Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-08-01
All Around the Place.

Now is the time to start pansies for
use next spring. In this locality the
chances are the plants will get along
without shelter other than brush or a
leaf mulch during the winter, though
it will be as well to provide a cold
frame in which to grow them. If they
are grown in the open, make the seed
bed at the south side of building or
tight fence.
In making a cold frame in which to
grow pansy plants-heartsease,a as they
are often called-do not make it too
deep. A rear wall ten inches high,
sloping to six inches in front, will be
ample. The slope, of course. should be
toward the south.
Spade the ground about nine or ten
inches deep. removing the top nine or
ten inches and again thoroughly loos-
ening the soil in the bottom, for pur-
poses of drainage. Pulverize the re-
moved soil and replace four inches
of it, leveling it off smoothly. Mix
with more Of the soil an equal guam
tity of black, well rotted manure from
a cow barn. if possible. If the cow
manure is not to be had, use black leaf
mold. Fill in with about three inches
of the mixture, Then mix the remain
compost and make the seed bed sur
face.
Sow the pansy seed not deeper than
firming the soil over the seed. Sprinkle
thoroughly, to promote even germi-
nation. The seed should be sown thin
ly, in very shallow markings. When
leaves, thin them to stand two or
three inches apart. Water the bed
every evening During the hot wealth
err. of course, the sashes are to be left
off, and even during the winter 1t will
be well to raise the sashes an inch or
so at the bottom every sunny day, as
pansies do not require much coddling.
The plants will be ready to set out in
beds or borders as early in the spring
as the ground can be worked.
A last sowing of string beans may
be made even this late The ground
will have to be worked deeply. as at
this season of the year it is pretty
well dried out even to the depth Of sev1
quantity Of fertilizer in the burrows.
using either compost-which is always
best for all gardening purposes-or
a complete fertilizer. Cover the seed
rather deeper than would be the case
in the spring, and it might be well
to soak the seed in water over night
before planting. Unless frost comes
unusually early any of the quick
growing varieties of string beans will
1
beans will be as tender and of as good
quality as those grown earlier in the
season.
Constant and liberal feeding of the
cantaloupe. watermelon and cucumber
vines at this time will work wonders
in helping the plants mature extra
fine fruits Use manure water diluted
until it is the color of strong tea. and
apply the liuuid manure right at the
roots of the plants. 1t is a good plan
to make hole three or four inches
deep. sloping in toward the roots, but
not touching or exposing them, and
to pour the liquid manure in these
where 1t will do the most good. BY
ninchine off the ends of the vines, and
removing most of the blossoms before
the fruits are set, the vines will be
kept within bounds, and the fruits
left on them will be larger and of
finer quality.
If it is planned to make strawberry
bed this fall for berries next spring,
do not delay much longer. The pot
grown plants, to be had of many re-
liable seedsmen and nurserymen. are
the ones to set out, and most amateur
gardeners will find that mid-season
or late varieties will prove more sat
fsfac.ory than the extra early kinds.
The soil for strawberries must not
be made too rich, as in overrtch soil
the plants will be all foliage and few
berries Set out the plants either IN
single hills or in rows. In the former
case the plants should be spaced about
a foot and a half apart each way. In
! hA 1A%+ cat tnPhAa