The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1893-03-24
GIVE US LAWNS AND FLOWERS
A. Practical Man Tells Some Results
of His Own Expert
ments.
Fine Vegetables and Flowers May he
Grown on City
Lots.

Persons who are no tamlllar Win the
capabilities of the soil in Great Falls are
misled because of the fact that so few
residents have yet found time to grow
flower gardens in their front yards, or to
decorate their grounds with lawns and
shrubbery. The present season will Of
fer excellent opportunities for this sort
of thing, and the following suggestions
of w. b. Burleigh, who has had many
years experience as a ho~rticulturlst'
have a distinct value at this tine. lie
said to a TRIBUNE reporter yesterday:
"In two respects we are short" as a
community up to the present time. We
lack faith in the %capability of our soil to
produce satisfactory garden crops and
sufficient appreciation of the useful and
beautiful to lead us to make tests OF the
capabilities Of the soil and climate and
thus settle once for all whether tine
vegetables, beautiful flowers, elegant
lawn shrubbery and velvety, green lawns
can be made a success here.
"a few nave demonstrated that uccess
crowns every effort properly made In this
direction, and IT seems astonishing that
so few attempt to do anything to beautify
their gardens and lawns Dr. to uti ize the
opportunity to supply their tables with
choice garden vegetables. all of which
are as easily grown here a in any section
of the country.
"In the growing of Towering plants it
is safe TO say that no land in our north
ern ATTITUDES offers better results for a
small expenditure of money and time
than does that of Montana. Last sea
son, against the advice of some VINO pro
fessed to have had experience far from
satisfactory, ! put 10 a limited assert
ment of flower seeds and a general as
sortment of garden vegetables. The
soil used was the ordinary sandy loan OF
this city as found ia most of our city
lots, The soil was turned over carefully,
a good dressing Of manure well rotted
having first been applied. After plow-
ing. the ground was thoroughly harrow
cd and care taken to pulveriZe all the
Jumps thoroughly. At the proper tim
the soil was sown, or the plants already
started inside transplanted, care being
taken in the case of seed to firm the
ground over the seed in order TO retalr
the moisture in the ground and SO insure
vegetation. =
, Notwithstanding the croakings o.
those who assured me that nothing
worth growing could be raised in oul
wards. owing to the adverse winds ant
l other peculiarities Of Montana climate,
t succeeded in bringing to maturity excel
Y lent crops of all leading kinds of vege
. tables. and with the flowers the result
we're of the best, the blooms being mucl
3 richer and more abundant thar IS uSua
in older states.
"The soil in this vicinity, notwith
+ standing it's being a sandy loan, has
tendency to bake or crust very har'
after being wet, and a fine garden rak
g was found to be very useful and wa
brought into frequent use among tn
v Young plants and carefully used also i
+ breaking the crust over the vegetabl
0 seeds as they were sprouting. Ii tn
u surface Of the soil rnmains unbroken tn
: rain or water from a hose sprinkler fal
e ing upon it will run off and seldom pent
| trates to any appreclable depth,
u Irrigation by city water, the only wa
II possible here. should not be too frequen
u not oftener than once n week III yer
{ dry weather, for the growing plants ar
y too liable to be chilled and stunted b
} continual wetting, When irrigation
= applied il should be III quantity sun
" Gent 10 penetrate to a good depth an
not simply a half inch or "a little MOI
upon the surface, y thorough soakin
. once in Il week or ten days Is sure I
- rive good results where a slight sprinl
x ing every day would do more damag
IL than good, tending, as 1t does, to dra
4 the roots of the plants to the surface
the ground whore they feel and sutlt
IL from the hot sun. causing them to WI
II during the heat of the day. Slight an
l frequent sprinklings are nothing MOI
than An a.gravatiUn TO the plant.
equality Of soil and care in culture h
ing equal. there Is M region where How
&c cring plants give mor" beautiful! iioWe
y or ii greater abundance OF bloom lhan
u Montana. This, NJ ioubt, Is owing
the richness of III soils in the chcmlch
necessary to- plant life, and particular
To bright colorcd flowers, The princip
iuurci,cut lacking in our soil for the be
development Of plant lfo Is vegetao
mold aud With horse manure to be hS
n Tor lllt ilHulltIS NJ ilIllIulls iltN' w -"
in this direction, for well rotted stab
manure Is the most satisfactory Of !
~cleucuts with which to supply the Il
ticicncy. In speaking Of irrigation
don't refer 10 the application of water
made from the dit"jIrs upon the farmi,
lands Of Montana, but in this case DIS
may bc an usually is applied IN the q
from r.ty alter pipes through the III
dium or Il hos" AMI sprinkler, the latt
usually automatic,
1T la ,erly i~iscouraging t. our Ne
%neighhnrs coming here from older tow
and cities where foliage, flowers ~
beautifully green lawns are abundant
every hand IL see So little interest TAX
ncrr in the hpautifying OF lawns al
gardenB. 1t is time for those INTEREST,"
in horticulture and gardening 10 endea
or Ia STIR up interest in the cultivatl,
of our bare front and back yards and t
multiplication of green spots and bloo'
ing and fruitful gardens should be o
II -. r Ill ,.l,, Cool on intarnGI