October, 1 9 l S 
WAR 
A1 
THE 
GARDEN 
DEPARTMENT 
Unquestionably success breeds success t but the splendid 
news from overseas is no excuse for any slackening of 
our efforts on this side of the water. Our war gardens 
are and will continue to be extremely important, so if 
there is anything in yours which is not doing zvell our 
Information Service would be only too glad to help you. 
ROBERT STELL 
N OW is the day of the final fruits of our war 
garden labors. The battle of the weeds, which 
has been in progress since early spring, is all 
but won. With clear consciences we may turn to 
the harvesting of our long-season crops. 
On another page of this issue appears a series of 
photographs illustrating the methods employed in 
storing various vegetables for use during the fall 
and winter months. To amplify them a few lines 
of further instructions will not be amiss. 
Vine Crops and Others 
The squashes, pumpkins and whatever melons and 
cucumbers remain should be harvested before there 
is danger of the first killing frost. The first two 
keep best when cleanly cut with about 1" of vine left 
on either side of the stem on which the fruit grows. 
The cucumbers and melons, on the other hand, do 
not need these bits of vine, the severing cut being 
made where the stem joins the vine. 
Careful handling of all four crops is essential. If 
the fruit is even very slightly bruised decay is apt 
to set in after the crop is stored away, the trouble 
sometimes spreading rapidly from the part originally 
affected to other sound fruits nearby. It is advisable, 
also, to brush off any soil which may adhere to the 
under sides and retain harmful moisture. If the 
fruit is laid away bottom side up it will keep better. 
A temperature of not more than 40° is the best 
for the storage room, and, of course, the air should 
be dry. The pumpkins and squashes need no pack¬ 
ing material, but it is a good plan to store the cu¬ 
cumbers and melons in straw. 
Too few gardeners realize how much the fresh 
vegetable season may be prolonged at the cost 
of a little work and forethought. Sweet corn, for 
example, if cut before frost and shocked like field 
corn, will yield good ears for a considerable time. 
Egg-plants, handled the same way as melons, are 
well worth storing, while both green and ripening 
tomatoes will well repay the slight trouble involved 
in treating them as shown on page 24. Okra is still 
another crop with post-season possibilities. The 
plants should be cut and the pods allowed to dry 
on them, for subsequent soups or flavorings. 
The home storage of fruits is perhaps too well 
known to call for detailed explanation here. One 
word of advice, though—never put away a single 
one which is not perfectly sound. Bruises, wormi¬ 
ness, decayed spots of any sort, bring in their wake 
all manner of destructive contamination. 
Probably the majority of crops stored indoors will 
be placed in cellars. If this sort of place is utilized, 
see that the section where the vegetables and fruits 
are kept is shut off by a tight partition from the 
rest of the room. Though the aim should be to keep 
the temperature as close to 35° as possible, ventila¬ 
tion should not be forgotten. Keep the windows 
or other openings closed during warm days and open 
on cool nights, but do not take any chances of freez¬ 
ing after the really cold weather arrives. 
Planting aud Mopping Up 
Without attempting a detailed discussion of the 
case, it may be said in a general way that fruit 
trees and bushes, with the exception of cherries, 
plums, peaches and apricots, are all adapted to fall 
planting. The successive steps in setting out a small 
tree are shown in the accompanying photographs. 
Good stock is so inexpensive and reliable, and its 
returns will pay such good dividends on the invest¬ 
ment, that I can hardly urge too strongly the de¬ 
sirability of a few trees or bushes if you have space 
available for them. By doing the planting this fall, 
and doing it right, you will have them all ready to 
resume their growth with the first spring stirrings of 
plant activity. 
Mopping up the garden is as essential to a com¬ 
plete and thorough-going campaign as it is on the 
battlefields of Northern France. Toward the end of 
the month look the situation over and decide what 
needs to be done to make everything shipshape for 
the winter. Clean the old vines from the bean poles 
and put the latter away in some dry shed where they 
will keep until next year. Clean up the perennial 
borders, take down the tomato trellis or stakes, give 
ihe edgings a final trimming, and see that all the tools 
which will not be needed again are put in order, oiled 
and properly put away. Thoroughness may not be 
next to godliness in gardening, but it is not far behind. 
To balance the check 
to root activity 
caused by transplant¬ 
ing, prune the top 
If any of the roots 
are broken or bruised 
they shoidd be cut off 
clean before planting 
Firming the soil solid¬ 
ly about the roots is 
essential to the young 
tree’s full success 
A stake driven down 
close to the trunk 
furnishes a good sup¬ 
port to tie to 
Watering, too, is nec¬ 
essary. A thorough 
soaking should be 
given after planting 
The use of cornstalks 
as a winter protection 
for trunk and roots 
is often advisable 
