178 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



May, 1 !) 1 S 



whc.it Hour, 1635 — and more than in ;i pound 

 ol round Steak, 890, or of sirloin, 9,75. A 

 pound ol potatoes contains about 400 calories, 

 parsnips ?oo. green corn 460, onions 220. Six 

 ounces of potatoes will save l) ozs. of flour. 

 With potatoes freely used we can get along 

 with less bread. 



I he stimulus to vegetable production given 

 by the National War Garden Commission 

 is a vital factor in the food problem of the 

 I nited States, and the food problem of the 

 I nited States is the pivot on which turns the 

 present stupendous problem of the world; 

 for "Everyone who cultivates a garden helps 

 to solve the problem of the feeding of the 

 nations" 



Save Everywhere! 



IN THE end it is not what we grow, or 

 make, that counts, but rather what we 

 save. Larger gardens help little, un- 

 less the extra crops are carefully saved 

 or put to use where the supply is lacking. 

 To make bigger gardens, to use more seeds 

 and then lose the benefits of the greater 

 attempts by letting food go to waste in the 

 garden, would be defeating the very object of 

 the effort. More than ever before, we must 

 save at the start and economize in the end. 

 In the garden, saving should be practised in 

 connection with every little act and object. 



Save Seeds. In the very beginning seeds 

 must needs be handled with care, and sown 

 with precision, spacing them properly in the 

 row to give every seed a fair chance. Do 

 sowing only under soil and weather conditions 

 that will insure safe arrival of the seedlings 

 above the soil. 



Save the Seedlings by giving them immediate 

 and proper care. 



Save Moisture by starting cultivators going 

 at once. There is no greater waste than 

 sunbaked soil which permits the moisture 

 to escape. 



Save Fertility. To thoroughly manure or 

 fertilize the ground, and then to let the weeds 

 choke the cultivated crop, is a waste. The one 

 sure way to a bountiful garden is to hoe, hoe, 

 and hoe again, whether with a wheel cultiva- 

 tor, a hand cultivator, a common hoe, or a 

 rake. 



Save the Plants that bear the crops. When 

 the first common garden butterfly appears, 

 prepare to fight the worms by destroying the 

 eggs through either spraying or dusting. As 

 soon as the petals drop from the fruit tree 

 blossoms, take out an insurance policy on the 

 coming harvest in the form of timely spray- 

 ing. (See page 191 of this issue.) 



Save the Crops ! Before the plants or trees 

 finally yield the fruit of your efforts, be fore- 

 handed with preparations to take care of the 

 harvest. Don't wait until July before order- 

 ing your canning outfit or preserving jars. 

 Don't wait until the vegetables become over- 

 grown or old or tough and stringy. If you 

 cannot take care of the crop as it comes, place 

 it where it can be taken care of. Take advan- 

 tage of neighborhood canning kitchens and 

 cooperative community dehydrating plants 

 where food may be saved by proper handling; 

 also, remember the less fortunate ones in the 

 cities who cannot grow for themselves things 

 that you may produce in surplus quantities. 



Save Labor. Withal, these various forms 

 of saving have to be practised with an eye to 

 strict economy in labor. Remember: "our 

 object is to win the war." Don't keep at 

 mere pulling of weeds an able-bodied man who 

 can help build ships, run a motor truck, or 



build a barrack. Press into service the 

 many labor-saving tools and appliances, which 

 stand for short cuts in gardening. 



A Handy Trellis for Viney Vegetables. — 

 Poles for lima and other climbing beans are 

 not always procurable and when used have 

 their disadvantages. A cord-and-wire trellis, 

 shown in the accompanying photograph, has 

 been so satisfactory for me that I am sure 

 others will be interested in knowing about 

 it. As can readily be seen, two wires were 

 strung between posts, one at the ground and 

 one about six feet above. Four-ply soft 

 brown cord was run back and forth over these 

 wires about one foot apart. When the row 

 was completed, two cords were woven length- 

 wise of the row to strengthen the structure. 





r ^4^''vr 





A practical trellis. Two wires run lengthwise of the row, 

 one at the ground, one about six feet above. A strong soft 

 cord is run back and forth over these wires 



The posts were stays from lumber cars and 

 cost just ten cents apiece. The cord used 

 cost about twenty cents a ball and one ball 

 made about twenty-five feet of trellis. Before 

 stringing, the balls were immersed in melted 

 paraffin which thoroughly saturated the string 

 and should add to its lasting qualities. Brace 

 poles were set a little out of the row so as 

 not to interfere with the plants. When this 

 trellis is made four feet apart between the 

 rows and beans are planted a foot apart in 

 the row, the plants run a race to see which can 

 cover the most of the trellis. Being spread 

 out, they thrive better and yield more than 

 when the same number of plants are crowded 

 on poles, to say nothing about the greater 

 ease of gathering. This type of trellis in 

 various dimensions is well adapted to peas 

 and tomatoes, as well as beans; and from the 

 way that a neighboring row of cucumbers 

 took to the strings I am going to try it for this 

 plant another year. — Donald F. Jones, Cam- 

 bridge, Mass. 



Quality in Rhubarb. — In the April Garden 

 Magazine, M. G. K. says rhubarb raised from 

 seed can not be depended upon as there are 

 too many varietal differences. He should 

 try New Winter Rhubarb. I sowed seed a year 



ago, May, and by September had a most 

 excellent stand and all we could possibly use. 

 1 his all from a small packet of seed. The 

 stalks are exceedingly fine quality and re- 

 mained good until after frost. Just now, 

 April, they are again making rapid growth 

 and will be ready for use in a few days. The 

 flavor is exceptional and much less sugar is 

 required than with other varieties I have 

 tried. — /. /. Billman, Mo. 



Preserving Wooden Labels. — In the case 

 of labels used for the garden, or other purposes, 

 the following plan is to be highly recom- 

 mended as certain to preserve the wood. The 

 first step is to soak the pieces of wood for a 

 whole day in a solution of copperas (sulphate 

 of iron). After this, put the wood at one side 

 to dry. Then place in lime water for twenty- 

 four hours. The outcome of this treatment is 

 the formation in the wood of sulphate of lime 

 (gypsum) a salt that is highly insoluble. 

 This impregnates the wood to such an extent 

 that a rapid destruction of the labels is im- 

 possible. Thin wood treated in this manner 

 has been fully exposed to the weather for two 

 years without showing the least change. — 

 S. Leonard Bastin. 



Use Postal Cards? — We [have this spring 

 received several postal cards, adequately 

 addressed, but with the back blank — no message 

 at all! This will we hope serve as an explana- 

 tion why apparently no notice has been taken 

 of such communications. Better use a letter- 

 head and a sealed envelope in future. 



Prefers the Easy Way. — I was very much 

 interested as well as amused by Mr. Max 

 Schling's characteristic letter in the March 

 Garden Magazine regarding the cultivation 

 of Hunnemannia. Notwithstanding all that 

 Mr. Schling says, I prefer (and I think most 

 amateurs will agree) to try and grow this 

 beautiful flower again this year under the 

 same method I used last year, viz. soaking 

 the seeds and planting them in the place where 

 they are to remain. I have never had much 

 luck in transplanting any of the Poppy family 

 and see no good reason why so much work as 

 suggested by Mr. Schling is necessary — possi- 

 bly the flowers might be somewhat earlier, 

 but as I do not want mine until September I 

 am satisfied to follow my own method. How- 

 ever if this discussion will lead to a more gen- 

 eral use of this wonderful flower, I shall feel 

 entirely satisfied with the results and criti- 

 cisms. — Frank Presby. 



Tent Caterpillar Destroyer. — A very ef- 

 fective instrument for destroying the Tent 

 Caterpillar may be easily made as follows: 

 Procure a long, stiff and light pole, drill two 

 holes four inches from one end and at right- 

 angles to each other, put through each hole a 



piece of springy brass wire, stiff enough to 

 keep its shape, and about -?g inches thick and 

 16 inches long. Bend each wire down on 

 either side of the pole so that the ends will 

 project about 4 inches beyond the end of the 

 pole; an inch from this pole-end fasten each 

 wire with a staple, sharpen the ends of the 

 wire, and the implement is ready for use. 

 It is as well to equip a shorter stick for low- 

 hanging nests; a pole made from an old rake- 

 handle will answer. Thrust the points of the 

 wires into the nest, twist it around and you 

 will find that the majority of the worms will 



