Evening star., 1914-07-25

reach the lice or aphis, the under side
of the leaves must be sprayed: ] am
using an emulsion of fish oil soap.
which the experts say is the best rem
edy. but il has to be applied with ex-
treme care. | got it too strong al
with melons them almost large
enough to eat. If l can keep the upper
hand of the lice I'll have a lot of
melons ! planted generously and in
succession. so that while on the first
paintings the melons are almost fun
size I have other hills in which the
plants are just starting to vine II l
whip the aphis we'll have all the
melons from early in
August until frost. If the aphis whip
me- we'll not-that's all.
Tomato Growing a Pleasure.
Early in the season I picked canta
loupes and tomatoes my "specialties'
the two things upon which l was will
ing to lavish work with perfection of
fruit. and not profit. in view. The canta-
loupes were to have first call. with toma-
toes in second place. But l think the
order has reversed itself. that | will
get more satisfaction from growing per-
feet tomatoes than out OF any other
garden effort Perhaps if the lice spare
prestige when they are ready to eat. but
just now tomatoes are the pride and joy
of Sunny Knoll. I didn't know such to-
matoes were ever grown. Nothing like
them can be purchased in market Com
mercial growers could not afford the
necessary time and trouble. and also
marketed tomatoes must be picked too
green. All my tomatoes are tied up to
stakes. and only two main vines on each
plant allowed TO grow, the others being
pinched off soon as they sprout. Some
of the more perfectly formed fruits we
have been tying up in paper bags. as
soon they started to turn red, allow
ing them to ripen there. The tomatoes
ripen evenly. and are solid meat all the
way through.
1 didn't think ii was possible crops
could suffer from drought so soon after
a season of prolonged rains. but the sit
uation already is becoming serious. 1
put out some new strawberry plants just
before the rains started. and at the end
of two weeks only two or three out of
more than 500 had died. The past two
or three days they have been dying off
rapidly. and it looks as if l might lose
all OF them.
Shell Beans a Luxury.
Shelled green beans are a luxury coun-
try people no doubt have always known
about but l don't believe many people
who live in town We're ever privileged to
eat them. l know l never heard of Them
and l am certain they are not to be had
in the markets. We made their acqua.n-
tance by the merest chance. l had
lot Of stringless green pods that had
gone by. the pods having grown too
old and tough to eat. I mentioned the
fact to Capt. Russell, at the office, re-
marking that / supposed the only way l
could save them would be to let them
ripen and use them for baking next WIN
ter. He let me into the secret of "shell
beans Taken when the pods are Just
beginning to turn. shdled out and cooked
with piece of corned pork. they make
a dish you'd have to go many miles to
beat And cooked with corn cut from
the cob they make the finest succotash to
be had for love or money. 1t seems to me
that beans such as these ought to bring
a fancy price in the Washington markets,
and / think I'll have a good big patch
OF them In my garden scheme next year.
am going to take back good deal /
have said about it not beiEg especially
lonesome for women in the country, that
all they needed to do was to keep busy
l hope it isn't as lonesome for Jane when
she is here and l am at the office as it
has been the days l have been here while
she is in Baltimore. l certainly have
been busy and 1 have kept the boys
right here with me. something Jane
doesn't attempt to do, but it has been al
woman is more used to staying at home
but just the same 1 am going to see to It
that she gets into town to visit her
friends little o-tener. Jane never said
anything in particular about being lone
some. and maybe she isn't And then.
again, maybe she is and will not say so.
nave missed MarSery a lot too, and
will be glad when she gets home next
week; but l am just little anxious as
to how she will take the fact that 1 have
sold her pet calf. In two of James daily
letters Margery has had inserted INQUIRIES
about the calf SO 1 am afraid she is not
as near to forgetting it as I had hoped.
But IT was wholly impractical for us 10
raise the calf, and as 1 was offered s25
cash. there didn't seem anything to do
but sell her.
Collie Puppy Mourns.
If Margery knew how much her collie
puppy misses her. 1 don't think she'd
shed any tears over the calf. Every liz
tie while the dog will get up and start a
hunt for Margery. whining his disap-
pointment when he is unable to find ber
Old Bill looks mighty mournful. too. but
1 can't make out whether it is because
he misses Margery or is suffering from
the heat. His appetite. which was so as.
tonishing a thing when We first got him
has fallen Off and he doesn't exert him
self any more than he can help. | have
had to work him some this week, but I
had a guilty feeling that the s. P. c. A.
might get after me. 1t Is barely possible
the thing that ails Bill is the debility of
age. and II this should prove the case
James autcion bargain may not prove SO
much of a bargain after all. We don't
know how old Bill is, but certainly his
span of life has covered couple of
decades.
1t would seem calamity if Bill should
die or We should he forced to disnoSa of