Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-08-01

xg>6~ best for. With 50
much rain and so little hot sum- they were
irclined to produce leaves ather than bios
sons.
1t is to be lamented that there are so few
flower gardens in the city. Washington is
one of the few cities in which it is possible
for every family, even the poorest, to have
flower garden. Our front yards are a
yeritable blessing, and they might just as
veil be made beautiful not. 1t is too
late now to SOW seed for summer bloom;
but it is not too late to buy plants in the
market and set them out in beds in the
yard A dozen or more varieties of plants
can he bought in the markets for cents
apiece; several kinds of geraniums. be-
gonia. sweet alyssum, pansies. nastur-
| tiumS. heliotropes, mignonette, petunias and
verbenas. Twenty-Five cents expended in
this way would give you bed of bloom
that would last all summer long.
But some people say 1t Is TO use for me
TO try to have a garden, for everything 1
touch dies" But OF course know that
| nothing dies without just cause. and this
cause is more often neglect than anything
else. Successful Horticulture is attendant
Upon the obedience of certain rules. and if
these rules are not oheycd failure is GER
| tain. 1t is Mrs. .Juliana Horatio Ewing who
says Amateur gardener is gardener for
| love-: and she is right. One of the first
requirements is love. and next comes phil
osophy Armed with these, you cannot fail
Practical Suggestions.
For those who have gardens some prac-
teal suggestions may be welc ONE, though
| if the plants have been well cared for so
| far little is needed at this season but Wig
ilance-eternal vigilance. To accomplish
this, suppose you agree to give one hour a
Gay to your flowers. The best time is De-
| fore breakfast. If you can manage to get
Up so early 1 can promise that you will
find that hour the sweetest IL all the day
You will need several things for your gar
dening outfit: A brCad-brimmed straw hat.
which you Will find on + street for 12l !,
cents; an Old pair of gloves to protect your
hands from the sun and the soil: pair of
SCISSORS; a trowel or garden fork. which Will
cost YOU - cents the cheaper ones are not
GOOD: a BAH of string. which will cost >
cents: few small envelopes for seeds; a
lencil 10 label with, and little basket to
pu: all the small things ina grape basket
is good enough.
AT this early hour YOU will find the gar
den all to yourself. with none but the birds
TO Keep YOU company. so YOU need not be
troubled by the fear that passing acquaint-
anCes viii catch you in your rustic attire
though warrant you that blooming checks
ard bright eyes will be not the least re-
ward for Your early morning hours spent
| in the garden. Your attention should first
be directed to the soil. If that is hard so
that YOU cannot loosen it with your hands
| it must be thoroughly work ed and pulver-
| lied. Dig down at least eight inches ana
turn the soil upside down. literally speak
ing. crushing all Jumps with the prongs of
your fork. Do not dig SO deep as this i'm
nediately around the roots of your plants
for they must not be disturbed: loosening
the SOIL 4 little. say two inches deep will
be enough. Nothing is more helpful than
this constant stirring of the soil: il Is bet
ter than frequent watering. and in time OF
drought entirely takes the place of water
Twice week is none too often for this Gull
uvation. If the ground is not rich enough
spread some old and wel-rotted manure
over it and dig it in If You cannot get old
manure buy some bone meal, five pounds
| for quarter Of a dollar. and sprinkle ii
lightly over the surface and work it in with
your fork or trowel. This bone meal does
not smell very nice. but it is clean, and is
very good food for your plants. Stable
manure is preferred however. as il keeps
the soil open and light
Let No Weed Escape.
AS you are digging, be careful to let no
weeds escape you. Pull up every one, no
| matter how little. and consign it to the care
( OF your basket. and when that is full, to
the ash barrel. Kill every grub and cater
pillar you see but do not put them in your
basket, leave them in the soil for purposes
or fertilization. Don't kill the lady bugs
| they live on the insects they find on your
plants.
Now, having attended to the roots OF
your plants, we will look after the part
| that grows above ground. Cut off every
dead or withered leaf and blossom, ard
every seed pod. unless you particularly
want the seeds to ripen. in which case the
blossoms now will become small and moor
and finally cease altogether Cut OFF ali
spindly and straggly branches; examine
| closely for scale insects. aphis and bugs of
any KIND. Prune hardy roses a little, in
| order that they may give fall blossoms. he
careful not to take too many leaves Off in
the pruning. Cut rather the small shoots
and the tops of the tall branches. six inches
VIII be enough to induce side shoots on
| which will come the new buds Don't chi
any fresh shoots or leaves Off
PICK out the tops of the chrysanth emums
unti August IL: this is to induce a strong
| growth of the side branches. each of which
should be allowed to bear but one bud. If
| you want fine blossoms. If the black aphis
| troubles them, spray with tobacco water
! rms 1nsecticide is made by sleeping tobacco
| stems and should be the color of weak cof-
| fee. II you cannot get the stems buy a
| cake OF tobacco soap for twenty-five cents
some growers prefer Paris green in the
| pfopottioh OF one teaspoonful to ten quarts
| OF water. Sprinkle this on the plant with
| Whisk broom. 1t will not hurt the nlant
| ana VII! be effective on any that are trou-
bled with bugs. Chrysanthemums are
rank feeders, and require frequent annlicaS
tons of liquid manure to bring them tn
perfection. TO make this, put a spadefuI
OF manure in bucket of water and LET II
stahu III coHee color, then apply to Tho
soil at the root Of the plant.
Vines and Rubber Plant,.
Give attention to the vines; trimming the
ends OF the new shoots will make side
branches. if the vine is growing too tall and
spindly. Irvine new shoots about their SUD-
ports. Keep the soil loose around their
roots.
Your rubber plant will be grateful IL Won
VIII set It In the ground, pot and all. in a
snaoy place Be sure to put some coal
eshes under the pot to keep out worms.
any OF your house plants will be the better
Tor sojourn in the garden If planted in
this way. 49,
Spade manure around the roots Of your
cannas. and give plenty of water gallons II
you can spare It, two or three times a week.
Psrsevere in this treatment, and your ono
Gamma will have made IL cannas by the fall.
If you will pull out the flower buds as they
appear the plant will be much larger and
| finer than II the buds are allowed to bloom
and the flowers seldom amount to anything
unless the plants are particularly choice
| varieties.
| Keep fuchsias in the shada DIre,t .,,-