The Old Gardener says— 



"D. D. T. can't do it all! 



Wonderful as they are, the new 

 "miracle" pesl killers are not a cure for 

 all ills. The Old Gardener here offers 

 some down-to-earth comments on this 

 timely matter. 



The new bug fighters are big news. 

 Insecticides like the miracle-working 

 D.D.T. have revolutionized gardening. 

 But they bring new problems too, be- 

 cause they destroy one insect while 

 favoring its neighbors. As a result, 

 many of the friendly insects — the pre- 

 dators that ordinarily keep some in- 

 sects in check — are killed, while the 

 dangerous pests multiply faster than 

 ever. That is why it is more important 

 than ever before that you know what 

 pest you are fighting. 



A unique portrait series 



To help you, we are presenting on 

 page 22 the most complete and most 

 accurate color illustrations of your gar- 

 den enemies ever printed in any cat- 

 alog. Know what you are fighting. If 

 you can't tell what insect is hurting 

 your garden, bring in a sample and 

 we'll do everything possible to identify 

 it fid recommend the right insecticide 

 \.j control it. 



When in doubt, remember that a com- 

 bination of pyrethrum and rotenone, or 

 rotenone and phenothiazine will kill 

 practically any insect it touches. For best 

 effect, however, they must be hit di- 

 rectly. Too, remember that while D.D.T. 



lasts for a long time on foliage and kills 

 many insects, it does not kill red spider 

 or aphids, two common pests in the 

 garden. A mixture of D.D.T., pyrethrum 

 and rotenone is practically a universal 

 insecticide, but it cannot be used on 

 the edible portions of vegetables. 



When in doubt, ask us! 



We suggest that you save our page 

 of insect pictures for future reference. 

 But don't wait until insects attack to 

 fight them. In many cases, once the 

 pest has invaded your garden, it's too 

 late. Ask us about spraying for general 

 garden sanitation — how to keep bugs 

 from getting the upper hand. 



A Program for 

 Garden Sanitation 



About 75% of the work and much of 

 the damage caused by insects can be 

 eliminated by a simple, regular pro- 

 gram of sanitation. Preventive dusting 

 or spraying is much easier than wag- 

 ing a losing battle against bugs when 

 they appear. Usually, less than 30 min- 

 utes a week should be needed for a 

 regular sanitation program for both 

 flowers and vegetables. 



Along with a regular program of insect 

 control, plan on destroying weeds along 

 the edges of your garden, the places 

 where insects hide during the winter. 

 If possible, control the weeds for a 

 distance of at least 25 feet on all sides 

 of the garden. Not only will this elimi- 

 nate insect hiding places, but it will 

 reduce the number of weed seeds that 

 might otherwise blow onto your garden. 



This program involves two new chemi- 

 cals. Apply a 5% dust of D.D.T. to the 

 grass and weeds about every three 

 weeks, so that most insects that might 

 otherwise move into the garden will 

 be killed. So will mosquitoes, chiggers 

 and harvest mites that can make gar- 

 dening so unpleasant. 



The regular use of 2,4-D will keep 

 down all of the broadleaved weeds, 

 without danger of poisoning animals, 

 children or of damaging equipment 

 with corrosive sprays. In using 2,4-D 

 around flowers and vegetables, however, 

 be extremely careful not to allow the 

 spray to drift onto these, as most gar- 

 den plants are as easy to kill with this 

 material as the weeds. 



Any spray that will kill grasses will 

 also hurt the soil so that it can't be 

 used for growing plants for several 

 years. If this is not objectionable, use 

 one of the non-selective weed killers — 

 and clear the ground of all vegetation 

 (as on driveways, tennis courts, etc.) 

 Ask us for details. 



Green Manuring — 

 a way to save weeding 



A big help in reducing the amount of 

 weeding necessary is the use of a 

 green manure mulch on any patch of 

 soil not being used. Whenever you re- 

 move one crop from your garden plot 

 and won't use it again for at least sev- 

 eral weeks, sow that spot with winter 

 rye. Winter rye is not to be confused 

 with rye grass. The right cover crop 

 to use is the regular cereal grain — 

 winter rye. Plant about 5 lbs. to 1,000 

 square feet to produce a thick stand 

 that will crowd out weeds. 



This green mulch or cover crop will 

 take up any unused fertilizers in the 

 soil, and will store them in the leaves 

 of the rye. Then the following spring 

 when the rye is plowed under, this 

 fertilizer returns to the soil and can be 

 used by the succeeding crop. If the 

 ground lays unused, most of this plant 

 food will be lost down the drains. And 

 because a heavy stand of rye will crowd 

 out weeds, you should have a cleaner 

 garden with less work the next year. 



"LAZY MAN'S POTATO PATCH" 



How to have your potatoes grow above ground 



Years ago, "straw" potatoes used 

 to command a premium on the 

 market because they were superior 

 in quality. But, because of this, 

 many unscrupulous dealers began 

 calling their wares "straw pota- 

 toes" and so the phrase lost all its 

 meaning, and the method of grow- 

 ing was forgotten. 



Now, it is being revived by home 

 gardeners, particularly in sections 

 where the summer is considered 

 too warm for good potato yields. 

 Under straw culture, these limita- 

 tions do not hold, and potatoes can 

 be successfully grown. 



Prepare the soil as for regular 

 vegetable crops. Instead of burying 



the seed pieces several inches 

 deep, lay them on the surface 

 and press in slightly, covering 

 with a bare half inch of soil. In- 

 stead of regular spacing, plant seed 

 pieces over entire area 12"xl2". 



After planting, cover entire bed 

 with a layer of straw 12" deep. 

 That's all there is to planting — no 

 further weeding or cultivating. 



Dusting for blight should be done. 

 When vines die down, remove 

 straw and potatoes will be found 

 growing on the surface of the 

 soil. They will be bright and clean 

 and can be picked up without 

 digging. A real labor saving meth- 

 od of growing potatoes. 



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