The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-10-23


 Many people seem to have a
 curious belief that the spring is the
 only natural planting time. Per
 haps this is because 1t is in the
 spring that nature appears to be
 most busily at work. The truth of
 the matter is. though, that a great
 deal of planting is done in the fall
 under natural conditions, the seeds
 which drop then germinattng and
 springing into life before the coming
 of cold weather.
 Experience has shown that this is
 enc of the best seasons of the year
 for the amateur and the home maker
 to set out trees and shrubs in order
 to enhance the beauty of the home.
 For one thing, work presses less
 heavily in the autumn. There are
 fewer things to do in the flower and vegetable gardens. with the result that
 more time Is left to devote to the
 care of the trees and shrubbery,
 Without which no suburban or coun-
 try home is complete. Then, too, the
 nurserymen themselves are less rush
 ed in the fall and are able to give
 more careful attention to the orders Which they receive.
 All things considered, thereft -
 N@4SA +~ 1io better LLlilS lO Sel out
 ornamental trees and shrubs, as well
 as raspberries. blackberries and cur
 rants, and many of the fruit trees.
 There are some exceptions, how
 ever, to the trees and shrubs which
 are suitable for fall planting, and it
 is only fair that these should be mentioned.
 Most of the trees which have stone
 fruits, such as both the edible and ornamental peaches and cherries, are better left until spring in the colder sections Of the country, although they are planted to some extent in the fall There are trees, too, which have soft, fleshy roots, such as for example the magno1ias, and it is best not to plant them at this season. 1 The average nurseryman will be frank to tell you which trees are not | suitable for setting out now, as re- liab nurserymen, being good busi- ness men with reputatons at stake, aim above all things to satisfy clients i They know that if they Inislead them, their business will go to somebody i else, and it never pays to make one sale at the sacrifice of many others 1 which might have come later. l aSiS (wi andetheu crr-urb ETAOI When shrubs and trees are set out
 In the fall, they make growth quick l ly in the spring and often are much 1 farther along at the end of the sea- son than when planting is left until i the spring months. It is particularly i so if the spring is late one, so that i planting has to be delayed until the | season is well along. One other point l in favor of fall planting might be | mentioned, although it applies even 1 more especially to perennial plants. 1 At this time the garden maker has 1 a lively recollection of the appear | ance which the different plants have l made when in bloom, and is there fore able to choose those which he | would like for his own garden much 1 more intelligently than four or five months from now, when his re- 1 membrance of the past summers ex- 1 periences will have become duIled. Some writers have asserted that | the fall is not 9, good time to set out | evergreens, but on the other hand, | some of the most expert nurserymen and garden makers declare that the results are fully as good, if not bet i ter, when such plants are set out in the fall than if they are not put in 1 until late in the spring. In a year like this, which has been notable in many sections for it's heavy rainfall tie DLdHllIlS Ol GNeTSTGGnS can pc done with perfect safety.
 In seasons of drought no plants for that matter, can be put in with assurance that they will grow unless a large amount of moisture is applied artificially. There is one thing to remember, though, in the planting of evergreens, whether in the fall or at any other season, which is that the ball of earth around the roots must be preserved. Every up-to-date nur- seryman is fully aware of this fact and uses the greatest precautions to have this ball intact. It is for that reason that everGreens are almost
 always received with burlap fastened securely around the roots.
 One reason why so much difficulty is found in transplanting evergreens of any kind from the woods or the | fields to the garden is because of the damage which is unavoidab1y done to the root system.
 Plants growing wild make very long roots which must be broken off in getting them out of the ground.
 Nursery planted stock, on the other
 hand, is shifted so often that the roots are short and made in a solid
 mass close to the base of the plant.
 This greatly facilitates transplanting NllIlOuI S1N1HS the trees OE SiII uDS c set back, and is the principal reason why nursery grown stock is far pre- ferable to that which is found grow ing wild.
 The great advantage of evergreeas comes in the fact that they retain
 their beauty all the year round. Home makers are coming to realize more than ever that the garden and home
 grounds should be interesting and at traCtive in the winter months as well as in the summer, so that they are disposed to select at least few trees and shrubs which will serve this pur- pose. They like evergreens for mid winter and trees and shrubs which have handsome foliage in the fall to ornament the grounds during the autumn months
 l An evergreen hedge adds much to the appearance of any plot. In choos- ing hedge plants there are several things to be considered, one of them being the winter aspect. Among the materials suitable for evergreen hedges, the hemlock is one of the best, but white pine and arborv1tae are also in favor. One of the very
 finest shrubs for making an an-year hedge is the Japanese 9ew, Taxus