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i Work for the Month of May j 
By Henry Gibson, New York 
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THIS is the month of the poets, the Queen of the 
Calender, yet it is none the less a month of 
hard work for the gardener. Nature has 
brought us to the threshold of summer, and is whisp- 
ering to us of the unfolding beauties that are to be 
spread out before us. The orchards will be pink and 
white with a thousand fragant temptations, for the 
tuneful birds, and buzzing bees. The iris will be un- 
furling its bannarets of royal purple, snow white and 
golden yellow, and the tulips will add a glow of color 
to the beds and borders that will ere long be planted 
to more tender subjects from the greenhouses, and at 
last we will be made to forget that Jack Frost ever 
tried our patience with his wintry pranks. 
THE BIRDS. 
Mention of the hirds reminds us that now is the time 
to do something to attract them about the grounds by 
planting shrubs and trees or otherwise providing for 
their protection and welfare next winter. While this 
may be considered by some as quite outside the pro- 
vince of these notes, yet it is a matter worthy of the 
attention of all gardeners, for estate owners are be- 
coming more than ordinarily interested in our feath- 
ered friends and each passing year sees more and more 
interest being taken in them. Whole pages could be 
written on attracting birds about the grounds without 
exhausting the subject. Lists of shrubs and trees of a 
berrv-bearing character are now issued by numerous 
bird protection societies throughout the country and 
at this time of planting they are worthy of some atten- 
tion. One of the first steps to take in attracting the 
birds is to provide them with plenty of water, in shallow 
receptacles. These receptacles may take some orna- 
mental form, at the discretion of the owner. 
Cats that make a practice of killing birds should be 
exterminated, without the slightest compunction. Of 
course the plantations of blackberries and raspberries 
will undoubtedly suffer at the instance of the birds, but 
this trouble can be overcome to a great extent by 
planting mulberries in close proximity to them, since 
the birds seem to prefer mulberries to the blackberries, 
or raspberries. Sunflowers should have a place in some 
corner of every garden, as many birds will feed on 
them in the fall. 
THE FLOWER GARDEN. 
The planting of trees and shrubs should be com- 
pleted as soon as possible, as well as hardy perennials. 
Towards the end of the month when the weather is 
more settled, and the soil warmer for the tender plants 
bedding-out may be begun in real earnest. All plants 
used for this purpose that have been subject to green- 
house conditions should be well hardened off before 
planting out. A little extra attention in regard to hard- 
ening off the plants will result in much improved 
specimens. 
HARDY ANNUALS. 
There are numerous varieties of hardy annuals that 
are close rivals of the best of the bedding plants. 
many of them being extremely useful for house and 
table decoration. Another advantage is that different 
varieties may be had in bloom from ]une until trust. 
A section of these plants will appeal to all gardeners 
whether amateur or professional. Almost all of them 
like plenty of sunshine, but there are a few that do 
well in the shade. Among the latter Nasturtiums take 
a prominent place ; they do not require a rich soil at 
any time, but when grown in the shade no manure 
whatever should be used. Such subjects as poppies, 
mingonette, and clarkias, when thinned to a foot apart 
will branch freely and flower for months. 
Next to the sweetpea, the early-flowering chrysan- 
themums may be mentioned as one of the most useful 
flowers for garden decoration. Old plants that have 
survived the elements of winter will now have made 
a quantity of nice basal shoots, and where an increased 
stuck of plants is needed, they can be obtained by lift- 
ing and dividing the stools. Plants raised in this 
manner are very little inferior to those raised from 
cuttings. They should be planted firmly and be given 
a good watering afterwards and they will soon recover 
from the effects of being disturbed. 
BULBS FOR PLANTING NOW. 
There are a number of summer-flowering bulbs that 
may be planted now to help keep the garden bright 
later in the season. Of these the gladioli is by far the 
most popular, but there are many more. The first batch 
of gladioli will have been planted in April to supply early 
flowers. Another planting should be made every two 
weeks or so until the end of June in order to keep up a 
regular supply of these very desirable flowers. Mont- 
bretias should be got into the ground as soon as possible 
now. It is claimed by many authorities that autumn is 
the one and only time to plant these bulbs, but we have 
seen some very fine results from April and early May 
plantings. 
Amaryllis of the old Belladonna type and crinums 
will do much towards enlivening the dull days of Au- 
gust with a variety of rich color. 
The tall summer hyacinth, Galtonia candicans, is an 
excellent companion plant for delphiniums or similar 
tall growing plants. Planted in groups it produces a 
very pleasing effect when in bloom. 
EVERGREENS. 
Evergreens should be gone over and clipped if they 
are growing out of shape when the growth starts. 
What about the red-spider? If this pest is trouble- 
some, spray the evergreens with scaline. This will 
effectively remove him if done thoroughly. 
A heavy mulch of manure on the rosebeds will great- 
ly improve the quality of the flowers. 
WINDOW BOXES AND BASKETS. 
Much can be done in the way of adornment about the 
house and home by using these receptacles for grow- 
ing plants in. Not infrequently, however, we find that 
they are a dismal failure because the watering has been 
neglected. It is readily understood by those used to 
care for window-boxes and hanging baskets that the 
small body of soil which they contain, suspended in 
such a position that air reaches it from all sides will 
soon dry out. Plants cannot grow if their roots are 
dry. It is better to let this phase of gardening alone if 
the watering- cannot be faithfullv attended to. We 
INN 
