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I Work for the Month of April I 
The Flower Garden and Grounds 
ibiiiiiiiiiinii i .in i iinn mi ' i niiinni in linn uiilllillliiiiitiniiil nun I iiniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimi nniiiiiiiiiniliiniiiiiiiiiiiuiiiiililira 
DURING April, the proverbial month of showers, the 
planting of hardy trees, shrubs and flowers may 
be made. After a winter of more or less activity 
one feels glad of the opportunity to again dig and delve 
into the soil. 
Emerson, reflecting upon the discontent of the gar- 
dener during the winter months, says : 
"The cure for this ill is not to sit still, 
And frowst with a book by the fire, 
But to take a large hoe, and a shovel also, 
And dig till you gently perspire." 
The first essential to successful planting is making 
the soil right ; the elements of fertility must be there 
before the plants will grow. 
This is realized to a great extent in the cultivation of 
vegetables and flowers of an annual character, but when 
it comes to permanent plantings the question of fertility 
is often ignored. A poor growing medium can often be 
round to be the cause of many unsuccessful efforts at 
permanent planting. This is true not only of shrubberies 
and hedges, but herbaceous borders as well. So do not 
overlook the manure. On heavy soils commercial fer- 
tilizers will produce good results since humus is more 
abundant in this kind of soil than in a light one, which 
should have the barn-yard manure on account of the 
humus it supplies. 
EARLY FLOWERING SHRUBS. 
When planting is in progress it is well to heed past ob- 
servations and experience. Not infrequently one finds 
shrubs that bloom very early in the spring that lose their 
flowers. This is in the majority of instances due to an 
unfavorable location rather than climatic conditions. The 
mild sunny days of early winter advance the buds to 
such an extent that they are killed by the Zero weather 
of February. These early flowering shrubs would cause 
less disappointment if they were planted on the east, or 
north side of a house, bank, or wall. Here they will be 
more or less retarded by having less sun and will be 
better able to withstand late frosts. 
In planting shrubs in the spring it is always advisable 
to start with those of a deciduous nature first, and par- 
ticularly such as the Willows that break into leaf early. 
Then come the evergreens. While it is generally con- 
ceded that these may be successfully transplanted almost 
any month of the year when care is exercised, yet almost 
every gardener has his own particular time for it. As 
with all other spring planting there is always a desire 
to get this work done as early as possible, yet with some 
of the evergreens it is desirable to wait until the ground 
warms up a little. When the plants to be set out are 
small the roots may be puddled with clay and water mixed 
to a consistency that will best cling to the roots, as they 
are lifted out of the bucket or barrel wherein the puddle 
is made and set in the holes. 
With large evergreens puddling is not practical, but 
filling the hole with water after the roots are lightly 
covered with soil serves the same purpose and settles it 
round the roots the same as would a good tramping. 
Uncover the tender roses, and prime them ; leave two 
or three eyes on the hybrids and thin out any weak- 
growth. The teas do not require such heavy pruning 
and we like to leave the pruning of these a week or two 
after the hybrids as they start into growth sooner when 
pruned and may be caught by a late frost. 
The protective material can be removed from the beds 
of bulbs, the rhododendrons and other tender ever- 
greens, selecting a rather dull day for the work. Any 
new flower beds that are being contemplated can be made 
now and if roses are to be included don't overlook some 
of the newer teas. 
THE LAWN. 
The mulch of manure that has been on the lawn all 
winter may now Lie raked off and carted away. The 
first impression that one gets on seeing a really good 
green luxuriant lawn is that the man in charge of it is 
no idler for it takes hard work and eternal vigilance to 
keep a lawn good all through the season. Although the 
lawn forms the greater part of many places yet it is 
remarkable what little attention it gets beyond that of 
the necessary cutting, and an occasional rolling. Con- 
stant cutting throughout the season entails the removal 
of large quantities of grass which is produced at the 
expense of the plant foods the soil contains. Repetition 
of this year after year is bound to rob the soil of its feed- 
ing properties, thus making it difficult to produce an 
healthy greensward. 
Animal manures are rich in plant foods but unfor- 
tunately contain countless numbers of weed seeds. Spe- 
cially prepared lawn manures are good up to a certain 
point, but the manufacturers of these, wishing to create 
a good impression, usually add a large percentage of 
sulphate of ammonia or nitrate of soda to these mix- 
tures. These certainly make the lawn look green in a 
very short time yet without some other lasting plant food 
to follow up with, the effect is not lasting. These two in- 
gredients are stimulants rather than real foods and their 
effect upon the lawn may be likened to a whip upon a 
tired and hungry horse ; it makes him go faster for the 
time being, but it does not appease the hunger. Basic 
slag is one of the most lasting of fertilizers and one that 
can be highly recommended for use upon the lawn. Its 
effect is slow but lasting ; it may be applied at once in 
quantities varying from 800-1,500 pounds per acre. It 
is, however, sold at varying strengths and any general 
instructions as to its application would perhaps prove 
misleading, hence it would be better to follow the maker's 
directions. It is claimed by many that this fertilizer is 
bad for lawns, insomuch as it creates such a rampart 
growth of clover. This-is not the fault of the Basic Slag, 
however, for by no stretch of imagination could it be 
proved that it will produce clover by spontaneous genera- 
tion. 
Nevertheless the effect of this fertilizer upon clover is 
little short of magical, and lawns that show a tendency 
to grow clover should not be treated witli it if no more 
clover is wanted. The presence of moss upon the lawn 
is a sure indication of poverty of soil or poor drainage. 
The latter effect is a serious matter as the laying down of 
drains makes a sorry mess of any lawn. A top-dressing 
of four parts soil to one of lime will eradicate moss, and 
ten loads of this mixture will do an acre. 
THE VEGETABLE GARDEN. 
The work in this department this month is very im- 
portant. If the weather is normal, sowing should be 
made of the more hardy vegetables, as the ground gets 
150 
