240 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



May, 1912 



of successful tomato culture. 

 Never allow a crust to form 

 on the ground, but always 

 maintain what is called the 

 "dust mulch." Needless to 

 say this is not obtained by two 

 or three cultivations a season. 

 Cultivation should follow 

 every rain that lays the dust. 

 Right here a good word may 

 again be said in favor of the 

 dwarf plant. Because of the 

 "build" of the plant cultiva- 

 tion can begin as soon as trans- 

 planted and kept up much 

 later than with the ordinary 

 varieties and the upright 

 plants allow much closer culti- 

 vation to the plant and both 

 ways of the row so that weeds 

 can be kept better in check 

 and less expensive hand work 

 required. The moisture is 

 thus better maintained in the 

 soil and with the tomato, soil 

 moisture is an important fac- 

 tor. It has been said that 

 "cultivation is manure" so 

 the dwarf has the advantage 

 in this respect. 



However cultivation is not 

 manure in the sense of adding 

 more fertility to the soil, it 

 only releases a part that would 

 otherwise be unavailable. The 

 gardener must apply manure 

 and commercial fertilizers if 

 the largest crops are to be 

 expected. In raising dwarfs 

 I have found a liberal appli- 

 cation of nitrate of soda to be 

 very profitable. This fertili- 

 zer should be used heavily 

 only where the soil has re- 

 ceived a heavy application of manure, or 

 other food elements are found that will 

 balance it. It can be sown broadcast near, 

 but not on the plants at the rate of 200 to 

 400 pounds per acre, this amount to be 



Though individual dwarf plants yield less than individual tall ones, yet the yield 

 to a given area is greater because you can plant nearly twice as many 



applied in two or three different lots during 

 the growing season of the plant. Nitrate 

 of soda used in small gardens should not be 

 applied in quantities of over an ounce per 

 plant as excessive amounts are injurious. 



This chemical is a very con- 

 centrated food and care should 

 be taken in its use. If your 

 soil is only of moderate fertil- 

 ity, be sure to balance the 

 nitrate with the other food 

 elements, or the results will 

 be disastrous. Nitrate of soda 

 seems to stimulate plant 

 growth and bring fruit to 

 earlier maturity. 



Another point I have found 

 of value in growing dwarfs is 

 the practice of mulching the 

 soil with manure or straw. 

 This is applied at last culti- 

 vation and is always a good 

 investment. The growth of 

 the dwarf plant allows this at 

 the proper season, thus an- 

 other advantage over the tall 

 sort. Mulching while adding 

 fertility to the soil tends to 

 keep the moisture in the soil 

 at the time it is most needed 

 and as the tomato is a shal- 

 low rooting plant this is most 

 important. It also aids in 

 keeping the fruit clean if the 

 plant is not staked. 



The dwarf is much easier to 

 stake and train than the tall 

 sorts. So much stake is not 

 required and much less prun- 

 ing, or tieing. 



The convenience of picking 

 the dwarf tomato is very 

 marked. The fruit is bunched 

 closer to the centre of the plant 

 and quickly found. There is 

 no hunting around in a tangle 

 of vines to find a tomato and 

 one has to cover less territory 

 to pick a bushel, 

 the basket you cannot tell 

 'dwarf" from the "tall"; unless 

 over the average tomato it is firmer, 

 better flavored and the fruits average 

 better in size. 



Once 

 the 



in 



Planting Retaining Walls— By Warren J. Chandler, 



Penn- 

 sylvania 



THE NEW IDEA IN WALL GARDENING — MAKING THE PLANTS COMFORTABLE 

 ING THE WALL WITH ROOT ROOM AND PROPER SOIL — PLANTS THAT 



BY CONSTRUCT- 

 MAY BE USED 



SUCCESSFUL gardening consists not 

 alone in one's ability to get plants 

 to grow but also in converting surroundings 

 into a harmonious whole by judicious 

 selection of materials to fit the special loca- 

 tions. The accompanying photograph, 

 showing how a most necessary retaining 

 wall was made use of, illustrates this idea. 

 Retaining walls are essential where steep 

 grades are encountered, and the problem 

 has been how to make them as attractive 

 as possible by planting. 



The simplest method is to plant at the 

 base of the walls self-clinging vines like 

 Boston or Japanese ivy (Ampelopsis 



Veitchii), Virginia creeper {Ampelopsis 

 quinquefolia) , English ivy (Hedera Helix), 

 the evergreen Euonymus radicans and others 

 of similar habit. A variant of this is seen 

 in the planting of trailing plants at the top 

 of the wall, allowing them to drape its face. 

 These might include such things as 

 Wichuraiana rose and its many hybrids, 

 the snowberry, drooping golden bell (For- 

 sythia suspensa), etc. 



Though the effects from such plantings 

 are good, yet they are not characteristic, 

 merely repeating what is seen elsewhere, 

 in quite different situations. 



The opportunity is presented for a dis- 



tinct type of garden effect by utilizing the 

 actual face of the wall and planting directly 

 on it, between the stones, specially selected 

 plants. To get the best results from this 

 scheme the plan should have been in mind 

 at the time of constructing the wall, building 

 it with a view to the plants' requirements. 

 Success depends on good soil and suffi- 

 cient moisture. To secure these two 

 essentials, the following suggestions will be 

 found helpful: Build the wall slowly, 

 setting the rocks carefully. Place the 

 first layer a little below the level, and 

 spread some good garden soil over it to 

 the depth of three to four inches. 



