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April 
HIS is the traditional month of 
showers, when thirsty Earth drinks 
her lasting fill against the time of later 
droughts, much as the camel lays up his 
seven days’ supply of water against the 
desert journey. If we plant carefully 
and generously now, June will bring many 
an oasis into our garden’s present barren¬ 
ness, and pledge fruitfulness to Autumn. 
Everyone who has even only a tiny patch 
of ground should prepare now to plant 
every square foot of it, that it may here¬ 
after lend beauty to house and garden. 
April’s Reminder 
Look to the matter of this month’s 
spraying, and do not neglect any part of 
your garden. 
You will need to divide roots of your 
perennials in the hardy border this month. 
April showers will be starting the landscape into 
such loveliness as this 
This is a good time to build a bird- 
house, for birds are friends to your gar¬ 
den oftener than enemies. But for them 
many of your plants would be killed by 
the insects the birds destroy. 
This is the month for planting decid¬ 
uous trees, shrubs and vines, fruit and nut 
trees (especially dwarf ^varieties) and 
small-fruit bushes. 
Fertilize asparagus bed and rhubarb 
patch with nitrate of soda. 
Prune grape-vines and fruit trees, but 
not small-fruit bushes. 
Examine your shade trees and if you 
find any cavities of decay in their trunks 
clean these out and fill up with cement. 
Set out Standard Box and Box-edging 
early. Where Box-edging has been set 
out the year before, it can be pruned 
somewhat before growth begins in April. 
All varieties of hedges may be set out 
this month. 
You can plant all evergreens this 
month. 
Remove winter mulching from your 
strawberry bed. 
Tender roses may be pruned late in 
the month; also spray them with whale- 
oil soap. 
Have your coldframes ready for trans¬ 
ferring to them tender vegetables and 
flowers from the hotbed for hardening by 
the middle of the month. 
If you sow seeds of perennial flower 
now in coldframes they will bloom their 
first year. 
Plough or spade the garden as soon 
as the surplus moisture from departing 
frosts is out of the ground. 
Love-in-a-mist is one of the fairest 
border flowers 
Spray seedling hollyhocks with Bor¬ 
deaux mixture. 
Sow Sweet Peas as soon as the ground 
can be worked, and also Love-in-a- 
Mist (Nigella Damascena ) for the garden 
border. 
Start your Cannas in the hotbed. 
Prepare labels for the seeds you will 
be planting. 
Look over your garden tools and see 
that they are all in good condition, and 
sharpen those which need it. 
Maidenhair as a House Plant 
T HE graceful feathery fronds of the 
Maidenhair ferns always excite 
interest. The most beautiful one, Adian- 
tum Farleyense, often seen in the florists ’ 
shops, cannot be grown in the window 
garden, but there is a good substitute for 
it in the so-called “hardy Farleyense” 
(Adiantum Capillus-Veneris var. imbri- 
catuni). This will withstand the try¬ 
ing conditions of the house just as well as 
will the Boston fern. I know plants 
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