240 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



May, 1913 



If the rhubarb plants are sluggish and 

 develop more seed pods than leaf shoots, 

 they need dividing and replanting. Don't 

 try to get a crop, but mulch with manure, 

 keep the pods picked off and wait for the 

 fall planting season. 



Remember the three ways for keeping 

 the plants supplied with water: (a) Direct 

 sprinkling or flooding, (b) keeping a con- 

 stant mulch of loose soil, (c) eliminating 

 the thirsty, competing weeds. 



Protecting the Plants in May 



TNSECTS and plant diseases are like 

 *■ weeds in that they are easier to prevent 

 than to get rid of when established. An 

 active campaign for the next month or two 

 will save you many a plant, much fruit, 

 and a good deal of trouble later on. 



Apple. Small leaf areas are eaten and 

 curled by a very small worm of which the 

 hind part of the body is protected by a 

 tiny case made of other bits of leaf. This 

 is the "case bearer." Spray with arsenate 

 or paris green as soon as it appears. 



Another borer works in the twig tips 

 just about as the blossoms open. If you 

 sprayed with lime sulphur in April, you 

 probably eliminated him. If not, spray as 

 the blossoms break, with lead arsenate. 



Pear. Twigs blacken and die as a result 

 of the pear thrip's work. The leaves also 

 become dark colored and brittle as the 

 psylla works on them. Both these pests are 

 very small, but kerosene or whale oil 

 emulsion for the latter, and the same thing 

 with a solution of tobacco stems added for 

 the former will prevent trouble. In either 

 case spray as soon as the petals fall. 



Potato. Don't let the vines fight the 

 potato bug unassisted. Begin to spray as soon 

 as they are four inches high. Paris green 

 is good, but lead arsenate sticks better. 



Strawberry. Plants dying here and there 

 suggest the work of the white grub or larvae 

 of the June beetle. There is no possible 

 treatment, but cultivation may turn up 

 some insects for the chickens to devour. 

 Ground severely infested should be plowed 

 deep, late next fall. 



If you find the buds on your fruit trees injured 

 and bound up like the one shown on the right 

 vcentre here the bud-moth is at work 



Crown borers cannot well be fought 

 except by rotating crops, but the ordinary 

 garden millipede may now be found in- 

 creasing the damage already done by the 

 borers, and may be trapped with a poisoned 

 bait. Dip slices of turnip, potato, etc., in 

 a paris green or lead arsenate spray and 

 scatter them among the plants — if chic- 

 kens and omnivorous pets are not around. 



Spray Mixtures. Lest we forget, the 

 standard arsenate of lead formula is one 

 pound to twenty-five gallons of water, or 

 the same amount of Bordeaux mixture. 



To make the latter, slake four pounds of 

 quicklime, and dissolve four pounds of 

 copper sulphate in water. Dilute these to 

 about five gallons apiece, pour together 

 into a third vessel and add water to make 

 fifty gallons of spray. 



The ordinary kerosene emulsion consists 

 of one-half pound of soap dissolved in one 

 gallon of boiling water, and two gallons of 

 kerosene churned together violently. Dil- 

 lute with fifteen to twenty gallons of water 

 for use and agitate constantly. 



Opening buds eaten, bound together with 

 silk, brown and withered, indicate that the 

 bud moth is at work. The above treat- 

 ment will fix him. 



Everyone knows the nests of the "tent 

 caterpillar" in the crotches of branches. 

 Burn these with a torch; poison on the 

 leaves will do for any escaping worms. 



A small "measuring worm" that skele- 

 tonizes the foliage and often swings down 

 on its silken thread is the spring canker 

 worm. Banding the trees may even now 

 prevent females from climbing them to lay 

 eggs, but the arsenate spray is surer. 



Plant lice or aphids may appear on the 

 tender young twigs, in vast numbers, any 

 time from now on. Kerosene emulsion or 

 whale oil soap solution is wholly effective. 



Asparagus. The larvae of the small 

 asparagus beetle may be found gnawing 

 the shoots. On an old bed the only thing 

 is to keep it cut clean. Spray young plant- 

 ings that must not be cut, with poison. 



Brambles. Spray the blackberries with 

 poison from May 25 to June 9 to kill the 

 larvae of the blackberry saw fly, which a 

 little later would produce the effect shown 

 in the accompanying illustration. 



Several kinds of boring worms attack the 

 canes of both blackberries and raspberries. 

 The treatment for all is to cut back the 

 canes as soon as they droop or wilt. The 

 sooner this is done the better, as the borer 

 works steadily downward. 



Currant. The leaves of this plant and 

 of the gooseberry curl up quickly under the 

 attack of their own particular variety of 

 aphis. Therefore get the kerosene emul- 

 sion on soon when the leaves begin to 

 wrinkle. This will also kill the young of 

 the 4-lined leaf-bug which sucks the juices 

 ravenously. These are at first bright red, 

 very small, wingless and found only on the 

 tenderest shoots. 



The hungry, unpleasant looking currant 

 worm devours the foliage with discouraging 

 rapidity — if not checked by a poison. 



Elm. The leaf beetle is one of the worst 

 pests of ornamental trees. The only thing 

 is arsenate of lead, strong and thoroughly 

 sprayed on both sides of the leaves. 



Grape. Buds and young leaves are 

 riddled by an active, steely blue, minute 

 beetle. From a few vines these may be 

 jarred on to sheets early in the morning; in 

 large vineyards they may be poisoned by 

 early spraying with arsenate of lead, double 

 strength to which molasses is added, one 

 gallon to fifty. 



Peach. The borer is always at work, 

 leaving casts of sawdust-like material 

 around the base of a tree. Probe for 

 him with a soft, flexible wire. 



Bulbs for May Planting 



(~\F THE summer flowering bulbs the 

 ^S gladiolus is easily the most popular, 

 but of others there are not a few. 



Amaryllis and phaedranassa enrich the 

 dull days of August with a variety of rich 

 colors. 



Crinums are equally effective though 

 somewhat more delicate in color. 



Callas and the tuberous-rooted begonia 

 are perhaps better known as house plants, 

 but are equally useful in the summer garden. 

 Arums are less beautiful than unique but 

 often fill a desire for something striking. 



Coperia Drummondi offers a touch of 

 pure white during the season when its cool- 

 ness is most appreciated. 



Hyacinthus or more properly Galtonia 

 candicans, gloxinia, Bessera elegans, eu- 

 charis, montbretia, ismene, oxalis, incar- 

 villea, spider lily, tuberose, tigridia, tritoma 

 and zephranthus, are all of this group, with 

 which color effects may be had season after 

 season with the least possible trouble. 



Then there are the bulbous foliage plants 

 almost indispensable for bedding work and 

 formal effects. Of these canna, caladium, 

 and phrynium are the most reliable. 



Then there are, of course, the summer 

 blooming lilies which form a group by 

 themselves. Hemerocallis and funkia (the 

 day lilies) may be included with the true 

 lilies — auratum, tigrinum, speciosum, and 

 the rest. 



The blackberry cane fly must be attacked before 

 the damage done has reached this stage 



