34 



The Garden Magazine, August, 1919 



Pick the early apples as soon as they are ripe; they are not good 

 keepers. 



Cut out any black knot that may appear on stone fruit trees, and 

 burn it. 



This is the month for budding. Tackle the plums and cherries 

 first, then continue with peaches toward the end of the month. 



Young pear trees not yet in bearing can be topworked now in- 

 stead of in late winter. 



Laver gooseberries, and make currant cuttings from the material 

 pruned off in trimming back. Cut out the old canes of blackberry 

 and raspberry; that is, those that have borne this year. If sprouts 

 are coming up between the rows of these crops, grub them out — 

 unless you need them to enlarge the plantation. 



Grapes should be fully ripe before they are picked, so thin the foli- 

 age of the grape vines if necessary in order to admit plenty of air and 

 sunlight to the ripening crop. The sugar content increases very rap- 

 idly during the last few days of ripening. 



Repot strawberry plants that are being kept for indoor fruiting; 

 feed them too. 



Where Grass Grows and the Flowers Bloom 



Note the spots in the lawn that suffer most from the 

 dryness just as you located the poorly drained areas 

 early in the spring. Some of them can be restored 

 by simply raking the soil well, adding a little rich 

 compost, sowing thickly a little recleaned grass seed, 

 and rolling. Water regularly twice a week until the 

 grass is well established. Drainage work can now be done in low 

 wet spots that are too sticky at practically all other times of the 

 year. Finish such jobs promptly so that a new lawn or shrubbery 

 planting can be established on the site of the improvement before 

 winter. 



Cut out or otherwise destroy all large weeds such as plantain be- 

 fore they mature seed. Some of these become a bit loose in the soil 

 about now, and can be pulled or spudded out with less effort than at 

 any other time. 



Don't let the manure pile heat and "fire fang" by becoming too 

 dry. If it cannot be worked over by hogs, wet it down now and 

 then and also fork it over so as to retard fermentation. 



"Prick out" perennial seedlings from last month's sowings just 

 as you handled the annual plantlets early in the spring. 



Use manure water frequently and, if not too strong, freely, any- 

 where and everywhere. Plants that are blooming now will benefit. 

 Others have played their parts and are storing up food and energy 

 against their reappearance next season, so "build up" now. 



Clip the Privet hedges, just before they would bloom. Pot up 

 Freesias for early winter blooms. Cut back Pelargoniums and when 

 the new growth starts repot and feed generously. Old plants so 

 treated can be used simply as a source of cuttings. Pot up some dry 

 Tuberose bulbs. Keep them dry until they start into growth, 

 then gradually water and accustom to indoor conditions. They 

 will bloom in December or January. 



For the best effects indoors, cut Gladiolus flower stalks just as the 

 first flower, at ihe bottom, is opening. The others will then open 

 in succession. 



Anything that is to be grown indoors during winter should be well 

 started before artificial heat is turned on. This means that all such 

 plants should be started soon, whether from seeds, cuttings, or bulbs. 

 There is nothing to be gained by delaying the outdoor planting 

 of hardy herbaceous stuff. The longer it is in the ground before 

 cold weather arrives, the better. 



Keep the frames busy all summer. In them you 

 have the richest soil on the place; don't let it loaf. 

 As soon as the last of the vegetable and bedding 

 plants, and early crops are removed, get a summer 



or fall crop started. If you don't need them for anything else, 

 sow clover or cowpeas, to fork under in the fall — cover crops an 

 just as useful here as in the garden. 



Order your seeds of Pansies, Daisies, Forget-me-nots, Canterbury 

 Bells, etc., now, so that you can get a good early start. Get a frame 

 or two ready for this work. Clean it out, put in fresh, clean soil, 

 and provide a cloth covered sash, which may be supported a foot or 

 so above the frame, to shade it, while still allowing free circulation 

 of the air. 



Keep Roses in the greenhouse well syringed, so that they will 

 stand the heat without checking; and look out for mildew and if 

 it appears use flowers of sulphur dusted on or potassium sulphide 

 in water. 



Seeds from trees and shrubs can be sown as soon as they are fully 

 ripe. The best place is an outdoor seed bed where they can remain 

 undisturbed for a year or more. Time and patience only are re- 

 quired to raise a lot of nursery stock. 



Begin to make cuttings of all bedding plants toward the end of the 

 month, to have plants for potting and winter forcing. A shaded 

 cold frame is a good place in which to root the slips. 



Plant evergreens this month as windbreaks, as background for 

 flowering shrubs (especially the early spring blooming sorts) and 

 for hardy herbaceous perennials, and for the sake of their warm 

 coloring in winter. Windbreaks will appreciably reduce the coal 

 bill! 



Plant bulbs for winter blooming as soon as they are delivered. 

 By controlling the conditions of heat and moisture they can be 

 matured gradually so as to afford a succession of blooms instead of 

 one big burst soon over. 



Gathering the Harvest 



No matter how hard you try, there may be a few 

 crops that you will fail to harvest while they are at 

 their best. Many of them can be left to mature 

 seed. Or you can deliberately set out to raise some 

 of your seed supply by selecting and giving special 

 attention to a few of the best plants, of a particularly desirable 

 type. Most of our standard quality varieties or strains have 

 been established through just such means. 



When the main-season and late crops begin to mature there will 

 be little chance to do anything but harvest and dispose of them. 

 Therefore clean out the root cellar, potato storage corners, and other 

 places in which crops can be kept in good condition, and get them 

 ready for another year's supply. Remember the different condi- 

 tions that are needed for different kinds of special foods. For in- 

 stance, a warm, even hot, dry place will keep Hubbard squash and 

 pumpkins for the longest possible time; a dry, cold storage is best 

 for onions; and a cold, but naturally moist one is best for all the 

 root crops, for potatoes and celery, and for most tree fruits. 



PREPARATION FOR THE FUTURE 



Whenever you want to add to the fertility of the soil this month, 

 use a fertilizer rather than manure, except where, you are preparing 

 a deep permanent bed for future planting. Manure that is the 

 least bit fresh has a considerable warming and drying effect, and the 

 soil usually doesn't need to be aided in drying out these days. 



Weed and do most of your cultivating early in the morning, so that 

 the weeds left on the surface will be baked by the sun all day. Of 

 course there is no objection to cultivating again later on, with the 

 commendable purpose of conserving moisture. 



Special Reminder! — Look up your garden photographs, and 

 send to the Editors any that seem specially attractive, to- 

 gether with a concise description. The most meritorious 

 will be selected for publication in the Garden Magazine 



