Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1886-09-17
THE GARDEN.
Hints in Horticulture.

II 5 not ad, sable TO make flower b,ds
too rich. as this Is AIT To enc nlrlgr a
too succulent growth at the expense 81
flowers. Leaf nlviid Names ;.ie best
material for frrt lzing flower beds.
When this can not be had us" 'h"r"'ThiN-
dccayed barn-yard manure n>te;ui- All
Roses should bc protected during the
winter by giving. rs soon as the Ground
is frozen. good mulching Of leaves or
any suitable material. The more tender
Of the hardy sorts should be wrapped
with straw or sheltered with evergreen
boughs. II none of these materials are
handy. bend the plants down and cover
with two or three inches Of soil.
Soil for hotbe,ls to be made early in
spring should be- thrown in heaps and
covered with Old boards before the
ground freezes too deep; or if a suf-
fcient quantity can be brought under an
old shed this answers the purpose still
better.
Grape seed may be sown at any time
before the ground freezes. Only seeds
from the ripest and most perfect bunch
es and berries should be selected. The
seed bed should be- made rich and mel
low, the seed covered with about one
inch of soil. and in winter be lightly
mulched with leaves; or the seeds may
be washed out, dried, kept in moist soil
during the winter, and planted as early
in spring as possible. The seed should
be sown thin enough so that the young
plants may not crowd each other.
Fall blowing not only improves the
appearance of a garden, but it anchor
ates the ground materially, and fits it
for early cultivation in spring. No
implement can mellow and pulverize
the earth SO thoroughly as the frost,
and if the blowing is done in narrow
lands, with deep. open. intervening
burrows, running with the slope of the
land. the additional benefit derived from
surface drainage is of no small account.
The following method of pre-
serving melons is simple: A big box or
bin, in a cool corner of the woOdshed or
dry cellar. is the first requirement. A
plentiful supply of oats, bran, sawdust,
or some such dry, light substance, is the
next. A layer of few inches of this
is placed in the bottom of the
box, and then as many melons laid in as
can be without bringing them any near
er together than three or four inches,
keeping them away from the sides of the
box about the same distance. The bran
or other material used must then be
sprinkled in among the melons until all
the spaces are filled, and another layer
of three or four inches spread over the
whole. The melons should be picked
for this purpose before they are fairly
ripe.
The chrysanthemum is propagated by
cuttings and by division of the roots,
which is done in the spring. If large
plants are wanted, the soil should be
rich. Plants bloomed under glass should
be removed to q cold frame or a cool
cellar as soon as they have done flower
ing.
The pOinsettias are increased by cut
tings in May. The cuttings should be
allowed to dry day or two before plant
ing, when they may be set in small pots,
or in a propagating bench, and trans
planted after becoming rooted.
Calceolarias are raised from seed sOwn
in August, and as soon rs the young
plants are of sufficient size to handle
they are transplanted to separate pots.
To produce bushy plants, the center
stem should be pinched out.-Anacrican
Garden.