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“ Come with me, then, behind the scenes, where we are concerned only with the joys of plant increase and rejuvenation ” 
The Reminder is to “suggest” what may be done during the next few weeks. Details of 
bow to do each item are given in the current or the back issues of the The Garden Magazine — it 
is manifestly impossible to give all the details of all the work in any one issue of a magazine. 
References to back numbers may be looked up in the index to each completed volume (sent 
gratis on request), and the Service Department will also be glad to cite references to any special 
topic if asked by mail. 
When referring to the time for out-door work of any sort New York City at sea level in a nor - 
mal season is taken as standard; but at best dates can only be approximate Roughly, the season 
advances northward fifteen miles a day. Thus Albany, which is one hundred and fifty miles from 
New York, would be about ten days later, and Philadelphia, which is ninety miles southwest, 
about a week earlier. Also allow Jour days for each degree of latitude, for each five degrees of 
longitude, and for each four hundred feet of altitude. 
MARCH— THE MONTH OF ACT I HE PREPAREDNESS 
SflT^^OON it will be possible to put into practice the plans made 
during the winter and if you have neglected any detail of 
k\J yj, planning ahead take time now, working overtime if necessary, 
to complete the outline of work to be done. It will pay for 
itself in achieved results in June. 
General 
At this time of the year bulb stock requires 20-25 days from the time of 
being brought indoors until flowers open. Double Tulips take a 
little longer. Figure your supply accordingly. 
This is positively the last call for dormant spraying and for pruning. 
It is of little use to spray and spray again the fruit trees, if near by 
ornamental shrubs infested with scale are left untreated. Be 
thorough. 
Prune the late flowering shrubs but leave alone the early flowering 
ones until just after they have bloomed ; which in a single sentence 
gives the governing principle for all ornamental flowering shrubs. 
Early bloomers flower on the wood made last year, late bloomers 
bear the flowers on new wood of this season. 
Seeds To Sow In Heat 
Sow Primulas for flowering next fall and winter (P. malacoides and its 
varieties are best sown in June.) 
Sow Heliotrope and Centaurea gymnocarpa in a temperature of 50° 
for bedding out in May. 
Sow Schizanthus retusus. Transplant to flats, later pot and grow on 
in a cool temperature, rich soil, and good drainage. Pinch off the 
flower buds until required to bloom. 
Sow Clarkias and grow on to flower in six-inch pots. No pinching is 
necessary. Pick off dead blossoms and they will continue to 
bloom well through the summer. 
Sow Hunnemannia fumariaefolia in paper pots for summer flowering. 
Annual Gypsophila can be used in conjunction with almost any 
other flower for table decorations during the summer months. 
Make a sowing now in the hotbed for June flowering, again three 
weeks hence, and so on through the summer to keep up a suc- 
cession. 
Procure Lilium speciosum for summer blooming now, pot into five- or 
six-inch pots, and grow cool; useful for brightening the show house 
or conservatory. 
Plants From Cuttings 
Pot up early-rooted Chrysanthemums. Don’t leave them in the sand 
after the roots are an inch long. 
Continue propagation of Chrysanthemums and bedding stock, as 
cuttings are available. 
Complete propagation of Carnations as soon as possible, now that the 
days are getting brighter, which makes rooting more difficult — 
make the most of every opportunity to get a crack of fresh air on 
the ventilators. Warm weather brings swarms of thrips. Look 
out for them, spray and fumigate. 
Pot on bedding stock propagated from cuttings last fall and space out 
on the benches as they show signs of crowding. 
Alternantheras may still be rooted in sand. Divide up plants wintered 
over in flats; put out in a gentle hotbed, where they will make fine 
plants for setting out at the end of May. 
Root cuttings of Alyssum saxatile. Divide up old plants of Erfordii, 
Luminosa, and Chatelaine Begonias; repot the pieces, or cut 
back, and take cuttings from the new basal growths. 
Make cuttings from stock plants of Hydrangeas saved for this purpose; 
or from the basal growths of those being forced into flower at this 
time. Take cuttings of Marguerites and Heliotrope. 
Vegetables On Hand And To Come 
As weather conditions permit uncover the Asparagus and Rhubarb. 
Sprinkle salt on the Asparagus bed, also nitrate of soda, using 
about 1^ lbs. per square rod. 
Encourage Rhubarb into growth by placing barrels over the crowns, 
and banking round the barrels with hot manure. 
Dig all Parsnips, and Oyster plants, that have been in the ground all 
winter, and store in a cold cellar. 
Whenever possible dig the vegetable patch, and endeavor to get a little 
deeper than ever before, to break up the hard pan which cuts off 
the water supply during the growing season. 
As soon as the soil is dry enough to plant without sticking to the 
tools, plant all of the most hardy vegetables, without regard to the 
fluctuations of the thermometer. Plant thick and shallow at this 
time. 
Lettuce and Cauliflower pricked-off into frames to mature will be 
ready for the table some time ahead of outdoor plants. Sow 
Beans (String) in a frame where they will mature. 
Berry Bushes 
Last years’ wood of Gooseberries will yield the best fruit; therefore 
cut out all superfluous shoots, and trim the points only of those 
that remain. Keep the main shoots six inches apart, and the 
middle of the bush open. This will let light and air into the 
plants, and greatly facilitate picking the fruit. 
Red Currants may be “spurred-back” to a couple of buds; with a few 
shoots left longer for extension, if needed. Merely cut away 
exhausted branches of Black Currants and encourage basal 
growths to take their place. Spur-back side shoots that are 
too numerous. 
Get at Raspberries and Blackberries that were not thinned out and 
headed-back after fruiting last fall. 
Frames 
The big job is to make up the main batch of Hotbeds. Details of 
proceedure appeared in last Month’s Reminder. 
Air on all favorable occasions frames that have been in use during the 
winter carrying over plants; protection is still necessary on very 
cold nights. 
Transplant such plants as were started last month. Make sowings of 
Peppers, Eggplants, Tomatoes, Cucumbers, and Melons. 
Sow Annuals as required, such as: Annual Larkspurs, Snapdragon, 
Drummond Phlox, Pentstemon, Sweet-peas, and Verbenas. 
These require cool treatment when once they have started; avoid 
extremes. 
Continue to repair the cold frames, glaze the sash and have ready 
for pricking-off the young plants as needed. 
Deep frames with a northern exposure with 2-3 ft. of head room are 
useful for keeping bulbs in after the flowers have opened. Lay 
newspapers over the sash above Tulips on bright days. 
Set out in the hotbed small plants of Pansies, Myosotis, Phlox, Hardy 
Poppies, Shasta Daisies, etc., from seeds sown in January 
Under Glass 
[Full advantage of these directions is only possible with a greenhouse, 
but so far as opportunity allows they also apply to hotbeds.] 
The important job is to “prick-off” the seedlings that are large enough 
to handle. Use plenty of leaf mold and sand. Cover the sur- 
face of the soil in the flats with a layer of sand; then prick off the 
little plants. This carries away the water from round the stems, 
and to a great extent prevents “damping-off.” Give shade until 
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