Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1918-04-25
Your War Garden

Now that certain varieties of bar
berry have been ordered destroyed be-
cause they ilarnvr wiIeat rust eores,
why not substitute fruit bearing shrubs
in their place? Altho the dwarf vari-
cites Of barberries, which are most
commonly seen in this city, are not
under the ban like their taller growing
brothers, these dwarfs, however, are
so closely related to the barberry with
the spore harboring habit that they are
sort Of under suspicious because OF the
relationship.
This thought, and the additional
thought prompted by thrift and the
desire to make the earth produce it's
maximum. has brought out the sug-
gestion, why not plant gooseberrles
and currants for hedges? The sus-
gestion is we'll worth considering. First
considered as strictly hedge shrub
berry, the peculiarities of these shrubs
are these: The gooseberry, a thorn
bearing bush of many small branches
and twigs, has pleasing foliage and
habit; the currant, altho 1T has no
thorns, is similar in habit of growth,
but more rangy. Both are easily con-
| trolable by pruning.
Both have this distinct advantage
over the barberry. They produce fruit,
the demand for which usually exceeds
the supply. There is seldom sufficient
supply of gooseberries, and they seldom
sell for less than 10 cents quart Cur
rants are always in demand for jei-
lies. One owner Of a large place IN
this city, on which are growing many
|
neighbor women always ask the priv
| ilege of picking the surplus fruit
To insure the fruit crop from loss or
damage the bushes should be sprayed
and fertilized each spring. The spray
| ing is quite a simple matter if an in
vestment Of a few dollars is made In
spraying outfit. The mixing of the
spray is not so simple, especially II 1t
| is Bordeaux mixture that is used, that
being the best of the dormant sprays
for fungus diseases, while the arsenic
mixtures are commonly used to con-
| troll leaf chewing insects. A distinct
service could be performed by dealers
| If they would carry the ready mixed
sprays for small growers. Such spray
mixtures were formerly handled here
| but so far as is known there is none
on the local market now, altho several
reliable brands are manufactured.
The subject Of substituting fruit
bearing shrubs for ornamental shrubs
naturally suggests the substitution OF
nut trees for shade trees. Why not
plant in the parking walnut and hick-
DRY nut trees instead Of elm? The
small trees for setting out are as easily
secured as elms, they make splendid,
hardy trees, and the value of their nut
crops as food is beyond argument. I'M
agfne what thousands of bushels of nuts
would be produced in the parkings OF
this city each year II the early residents
had planted walnuts and hickory nuts
where they planted soft naples thirty
to fifty years ago. These soft naples
are being killed out by rot and disease
now. and many have been cut down In
recent years. H. b. Miller. corner OF
Fremont and Fifth streets, has done the
very thing suggested. Instead OF nut
trees he has planted cherries in his
parking along Fremont.
Il Just now is the time to prepare for
| the spraying of all tree and bush fruits
Apples soon will be in blossom. In
addition to the dormant sprays, which
should have been used in February or
March, there is the spraying for the
cooling moth, the parent of the apple
worm, which should be applied soon
At least one, but best of all three spray
ings, is required to control this pest
which is the commonest of all apple de-
stroying insects, and is found where
ever there are apple trees. The first
spraying should be when the petals OF
the blossoms begin to fall. The second
should be applied just after the bios
SONS have disappeared and the third
ten days later.
There is an opportunity to make
money in this city in the next six
weeks If those who know how to dc
spraying and have the outfits would
notify owners Of fruit trees by adver-
Using that they are prepared to spray
fruit trees. 1t is almost guaranteed
by this newspaper that a small amount
spent for such advertising will bring
dozens OF orders to the sprayer. Spray
n ing is simply insurance on the crop
It's a rank waste of years of time tc
grow fruit trees and then lose a lot OF
II the crop because the trees are moi
sprayed.