26 Every Garden Needs More Humus!: *- 

Trees, shrubs and plants are mortal, like any other 
living thing. They must be given suitable soil, sun and 
water, iand proper cultivation, to keep them growing. Proper 
cultivation begins with the Spring thaw and means, as 
long as the soil is wet, stay out! Don’t even walk on it! 
Soils vary so in composition that it is impossible in 
this limited space to set down details of soil management 
for everyone. However, good management of any soil 
strives to maintain it in the crumbly, granular condition 
illustrated at lower right. Repeated applications of humus 
or rotted organic matter in any form (manure, peatmoss, 
leafmold, compost, etc.), is as necessary in Cheyenne’s 
hard, gravelly loams as in the heavy yellow clays of west 
Fort Collins. 
Beware spading in fresh stable manure, chicken manure 
or the concentrated raw scrapings from gheep-feeding cor- 
rals just before new plantings. However, all of these are 
excellent for topdressing to be worked into the soil grad- 
ually by shallow summer cultivation. Never, never, re- 
gardless of what Eastern authorities recommend, put wood 
ashes or lime in) any form on your soil—this will only ag- 
gravate the alkaline condition that is almost universally 
characteristic of Western soils. 
This soil alkalinity is usually responsible for chlorosis, 
or yellowing of plants, by locking up the iron and mag- 
nesium necessary for the manufacture of chlorophyll. Iron 
sulphate, aluminum sulphate or agricultural sulphur applied 
to the soil at the rate of 4 lbs. per 100 square feet will 
often correct the condition. In extreme cases a second 
application may be needed 60 days later. 
Inexperienced gardeners often water too much. Soggy, 
waterlogged soil is also conducive to chlorotic plants and 
the remedy lies in improving the physical texture of the 
soil and less irrigation, or, more humus and still more 
humus. You will invariably find, as you keep building up 
your soil over a period of years, that intervals between 
irrigation are increasingly longer. 
Perennial flowers that need large quantities of organic 
matter to be at their best include chrysanthemums, phlox, 
primroses and Shasta daisies. 
Too wet to spade! If you make a “mudpie” like this, let 
it dry a few days before you spade, plant or cultivate. 
Sop ee 
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SOQ eS 
May, Sele AR Wan 0 
gid 
On this page in last year’s catalog we said, “Really 
fine lawns are easy” and now that we know what the 2.4-D 
weed killers will do we can. say:that again. Dandelions, 
plaintain, trefoil and other broad-leaved:weeds -can posi- 
tively be eliminated by spraying. Weedone is the original 
and best. Spray only on warm, sunny days (60 to 70 de- 
grees) fairly early in the summer when weeds are growing 
most rapidly. Do not-water for at least half a day after 
spraying and don’t fertilize for at least two weeks before 
and after spraying. * 
Crabgrass is still with us but the Weedone folks tell 
us that its days are numbered, with a selective Crabgrass 
spray soon to be introduced. In the meantime we will have 
to keep plugging along with seed harvest control: Mow 
high all spring and summer—as high as the mower will 
go—and mow often, letting the clippings remain as a 
mulch. Early fall, as crabgrass seeds begin to-mature, set 
the mower as close as possible, catch and burn the clip- 
pings, rake vigorously’ to bring up seedheads the mower: 
missed and mow and catch again, ~ 
There is a theory that revision of our lawn feeding _ 
schedule published in last. years’ catalog will help control 
crabgrass; the idea being to give permanent lawn grasses 
a good push before hot weather. Under this theory the 
schedule would be: MIDDLE OF MARCH, or even earlier, 
Vigoro (4-12-4) at 2% lbs. per 100 square feet (applied 
while lawn is still dormant, watering-in is not so import- 
ant). MIDDLE OF MAY: Ammonium Sulphate at 1 Ib. 
per 100 square feet. Water-in thoroughly. SEPT. 1: Am- 
monium Sulphate again at 1 lb, per 100 sq. ft., and water 
it in well. NEVER: scatter messy, smelly barnyard manure 
around your yard. It will bring in more weeds quicker than 
anything you can do—and besides, it’s much more valuable 
for gardens and borders. 
Blue Grass roots deeply, grows best in cool weather 
and has a tendency to go dormant in midsummer heat. 
During July and August, let it get a little dry, even: 
slightly gray in color. Then, when you do water, really 
soak it! Less work, less Crabgrass! 
When your soil crumbles like this it is ready to - 
spade. Plenty of humus and working at the right 
time make a granular soil that will “grow anything.” 

