226 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



June, 1918 



is not successful, you will still have time for 

 another. 



D Get a frame or two ready for this work. 

 Clean it out, put in fresh, clean soil, and pro- 

 vide a cloth covered sash, which may be sup- 

 ported a foot or so above the frame, to shade it, 

 while still allowing free circulation of the 

 air. 



□ Give the house plants a rest in the open. 

 Fork up an empty frame, put in cinders sev- 



eral inches deep, and " plunge " the pots in this, 

 up to the rim. Set far enough apart so that 

 they will have an abundance of room. Prune 

 them back, removing old wood, in order to get a 

 strong new growth for next winter's flowering. 



In the Orchard 



D 



ON'T neglect the regular summer sprays. 

 For aphis, add nicotine extract. 

 Thinning out, so that only a limited amount 



of fruit remains for the tree to attempt to 

 mature, will insure really first class fruit. 

 This is especially true of small trees that are 

 just coming into bearing. 



□ Go over your peach trees early this month 

 for borers. 



D Keep a strict watch for currant worms, 

 □ and spray immediately with arsenate of 

 lead, until the fruit is well formed, when 

 hellebore may be used, as it is readily removed. 



The Garden Recruits 5 Instruction Class 



Keeping Up With the Growth of the Crop— Vegetables to the "King's Taste" 



(See Illustrations opposite) 



TYING plants to supports is done for 

 several reasons. First of all there 

 is the giving of light and air; the 

 crop is also better ripened; it is 

 clean too, and so tying makes for economy in 

 several ways. 



Raffia is the best material for tying pur- 

 poses as it is cheaper than string and does not 

 cut the plants; when fall clean-up comes, 

 raffia is easily broken apart. It can be pur- 

 chased at any supply house. "A stitch in time 

 saves nine" is very true of supporting plants. 

 A timely minute at this season will save many 

 an arduous hour later on. 



When the pole lima leaders start to run on the pole they 

 should be loosely tied to the support, two tyings about 10 days 

 apart will bring them into contact with the pole and they will 

 thereafter take care of themselves. This applies also to all 

 other types of pole beans such as Kentucky Wonder, Old Home- 

 stead, etc. 



Tomatoes require supporting the entire growing season if it 

 be done at all, and if you are not going to be persistent it will 

 be better to let the vines sprawl about on the ground — that is 

 much better than only half supported. A good plan is to select 

 the three most promising leaders and support these to the trellis 

 or stake, all other shoots being removed as soon as they show. 



Keep early celery tied up during its season of growth. The 

 chief objection to hilling during hot weather is the liability to 

 cause rust, so just gather in the tops with one hand and tie 

 loosely with a piece of raffia, but never do this when the plants 

 are wet either from dew or rain. This also applies to endive 

 and lettuce which are sometimes tied to blanch thein. 



Staking Plants 



TT IS the unusual season that we must pro- 

 ■*■ vide for at all times. Hence in both 

 flower and vegetable gardens we provide 

 supports to meet possible strains of wind and 

 storm. An untimely storm ofttimes makes us 

 regret that we didn't take the precaution to 

 properly support our frail garden friends, but 

 regrets do not repair the damage. It pays 

 to stake plants, it inculcates thrift and other 

 good garden habits and no really good gardener 

 "takes a chance"; he stakes the plants with 

 exactly the same purpose in view that you pay 

 insurance on your household effects. You 

 don't expect a fire, you don't want one, but 

 if it does happen you are protected against 

 loss. 



Peppers and egg plants although quite sturdy will sometimes 

 get damaged from only moderate wind and a single stick with 

 a couple of tyings will prevent them blowing over. Okra, too, is 

 sometimes injured, but a few stout stakes in the row, and some 

 binders' twine laced between the plants will serve amply. 

 This method can be applied to corn that sometimes gets weak 

 and lanky, or to straighten up any somewhat damaged. 



Tomatoes can be supported by a few barrel hoops or a trellis 

 made of stakes and held in position with twine, in fact it makes 

 little difference what you use. It is simply the necessity of 

 having something substantial enough to protect the plants 

 against storm and sufficiently strong to keep the fruits off the 

 ground. The result is earlier and better conditioned fruit 

 because of the admission of air and light. 



Beans are sometimes supported by placing a few stakes 

 either side of the row and running some string along. Ordinarily 

 this is not necessary, but it is a good practice in wet soils to 

 prevent rust, especially with the wax podded types. 



On wet soils it is desirable to keep the vines of cucumbers, 

 squash and pumpkins lifted from the ground, and this is done by 

 laying some ordinary pea brush around the hills and allowing 

 the vines to scramble over it. 



When to Give Liquid Feeding 



TN GOOD gardens where the soil was prop- 

 ■*■ erly fertilized in the beginning of the sea- 

 son there is little occasion to feed with liquid 

 fertilizers; but for poor soils or new gardens, 

 liquid feeding offers a ready means of correct- 

 ing early spring errors. Top dressings are 

 slower than liquid manures as they must 

 await the action of the elements to complete 

 disentegration before the plants can assimilate 

 them; liquid feedings are immediately avail- 

 able and are therefore much quicker. 



Onions have a very limited root system and, therefore must 

 have abundance of plant food close at hand. When the tops 

 turn a sickly yellow the need of fertilizer is indicated. Apply 

 once a week a solution of cow or sheep manure fusing a bushel 

 dissolved in a barrel of water); hen manure used one-third the 

 quantity to an equal volume of water. Treat leeks exactly 

 like onions. 



In late summer the need of a little feeding is sometimes felt 

 by those crops that remain in the garden all summer. Swiss 

 chard getting tough simply means that available food is_ ex- 

 hausted; lima beans ceasing to make new productive vines, 

 tomato vines turning yellow, or parsley losing color. All gar- 

 den plants must be watched and feeding in liquid form may save 

 many a crop from disaster and also improve others. 



Cultivating the Soil 



WHY do we stir the soil? Not because the 

 exercise involved is the best body builder 

 in the world; nor can it be to kill weeds, since 

 well managed gardens contain no weeds. 

 Cultivation is done simply to conserve or 

 retain the natural soil moisture which is so 

 much better than any artificially supplied 

 water. When rain falls it penetrates the 

 earth washing down the soluble food elements 

 in the soil. If the surface of the ground is 

 allowed to bake the soil moisture is drawn to 

 the surface and is soon dispelled or evaporated 

 by the wind and sun. Remember that soils 

 that are allowed to bake are casting into the air 

 a goodly proportion of their fertility. The up- 

 ward passage of soil moisture if not checked, 

 is almost as great as the downward passage. 

 When we stir the soil we form a blanket of 

 loose earth which arrests the upward passage 

 of moisture and holds it in the soil for the 

 use of the plants. Cultivation also admits 

 air to the soil. 



Stir the soil deeply. Four inches is none too deep as, if prac- 

 tised continuously, it effectually discourages surface rooting. 



Gathering the Early Crops 



TT PAYS to give strict attention to maturing 

 *■ crops, seeing that they are harvested in 

 prime condition. Make a practice of gather- 

 ing all the vegetables that are in perfect con- 

 dition, canning those that are not required 

 for immediate use. Many gardens fail to 

 pay dividends because of the neglect to gather 

 their vegetables at the proper time. One 

 of the greatest assets of a garden is the satis- 

 faction of having the best that can be had. 

 No amount of wealth can put flavor into 



vegetables. The quality of the vegetables 

 that grace the table of the richest man in the 

 land is no better than yours only he employs 

 some one who knows enough to gather the vege- 

 tables when young and succulent, The same 

 thing is obviously possible to the smallest 

 garden owner. Pick your vegetables when 

 small and those you can't use put away in 

 glass for next winter. 



Stop cutting asparagus just as soon as the peas are in- bearing. 

 The plants must have an opportunity to build up crowns for the 

 following season's growth. The proper way to gather beets, 

 carrots, turnips, onions and other root crops is to feel around 

 the crown with the forefinger and pull those that have attained 

 size. Some are bound to develop before others and by using 

 first those that mature first you are assured of the longest supply 

 of tender vegetables. 



Keep Up Successional Sowings 



*TPHE secret of a good garden all the season 

 ■*■ lies in the frequent sowing of seeds in 

 small quantities. This prevents the feast and 

 famine type of garden which is far too 

 common. Study the planting directions in 

 this and last month's Garden Magazine. 



Lettuce, string beans, corn and radishes should be sown twice 

 this month; beets, carrots and cucumbers should be sown once. 



Sow early this month for fall crops of cabbage, cauliflower, 

 kale, brussels sprouts, and celery. For this purpose, prepare 

 a little bed or better still use a frame. Sow in drills very thinly 

 and when the plants have made their first character leaf, trans- 

 plant to prepared beds about 4 inches apart from which they 

 may be transferred to the garden when large enough to handle. 



Bag the Summer Bugs 



WHEN our succession sowings are done and 

 the cultivator has been run down the 

 last row, a feeling of satisfaction and repose 

 comes over and we are inclined to take a well 

 earned rest. But stay; there is yet work to 

 be done! Pesky potato bugs or some other 

 intruder is moving in force on the cherished 

 crops. Annoying? Yes! but don't get wor- 

 ried or excited. Bugs and other garden pests 

 cease to be a factor when you learn something 

 of their habits and how to fight them. Turn 

 back to last month's Garden Magazine for 

 the complete story. And remember the 

 simple rules of strategy: for all bugs that 

 eat the foliage use poison (arsenate of lead is 

 preferred); for vegetables that are to be used 

 shortly use a non-poisonous insecticide such 

 as slug shot or bug death; for sucking insects 

 (such as aphis) use a contact spray of tobacco 

 or kerosene preparation; for blight, rust or 

 other diseases use bordeaux mixture; for 

 beetles that bore such as cucumber beetle, use 

 contact sprays applied with great force as their 

 hard bodies protect them considerably. 



The common error in fighting insects is 

 neglecting to apply the remedies until the 

 vitality of the plant is seriously taxed and 

 therefore it has not reserve force enough to 

 recuperate. Mild preventives such as tobacco 

 dust or light liquid sprays are advisable when 

 plants are first infested. 



