October, 1915 
29 
In the South peas can be 
ventured for a winter crop 
% 
October is a beginning month for many things which can be started out of doors 
and later taken into the greenhouse 
Another vegetable to plant 
now in the South is chard 
OCTOBER PLANTING TO SAVE SIX MONTHS 
Practical Advice on Preparing the Soil, Planting, Winter Mulching and Drainage—A Fall Planting 
Table of Flowers, Trees and Shrubs 
F. F. ROCKWELL 
W ITHOUT doubt the greatest opportunity which the fall 
months offer the gardener is that of planting hardy 
perennials, shrubs and fruits. Despite the fact that the argu¬ 
ments for fall planting have been frequently set forth, compara¬ 
tively few gardeners, considering the number which join the 
perennial rush for hoe and wheelbarrow at the first sign of 
spring, are to be found taking advantage of the benefits of fall 
planting. 
The advantages of fall planting are, briefly these: with 
many kinds of flowers and fruits practically a whole season 
is gained; the spring season is always overcrowded with work, 
so that planting planned now may not only be acomplished 
with more leisure and carefulness, but with greater certainty 
of actually being done. Plants set in the fall, even so late that 
little growth is made — though root growth continues for some 
time after the first early frosts—will begin active growth in 
the spring much earlier than they could possibly be set out, 
and are, therefore, much better able to withstand the long 
siege of drouth during the first summer after planting, which 
is frequently the most critical period through which they have 
to pass. In the case of shrubs, trees and small fruits, an early 
start in the spring means that the wood will be much more 
thoroughly ripened by the following fall, so that there is less 
danger from winter injury. In addition to these reasons, the 
weather this season has been such that the soil is in particularly 
good condition for planting now, and the prospects are that we 
will have a late “growing” fall. And, incidentally, business 
conditions have been such that favorable prices on large orders 
or valuable large single specimens are to be had. There is in 
short every reason why you should plant this fall, and none 
why you shouldn’t, provided suitable plants are used and your 
climate is not too severe. If you are in doubt about either of 
these points, information may be obtained from your gardening 
neighbors, your nurseryman, or your state experiment station. 
To put himself upon the road to assured success, the fall 
planter must see to it that conditions are made right from the 
beginning of operations until after hard freezing weather has 
set in. These conditions may be considered under five general 
heads, as follows: good plants, proper soil and drainage, 
thorough preparation, careful planting and efficient winter 
protection. 
Good Plants 
The first requisite for your plants, from whatever source 
obtained, is healthfulness. You should be certain, either from 
the nurseryman’s guarantee, from state inspection, or from 
your own knowledge, that no disease or insect pest is being 
introduced into your garden or grounds. Plants set out or 
transplanted in the fall in a dormant or semi-dormant condi¬ 
tion, do not give evidence of infestation as plainly as those in 
a growing condition. You should, of course, know the state 
of health of any plants in your own garden which you may 
wish to increase or take up and reset, on account of crowding 
or overgrown crowns. Plants from any reliable nurseryman 
should have a clean bill of health. If you are “swapping” 
plants with a gardener friend, or accepting for planting some¬ 
body’s surplus roots of hardy perennials, satisfy yourself that 
they were in good healthy condition during the previous sum¬ 
mer. For best results, all plants for fall planting should also 
he well matured. The wood should be firm and hard in the case 
of trees or shrubs and small fruits, and the season’s growth of 
flowering period over in the case of perennials. In taking up 
plants, cut the roots off clean with a sharp spade or an edger 
rather than half pulling them from the ground, as is so often 
done; in this way, many of the main roots are bruised or broken 
and feeding rootlets stripped off. Where possible, take up a 
good ball of earth with the plant, being sure to cut the main or 
tap roots off clean before you attempt to lift it. 
Soil and Drainage 
Any ordinarily good soil will answer for most plants that 
are to be set out in the fall. As with vegetables or annual 
flowers, it is better to avoid extremes of sandiness or heavy 
clay, but even these, provided there can be given plenty of 
water in the former instance and adequate drainage in the 
latter, may be successfully utilized. Thorough drainage is 
essential, no matter what the soil or how thorough the care 
that may be given in every other direction. Where artificial 
drainage is required, because of an impervious sub-soil, dyna¬ 
mite is the cheapest and most economical means of affecting 
it. Small blasts placed at intervals of 10' to 20' in each 
direction will frequently produce almost miraculous re¬ 
sults. Where, on account of the grade, the water must be 
drawn off to some other place, tile drainage, of course, must 
be resorted to. The tile itself is not expensive; and, in most 
soils, the cost of installing it is very little. 
Low, wet places which cannot be readily drained need not 
be abandoned; by a proper selection of aquatic or semi-aquatic 
plants some of the most beautiful effects may be obtained and 
an additional advantage is that this class of plants is par¬ 
ticularly hardy and free from cultural requirements. A good 
method of handling a refractory marshy spot is to open up 
a small pool or pond in the center. This will generally drain 
the surrounding ground sufficiently to make the use of aquatic 
