Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1918-03-23
CITY BEAUTIFUL
CORRESPONDING
Prizes VIII BE Offered BY WOman's
Club for Best Looking Yards
and Flower Beds.

Plans for a city beautiful contest,
Independent of the war garden pro-
ject. have been completed by the
Woman's club of Moline As last
year, so this season prizes will be
given for the best looking front
yards, flower gardens, window
boxes, and back yards.
An outline of the plan which the
club has approved follows:
Any member of a family may
compete for prizes and all members
may assist in work, only profess
sional and hired labor being barred.
A prize is offered in each district
to the one whose yard is made
most attractive to the birds by bird
boxes. bird baths and feeding
shelves
A special prize of SIS is to be
awarded the school in whose dis
trict the highest percentage Of
those who enter continue through
the contest
AS means of identifying
grounds it is suggested that there
be:
Planting of window or porch
boxes with seeds or plants.
Planting of shrubbery about
foundations or in other places,
rose bushes, etc. also hOllyhocks,
goldenglow and other perennials.
Planting of borders for walks,
and hedges of cannas or other
plants.
Planting of vines to cover fences.
sheds or as screens for porches.
Planting of ferns in shady places
or on north side of buildings.
Set out beds of wild flowers
which come up year after year
Many hardy vines, the wood bine.
bitter sweet and wild grape, can
be brought from the woods.
Don't forget the trees, watch for
the moth nests.
Grounds and flowers may be in
spected when at their best hv Sue-
cial request. Telephone Moline
1233-K.
The most important point in flow
er growing is preparation of the
soil. After the ground has been
spaded it should be thoroughly pull
verified before the moisture has a
chance to escaDe.
A good fertilizer is verv nee
essary thing to enrich the soil. and
this may be secured at seed stores
and of some hardware concerns. It
should be sprinkled over the entire
tract. and mixed with the soil, and
when the seeds are in the ground it
is wise to cover the bed with ahOu-
an inch of fertilizer In planting
the seeds. cover all with soil from
three to five times their own thick
ness. Watering should be done
carefully. and contrary to the com
mon belief, gardens should be wa
tered but two or three times Il
week. when they should he thor
Oughlv Oaked. instead of daily as
most people do. for spric king less
frequently gives the tender roots
more strength to bear. and thereby
fits them to withstand the hot
months. In regard to arrangement
of beds, there is but one rule to
follow in color SChemes-dO not
have pink and red blossoms to-
gether. In planting flowers along a
wall or fence, place the tallest ones
nearest the wall and the shot ones
to the front, while in making
round bed, have your tall ones in
the center.
Some of the hardest flowers that
will grow in this vicinity and which
will endure transplanting, if they
come up too closely, are snapdrag-
Ons. candytuft. asters. bachelor but
tons, early cosmos. phlox, scabiOus,
stocks, verbenas mot to be planted
in the same place two successive
years.. pinks. gladiOlas, caIendula.
calliOpsis, snow balls, California
peoples. marigolds. nasturtiums.
mignonettes and sweetpeas Ito be
planted five inches deep. covered
with two inches first and finished
gradually as they come up. Hardy
vines are morning glory, woodbine
and wild cucumber