Evening star., 1918-05-05
ACTIVE WORK AHEAD
FOR WAR GARDENERS
Busy Season at Hand When
Gardens Require Attention if
Best Results Are Obtained.

With the arrival Of the real spring
seson and real spring weather garden
work begins to assume more impor-
tance. Early crops such as peas,
potatoes and the like are up and need
frequent cultivation If they are to pro-
duce as they should. Even the radishes,
early carrots. early beets. ETC.. will do
all the better for frequent hoeinE;
while spring onions cannot be e1:
pected to amount to much unless weeds
and grass are kept out Of the rows
and the ground is kept stirred up SO
the bulbs may have a chance to de-
velop.
Get Coldframes Ready.
1t is time to get the coldframes ready
cabbage. eggplant. brussels sprouts.
etc Tomato and cabbage plants for
early crops will have grown to trans
planting size by this time, and they
should be removed from the frames as
soon as possible. set out in the gar
den and the frames made ready for
further use.
If the cabbage. tomatoes, etc, are
sowed in drills a couple of inches apart
in the frames the work Of keeping
them weeded. transplanting them and
pushing them ahead for setting out
in the garden will be much easier than
if the seeds are simply scattered in
the frames and the plants come UP
every which way.
Stalking the Tomatoes.
Every gardener should provide sup
ports for the tomato plants. as only
by keeping the vines pinched back and
trained up. is it possible to obtain
the best and most perfect fruits.
Stakes to which cross pieces are
nailed, as shown in the accompanying
cut, are excellent as supports for the
about an inch and a half square and
four and a half feet long. pointed at
one end. The stakes are to be driven
into the ground to the depth of about
nail a cross piece firmly to the stake.
the cross piece being about eighteen
inches to two feet long; and nail an
other foot above this and a third
at the top Of the stake, Drive the
stakes into the ground close enough
to the tomato plants that they can be
trained up without unduly bending
them, but not so close as to damage
the roots.
to reach the first crosspiece. begin
training them up. tying the branches
to the crosspieces with bits of soft
cloth about an inch wide. Keep the
suckers pinched out of the joints where
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pinch back the tips Of the branches sc
that the plants will not grow of the
supports. BY this means the strength
from the roots will go to the forming
of fruits instead of foliage. and the
fruits, kept high off the ground, will
be larger, f1rmer and better than they
would II allowed to rest on the soil.
Fight the Weeds.
Above everything, keep up the fight
| against weeds and grass in the garden
Every weed thac grows among the
| vegetable occupies space that would
| give another productive plant room
| and takes nourishment from the soil
| that should go to producing something
| for the table.
/, is easy to keep the weeds down II
| they are never given a chance to grow
If they are neglected. however. an6
| once get ahead Of the gardener. the
task of getting rid Of them is diff
| cult one.
Keep after them with the scuffie. with
| the narrow garden hoe. the small rake
and the fingers. Don't give them 6
chance to more than show their heads
4 =