WHAT AUGUST BRINGS 
iU^^FTER all, August is a month of months for the real 
^ 7\ y gardener, though to the uninitiated, who looks upon 
j/WV the full summer season as a period of nothing but heat 
jffeJLiiS and drought, the mysteries of gardening during this 
time seem to be nothing less than ordinary hard labor. To the 
true gardener, however, the opportunity of intimate work with, 
and joy in, his possessions does not savor of labor. In quiet 
repose and calm reflection he can lay foundations for great 
things to come and build more securely for next year than is 
perhaps possible during any other single month of garden work. 
For in the spring there is the feverish rush of trying to catch 
up with the advance of the season; and in the fall there comes 
the necessity of preparation for the approaching winter. And 
there is so much to be done in providing protection, in harvest- 
ing, and in storing for winter use that, from comparison with 
those two periods, this present is big with leisurely opportunity. 
A -L the world knows that August is an accepted time for the 
planting of evergreens. It does not also equally realize 
that almost anything else can be planted just as well, if planted 
in the same way. No one ever thinks of moving an evergreen, 
especially in midsummer, without the conventional ball of 
earth; and if it is to be shipped any distance it is baled as well, 
in order to keep the soil intact around the roots. We have been 
driven to do this because it is perfectly obvious that the top 
of an evergreen could not well be reduced bv pruning to com- 
pensate for any root injury without hopelessly ruining the speci- 
men. So the transplanting is properly done by retaining all 
the root system and its adjacent soil. 
Apply the same principle to deciduous trees and shrubs and 
they can be moved just as well of course. But we do not do it; 
and we do not put it into our calendar of routine events because 
there are other seasons when deciduous plants are dormant — 
and they can then be handled more easily. Not so with the 
evergreens. At whatever time we plant them they must be 
moved with the earth-ball. So we take the opportunity which a 
lessened pressure of other duties brings and busy ourselves with 
evergreen planting in August. There is too, a further advan- 
tage in all this planting of evergreens now. For at this time the 
foliage effects of the surroundings can be measured, and the 
new tree can be placed in its exact position and its full effect 
determined with regard thereto. 
A ND would you have Strawberries next year? Who would 
not, who could? Strawberry planting, preferably from 
potted plants, especially if they are to be shipped any distance, 
done this month will result in a bed in fair condition and ready 
to yield a crop next spring. It is all a matter of attention to the 
little details of cultivation, and giving the plants all they need 
in the way of deep soil and plenty of material on which to feed. 
N OW, too, is the opportunity for making, or making over, 
the herbaceous border, for there is much to be planted 
now at greater advantage than later. Notably it is the season 
for planting both Iris and Peony. These subjects have a 
period of vigorous active growth in spring, when they deliver 
their glorious crop of flowers; then a period of comparative rest, 
followed by another of active growth, during which they lay 
up for themselves stores of nutriment for the coming winter 
and particularly for the fruition of the following spring. 
From now on until the fall season is well advanced, all kinds of 
herbaceous plants which fall into this group may be shifted and 
replanted at will. Here is the great opportunity for the ama- 
teur gardener who spends his vacation in his garden. The 
period in which we now enter offers indeed the greatest possible 
opportunities for the reconstruction of old, and the making of 
new herbaceous borders. It was not so long ago to be sure, 
when the mere suggestion of planting at any other time but in 
the spring was received with suspicion. But how great a change 
has come across the face of things! Some Peony growers in- 
deed, emphatically state that they will only accept orders for 
late summer delivery. (They call it “ fall delivery ” but as a fact 
it is late summer planting.) 
S OW seeds now of Perennials and Biennials and save a year’s 
waiting. Pansy seed sown now will give plants to carry 
over the winter for bloom next spring, if in a coldframe. Prac- 
tically all the herbaceous Perennials will make a stronger stand 
from seed sown now than if the same seed is kept and started 
in the spring. And in the flower garden there are two bulbs 
that should by all means be planted now, if they can be pro- 
cured — the Madonna Lily which makes a rosette of leaves in 
the fall before resting for the winter, and the Daffodils. Con- 
trary to general practice Daffodils will do better and will give a 
sturdier growth and a stronger flower if replanted at this time 
so that they can make a good growth before the ground is 
frozen. 
E FFECTIVE watering during periods of drought which are 
almost sure to occur during the long summer months, very 
often becomes a serious problem. The plants undoubtedly need 
water; but they needs must have it in certain quantities and after 
certain methods, else the results may prove positively detri- 
mental. When the atmosphere is dry, a mere sprinkling of the 
surface of the ground will prove of small benefit to growing crops. 
On a heavy soil the hot sun quickly dries and bakes the surface 
of the ground, and this hastens the evaporation of moisture 
from subsoil sources. Water run into trenches that have a 
slight slope sometimes proves effective, and for some kinds of 
crops it is the only method possible. In general, it may be said 
that, while the gardener is about it, he should not merely sprin- 
kle, he should soak the ground; and, as soon as the surface dries, 
should powder it for a “dust mulch.” 
Here are some schemes for watering that have been used with 
success. The first is watering by capillary attraction: toward 
evening, or on a cloudy day, set a bucket of water beside the 
plant to be watered; in the bucket place one end of a burlap bag, 
and permit the other end to lie on the ground above the plant 
roots. In a few hours water will have been gently and evenly 
distributed to the plant; and as the earth was not packed in the 
process, there will be no crust formed immediately. Or second, 
when watering with a hose, tie a burlap bag over the end of 
the pipe, and lay it at the roots of the plant. The bag will dis- 
tribute the water evenly, no hole will be dug by the force of the 
water, and there will be no waste of it in running off, as the 
more extensive surface of ground exposed to the water will have 
time to drink it all up. 
Still another very effective method of watering is a species of 
sub-soil irrigation. Between plants of any kind that are spaced in 
rows, or, for that matter, beside any plant, before the stalks 
have attained their growth, bury ordinary tin cans, with holes 
in their bottoms; or use drain tile. These should be sunk until 
they are flush with the soil. Then let the drought come! 
Simply fill the cans or tile with water now and then, and the 
plants will have all the moisture they need. This watering 
has been used successfully On Tomatoes, Peppers, Lima-beans, 
Cucumbers, and even on Raspberries and Strawberries. 
But these schemes are, so to speak, emergency methods, mak- 
ing the best of an acute situation. It will be better by far to in- 
stall an adequate irrigation system of overhead or underground 
pipes according to circumstances, with plenty of water ready for 
use whenever needed; and bear in mind that plants well grown 
in their early stage can withstand some dry weather and even 
like it. 
