76 
House & Garden 
with the 
NIAGARA HAND DUST GUN 
Levick i 
He has brains to spare—just look at the 
breadth and depth of his skull 
\ 
A Splendid Dog from Spain 
{Continued from page 74) 
and general appearance, the photographs that whatever the shade of his long, 
tell their own story; it is necessary for silken hair, it must in fairness to him- 
me to add only that his coat may be self and to you be kept well groomed | 
black, red, liver color, etc., either in and free of burrs, caked mud and other 
solid tones or variously combined with bothersome things which it is sure to 
white. Suit yourself, therefore, in pick up from time to time. This groom¬ 
choosing him for color, but remember ing is better than frequent washings. 
and 
Niagara “All-in-One-Du$t-Mixture ” 
Half the joy of having a garden is taken away by the 
insects and diseases which partly destroy or riddle your plant.s 
and trees. 
Dusting, by killing insect pests, and controlling fungus 
diseases, will help you to enjoy the garden to the utmost 
without the sloppy, mussy bother of mixing various chemicals 
with water and making various solutions for different pests. 
Niagara “All-in-One-Mixture” is a clean flour like dust 
which contains fungicide poison, and contact insecticide in 
combination. So a single application fights all classes of insect 
pests and fungus diseases. 
The dust is placed in the hopper at the end of the Niagara 
Dust Gun and by short, easy strokes of the piston blown in a 
thin cloud over the plant. There is no chance of soiling or 
spoiling the clothes and the entire outfit is so light and easy 
to operate that any woman or child can rid the garden of plant 
lice, green worms, potato bugs, mildew, etc., etc. 
Niagara Hand Dust Gun, One Pound of Niagara “All-in- 
One-Mixture” and the Niagara Garden Guide are all packed 
in a single attractive carton for sale by dealers everywhere. 
If Your Dealer Cannot Supply You Write Us. 
We also manufacture a complete line of hand sprayers 
and atomizers of the highest quality. 
No. 1 Atomizer Continuous Sprayer— 
Three times faster and lots easier to 
work furnislied with two interchange¬ 
able brass nozzles. 
Niagara Compressed Air Sprayer 
Has No Equal j 
Easier to operate, more powerful brass 
pump, durable galvanized steel tank. 
New design nozzle. Hose cock to regu¬ 
late fineness of spray. 
No. 2 Sprayer—Strong and indestruct¬ 
ible. made of heavy tin.. Delivers a 
large volume of mist spray in any di¬ 
rection desired. 
cMagara Sprayer Company 
26 Main Street, Middleport, N. Y. 
Manufacturers of Power and Hand Dusting Machinery 
for Orchard, Vineyard and Field. Special Dust Mix 
tures—All kinds of spray materials and sulphur. 
To Dealers. If you have not already investigated, 
write at once. 
TIMELY GARDEN POINTERS 
T he necessary tools for preparing 
and caring for the small garden are 
few. A spade or garden fork for dig¬ 
ging, a hoe, a steel-tooth rake, a trowel, 
and a dibble or pointed stick complete 
the list of essentials. The gardener will 
find it convenient, however, to possess 
some additional implements. If tree 
roots underlie any portion of the garden 
plot and must be cut away, a hatchet, 
ax, or mattock will be a real neces¬ 
sity. If the soil of the plot has be¬ 
come compacted, as where walks have 
existed, a pick may be needed for dig¬ 
ging. Perhaps in, such cases it will 
be most economical to fill both cutting 
and digging needs by purchasing a pick¬ 
ax which has a pick point at one end of 
the head and a cutting blade at the 
other. Apparatus for watering plants 
also should be included. This may be 
a watering pot of generous proportions 
or, where running water is available, a 
hose. In order that rows may be made 
straight and uniform a substantial line 
or cord should be provided. 
A most convenient implement for use 
in the home garden, especially where 
the plot is fairly large, is a hand cul¬ 
tivator or wheel hoe. This implement 
is a miniature cultivator or plow, with 
adjustable blades, mounted on a wheel 
or wheels, and is pushed along by hand. 
Attachments make possible either the 
turning of small furrows, the stirring of 
the soil, or the removal of weeds. Much 
time and labor may be saved by such 
a device. 
Among the other implements which 
may be useful in the home garden but 
which are not essential are planting and 
cultivating hoes of special shapes, a 
combination hoe and rake, a wheelbar¬ 
row, a shovel, hand weeding tools, and 
other small implements designed for 
special uses. 
Preparing the Soil 
A simple test to determine when 
garden soil is ready for plowing or 
working is to take a handful of earth 
from the surface and close the fingers 
tightly on it. If the earth compacted 
in this way is dry enough for cultiva¬ 
tion, it will fall apart when the hand 
is opened. This test is applicable only 
to comparatively heavy soils, but it 
is these which receive the most injury 
if they are worked when wet. On such 
soUs overzealous gardeners not only 
waste their time but frequently do 
actual damage by attempting to work 
them too early. 
The kind of preparation that must 
be given to the small garden and the 
amount of work that will be required 
will depend largely, of course, on the 
condition of the plot and the use to 
which it has been put. If the ground 
selected for the garden has been firmed 
by much tramping, as is often the case 
in back yards, it can not be got into 
proper condition without the expendi¬ 
ture of considerable labor. When plow¬ 
ing with a team can be practiced that 
is the best method for giving the ground 
its initial breaking. The surface, of 
course, should be harrowed as soon as 
possible after plowing. 
If the plot can not be plowed, the 
gardener must resort to the use of a 
garden fork or spade or, in the case 
of very hard spots, a mattock. The 
soil should be well loosened to the 
depth of the spade or fork. If heavy i 
clay is encountered at this depth, it I 
should not be turned up to the surface, 
but the slices of soil should be kept in I 
their normal position. As soon as each i 
spade or fork full of earth is loosened, 
it should be broken up by blows with 
the back of the implement. Later the 
freshly dug surface should be fined 
and smoothed with a steel-tooth rake. 
It is not sufficient that the surface 
be made fine; the soil should be well 
pulverized to the depth of the digging. i 
Any sod or plant growth on the garden i 
plot should be turned under to rot and 
form humus. In turning under sod j 
with a spade or fork it is well to re¬ 
verse each segment so that foliage will ; 
be down and roots up. 
The first digging of a plot of ground 
which has not before been cultivated ' 
is likely to be a laborious task, and i 
may even take away the enthusiasm | 
of the would-be gardener. After this ' 
portion of the work is done, however, i 
the fining of the soil, planting, and 
cultivation are not arduous. It may 
be well in many cases for the gardener 
to employ some one to break his 
ground, whether this be done with plow, 
spade, or fork. 
Improving Soil Texture 
It is desirable that the soil of the 
garden be as open and light as possible. ' 
Where a natural loam exists in the plot 
good texture can be given by digging 
and cultivating. Where the soil is heavy, ! 
containing much clay, however, other 
steps are necessary. If clean sand is 
available this may be mixed with the 
soil. 
