130 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



March, 1913 



A Little Timely Talk on Moon's Shrubs 



ARLY 



golden 



Forsythia are 

 making cheer 

 spots on your 

 neighbors' 

 ^grounds, you 

 will again wish 

 that you had 

 planted some 

 of Moon's Shrubs last fall. 



Later on, when the feathery 

 crests of Spirea; the big round 

 flowers of the Japanese snow 

 ball and the lovely blooms of 

 the Hydrangeas are at their 

 height, you will wish you 



this spring when the 

 bloom branches of 



The smaller shrubs show the character 

 and quality of our shrubs about 2 feet high, 

 which sell for 25 to 35 cents each. The 

 larger, about 4 feet high, sell for fifty to 

 seventy-five cents each. 



had planted Moon's Shrubs this spring. 

 So year after year you go on wishing and 

 dreaming — while your neigh- 

 bors' shrubs and trees are 

 each season growing more 

 beautiful. 



Better make a break right 

 now, by sending for Moon's 

 Catalog, and then order early 

 so you can plant early. 



There are a few, plain, com- 

 mon sense reasons why Moon's 

 Hardy plants, shrubs, and 

 trees are superior — so reason- 

 able in price. 



The catalog tells the rea- 

 sons. 



The^^/m H. Moon Company 



Makefield Terrace T^pn. Morrisville Pa. 



Philadelphia— Room "B", 21 South 12th Street 



w2Ed££ BLACKBERRY 



TRULY A STAR PERFORMER 



A wonder indeed! in growth, excellence, product- 

 iveness. Bears for two months: large luscious ber- 

 ries in clusters, like grapes— see illustration. A sin- 

 gle plant has yielded over two bushels in a year. 

 Write for particulars, Headquarters also for St. Regis 

 Everbearing, the best red Raspberry; and Caco, by 

 far the choicest of all hardy grapes. 

 A full assortment of Strawberries, 

 Raspberries, Blackberries, Grapes, 

 Currants, Gooseberries, Garden 

 Roots, hardy Perennial Plants, 

 1 Shrubs, Vines, Evergreen and Shade 

 Trees, Roses, Hedge Plants, etc. 

 Illustrated descriptive catalog replete 

 with cultural instructions. FREE TO 

 EVERYBODY. Established 1878; 

 200 acres; quality unsurpassed; 

 PRICES LOW. 



J.T.LOVETT, Bo sVe 2 r 5 N Li J! ,e 



Christmas 

 Roses 



Six Varieties 



Send for Catalog 



The Elm City Xursery Co. 



New Haven Dept. J Connecticut 



% 



Trees and Shrubs 

 J or Chicago & Vicinity 



\Y/ E have been growing Trees and Shrubs since 

 " 1856: our stock is well grown and the varieties 

 are strictly adapted to this section. 



We make a specialty of designing and planting 

 suburban and country places. 



Whether in need of only a few shrubs or in the 

 planning of extensive grounds, avail yourself of the 

 A ustin Service. 



Our illustrated Catalog is ready. Write today. 



A. B. Austin Nursery Co. 



Drawer 20 



Downers Grove, Illinois 



Growing Tomatoes for Quality 



' I "OMATOES can be grown anywhere and will 

 J- produce some fruit under almost all condi- 

 tions; but to bear fancy fruit and lots of it, the 

 plants must be given intelligent care from the day 

 the seed germinates until the fruit is picked. 

 Extra care and attention produce wonderful re- 

 sults, both in the earliness of the crop and the 

 quality and quantity of the yield, together with 

 the increased length of the fruiting season. 



The large gardener starts his plants in the hot- 

 bed, but the home gardener may grow them in a 

 box in a sunny window. The seed should be sown 

 from forty to fifty days before the time to set the 

 plants out in the open. Fill the box with rich earth 

 that has been carefully sifted and is free from stones 

 and lumps of hard earth, and cover the seeds about 

 a quarter of an inch deep, keeping the box in a 

 temperature of about 65 degrees at night and about 

 80 degrees in the day time. When the young 

 plants attain the height of one to two inches they 

 should be transplanted into another shallow box or 

 hotbed, and set about four inches apart. Here 

 they remain until they are planted in the garden, 

 after all danger of frost is over. 



Another, and better, method is to take the young 

 seedling plants and set each one in a 3-inch flower 

 pot. Treated in this way, the roots are not dis- 

 turbed when transplanted to the open ground. 



Set out the plants in rows 5 feet apart, putting 

 them every 4 feet in the row. The proper time 

 for moving the plant is when it is from 12 to 15 

 inches in height, having a stem as thick through as 

 an ordinary lead pencil. If cold weather should 

 threaten after the plants are set out it may be 

 necessary to cover them at night with a basket or a 

 plant protector of some kind, which should not be 

 removed until the temperature has risen to at least 

 45 degrees above zero. Give plenty of water after 

 setting out. 



As soon as the young plants start to show some 

 growth, they should be hoed every three or four 

 days, weather permitting. Top dress the soil 

 around the plants with well rotted manure at this 

 stage of growth. For garden culture the vines 

 should be pruned and tied to a slake or other 

 support. As soon as the vines have made a growth 

 of 12 to 15 inches, cut out all the small shoots, 

 leaving only three or four of the largest and best. 

 Cut these so the vine will be well balanced on all 

 sides. 



A stake about 4 feet long should be driven into 

 the ground near the base of the stalk and the plant 

 tied to it with raffia or a soft string — not too 

 tightly, or the plant will be injured. Two or three 

 stakes may be used if desired. Tying up the plants 

 in this way allows the fight and air to get in among 

 the fruits, which are kept clean and have plenty of 

 air space and sun to ripen them early. 



If exceptionally large fruit is wanted for exhibi- 

 tion or for any special competition, pinch off in the 

 early stages all except three or four fruits on each 

 vine. This throws the entire strength of the vine 

 into these special fruits and will greatly increase 

 their size. Keep off any lateral branches as they 

 appear and allow only the three or four main stalks 

 to grow and bear fruit. After the three or four 

 blossoms on each stalk have made sufficient growth 

 pinch off the growing end of the stalk. With this 

 careful treatment, you will have three or four 

 main stalks with three bunches of fruit stems to 

 each one. 



The fruit should remain on the vine until it is 

 fully matured, for not until it is thoroughly ripened 

 does it have its finest flavor. Of course, if it is to 

 be shipped or carried any considerable distance, it 

 should be picked greener than when it is to be used 

 at once, and this illustrates the advantage of the 

 home garden. 



For the very earliest tomatoes use Earliana, but 

 there is a great difference in the strains of this var- 

 iety. Some are poor and rough, while others are 

 smooth and vigorous. Earliana's only virtue, how- 

 ever, is its earliness, as it lacks foliage and vigor 

 of vine, and the fruit is somewhat acid in taste. 



Bonny Best Early is within a few days as early 

 as any strain of Earliana, and produces fruit of the 

 finest quality in the greatest abundance. If kept 

 pruned and trained as indicated above, it should 

 produce fruit in the Middle Atlantic States by the 

 20th to the 25th of June. It will continue to bear 



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