July, 1917 
THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 
311 
September 1st and the leaves of the small 
plants were about the size of mouse ears. 
But with good care they grew rapidly. 
In October, we were having deliciously crisp 
heads of Mignonette lettuce. Soon came the 
early hard frosts but I protected my late Bos- 
ton by mulching generously with fallen leaves. 
The added warmth, from this covering seemed 
to be just what these Bostonians enjoyed, for 
they not only grew more rapidly but they 
blanched most beautifully. As a result we 
had large ivory-yellow heads until nearly 
December 1st; and this in New York thirty 
miles from the St. Lawrence. — (Rev.) Otto L. 
Nichols, Jefferson County, N. Y. 
Summer Pruning a Success. — For many 
years I have been a close follower of the teach- 
ings of The Garden Magazine, immediately 
putting into practice the methods discussed. 
One of my most successful efforts was summer 
pruning of fruit trees (the way is told at length 
in issue for July, 1913). Nearly all the trees 
in (5-year apples, pears, plums) started into 
vigorous bearing the very next year. There 
was only one drawback: the trees being so 
young the branches were not strong enough to 
This is the crop of fruit borne on a 5-year Damson plum 
after priming. Its first crop about 23 bu. 
carry the loads of fruit, and needed much 
propping up [a severe thinning, as advocated 
in last month’s Garden Magazine would 
have been better — Ed.\. One Burbank plum 
bore between three and four bushels of fruit — 
its previous crop was three quarts! — T. S., 
Orange Co., N. Y. 
The Flowers in Spring. — Just a word Mr. 
Editor, to you, and I hope to the “Garden 
Neighbors.” We have taken the Garden 
Magazine since ’02 but it has often been too 
popularized to be of any real interest. Slowly, 
however, you have developed popular interest 
to the point when your excellent articles of to- 
day can find general appreciation and this 
latest correspondence page will I feel sure, 
prove most helpful. A word to your readers: 
I hope that A. E. Thatcher (page 161) may 
try Harison’s Yellow Rose and the orange 
Austrian Copper, both lovely, and with me 
they have withstood 18 degrees below zero, so 
that they should prove hardy. The latter, 
however, has not made as large a bush. 
The recent mention of Delphinium Zalil in 
these pages brings to mind D. nudicaule or 
perhaps it is cardinale. I have it in a well- 
drained place in the open sun and though it is 
clearly a rockery plant, its clear orange-scarlet 
is delightful, particularly with the lavender of 
the wild Campanula rotundifolia. 
Spring is upon us as I write and I have been 
delighting in the vivid Bulbocodium that has 
really established itself. Nearby are yellow 
Winter Aconites, a startling “combine” but 
pleasing at this season. The delicate lavender 
of Crocus Tomasianus is also nice, and the fat 
buds of Iris reticulata show purple; the purple 
young growth and half opened Anemone stel- 
lata are fascinating, but best of all Iris 
histrioides has pulled through the winter and 
to-morrow I shall probably be disappointed in 
my first sight of this wee lavender flower. The 
Waterlily Tulip is almost out, and the clustered 
buds of T. biflora, a similar color, and of lini- 
folia (almost a miniature d . Gesneriana) look 
promising. — R. S. Sturtevant, Wellesley Farms, 
Mass., April 4. 
A Vine for Quick Effects. — The accom- 
panying photograph of a rustic pergola 
covered with Moon Vines was taken July 1st, 
1916, and is offered to The Garden Neighbors 
as an illustration of what can be done in a short 
time. Not having any shade we built this 
shelter out of poles and planted the Moon Vine 
some time in May. I fiave been taking The 
Garden Magazine for about ten years and 
would not do without it. — H. B. Shawen, 
Virginia. 
Mr. Wilson in Japan. — Under date of 
March 26th, Mr. E. H. Wilson, who is now 
travelling in Japan and Korea, writes to us 
that he “had an interesting and enjoyable 
trip to the Linkin Islands, and collected quite a 
lot of specirhens and much information. The 
winter has been exceptionally cold in Japan 
and the spring is late. The cherry trees 
will not be in blossom until the middle of 
April.” 
The Title Page and Index to Contents of 
Volume XXV, which concludes with this issue, 
is ready and will he sent gratis to subscribers on 
request; or subscribers’ copies can be returned to 
us and will be bound in cloth with index for $i.2j. 
Something like Jack's beanstalk! Moon Vine arbor three 
months after planting the seeds 
THE MONTH’S REMINDER 
These directions apply generally to the latitude of New York; due allowance must be made, earlier for the South and later for the North. Ap- 
proximately 100 miles of latitude equal a difference of a week 
N OW is the time when the honor win- 
ners of the General Army of De- 
fense, Home Garden Division, will 
begin to show up in the ranks. 
The easy part of the work has been done, and 
the sentimentalists and the slackers are ready 
to quit. But those who will keep up the work, 
and see their gardens through, will deserve 
this year to be doubly rewarded — and what is 
more, they will be! 
Stick to your garden to the end this season, 
even if it is your first garden, and full of mis- 
takes. If your conditions are at all favor- 
able, you can hardly fail to get enough to pay 
well for the effort expended. And the experi- 
ence will be of even greater value in helping 
you in the future: for the food problem is not 
likely to be less urgent for the next year or so, 
even if the war should be brought to an end 
in a few months. 
KEEP RAISING THE DUSt! 
CTILL first and foremost in this month’s 
activities is keeping every thing you 
have growing, growing as well as you can grow 
it! That means no compromise when it 
comes to the matter of cultivation. 
Keep the wheel-hoe going 
To keep your garden growing! 
The only time to stop cultivating all the space 
between rows, is when you can no longer get 
through — but remember that when there is 
no longer room for the wheelhoe, you can 
still break the crust, and keep the dirt mulch 
established almost as quickly with a scuffle or 
“slide” hoe. We have repeated the old rule 
■ — “cultivate after every rain, and every ten 
days or so if it doesn’t rain” — many times. 
But it is still as good to follow as it ever was. 
still time to eat this winter 
"VTEGETABLES — ordinary plain stored 
’ “roots,” not “fresh” stuff from Florida 
— are not going to be any joke this winter. 
Everytime you want any extra vegetables for 
dinner, or even for stock for a war-time vege- 
table soup, it will make a hole big enough to 
see through in the week’s table budget. Don’t 
let any ground lie idle that you can use now 
for the growing of beets, carrots, ruta- 
bagas, or turnips, but provide to make a 
full planting of these things at once. Many 
people are not aware of the fact that these 
things are of very much better table quality 
if not planted until so late that they have just 
time to develop nicely, attain a fair but not 
full size, and without being allowed to reach 
full maturity before being harvested. They 
are then much more like the tasty vegetables 
you are used to having from your garden in 
spring and summer, than the tough unpal- 
atable things you usually get when buying the 
large, coarse, and fibrous “roots” one gener- 
erally finds in the markets during the winter 
months. The market gardener plants earlier 
than this because he is chiefly interested in big 
yields; but for your own use, where high qual- 
ity is as important as yield, later planting is 
advisable. 
transplant for fall and winter 
T ATE cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels 
sprouts, kale, and _celery should all be 
set in their permanent places this month. 
