30 
HO USE & GARDEN 
or semi-acjuatic plants possible and give a beautiful effect. 
'ine auuuion of coarse sand, gravel, coal ashes, broken brick 
or plaster, or any similar materials, will greatly benefit heavy 
soils. Lime is good for both extremely light and extremely 
heavy soils. Ground limestone, which in most localities can 
be bought for a few dollars a ton, is especially good for this 
work, as its physical as well as chemical properties are of 
value. Where soil acidity alone is to be corrected, a more con¬ 
centrated form of lime may be used; but the raw ground stone 
is so much cheaper that it is generally as economical as any other 
form, even though a greater quantity of it may be necessary. 
Thorough Preparation 
The amount of preparation which should be given will de¬ 
pend on the natural quality of the soil and the culture it has 
received for a year or two previous. Where individual speci¬ 
mens or clumps are to be planted about the grounds or the 
lawns, holes should be dug in advance much larger than would 
be necessary to accommodate the roots of the plants to be set. 
It is not an uncommon practice to do nothing in regard to soil 
preparation until the plants are actually on hand, and then 
to dig out holes just big enough to receive them, with possibly 
a little manure or fertilizer at the bottom. While it is possible, 
of course, to take care of the food requirements of perennials, 
shrubs and trees from year to year, in nine cases out of ten 
that will not be done, and a several years’ supply of plant food 
should be incorporated with the soil before planting. 
The best materials to use for this purpose are very thorough¬ 
ly rotted manure and ground bone—of the latter a mixture 
of “fine ground” and coarse or “knuckle” bone being desirable, 
because the finer particles become available at once, while the 
larger ones decay gradually during several years. In addition 
to these, muriate of potash, or unleached hard-wood ashes, 
which contain a good percentage of potash, if one can buy 
them locally (or from commercial sources, under a positive 
guarantee as to the percentage of potash), while not positively 
essential in all soils, will, however, in the majority of cases 
give better results than would be obtained without them. All 
of these things require some time in the soil before being 
available to the feeding roots of plants, and as it is important 
that the latter become well established before hard freezing 
weather, there is a very positive advantage in applying these 
materials several weeks before planting. If a forkful of well- 
rotted manure, two handfuls of bone and a handful of potash 
(or two or three handfuls of'ashes) are thoroughly mixed with 
the soil in the hole dug for each plant—or two or three times 
these amounts for large shrubs or trees — the plant food side 
of their requirements will be taken care of for several years 
to come. 
In making holes for 
planting in sod, the sur¬ 
face layer should be set 
to one side and either 
chopped up fine and 
mixed with the soil, or, 
if it is very hot and 
dry, saved and put 
around the plant, up¬ 
side down, as a mulch 
after planting. 
Planting 
The first thing to 
look out for in the actu¬ 
al work of setting the 
plants is to see that the 
roots are in the proper 
condition; these should 
be kept moist and soft 
until the very moment 
of putting them into 
the hole. Any that are 
bruised, broken or long 
and straggly, should be cut back with a sharp knife. If the 
holes are prepared in advance, as suggested above, the plant¬ 
ing, except in the case of large trees, can be done by hand or 
with a small trowel. The trees and shrubs when received from 
the nursery should be promptly unpacked and the various 
bundles, if the moss or wrapping about them has begun to dry 
out, should be placed in very shallow water so that they may 
absorb as much as they will, without being soaked. Keep them 
away from winds and direct sunshine. A piece of moist, wet 
burlap wrapped around the roots of small plants while setting 
them out will prevent them from getting dried out during the 
process. 
In planting, make the holes of sufficient depth so that the 
plants can be set just about as deep as they were growing be¬ 
fore they were taken up. Most perennials that form clumps 
or crowns should be set out so that the tops of these are about 
level with, or very slightly lower than, the surface—due allow¬ 
ance being made for the settling of the soil, especially if it is 
freshly dug. The roots should be given their natural position 
as far as possible, making the hole sufficiently large or deep to 
accommodate them. Roots that are too long are better cut off 
to a convenient length, rather than to twist and bend them to 
conform to the hole. After getting the plants in place, work 
the soil in firmly about the roots with the fingers — if it is simply 
thrown in with the trowel or spade, and then pressed down on 
top, air spaces may be left about the roots and the compact 
soil at the surface will prevent water from working down to 
the roots. This is a condition exactly opposite to that which is 
wanted. The soil should be pressed firmly around the roots 
into close contact with the minute root hairs, and should be 
left loose at the top two inches or so to form a mulch similar 
to that made by cultivation in the flower or vegetable garden. 
The closed knuckles, or, with larger plants, the ball of the foot 
should be used frequently while the hole is being filled up to 
secure the desired firmness of the soil below the surface; press 
the plant so firmly into the soil that wind and rain cannot loosen 
it. Loose planting is probably the cause of more failures in 
fall planting than any other single thing. If the soil is moist, 
water at transplanting will not ordinarily be required, because 
at this time of the year there is likely to be plenty of rain. 
If there should be a “dry spell” at planting time, however, 
a half pail or so of water should be poured into each hole and 
allowed to soak away before planting; and, if it is thought 
necessary, this treatment should be repeated after the holes 
have been half filled up. 
Winter Protection 
After planting — and very careful tagging, so that you will 
know just what each thing is — no further attention will be 
required by your 
newly set plants, except 
an occasional hoeing if 
hard rains pack the 
surface of the soil, un¬ 
til hard freezing weath¬ 
er. Then, after the 
surface of the soil is 
well frozen and there 
is every prospect that 
it will not thaw again, 
the winter mulch 
should be applied. The 
purpose of this mulch 
is three-fold: it pre¬ 
vents injury to the 
plants from being 
loosened or “heaved 
up” by the alternate 
freezing and thawing 
of the surface ground; 
it offers protection to 
(Continued on 
page 70) 
Planted now, larkspur will have a better 
chance for a healthy start next 
spring. Good rich soil is necessary, 
for best results 
Planted now, larkspur will have a better 
chance for a healthy start next 
spring. Good rich soil is necessary, 
for best results 
There is still a chance to plant iris 
before frost. Some varieties require 
winter protection. A mulch is 
always safe 
There is still a chance to plant iris 
before frost. Some varieties require 
winter protection. A mulch is 
always safe 
