The GARDENER’S CALENDAR for APRIL 
>!« 
PERCY BYSSHE 
SHELLEY 
Gardens and flowers 
ivere celebrated by Shell¬ 
ey in many passages of 
soaring ecstasy arid 
tender beauty, and 
throughout his poems 
they form more often 
than anything else his 
exquisite figures. In 
1822, at thirty, he was 
drowned in Italy. 
ROBERT HERRICK 
Although they are 
wrapped up in thoughts 
of his Julia, Herrick 
inscribes many of his 
lodiest verses to flowers, 
as in the poems “To 
Violets“To Daffo¬ 
dils,” “To Blossoms,” 
“The Primrose,” and 
“ To Daisies.” He was 
born in 1591 and died 
in Devonshire in 1674. 
SUNDAY 
1. Summer 
flowering bulb¬ 
ous plants as 
gladioli, mont- 
bretias, begon¬ 
ias, etc., need 
very little ef¬ 
fort and are 
worthy a place 
in any garden. 
They may be 
planted any 
lime now, the 
gladioli at bi¬ 
weekly inter¬ 
vals. 
8. Weather 
conditions 
vary, but usu¬ 
ally it is safe 
to start sowing 
seeds of the 
more hardy 
types of vege¬ 
tables now. 
Peas, spinach, 
radishes, 
onions, pars¬ 
nip, beets, car- 
rots, Swiss 
chard, etc., are 
all seasonable. 
15. If prop¬ 
erly hardened, 
plants of the 
more hardy 
types of garden 
vegetables can 
be set out now, 
such as cab¬ 
bage, c a u 1 i - 
flower, lettuce, 
onions, etc. 
Cover them 
with plant pro¬ 
tectors or paper 
on dangerously 
cool nights. 
22. Have you 
spraying ma¬ 
terials on hand 
for the host of 
bugs an d 
diseases that 
are certain to 
visit you this 
summer? Spray 
the currant 
bushes now 
with arsenate 
of lead to de¬ 
stroy the green 
currant worms 
while small. 
29. Before 
the trees and 
shrubs leaf out 
it is advisable 
to go over them 
carefully, de¬ 
stroying any 
caterpillar 
nests before 
they hatch. An 
asbestos torch 
is the best wea¬ 
pon to use; 
slight scorch¬ 
ing will not in¬ 
jure the plants. 
MONDAY 
2. If the 
asparagus bed 
was mulched 
last fall it can 
be turned un¬ 
der now. Hill 
the soil up to 
the rows if you 
like your 
asparagus 
white. Salt in 
liberal quanti¬ 
ties should be 
applied to keep 
down the 
weeds. 
9. Straw¬ 
berries should 
now be uncov¬ 
ered for the 
season. The 
winter mulch 
of manure can 
be forked un¬ 
der. If no 
mulch was ap¬ 
plied, however, 
give the bed a 
good top dress¬ 
ing with bone 
meal before 
digging. 
16. Keep the 
soil constantly 
st irred bet ween 
the garden 
rows. Seeds 
that are slow 
in germinating 
can be protect¬ 
ed by placing 
the lime bc- 
tween the 
labels. Soil cul¬ 
tivation is more 
necessary with 
young plants 
than old. 
23. The peren- 
nial border 
should be over¬ 
hauled. Any 
existing voids 
must be filled 
in either by 
new plants or 
by dividing 
those which are 
left. Dig under 
some good 
manure or give 
the bed a top¬ 
dressing of raw 
crushed bone. 
30. Frames 
for the melons 
must be set in 
place now. See 
that the hills 
are well pre¬ 
pared inside 
them, using 
plenty of good 
manure and 
chopped sod. 
The seed may 
be sown just as 
soon as the soil 
is thoroughly 
warmed up. 
TUESDAY 
3. Thinning 
out crops is 
more import¬ 
ant than many 
suppose. Plants 
that are allow¬ 
ed to crowd be¬ 
come soft and 
spindly and 
can never de¬ 
velop health¬ 
ily. Crops that 
require thin¬ 
ning must beat- 
tended to when 
very small. 
10. It is a 
mistake not to 
make what 
sowings are ne¬ 
cessary to give 
a continuous 
supply of quick 
maturing crops 
such as peas, 
beets, carrots, 
spinach, etc. 
The common 
rule is to sow 
when the pre- 
cedingsowingis 
above ground. 
17. If you 
have not 
pruned the 
hardy roses, it 
must be at¬ 
tended to at 
once, because 
roses start into 
active growth 
very early. 
Prune the hy¬ 
brid types to 
three eyes, but 
leave about 4" 
of new wood 
on the teas. 
24. Any large 
trees that have 
been recently 
transplanted 
must not be 
neglected. Lib¬ 
eral watering is 
essential, and 
heavy mulch¬ 
ing is also a 
good practice. 
Make soil tests 
to see that the 
soil below the 
roots is suffi¬ 
ciently moist. 
WEDNESDAY 
4 Seeds of 
the more hardy 
flowers such as 
snapdragon, 
asters, alys- 
sum, calendula, 
centaurea 
pansies, violas, 
scabiosa, etc., 
may be sown 
outside at this 
time. Have the 
soil well pulv¬ 
erized, as flow¬ 
er seeds are 
very fine. 
11. The secret 
of success with 
potatoes is 
early planting; 
these plants are 
quickly de¬ 
stroyed by hot, 
dry weather. 
To avoid this 
danger plant 
now, so that 
the crop will 
come to matur¬ 
ity before the 
trying weather 
strikes it. 
18. This is 
the proper time 
the have the 
greenhouses 
overhauled. 
Broken glass 
should be re¬ 
placed, loose 
glass can be re¬ 
set, and the 
woodwork 
should be pro¬ 
tected by at 
least one coat 
of good exterior 
paint. 
25. Have you 
stakes on hand 
for dahlias and 
other tall flow¬ 
ers, raffia or 
jute cord for 
tying, an arbor 
for the garden 
roses, a sundial 
for the flower 
garden. Youare 
sure no essen¬ 
tial has been 
forgotten? This 
is the time to 
check them up. 
THURSDAY 
5. That un¬ 
productive or¬ 
chard can be 
made to yield 
abundantly if 
you resort to 
the proper use 
of cover crops. 
To prove this, 
sow now a mix¬ 
ture of Canada 
field peas and 
oats, and plow 
them under 
when they are 
about 2' high. 
12. Do not 
let your green¬ 
house be idle 
all summer. 
Therearemany 
worthy crops 
which can be 
started now, 
such as potted 
fruits, mellons, 
tomatoes, 
cauliflower and 
chrysanthe¬ 
mums. Do not 
let the house 
be empty. 
19. Plants in 
tubs intended 
as specimens 
for the grounds 
should be 
watered freely 
with liquid 
manures. 
Where it is not 
convenient to 
make or use 
this, a top 
dressing of pure 
cow manure 
can be applied 
to them. 
26. If you 
grow any crops 
for the live- 
stock the 
ground for 
them should 
be made ready. 
Mangles, car¬ 
rots and sugar 
beets are 
staples and can 
be sown now, 
although corn 
must wait for 
warmer wea¬ 
ther. 
FRIDAY 
6. Start 
hardening off 
the bedding 
plants in the 
greenhouse or 
frame now. It 
is certain death 
to set out 
coleus, gerani¬ 
ums, etc., un¬ 
less they have 
been properly 
hardened, 
which ordinar¬ 
ily takes about 
two weeks. 
13. Bean 
poles can now 
be put in place 
for the limas. 
Dig liberal 
sized holes for 
them, working 
plenty of 
manure into 
the soil when 
refilling. The 
mound or hill 
should be 
about 4" above 
the adjoining 
grade. 
20. This is 
the proper time 
to start some 
plants from 
seed for flow¬ 
ering next 
winter in the 
greenhouse. 
Primula, cycla¬ 
men, snapdrag¬ 
on and many 
others should 
be started now 
and grown 
during summer 
in frames. 
27. All bor¬ 
ders or open 
spaces around 
plants should 
be kept loosen¬ 
ed up with a 
digging fork. 
This admits 
the necessary 
air to the soil 
and also pre¬ 
vents the rapid 
evaporation of 
the moisture if 
the weather is 
dry and sunny. 
SATURDAY 
7. Early 
planting is the 
first essential 
to success. Fin¬ 
ish all plant¬ 
ings oi decidu¬ 
ous trees and 
shrubs at the 
first opportun¬ 
ity. Firm the 
plants well in 
the soil and 
don't allow 
them to sufler 
from lack of 
water. 
14. Rasp¬ 
berries, black¬ 
berries, cur¬ 
rants and 
gooseberries 
that were 
buried last fall 
can now be un¬ 
earthed. An 
application of 
good manure 
worked into 
the border now 
will materially 
improve the 
fruit. 
21. The lawn 
should be 
looked over 
carefully to as¬ 
sure a velvety 
green sward 
this summer. 
Sod any small 
bald spots, and 
spade and seed 
down large 
spaces. An ap¬ 
plication of 
bone meal or 
wood ashes is 
advisable. 
28. Do not 
neglect the 
sweet peas 
when they are 
small—see that 
they are prop- 
e r I y hilled 
when about 4" 
high. Support- 
i n g them 
should not be 
postponed un¬ 
til they have 
been flattened 
by wind or rain 
and damaged. 
This calendar of the gardener’s labors is aimed as a 
reminder for undertaking all his tasks in season. 
It is fitted to the latitude of the Middle States, but 
its service should be available for the whole country 
if it be remembered that for every one hundred miles 
north or south, there is a difference of from five to 
seven days later or earlier in performing garden 
operations. The dates are for an average season. 
If it were not that April came along to break the 
spell of Winter, gardens and flowers might never 
exist; and if it were not for gardens and flowers, 
poetry would very soon languish. So, April and 
poetry being pretty closely joined, it has seemed a 
splendid, month to celebrate the poets on this page. 
The seven men here, from Herrick to Dobson, are 
of those whose lyric moods were colored by the first 
fragrance that blows from fresh blossoms, by 
daisies and sensitive plants and daffodils, and 
by the shadows and sunlight and seclusion of 
gardens. And their poetry is hardily perennial. 
THOMAS EDWARD 
BROWN 
Probably the most popu¬ 
lar verse in the garden 
anthology is that of 
Brown’s, “A garden is 
a lovesome thing, God 
wot]” yet little is gen¬ 
erally known of him — 
that he lived on the Isle 
of Mann, wrote of ships 
and the sea, made poems 
and tended his garden. 
m 
JOYCE KILMER 
On the Ourcq, during the July advance 
1918, Kilmer fell] the first writer in the Amer¬ 
ican army to be killed in battle. One of his finest 
poems, “Trees,” begins: 
I think that I shall never see 
A poem lovely as a tree 
AUSTIN DOBSON 
When Dobson died little 
more than a year ago, he 
left behind some of the 
most delicate and de¬ 
lightful poems of the 
past few decades. All 
garden enthusiasts 
should know “A Song 
of the Four Seasons,” 
and “A Garden Idyll” 
from the cycle called 
“Vignettes in Rhyme.” 
Si 
WILLIAM 
WORDSWORTH 
One of the greatest na¬ 
ture poets, Wordsworth 
has made it almost im¬ 
possible to come upon a 
scattering of daffodils 
in the Spring without 
thinking of his verses on 
those delectable blos¬ 
soms. He died in 1850 
at the age of eighty. 
HEINRICH HEINE 
The most famous of the 
German romanticists, 
Heine was chiefly con¬ 
cerned with the human 
emotions — principally 
love, both sad and sweet] 
but his verses are crowd¬ 
ed with allusions to 
flowers, and one of his 
best is written to “Die 
Lotosblume.” He died 
in 1856 at 59 in Paris. 
