W ITH the hot dry weather of 
midsummer cultivation is es- 
sential in order to keep water 
in the soil for growing plants. 
There is not anything quite so important, 
so keep at it even though you must neglect 
Irrigation something else. 
° Proper and abundant cul- 
Methods tivation reduces to the min- 
imum the necessity of watering, but oft- 
times it becomes necessary to resort to 
artificial watering to save the crops. The 
necessity of some good irrigation system is 
then felt, any one of these systems is 
quickly installed and is a real money saver in the long run. (See last month’s 
issue for further details.) The first cost is considerably higher than for the 
other ordinary means of watering, no matter what system or method you em- 
ploy. When watering your garden the most important point is to be sure you 
wet down deeply enough — thoroughly saturate the soil, for sprinkling the top 
soil is worse than worthless since it attracts the roots to the surface where they 
are damaged or destroyed by subsequent droughts. 
A T THIS time aphis of all kinds make themselves felt around the garden 
and if left undisturbed will do untold damage. Nearly all garden crops 
will be attacked, peas of all kinds, beans, cabbage, cauliflower, melons, lettuce, 
artichoke, etc. Any of the good standard tobacco or kerosene or soapy sprays 
The Pest of will eradicate the aphis; but better still, spray all crops with 
a weak solution as a preventive. The dealers offer excellent 
oreen fly ready made preparations. Spray asparagus with arsenate of 
lead, or dust some hellebore on the plants in early morning when the plants are 
wet with dew. This will keep the asparagus beetle, or rather the larvae of the 
asparagus beetle, under control. 
A COUPLE of sowings of string beans should be made this month. Beans 
-tA- are also subject to rust and an occasional spraying with bordeaux mixture 
will repay you. Two sowings of beets and carrots should be made this month; 
the second sowing sometime during the latter part of the month will be 
c„„j c nw ;n a the final sowing. Several rows of each should be put in to 
_ . ® give plenty for the winter supply. 
Continues it j g not t 00 j ate t0 sow cucum bers, but it is absolutely nec- 
essary to spray with bordeaux mixture as cucumbers are very subject to attack 
of blight. Make a couple of sowings of corn this month, using the early varie- 
ties which will mature before the frost ruins them. Sow lettuce frequently and 
in small patches so as to have it maturing continually. At this season it runs 
to seed very rapidly. 
Sow rutabagas now for a winter supply. A great many persons imagine this 
is only a stock food; while it is very valuable as such, it is also a most delicious 
vegetable when properly prepared. 
Late this month start sowing peas again. With any kind of facilities for 
watering peas do very well as a fall crop. 
L ATE crops of cabbage, cauliflower and celery should now be set out. Be 
sure that the roots are thoroughly puddled in water. Frequent spraying 
helps to keep the plants from wilting and will help establish them. 
Vegetable Look out for rust on the early celery and spray occasionally 
6 with bordeaux mixture to prevent it. 
Plants Spray muskmelons frequently with bordeaux mixture to 
prevent blight. Bordeaux is a preventive; there is no cure for the blight. 
After it has once appeared gather up and bum the affected plants to prevent the 
disease from spreading. 
Small boards placed under the melons as they form will make them ripen more 
evenly and will prevent the flat and bleached-out side which many melons have 
from resting on the ground. 
Spray potatoes regularly with bordeaux mixture combined with arsenate of 
lead for the blight and potato bug. Early potatoes should now be ready for 
use, but don’t dig them any faster than you can use them as they are gaining 
size very rapidly at this season of the year. 
Feed your leek and onions with liquid manures and nitrate of soda if you 
want real quality. 
A LL continuous flowering plants such as coreopsis, pyrethrum, and perennial 
sweet peas must be picked clean; if allowed to run to seed they will stop 
flowering very quickly. In dry seasons a good mulch of half rotted manure 
applied to the perennial border, particularly to continuous flowering perennials 
Plants in an< i those that flower in fall, is preferable to watering. 
Spray hollyhocks with bordeaux mixture to control the holly- 
flower hock disease. Spray now to protect next year’s plants. Nastur- 
tiums and other soft, sappy plants are very much subject to attacks of aphis. 
Tobacco dust, or liquid sprays of proprietary tobacco or kerosene preparations 
such as are offered by the dealers will keep the aphis under control. 
Keep geraniums pinched back if you want good bushy plants. Remove the 
terminal of the growth with the thumb and forefinger. 
Clip alternanthera and coleus almost as closely as you would a hedge. We 
have seen coleus kept well shaped by cutting with a scythe! 
T HE biennial types of the campanula and foxglove as well as all similar 
plants can be torn out and thrown away after flowering. You will have 
a fine crop of seedling foxgloves which can be kept for next season’s supply. 
There are a number of the annuals which will do well in late summer by 
Annuals and sowing now, such as mignonette, candytuft, Phlox drum- 
. mondii, calliopsis, gypsophila, and cornflower. 
.Biennials if y OU want y Qur sweet peas to keep on producing, the 
flowers must be kept cut clean, the plants must not be allowed to suffer for want 
of moisture at the roots. Give them a thorough soaking and then apply a 
thick mulch. Sweet peas are gross feeders and they must have plenty of 
s 
HE MONTH 
REMINDER 
COMPILED WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THE HOME GARDEN FROM 
THE TEN YEARS’ DIARIES OF A PRACTICAL EXPERT GARDENER 
For reckoning dates, the latitude of New York City is generally taken as a 
standard. In applying the directions to other localities, allow six 
days’ difference for every hundred miles of latitude 
plant food available. If you want long 
stems and high quality flowers feed the 
plants a couple of times a week, using 
liquid manure or some of the concentrated 
fertilizers diluted. 
P LOW under any cover crops; in doing 
this be sure and turn them well under. 
Use a chain on the plow when necessary, 
but do not lose sight of the fact that, to 
Orchard °f much value, the crop 
must be well covered. 
July is a good month to start summer 
pruning. All trees that have attained the 
size and are in condition to be fruited lend themselves to this practice. 
It is simply a restriction of the growth, which has a tendency to make the 
trees fruit. Remove any thin weak interior branches and nip off the end 
of any shoots showing a rank heavy growth. 
L OOK out sharply for aphis of various types on your trees. A little tobacco 
dust or a spray will keep them in check. Various caterpillars hatch out at 
this time and should be removed or they will very quickly defoliate a plant. 
Grounds Look over the trees very carefully. Borers are active at this 
season and, when noticed, can be killed by running a steel wire up 
the opening in the tree. 
Any trees that have bark disease or any bad bark scars should be attended 
to. Where decay has started, the soft punky wood should be cleaned out 
thoroughly and the opening filled with cement. 
At this season of the year we very often have continued dry weather which is 
very trying to shrubbery borders, particularly newly planted ones. It is a 
good practice to apply a heavy mulch over all new work of this kind. It re- 
lieves the necessity of watering and the plants do better. 
Keep a sharp lookout for green fly and white scale on your bay trees. It is a 
good plan to spray these trees about once a week with a good strong tobacco 
solution which also keeps them clean. 
T AKE good care of all the pot plants in the frames and plunged in outdoors. 
These plants are intended for the coming winter and any neglect now must 
be paid for later. 
Get seed now and sow calceolarias and cinerarias. Do not attempt to raise 
jjj either of these plants unless you have a house which can 
_ be kept below 50 degrees at night during winter. They 
Greenhouses, etc. no t thrive in too warm a greenhouse. 
Don’t neglect the carnation plants. These should be growing rapidly, 
whether in the greenhouse or field, and in either case should be kept pinched as 
required and kept free from insect pests. It is also a good plan to spray them 
every couple of weeks with bordeaux mixture. Better get seed now of all the 
vegetables that you intend forcing next winter, such as cauliflower, beans, 
lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, etc. 
If you have a suitable house in which the night temperature is about 50 de- 
grees, New Zealand spinach makes one of the best producing crops you can 
grow. Sow it now for a continuous supply all winter. 
Parsley can be sown now in the frames or in the cool greenhouse for next 
winter’s supply. 
Water cress is very easy to grow in a coldframe or very cool greenhouse, in a 
temperature not over 45 degrees. You simply can’t keep the aphis away from 
it if grown over this temperature. Sow the seed now, using a rich soil and cover- 
ing the bed with about one inch of clean, sharp sand. 
If wanted early, tomatoes and cucumbers can be sown now, using the forcing 
type for this purpose. They give much better results than the ordinary. 
Feed chrysanthemums very freely, using liquid manures and the concentrated 
fertilizers. These plants will take this food in enormous quantities at this time 
as they are growing rapidly. Spray the plants frequently several times a day 
and keep all the air on possible. Be on the watch for black fly; they always 
gather on the extreme tip of the growth and a little tobacco dust or insecticide 
will keep them under control. 
This is the season for mildew in the rose house. Start a little fire during damp, 
dull weather and paint the pipes with a paste made with flowers of sulphur. 
Keep as much air on as possible at all times so that the plants don’t get too soft. 
Any annuals for forcing, such as stocks, mignonette, etc., can be sown late 
this month. All these are best when sown early and grown very slowly. 
Next month will be a busy month around the greenhouse and preparation 
should be made now to meet this condition. Pots should be washed so they 
will be on hand when wanted; flats should be made if you are short; labels 
and stakes should be ordered if your stock is low; and any fertilizer wanted 
should be ordered at this time. 
Plant cold storage lilies for Christmas flowering late this month, and it is 
advisable to order them as early as possible. Calla lilies and fuchsias should 
also be ordered now as they are both planted next month. 
P RUNE all flowering shrubs immediately after flowering. Remove a num- 
ber of the old woody branches by cutting at the ground line, giving pref- 
erence to the younger and more vigorous shoots that spring up from the ground. 
Keep all dead flowers picked from the roses and apply a good strong mulch to 
your tea roses. Cow manure is ideal for this, as it not 
Flowering only keeps the soil moist but furnishes valuable plant 
Shrubs. Roses food. Cut all dead flowers from climbing roses and prune 
these the same as you would a flowering shrub. 
From now till September spray roses to control mildew and so help the foliage 
to build up strength for next year. Admiral Aaron Ward’s system of spraying, 
and which is quite successful, calls for 
Copper carbonate 3 ounces 
Ammonia (22 Beaume) 1 quart 
For use take two quarts of the above mixture to fifty gallons of water. 
Apply as a spray every ten days from July 20th to September 10th. 
296 
