready to pack in the beds. 



Make another thorough 

 search for decaying fruit and 

 vegetables in the store room 

 and bins. Decomposition will 

 spread quickly as the weather 

 becomes warmer and moister. 



Time to get out the wheel hoe 

 and seeder, spades, forks and 

 other tools. The last few sea- 

 sons have made possible a 

 sowing of peas in early March 

 over much of the country and 

 you don't want to lose the 

 opportunity if it presents itself 

 this year. 



Last good chance to spray 

 with lime sulphur and con- 

 centrated oil sprays for scale. 

 Aside from the rush of other 

 work later on, the thawing 

 ground will make the work 

 much harder and more disagree- 

 able later on. 



This is a good time to learn 

 the scientific names of the more 

 common plants. You will no- 

 tice that it is only the people 

 who don't call varieties and 



