Evening star., 1926-10-18
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES E. TRACETELL.

dried. Down there they were in their
native element. They were. in truth,
the hunter home to his hill.
And the grass lies before us long,
brown, gone to seed, for this year we
carefully refrained from cutting it
after August Is, in order to try out
an experiment. Last Winter the
grass killed out, having been cut close
as late as September 6. This year,
following the injunction to allow the
lawn ITO go into the Winter with
long coat of grass" We have done
otherwise. Heaven alone knows how
many dollars worth of seed Cat seed
store rates) fell from our hay! In the
amplitude of Nature some millions of
seed, at the least, must have fallen to
the ground and there taken root.
Our lawn should be the better for it
next Spring. Then, too, there will be
the benefit secured from the long
grass, which will form a protective
covering over the roots. The roots.
in Winter, are the important parts of
the grass plants With these benefits,
we imagine the grass will be able to
Withstand the Sneers of those who
might cast aspersions upon our "un-
tidy lawn" There is method in our
garden madness-the same method
Nature uses. who never puts a mower
upon the lawns of her pastures, except
such cropping as the cows and sheep
give it. The theoretical principle of
the withheld lawn mower as the sea-
son Wanes, is the actual principle Of
Nature herself. If we talk a great
deal about Nature, it is only the due
of the vital principle of life, without
which there would be no gardens, no
vegetables, no flowers. no cows, no
men. Our universe hath in it mystic
principle. which some men call evolu-
ton. while others call it God, as the
poet said.
Just as tidy home. everything else
being equal. is better than an untidy
one, SO the we'll kept garden is prefer
able to the unkept one.
1t will not do to say that Nature
makes no effort to clean up her own
gardens, but allows the old plants to
fall as they will, and the leaves to
blow where the wind pleases. This
is true, but Nature is always grateful
for the Intelligent help of man. who
is a part of her and of the God of
which she is the visible representa-
tive. Plant diseases are kept down by
a thorough cleaning up in the garden
III the aIl. old ipSC ICttFS'7t stotISN
with black spot, are best taken off,
and carefully burned. 1t is a ques-
ton whether old zinnia, plants make
the garden more picturesque than a
dug up, we'll titled border, especially
if the latter has it's full share Of peren-
malls. Some advocate the allowing OF
cid plants to remain, on the plea that
they add interest to the garden when
covered with snow The glory of the
snow, however, is so great that II
would scarce seem to need this AID
to beauty.
The necessity for good ground next
Spring far outweighs any other con-
sideration in the small home garden:
careful cleaning out OF old dead
plants and the turning up of the sou
in large masses with the spade allow
the action of alternate freezes ana
thaws to mellow the dirt. Such pro-
cedure also exposes buried ant ana
other insect eggs to the action OF the
elements, and thus tends to eliminate
them. In addition, it is essential 10
nut manure on the borders IN me
Winter. in order that the tertlilfy
may leach into the soil in readiness
for Spring. These are some OF the
Autumn considerations in the garden