The islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1891-1899, 1896-11-12
November Work.

With November's coming there is
left but u short time in which to make
the necessary preparations for winter.
Those who have extensive grounds,
with gardener to care for them, can
leave it all in his hands, but we who
have only our dooryards must usually
do whatever is to be done ourselves.
| If the spring Towering bulbs were
not planted in October their planting
should be the first thing attended to
now. Perhaps nothing else in the long
list of flowers will give as much pleas
ure in return for little labor as these
same bulbs. Once planted, they are
so sure to bloom, and, coming when
the miracle of the springtime is so
new, they delight us as the later flow
ers cannot. Among these dubious
flowers hyac,nths are perhaps the
favorites with women, but men admire
tulips most. Let the woman whose
husband cares little for flowers buy two
or three dozen early tulips i'll a mixture
of colors, and plant them without saying
anything about it. They will speak
for themselves next spring, and the
man of the house will admire them.
Bulbs need well-drained mellow
spot in rather a sunny place. Only
well-rOtted manure should be used in
enriching it. They should not be
pressed down into the earth, as is so
natural when one plants anything of
the kind, but should be placed in holes
three or four inches deep and the soil
filled in around them. The November
planted bulbs will be benefited even
more than those which were planted
earlier by a covering of rOtted manure
over the bed.
If the Lemoine gladiOli are to be left
in the earth they should have cover
ing of several inches of manure during
winter. They are less hardy than the
bulbs which are planted in the fall,
but with the mulh of manure may be
safely left oHt, and will bloom earlier
in the su,nmer than if they were taken
up and planted again in the spring.
All unsightly stalks should be removed
from the perennial border, and we'll
rOted manure applied here, too, and
also about the shrubs.
Before the month ends the outdoor
chrysanthemums will have had their
day, and after they have been frozen
the tops may be cut off and laid over
the roots. This will usually give
enough protection TO keep them alive
through the winter. The chrysanthe-
mum is on the top wave of popularity
now, and almost every country town
has its chrysanthelnum show. Every
dOoryard ought to have some of the
earlier kinds for outdoor Towering.
The Indian summer days will be a
good time to give the lawn a final rak-
ing, and put it in order for the winter.
Neatness is the end to be striven for
now, and for this reason whatever fer
tilizer is applied should be so fine as to
he inconspicuous. Lawns are some
times rendered unsightly during win
ter by the application of stable MANURE
In autumn. A very light coating of
wood ashes will be found beneficial.
Last of all to need their winter COW
eriny are the tender and half-hardy
roses. For them light covering of
leaves held in place by vergreen
bOughs is, perhaps, as good AS any
thing. There are many devices for
protecting tender roses, and 1t must be
confessed that they are often failures.
If the roots can be kept alive it mat
ters little if the top is killed, as they
bloom on the new growth Of wood.
One who has a bed of pansies i'm bloom
is sure to wish to save them through
the winter. AS with the roses, it is
ratle difficult, where there is much
alternate freezing and thawing. TOJ
much covering will smother pansies
and kill them us surely rs the freezing,
unless some means are devised to hold
it up and allow the air to circulate
around them.
Seeds of ANNALS, like the poppy and
petunia, may be sown in this month
and be ready to come up early in the
spring. Any annual which self-sOws
may be sOwn now with good pros
pect OF success. There is long list of
these, including the phlox, verbena,
calliopsis, portulacca, snow Oh the
mountain, antirihinum and Others.
With everything done now which
should be done we may look forward
with pleasant anticipations to the time
when the snowdrops and crocus shall
lift their blossoms to tell us that the
spring is at hands. C..