August, 1911 
HOUSE AND GARDEN 
n 7 
In the Vegetable Girden 
I N the vegetable garden, too, even in 
this hot, dull month, there are several 
things that should be attended to. First 
of all, care should be taken not to let those 
few weeds which have escaped the numer¬ 
ous hoeings and weedings remain unpulled. 
It’s a big mistake to leave them a minute. 
They are not only maturing thousands of 
weed seeds for the succeeding season, but 
robbing the vegetables of needed moisture 
and food. Keep them cleared out, and if 
they have become so big that they cannot 
be pulled without doing damage, cut them 
off close to the ground. Purslane—that 
thick-leaved, watery-stemmed pest of 
midsummer—must be cleaned out as soon 
as it appears because it will mature seeds 
long before you suspect it of being ready 
to bloom. One plant, in rich soil, will 
grow as big as a bushel basket, but it ripens 
seeds when only a few inches long. It 
won't die: you must not only pull it but 
take it out of the garden. 
Wherever there is room, late crops of 
spinach, rutabaga turnip, bush beans, early 
peas, radish or lettuce may still be sown. 
If your garden was carefully planned you 
will know ahead of time where all these 
are to go, and be prepared with seed of 
the proper varieties on hand. If not, be 
sure to make notes for next year’s garden. 
It is time to tie up the first plants of endive 
for bleaching, and to begin to blanch or 
earth up the early celery. 
Two Specially Important Things 
r I 'HERE are two specially important 
things that must be done now. The 
first is to sow pansies for next spring’s 
blooming. They can easily be wintered 
with very slight protection—some strains 
with none at all. The best way is to start 
them in a cold frame. They should be 
sown between July 10th and August 15th 
—before August being better. Make the 
soil as fine and mellow as you can: if dry, 
give it a good soaking the day before plant¬ 
ing. Sow the seed thinly, and press evenly 
into the fresh soil. Cover with clean sand 
—not more than a quarter-inch at most, 
one-eighth is better. Then water thor¬ 
oughly, being careful not to wash out any 
seeds, and cover up the frame. For five 
or six days it may be kept dark. As a pre¬ 
caution against the “damping off” fungus, 
dust on powdered sulphur over the sand, 
at the rate of one ounce to a 3 x 6-foot 
sash. No more water will be needed until 
the plants are above ground; but be sure 
to take off the dark covering as soon as 
they are up. As a means of precaution 
against heavy rains and too hot sun, cover 
the frame with two thicknesses of black 
cloth mosquito netting. The plants can be 
watered through this, and in bright hot 
weather should be given a shower every 
afternoon. In about six weeks they will 
be ready for transplanting, which should 
be done as soon as two complete leaves 
have developed. Set in very rich, mellow 
soil, six or eight inches apart each way. 
Keep clean, and before severe freezing sets 
in cover with a few leaves and pine boughs, 
or if kept in the frame, cotton cloth, the 
object being not to keep them from freez¬ 
ing but from frequent thawing out and re¬ 
freezing. No work you can do this fall 
will pay you such magnificent dividends 
next spring, and April, May and June will 
furnish you a supply of gorgeous blossoms 
that will surpass the ordinary pansy as 
the chrysanthemum does an aster. 
The second thing I referred to is the 
sowing, about August first, of Grand 
Rapids lettuce for growing in the frames 
or under glass, if you have a place. Start 
the plants as in early spring, only in very 
hot weather keep the seed-bed slightly 
shaded. Next month details of trans¬ 
planting and care will be given. 
Coldframes 
OW about that coldframe that you 
neglected to build last fall, and didn't 
have time to put up this spring? Don’t, 
for your own sake and pleasure, put it off 
longer. Do it yourself, or get it done, 
either way it will cost but a few dollars. 
Why not get it ready now. and have let¬ 
tuce and radishes until Christmas, and 
everything ready for a hotbed for getting 
a six weeks’ head start next month. 
American Spanish Pimentos 
NE of the best of the newer vegeta¬ 
ble evolutons is a pimento which is 
adapted to the United States and which is 
prolific and hardy enough to be of use to 
the northern gardiner. It masquerades 
under the name of tomato pepper, prob¬ 
ably because it resembles a tomato in 
shape and color. It is the only member of 
the pepper family which is always sweet, 
the taste of which does not occasionally 
remind one of a pyrotechnic display. 
The fruits spring from the axil of each 
branch, are round in shape, scarlet in color, 
so mild they may be eaten out of hand like 
an apple, mature in succession, ripen earlier 
than any other variety of the family and 
have the true pimento flavor. 
It is now time to plan for the spring bloom¬ 
ing bulbs. They should be planted this 
fall to appear in season 
These peppers are of extremely simple 
culture. The plants illustrated were trans¬ 
planted to the garden about May 20th 
from seed sown in a hotbed about April 
25th. The photograph was taken about 
September 24th. 
The better plan, however, is to sow the 
seed in a greenhouse bench, hotbed or shal¬ 
low pans in the house about March 1st to 
15th. Transplant to thumb pots when the 
second pair of leaves is well matured and 
harden off in the cold frame, transplanting 
to larger pots as necessary. They may be 
transferred to permanent quarters about 
May 15th, or any time after danger from 
frost is past. The one great secret of suc¬ 
cess being frequent, thorough but shallow 
cultivation, keeping all weeds down and 
maintaining a dry mulch. 
American pimentos hardy enough for northern gardens and with the flavor of their Spanish 
prototypes 
