HOUSE AND GARDEN 
May, 1911 
in regard to planting seeds of various 
sizes, in various ways was given, and un¬ 
less this work has become perfectly famil¬ 
iar to the garden-maker, it will be well to 
refer again to those pages. The vegetables 
of which first plantings are now to be 
made, in many instances require differ¬ 
ent treatment. Cucumbers, muskmelons, 
watermelons, squashes and pumpkins are 
planted in hill usually specially prepared, 
when they are grown on a small scale. They 
like a light, warm “quick” soil, a rather 
sandy loam, with good natural drainage. 
They will do best on sod or rye turned 
under, the former in the fall, the latter a 
month previous, but this is, of course, not 
essential. After marking out the hills, six 
to ten feet apart, according to variety, dig 
out holes about eight inches deep and 
eighteen to twenty-four inches square, and 
in each put several forkfuls of well-rotted 
manure, unless a compost for the purpose 
has been prepared. Add to the manure 
for each hill half a pint of guano or phos¬ 
phate, or, better, about a gill of cotton¬ 
seed meal, and work it thoroughly through 
the manure; then mix the whole with the 
best of the soil previously thrown out, 
leaving the hill level and not more than an 
inch or so above the soil’s surface. The 
hills are now ready for the seeds, or plants 
on sod from the frames. If the former, 
cover about an inch deep, putting ten to 
twenty seeds of cucumber or muskmelon, 
or five to twelve of squash or pumpkin, in 
each hill. Press the soil down firmly. If 
setting out plants, water freely under the 
surface, if the soil is at all dry. Do not 
put out until all danger of late frosts is 
■over. The easiest and surest way to keep 
off bugs is to cover the hills or plants with 
wooden boxes about eight inches high and 
covered with mosquito wire or protecting 
cloth. 
Another class of plants to be set out the 
last part of May and first of June, is com¬ 
posed of tomatoes, peppers and egg-plants. 
Hills may be prepared for these in about 
the same way, except that they need not 
be so large, and for tomatoes should not 
be too rich, especially in nitrogen in lasting 
forms. A dressing of nitrate of soda, how¬ 
ever, a few days after setting, will be bene¬ 
ficial to all. In well-enriched garden soil, 
no special preparation of the ground will 
be necessary. 
For pole beans, which should not go in 
for ten to fifteen days after the dwarf 
•sorts, hills may be prepared as for melons. 
A great improvement over the old-fash¬ 
ioned pole is had by nailing a few laths 
across a 2 x 4-in. piece of scantling about 
eight feet long. First plantings of early 
bush beans and early corn will also go in 
during the first part of this month. 
Watch the Weeds 
HILE doing all this interesting 
planting, however, do not forget 
the weeds that are coming up by the hun¬ 
dred in the rows and beds planted last 
month. They are very small at first—so 
small that it does not seem possible they 
could ever seriously contemplate crowding 
out the rightful occupants of the garden 
space. In the hot noon sun they seem to 
have disappeared altogether! But you go 
out early next morning, when the dew is 
still on, and there they are again, beginning 
to make the whole place look green. Then, 
no matter what there is that you want to 
do, go back to the tool-house and rig up 
the discs or hoes on the wheel hoe and go 
over each row as close as you can get with¬ 
out cutting out the little seedlings of 
onions, carrots or beets. That will make 
the patch look quite respectable again, but 
don't stop there. If you do, you’re lost. 
Get your hand-weeder and go over every 
inch of soil between the plants in the rows. 
If there’s no weed to be seen, no matter; 
break it up just the same, for there are 
dozens sprouting or waiting for warmer 
days — besides the benefit the plants get 
from this working around is incalculable. 
The cabbage, lettuce and other early 
plants set out last month will also require 
cultivating, which can, however, be very 
expeditiously done with the hoe. Don’t let 
the weeds get so large that you must waste 
time chopping and pulling them out. Hoe 
before it is too difficult. Work the ground 
rather deeply — three or four inches be¬ 
tween these large plants, until the weather 
begins to get hot and their roots large, and 
then give frequent shallow cultivation. 
Keep a watch out also for the green cab¬ 
bage-caterpillar, root-maggot and cut¬ 
worm. For the first of these pests, if the 
cabbages have not begun to head, use 
Paris green, or arsenate of lead, spray; if 
they are heading, hellebore. For the root- 
maggot, after he once starts, there is no 
sure cure, but strong caustic lime-water, 
or kerosene emulsion, poured about the 
roots, first removing an inch of soil, will 
help to check them, and all badly infested 
plants should be pulled and burned. The 
cut-worm is more easily reached. Almost 
invariably you can find him, if you look 
carefully, around the root of the plant he 
has chewed off. A quart or so of bran, 
wet to a mash, and sprinkled with a little 
Paris green, will prove a fatal bait. 
367 
The balsam apple, mamordica balsamina, a 
vine beautiful in its flowers, leaves and 
fruit, can be planted for immediate effect 
Fruit and Berries 
MONG the fruit trees and berry 
bushes there will be spraying that 
should not be overlooked this month. It 
would be too easy to grow fruit if it were 
not for the spraying. The hardest work 
about spraying is just to get at it—it’s 
new, unusual for many beginners, and so 
they seem afraid to try it. 
Go over your grapes and rub off any 
undesired buds that may be starting. This 
is much quicker and better than waiting 
for them to grow, then cutting them off. 
Try mass effects this year. In one spot put in many plants of one kind and color and by 
a process of selection make it a bed of finest specimens. Beilis or bachelor’s-button is used 
in the foreground 
