Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1861-08-21
THE EVENING STAR.

FRUSTRATING VEGETABLES AND ANIMALS.
Seedlings may be safely trsnsplantsd in hot
aud dry weather, If shaded for a few days by
a common flower pot. The hole at the bottom
serves as q chimney. Towards evening take
of the pot, and replace it in the morning.
Raise the side by a stone placed under. as the
plant becomes established, and finally remove
St altogether. The pot keeps the ground moist,
and is much better than watering.
FLOWER GARDEN AND LAWN.
August is usually the most trying month for
the Acrist. Thepewerful sun willis the foliage,
dries up the plants, and shortens the period Of
towering Many plants set late in the Spring,
die from drouth this month, unless artifcially
watered. In extensive grounds it is laborious
operation to 90 over the flowers, shrubbery,
and lawn with watering pot. The city and
large village gardens can usually be sprinkled
with the hose attached to street or family n.y.
drants. A large garden may receive an oc-
easional artificial sprinkling with portable
hand or force pump like the hydropult. A
simple watering pot will sufhce for small plot.
Caution Is needed against the too free use OF
water. Every showering eools the ground
and keeps il cool by evaporation; free use of
the Watering pot will keep the ground cool
much Of the tins. Plants do not need to be-
kept continually wet. Try the sod by digging
into it, If moist within two or three inches Of
the surface, it is not suffering. Give liberal
watering when needed, rather than frequent
light sprinklings select the afternoon or eve
ming for applying it. In watering evergreen
or other trees, remove a little of the surface
soil, water plentifully and replace the soil,
which will then remain light and porous.
RIPENING SEED FOR DOUBLE FLOWERS
One great cause of all the ill-success in at
tempting to grow double flowers is commencing
the work too late. 1t has been thought sufi-
cient to begin with the seed, but a great deal
is to be done before that. We know how early
h. rR1z for hos linz rs Aauu
formed in perennial plants. Double flowers
from which the seed is to be saved for the new
progeny are about to be formed. The founda-
ton is to be laid then. and the work must be
perfected by the culture of the plants raised
from the seed thus produced. When the plants
raised from these seeds have acquired about
third OF their size, promote their free growth
by all possible means. This is the period at
which che buds Of flowers take their final form
Allow only few flowers upon each plant to
ripen, and do not let the roots be exhausted by
opening more than are intended to be set for
seed. In the common way, the flowers weaken
each other, and part Of the seed is always bad
As the seed which follows the first flowers is
the best, let these alone stand. and take the
rest off in the bud.-MIdfand FLORIST
THE GRAPE BLIGHT.
We have not yet seen any explanation of
the blight which has destroyed many of the
grapes in this valley, especially in the vicinity
OF Hartford. We oiier this one, which is known
to be the cause of a similar blight in grape
growing districts in Europe. During the re-
cent hot weather, some Of the nights were cool
and damp, particularly in the valley of the
Connecticut. As the sun rose, its piercing
rays fell upon the cool, damp fruit, and wilted
ii, and at the same time white powder formed
upon it, as if it had been sprinkled with -four
An experienced young horticulturist who was
out at sunrise during the recent term of hot
weather, says that he noticed the peculiarly
burning heat of the sun at a very early hour
for several mornings, and that it would un-
questionably afect the grape fatally, as such a
conjunction of cool, damp nights, and early
hot sun, had been known to. This idea seems
plausible; and in the lack Of other explanations,
We offer il to the attention Of horticulturists.
Springfield Republican.