The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-07-01
HOW DOES YOUR GARDEN CROW?
 BY GEORGE B. MVAY SR

I without care, showing the necessity i for trimming, and even the working of flowers and shrubbery shows a | woeful lack of attention. A lot of l such people will complain that their | grass, flowers and shrubbery are in l Tested with insects and are not | doing well, and in most cases, the reason is that the plants have not l been properly taken care of, or they have been too parsimonious to hire a competent gardener to take care of | their premises. It is singular | thing that a man or woman will be 1 induced to pay an exhorbitant price | for some new rose, gladioli, dahlia | or other shrub and employ an ig- | norant man to plant it out and then abandon 1t altogether and expect the plant to make good This thing IS cL mmon to a great many people, and is frequently the basis for inquiry to The Age Herald as to what they should do.
 It ought to be understood that you cannot expect any plant to make good unless you give 1t reasonable showing. You cannot simply stick it in the ground, abandon it, and expect nature to do everything.
 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
 O. How many rutabaga seed are re- uuired to plant an acre, and do you think they could be successfully grown sown broadcast? Mrs. A, Greensboro, Ala.
 A. The proper time to SOW ruta- bagas is within the next 30 days, and we could only recommend that the seed be drilled in rows about 2lA to feet apart so that the crop could be cultivated. One Of the lm- portant factors is prompt thinning of the plants to about to inches apart, because if they are allowed to grow up thick and spindling in the rows, the percentage of perfect bulbs will be greatly reduced. It is positively important that they be fertilized or planted on good soil and that frequent working be given to insure success. Two pounds of seed is generally provided for an acre.
 Q. Could we expect blooms this year from tuberoses set out now, and what sort of soil is best suited? Mrs, E., Fairfield Ala.
 A. Tuberose will bloom all right set out this late. Any good ordinary garden soil will produce them, but 1t is important to work them ire quently to keep down weeds and to conserve moisture. The sinsle va riety, known as the Mexican tube rose, is decidedly the best variety.
 O. Could you tell us what is meant by winter cabbage? We notice in an agricultural paper that it is get ting time to plant winter cabbage, and we write to know what is the most desirable variety, and if it is necessary to plant the seed where you want them to grow, or should we SOW in beds and transplant? E. B., Salem, Ala.
 A Fall and winter cabbage may be sown any time within the next 30 days, either in beds to produce plants to be set out later, or they can be sown thinly in drills and be thinned out to the proper distance. Most any variety will serve your purpose, but the variety that stands the most cold is known as the Sa- voy. This Is not a very large cab bage but makes a fair sized head. but the main factor in the success with this plant, is the fact that it is more hardy than a collard and never freezes out. What is gener- ally meant by winter cabbage is this very type, known as the Sa- voy.
 Q. Could we buy this late, the bulbs of the colored or fancy leaved caladium, and if so. would they produce foliage planted this late? Mrs. E., Gadsden, Ala.
 A. It would be possible to plant the bulbs of colored leaved cala- diums this late. but there is con siderable doubt about your being able to secure dormant bulbs, but you can secure small plants already in foliage, which are easily trans planted, and would doubtless prove more satisfactory. There are a great many varieties, difficult to designate by name, and 1t would really be necessary to see the color and type ot foliage in order to be satisfied with your purchase.
 Q. There is white cornfield bean that grows from to 10 inches long and looks little like Texas Pole or Kentucky Wonder, but it does not make quite so much foliage, seems to stand the shade better. and produces beans under conditions that Texas Pole or Kentucky Won der will not. Can you tell us the name of this bean, and we want to secure the seed? N. E., Blounts- vile, Ala.
 A. There are several varieties of white field beans that are grown on poles, and are at the same time suit able for growing in corn. From your description of the bean want ed, the variety must be what Is known as the McCasland bean. This variety is very similar to Kentucky somewhat less foliage. and while the bean pod is not quite so large, yet is very large and an enormous producer. The dry bean is some what kidney shaped, being rather long. There are other white varie- ties that may be indicated, but in the absence of a definite sample, We would be unable to be sure what the variety is.
 Q. We have lot of hedge plants that are called euonymus. The leaves of these plants seem to be diseased, and are apparently covered with some sort of insect, which makes them look dirty, of brownish cast. Could you tell us if this is an insect or is it a dease, and waht could we do to remedy the trouble? Mrs. U. L.
 A. In the absence of a specimen of the plant. it would be quite impos- sible to be definite, but from your description, we are satisfied that your trouble is what is known as euony- mus scale. This is a very pernicious insect and difficult to control. There are various remedies, such as kero- sene oil emulsion, target scale de- stroyer and miscible oil, all of which are elective when properly applied. Lime sulphur treatment is also eff ficient when used in the proper manner. There is really so much in volved in this trouble that personal