Evening star., 1925-09-18
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES E. TRACEKELL.

Hollyhocks that bloom again in the
Autumn and grass that comes up
from seed In three days-these ars
some of the results secured with the
aid Of bone meal in one local garden
Bone meal, ground, medium, coarse
comes near being the perfect ferti-
lfzer for the average back yard flower
garden, now that the automobile has
made manure difficult to secure.
There was always danger In the
use of manure. owing to the fact that
it might burn" plants, but bone meal
in any quantity is utterly free from
this difficulty. giving maximum re
suits with no chance OF danger.
The whole subject of fertility to the
average home gardener Is a closed
book. In the main he relies strictly
on the original fertility of his SOIL,
never realizing that the plants must
be fed much as human beings and
animals are fed. and that TO do TINS IL
is first necessary TO feed the soil.
Perhaps most soil. when first plant
ed, has enough fertility in it to grow
almost anything, but after that its
producing quality tends to run down,
IL one may use such an expression In
relation to the earth.
Planting year after year in the
same border, with adjacent grass roots
busily extracting their toll of nutri-
ton, finally ends in depletion of the
soil. so that flowers are not up TO
standard.
This is a condition commonly ar
rived at in backyard gardens, often as
soon as the second season. In almost
every such instance 1t will be found
that the anxious amateur has forgot
ten the necessity for the proper use of
fertilizers.
He can work wonders by the free
use of bone meal, which, bought in
1oe-pound lots, is not particularly ex-
pensive.
Examples OF. what may be accom-.
plished with this fertilizer were in
stanced I'm the opening paragraph of
this article.
Hollyhocks that bioomed freely in
the early Summer tor late Spring.
were cut off about a. foot from the
ground and liberal application of
bone meal made around the plants.
It was noted, ut the time, that
another gardener in the vicinity cut
his holiyhocks down, but did not give
of this second grower were even
more fiourishing than those OF the
first at the time the cutting was
done.
The flower catalogues had stated
that such pruning would make the
plants flower again in the Fall.
The months went by, and, in mid
September, the gardener who had
used bone meal was rewarded with
hollyhock plants more than five feet
high, the stalks graced with beautiful
pink flowers.
The other gardener had plants
scarcely three feet high, with nice
green leaves, but no sign of bios
som. It was hardly possible 10 do
other than give the bone meal the
credit
Grass from seed in three DAYS
sounds impossible. TO those who have
found IL necessary TO wait four to six
weeks for A new stand of grass, but
1t was achieved by this Washington
gardener.
Several bare spots appearing in his
lawn. he narrowed them up, and put
in liberal handfuls Of grass seed,
the seed down with his feet. Tram
ping seed into the ground, especially
grass seed, Is often beneficial.
The common method Of simply
throwing grass seed upon the ground
is almost pure waste since the first
slight wind blows it away, or the first
rain washes it off.
By firmly trampling it into the
ground, the seed gets q chance 10
establish itself. The best method is.
AS stated, to loosen up the soil. then
throw in the seed. then gently
rake it in. then firm II with the
feet. If only spots are being seeded.
the best implement to rake with is a