Book of Gardens 
103 
April THE GARDENER’S CALENDAR Fourth Month 
The ground between 
rows should be kept 
well stirred with a 
wheel-hoe 
The dead leaves 
may be swept from 
the ivy with a long 
handled broom 
The garden rows 
should be laid out 
before sowing is ac¬ 
tually begun 
SUNDAY | MONDAY 
TUESDAY 
WEDNESDAY 
THURSDAY 
FRIDAY 
SATURDAY 
1 wonder if they like it — 
being treesf 
./ suppose they do. . . . 
It must feel good to have the 
ground so flat. 
And feel yourself stand right 
straight up like that — 
So stiff in the middle—and 
then branch at ease. 
Big boughs that arch, small 
ones that bend and blow. 
And all those fringy leaves 
that flutter so. 
—Charlotte Perkins Stetson. 
1. Straw¬ 
berries should 
now be uncov¬ 
ered for the 
season. The 
winter mulch 
of manure can 
be forked un¬ 
der. If no 
mulch was ap¬ 
plied, however, 
give the bed a 
good top dress¬ 
ing with bone 
meal before 
digging. 
2. Rasp¬ 
berries, black- 
berries, cur- 
rants and 
gooseberries 
that were 
buried last fall 
can now be un¬ 
earthed. An 
application of 
good manure 
worked into 
the border now 
will materially 
improve the 
fruit. 
3. Weather 
conditions 
vary, but usu¬ 
ally it is safe 
to start sowing 
seeds of the 
more hardy 
types of vege- 
tables now. 
Peas, spinach, 
radishes, 
onions, pars¬ 
nip, beets, car¬ 
rots, Swiss 
chard, etc., are 
all seasonable. 
4. Early 
planting is the 
first essential 
to success. Fin¬ 
ish all plant¬ 
ings of decidu¬ 
ous trees and 
shrubs at the 
first opportun¬ 
ity. Firm the 
plants well in 
the soil and 
don’t allow 
them to suffer 
from lack of 
water. 
5. The lawn 
should be 
looked over 
carefully to as¬ 
sure a velvety 
green sward 
this summer. 
Sod any small 
bald spots, and 
spade and seed 
down large 
spaces. An ap- 
plication of 
bone meal or 
wood ashes is 
advisable. 
6 . lithe 
asparagus bed 
was mulched 
last fall it can 
be turned un¬ 
der now. Hill 
the soil up to 
the rows if you 
like your 
white. Salt in 
liberal quanti¬ 
ties should be 
applied to keep 
down the 
weeds. 
7. That un¬ 
productive or¬ 
chard can be 
made to yield 
abundantly if 
you resort to 
the proper use 
of cover crops. 
To prove this, 
sow now a mix¬ 
ture of Canada 
field peas and 
oats, and plow 
them under 
when they are 
about 2 ' high. 
8 . If you 
have not 
pruned the 
hardy roses it 
must be at¬ 
tended to at 
once, because 
roses start into 
active growth 
very early. 
Prune the hy¬ 
brid types to 
three eyes, but 
leave about 4" 
of new wood on 
the teas. 
9. The secret 
of success with 
potatoes is 
early planting; 
these plants are 
quickly de¬ 
stroyed by hot, 
dry weather. 
To avoid this 
danger plant 
now, so that 
the crop will 
come to matur¬ 
ity before the 
trying weather 
strikes it. 
10. If prop¬ 
erly hardened, 
plants of the 
more hardy 
types of garden 
vegetables can 
such as cab- 
b a g e , cauli¬ 
flower, lettuce, 
onions, etc. 
Cover them 
with plant pro¬ 
tectors or paper 
on dangerously 
cool nights. 
11. Have you 
stakes on hand 
for dahlias and 
other tall flow¬ 
ers, raffia or 
jute cord for 
tying, an arbor 
for the garden 
roses, a sundial 
for the flower 
garden. You are 
sure no essen¬ 
tial has been 
forgotten? This 
is the time to 
check them up. 
12. Before 
the trees and 
shrubs leaf out 
it is advisable 
to go over them 
carefully, de¬ 
stroying any 
caterpillar 
nests before 
they hatch. An 
asbestos torch 
is the best wea¬ 
pon to use; 
slight scorch¬ 
ing will not in¬ 
jure the plants. 
13. Seeds of 
the more hardy 
flowers such as 
snapdragon, 
asters, alys- 
sum, calendula, 
centaurea, 
pansies, violas, 
scabiosa, etc., 
may be sown 
outside at this 
time. Have the 
soil well pulv¬ 
erized, as flow¬ 
er seeds are 
very fine. 
14. Plants in 
tubs intended 
as specimens 
for the grounds 
should be 
watered freely 
with liquid 
manures. 
Where it is not 
convenient to 
make or use 
this, a top¬ 
dressing of pure 
cow manure 
can^be applied 
15. All bor¬ 
ders or open 
spaces around 
plants should 
be kept loosen¬ 
ed up with a 
digging fork 
This admits 
the necessary 
air to the soil 
and also pre¬ 
vents the rapid 
evaporation of 
the moisture if 
the weather is 
dry and sunny. 
16. The peren- 
nial border 
should be over¬ 
hauled. Any 
existing voids 
must be filled 
in either by 
new plants or 
by dividing 
those which are 
left. Dig under 
some good 
manure or give 
the beds a top¬ 
dressing of raw 
crushed bone. 
17. Frames 
for the melons 
must be set in 
place now. See 
that the hills 
are well pre¬ 
pared Inside 
them, using 
plenty of good 
manure and 
chopped sod. 
The seed may 
be sown just as 
soon as the soil 
is thoroughly 
warmed up. 
18. This is 
the proper time 
to start some 
plants from 
seed for flow- 
ering next 
winter in the 
greenhouse. 
Primula, cycla¬ 
men,snapdrag¬ 
on and many 
others should 
be started now 
and grown 
during summer 
in frames. 
19. Do not 
let your green¬ 
house be idle 
all summer. 
Therearemany 
worthy crops 
which can be 
started now, 
such as potted 
fruits, melons, 
tomatoes, 
cauliflower and 
chrysanthe¬ 
mums. Do not 
let the house be 
empty. 
20. Keep the 
soil constantly 
stirred between 
the garden 
rows. Seeds 
that are slow 
in germinating 
can be protect¬ 
ed by placing 
the line be- 
tween the 
labels. Soli cul- 
tivationis more 
necessary with 
young plants 
than old. 
21. Start 
hardening off 
the bedding 
plants in the 
greenhouse or 
frame now. It 
is certain death 
to set out 
coleus, gerani¬ 
ums, etc., un¬ 
less they have 
been properly 
hardened, 
which ordinar¬ 
ily takes about 
two weeks. 
22. Do not 
neglect, the 
sweet peas 
when they are 
small—see that 
they are prop¬ 
erly hilled 
when about 4" 
high. Support- 
i n g them 
should not be 
postponed un¬ 
til they have 
been flattened 
by wind or rain 
and damaged. 
23. Any large 
trees that have 
been recently 
transplanted 
must not be 
neglected. Lib¬ 
eral watering is 
essential, and 
heavy mulch¬ 
ing is also a 
good practice. 
Make soil tests 
to see that the 
soil below the 
roots is suffi¬ 
ciently moist. 
24. ,It is a 
mistake not to 
make what 
sowings are ne¬ 
cessary to give 
a continuous 
supply of quick 
maturing crops 
such as peas, 
beets, carrots, 
spinach, etc. 
The common 
rule is to sow 
when the pre¬ 
ceding sowing is 
above ground. 
25. Summer 
flowering bulb¬ 
ous plants as 
gladioli, mont- 
bretias, begon¬ 
ias, etc., are 
very little ef¬ 
fort and are 
worthy a place 
in any garden. 
They may be 
planted any 
time now, the 
gladioli at bi¬ 
weekly inter¬ 
vals. 
26. Thinning 
out crops is 
more import¬ 
ant than many 
suppose. Plants 
that are allow¬ 
ed to crowd be¬ 
come soft and 
spindly and 
can never de¬ 
velop health¬ 
ily. Crops that 
require thin- 
ningmust beat- 
tended to when 
very small. 
27. Bean 
poles can now 
be put in place 
for the limas. 
Dig liberal 
sized holes for 
them, working 
plenty of 
manure into 
the soil when 
refilling. The 
mound or hill 
should be 
about 4" above 
the adjoining 
grade. 
28. This is 
the proper time 
to have the 
greenhouses 
overhauled. 
Broken glass 
should be re¬ 
placed, loose 
glass can be re¬ 
set, and the 
woodwork 
should be pro¬ 
tected by at 
least one coat 
of good exterior 
29. Have you 
spraying ma¬ 
terials on hand 
for the host of 
bugs and 
diseases that 
are certain to 
visit you this 
summer?Spray 
the currant 
bushes now 
with arsenate 
of lead to de¬ 
stroy the green 
currant worms 
while small. 
30. If you 
grow any crops 
for the live- 
stock the 
ground for 
them should 
be made ready. 
Mangels, car¬ 
rots and sugar 
staples and can 
be sown now, 
although corn 
must wait for 
warmer wea¬ 
ther. 
This calendar of the gardener’s labors is 
aimed as a reminder for undertaking all his 
tasks in season. It is fitted to the latitude 
of the Middle States, but its service should 
be available for the whole country if it be 
remembered that for every one hundred 
miles north or south there is a difference 
of from five to seven days later or earlier 
in performing garden operations. The 
dates given are, of course, for an average 
season. 
TT7~E'VE been fixin’ up to-day, spring-cleanin' the grounds, ye might say. They was a lot o’ stuff—twigs 
rr from the winter primin’, straw covers from the strawberry beds,, branches busted off n the trees by 
the wind, dead grass an’ things we overlooked las’ Fall—which had to be got out o the way. Me an Sam lit 
■into ’em right after breakfast, rakin' an' haulin' an’ pilin’. By supper-time we was through, so we fired the 
piles Most o’ the stuff was pretty dry, an’ jiminy, how she did burn! The big pile at the edge o the 
orchard biased so hot we couldn't hardly git close enough to throw on anythin’ more, an ye could hear it 
cracklin' clear up to the house. I took a look at it ’long about dusk, to make sart in it couldn t do no dam¬ 
age durin’ the night. It had all burned down to gray ashes with a little pile o red coals in the middle,, an 
the sky in the west was gray and red, too—kind o’ background, like, for a picture. A still evenin it was, 
with millions o’ peeper frogs jes' bustin' their throats down in the lower medder an the smoke from the fires 
lavin' in streaks close to the ground. It smelled, different, that smoke, from what it did in the Fall. Then 
it made ye sad, ’cause it meant that the year was dead; but last evenin it was full o ideas bout flowers an 
green leaves an’ new crops gittin’ awav to a fresh start. 
—Old Doc Lemmon. 
Maples are pruned 
just as the foliage 
expands. Paint the 
wounds 
Peas should be hilled 
when 4 " or 5" high, 
to protect them 
from breakage 
Indoor started sweet 
peas and other 
hardy things may 
now be planted out 
Cidtivate the soil 
clo s e up to the 
plants, especially 
when they are small 
Melon frames should be put in place several 
days before the seeds are sown, so as to 
warm up the soil and promote quicker 
germination 
During this month many of the flower seeds 
may be planted out where they are to grow. 
Often annuals are good to supplement per¬ 
ennial plantings 
Contemplated 
changes in the per¬ 
ennial garden should 
not be forgotten 
