G arden 
and 
ueries 
Conducted by 
F. F. Rockwell 
The Editor will be glad to answer subscribers’ queries pertaining to individual problems connected with the 
gardens and grounds. When a direct personal reply is desired please enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope 
September 
S EPTEMBER is the ideal month for 
the enjoyment of Nature's out-of- 
doors gardens. Man has improved on the 
size of her flowers, changed their colors, 
prolonged their seasons of bloom; but for 
really getting close to her, for a chance to 
appreciate her wonders, to feel her com¬ 
radeship, so intimate, so calm, so re¬ 
strengthening, no human garden can com¬ 
pare with a tramp through the woods and 
fields of early autumn. 
If Nature were like a great many gar¬ 
deners, she would give practically all her 
attention to the plants that are sown or 
set out in May or June, and very little 
to those which should be made to beautify 
next year's garden, and demand attention 
now. Of these there are several groups. 
First of all come the hardy perpetual 
plants. Many of these can be set out in 
the fall just as well as in the spring, and 
it is not infrequently the case that the 
gardener has spare time now to attend to 
this work, while if it is postponed to next 
April or May, he will be far too busy 
with other things to attend to it. Peonies 
are the most important of hardy perpetuals 
which generally do better with fall setting. 
Strong two-year old roots are best for 
this purpose; “field clumps” may be 
bought. To have the “clump” very large 
is a disadvantage rather than an ad¬ 
vantage, especially if size and strength of 
the individual bloom are desired. The 
varieties are numerous, but a safe rule to 
follow with these, as with other flowers, is 
to take several catalogues and select those 
which receive the most general recommen¬ 
dation. The mistake is often made of 
putting the root too deep when planting 
—two or three inches above the crown is 
ample. The soil should be very rich and 
preferably a little heavy. The peony is 
not only the most showy of all flowers, but 
very nearly the healthiest of all, being 
practically free from all insect and dis¬ 
ease pests. About September twentieth 
clumps which have been growing in the 
same place for several years should be di¬ 
vided—one good strong bud in a place 
is enough. 
Other plants which you should attend 
to now are your iris and larkspur, both 
of which offer a great range of colors. 
Look up some of the new varieties to plant 
now; or at least do not forget to take 
them up, a little later when all growth 
has stopped, and break off the overgrown 
clumps and replant to insure better flowers 
next spring. 
Wild Mushrooms 
NOTHER thing which your autumn 
walk will remind you of is that 
most delicious—and sometimes most dan¬ 
gerous — vegetable, the mushroom. In 
spite of the number of accidental poison¬ 
ings which one reads of every fall, I think 
it is absolutely safe to use the common 
wild mushroom of the fields if one is 
familiar with it. Do not take the risk of 
being guided by a description or a photo¬ 
graph, as the smell, the texture and the 
peculiar shades of pink and white (which, 
by the way, change rapidly with its age) 
cannot be learned except from experience. 
They grow both singly and in clumps ; the 
“umbrella” part, which attains a size of 
from two to four inches in diameter, opens 
out gradually as the plants grow older. 
At first it is a dull white on top and the 
gills below a beautiful, light shrimp pink, 
the former color turning browner, the 
gills darker with age, when they also be¬ 
come much poorer in quality. The white 
skin of the upper surface, if taken hold of 
at the circumference, where it hangs in a 
slight, rough fringe over the edge, except 
in very young specimens, will peel off 
easily in a wedge-shaped piece with its 
point toward the center. The odor of raw 
mushrooms somewhat resembles that of 
the cooked dish, but the taste is decidedly 
different, being somewhat mealy and in¬ 
sipid. However, as I have said before, do 
not attempt to use mushrooms, no matter 
how sure you may be that they are the 
right sort, without consulting someone 
who has frequently gathered them. 
September should be a time of activities in the flower garden, for some of the plants for next 
spring, such as the larkspur, iris and hardy perpetuals, may be set out now 
(162) 
