HOUSE AND GARDEN 
210 
October, 
1914 
ness before the plants arrive. 
The sooner all shrubs, peren¬ 
nials and most bulbs can be 
got into the ground after they 
are received the better. Mark 
out with small stakes the posi¬ 
tion of any beds or borders 
which may have to be made, 
or the location of shrubs or 
trees. A couple of dozen 
shingles, split lengthwise into 
pieces two inches or so broad, 
will furnish you a goodly sup¬ 
ply, if you haven’t on hand or 
haven't time to lay in a supply 
of regular twelve- or eighteen- 
inch painted plant labels. (100 
twelve-inch labels cost but 
seventy-five cents.) 
Too much care cannot be 
taken in preparing the soil for 
such things as will occupy it 
for several years. Such plants 
need not only a good, strong 
start, but a supply of plant 
food for the future. Beds or 
borders for perennials, small 
shrubs, bulbs or small fruits, 
are best prepared by trenching 
or digging two spades deep, 
working a good supply of 
manure into the soil as deeply 
as possible. Where the ma¬ 
nure cannot be had, or in ad¬ 
dition to the manure — using 
more in the former case — try 
a mixture of bone flour, 
coarse or knuckle bone and 
cottonseed meal. This should 
be worked thoroughly into the 
ground to a good depth, if 
possible a week or two before 
planting. Where trees or 
shrubs are to be set generous¬ 
sized holes, two to four feet 
in diameter, or even more for 
large trees, should be dug out and thoroughly enriched, keeping 
the manure or bone well below the surface. If the ground has a 
stiff, clayey subsoil, it should be broken up thoroughly with a 
pick-axe and crowbar, or, better still, 
with a charge, where each hole is to 
go, of agricultural dynamite, which 
does the job much more thoroughly 
than it can be done by hand and will 
make a remarkable difference in the 
aftergrowth of the things you plant. 
Another vitally important thing in 
fall planting is to select positions for 
the various things where the ground 
is either naturally or artificially well 
drained. In poorly drained or heavy, 
wet soil a large percentage of the 
things set out will be sure to be win¬ 
ter-killed. Moreover, such soil, 
though it may sometimes be used to 
advantage through the summer for 
such crops as celery, is always 
a poor place for perennials. 
The third step in your work 
will be when the plants arrive. 
They are usually shipped by 
express, carefully wrapped, 
and the roots should still be in 
a good moist condition. If, 
upon opening the package, 
you find that they are dry, 
immerse them for several 
hours in a tub or pail. If 
your ground is not ready 
when the plants are received, 
or if inclement weather pre¬ 
vents your planting them at 
once, keep them sheltered 
•from wind and sun, and the 
roots covered with damp 
moss, leaf-mould or old sack¬ 
ing, but where there will be a 
free circulation of air about 
the tops. Should trees or 
shrubs reach you too late for 
setting out, they may be safely 
wintered over by “heeling" 
them in under a barn or shed, 
where they will be protected 
from sun and wind. Dig a 
narrow trench and pack them 
in firmly, slanting them back 
forty-five degrees or so, for 
convenience. 
The next step is the actual 
planting. If the ground has 
been carefully and thoroughly 
prepared this will not be dif¬ 
ficult : all the “work” will have 
been done. Have everything 
in readiness before you take 
your roots, shrubs or bulbs out 
on the lawn or grounds to 
plant. Bright sunshine and 
drying winds may seriously 
injure them in an almost in¬ 
credibly short time. A com¬ 
mon error in planting, and the most serious one, is not to get 
the soil packed in firmly enough about the roots. Don't be afraid 
of hurting your plants. Pack the soil in about the roots gently 
at first, but with all your weight. 
Don’t be afraid to use your feet; 
they are if anything more important 
than your hands for this sort of 
planting. Another mistake fre¬ 
quently made when the soil is rather 
dry and water needed, is to apply it 
after the planting is done. Pour a 
pint or a gallon, as may be neces¬ 
sary, into the hole before the plant 
is set in at all, and if necessary an¬ 
other dose after the hole is half 
filled in, letting it soak away, in 
either case, before continuing opera¬ 
tions. A pint of water applied in 
this way will be more effective than 
(Continued on page 236) 
The original soil should be kept around the roots of small trees until they are 
actually set in the ground. Water before and after planting 
In laying straw mulch, place branches over it to hold it down. This mulch should 
not be laid until after the ground is frozen 
Seed flats must have ample drainage; a scattering of potsherds is 
sufficient 
