THE <M0 NTH'S %EMINDER — tMAY 
Copyright, 1924, Double day, Page Sr Company 
How to Use This Guide. When referring to the time for out¬ 
door work of any sort latitude 40 at sea level (i. e. New York 
City) in a normal season is taken as standard; but at best 
dates can only be approximate. Roughly, the season ad¬ 
vances or recedes 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 four days for each degree of latitude , for 
each five degrees of longitude, and for each four hun¬ 
dred feet of altitude. 
;HE fresh and joyous month of May is 
in many ways the pleasantest of all the 
garden year and the whole earth seems 
to be in happy conspiracy to further the 
gardener’s efforts. Already seedlings 
show promise and all the familiar perennials are 
reappearing in flowerbed and border. Even the 
sluggard is lured out-of-doors bv warm springtime days and the zest 
of creating a little beauty spot of his own. 
Among the Flowers 
Perennials still to be shifted or thinned out to be attended to at once. 
Where early plants are not available from greenhouse or hotbed, 
all kinds may be sown in the open ground for blooming in July. 
Lupines, Candytuft, Calendulas, Nasturtiums, Eschscholtzias, 
Lavatera, etc. are better sown where they are to flower, and 
thinned. Others may be sown in prepared beds, and transferred as 
occasion requires. 
Prepare a bed for sowing perennials and biennials for next season’s 
garden. 
Portulaca, Petunia, and Nicotiana are slow to germinate in open 
ground, hence allow plenty of time. The more hardy things may 
be sown early in the month; and the tender ones toward the end. 
Early Asters to go outdoors as soon as possible in well prepared ground; 
rotted barnyard manure is best, but failing this, commercial potato 
fertilizer. 
Lily-of-the-valley may still be planted outdoors; rather moist position 
with some shade suits best. 
It is not too late to plant aquatics. Nymphaeas may be grown success¬ 
fully in tanks, vats, or barrel ends in pools, or sunk in the ground. 
Sweet-peas need well fertilized ground, plenty of moisture, and the 
roots kept cool by a mulch. 
Bedding out may be started in earnest some time after the middle of the 
month, according to locality. Begin with the more hardy things 
and be careful to thoroughly hardcn-off such tender subjects as 
Cannas, Coleus, etc. 
Prepare ground for summer flowering bulbs and tubers, of which the 
Gladiolus and Dahlias are the most popular; Tuberous Begonias 
are useful for shady beds; the Evening Star (Cooperia Drum- 
mondi) has pure white flowers; Lilies including auratum.speciosum, 
tigrinum, etc., and the common Day-lilies (Funkia and Hemer- 
ocallis) may be added. 
Peonies will be benefited, when the buds show, by surface dressing of 
sheep manure, nitrate of soda, or liquid manure. 
Roses will be opening leaves by the first week of the month; spray 
against mildew with \ oz. sulphide of potassium to a gallon of 
water. When the buds form, give manure-water. Use whale-oil 
soap 1 lb. to 8 gallons water for aphis. Cultivate to keep down 
weeds and to retain soil moisture. Pansies set in the rose bed add 
not a little to the general appearance, but make cultivation more 
difficult. Rose blooms to be cut in the early morning before the 
sun strikes them; if put in a cool place in fresh water for a few hours 
before being placed in the house they will keep much better. 
Achillea cut to the ground when it has finished flowering, will give a 
second crop of bloom late in the season. 
Delphiniums to be kept staked up; remove all seed-pods, and feed fre¬ 
quently with liquid manure. 
Iris need an abundance of water after flowering. 
Refurbishing Window-box and Lawn 
Window-boxes to be repaired, and new ones made and filled as soon as 
possible. A generous compost is essential, since a great number of 
Details of hewn to do each item may be found in the current 
or back issues of The Garden Magazine —it is manifestly 
impossible to make each number of the magazine a complete 
manual of practice. References to back numbers may 
be looked up in the index to each completed volume 
(sent gratis upon request); and to further help the 
reader we have a “Service Department'’ which will be 
glad to cite references to any special topic, if asked 
for by mail, and also to send persona! replies to 
specific questions; a stamped, addressed envelope being 
enclosed. 
plants are crowded into a limited space, and they 
must be well fed if they are to look their best 
right along. A layer of manure in the bottom 
of the box, with a compost of three parts good 
garden soil and one part manure mixed together, 
and a six-inch pot of bonemeal to each bushel of 
soil, will give the plants a good start. 
Any patching of the lawns to be completed at once and don’t wait too 
long before cutting grass. Planting of deciduous stock to be com¬ 
pleted and evergreens moved before growth starts. Apply a good 
mulch after thoroughly watering late planted stock. 
Late in the month spray for the elm-leaf beetle, using an arsenate. 
Before the leaves expand, destroy caterpillar nests on the trees by means 
of a kerosene torch. After the caterpillars have hatched they must 
be poisoned by spraying the leaves with an arsenate. 
Prune all early flowering shrubs as soon as they are through flowering. 
Hydrangeas to be watered with alum water if blue flowers are required, 
though the effect may not develop till next year. 
Small and Orchard Fruits 
Many of the small fruits may yet be planted, but not with the same 
prospect of good crops as assured by earlier planting. 
Keep hoe and cultivator constantly at work not only to check weeds 
but to loosen and aerate the soil. 
Give the Strawberry patch an application of fertilizer, raking it in,, 
and spread a mulch of straw or lawn clippings to keep the 
fruit clean. 
A sharp lookout should be kept for currant worm which soon strips the- 
leaves off the bushes. Hellebore powder applied with bellows 
early in the morning while the leaves are yet wet with dew is ef¬ 
fective, or arsenates. 
Spray fruit trees (1) as the buds swell, (2) when the blossoms show pink,, 
and (3) as the last of the petals are falling. Use lime-sulphur 1-40,1 
lead arsenate 1-20; nicotine 1 pint to 100 gallons water, for scale,, 
codling moth, and aphis, respectively. 
Mildew on Gooseberries is controlled by the sulphide of potassium. 
Sow cover crops in the orchard where intercropping with vegetables or 
other things is not done; these to be plowed under when a good 
stand is obtained. If this is not practical, mulch around the trees, 
with leaves, lawn clippings, grass weeds, previously scattering 4. 
or 5 lbs. of acid phosphate around each large tree as far as th& 
spread of the branches. 
For a Full Supply of Vegetables 
Light and frequent cultivation of early planted crops now breaking; 
through the soil not only prevents the weeds from getting ahead, 
but prevents loss of needed moisture by arresting the capillary 
ascent of water when it meets the layer of well worked surface soil. 
Thin out young vegetable seedlings as soon as the second true leaves 
show. Overcrowding is detrimental. 
Underground worms which attack such root crops as Beets, Radishes, 
etc., may be controlled by lime, soot, or tobacco dust scattered^ 
over the ground before planting, lightly raked in. 
Keep the asparagus bed clear of weeds. 
Cut off seed-pods of Rhubarb plants. If seeding is persistent, the: 
roots need moving, so make a note for future use. 
Get in poles for Tomatoes (or, if trellises are used, get them into place) 
prior to setting out the plants after all danger of killing frosts is- 
past. 
Harden off and set out late in the month Egg-plants, Peppers, Musk- 
melons, Watermelons, and Cucumbers. Weather and local 
conditions must be the guide if you do not use protectors. Seed! 
196 
