Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-08-26
THIS. AND THAT
BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL.

! ject with a lofty indifference. They
know no more about 1t than you do!
| No one, not even an expert. can
look into the soil and actually see
the condition Of the roots. He can
only judge from the appearance of
the leaves and flowers whether the
plant needs water.
| Long experience. with growing
things, of course, will give the pro-
fessional gardener a "feel" as to a
plants various needs. The amateur,
however, must trust to Heaven, since
the books do not help him.
Recently we had an interesting and.
perhaps, instructive experience with
the gladiolus in regard to water. This
flower came originally from Africa.
where the air Is tropical, hot and
moist. The gladiolus bulb (corm)
will not stand wet feet" the cata-
logues tell us.
| When the late hot spell struck our
Esstee alley garden, it caused some
of the flower spikes to droop, taking
on the appearance Of being scalded,
the buds looking for all the world as
If they had been cooked.
Soaking the beds in the evening with
the hose seemed to help this condi-
ton, the faded spikes Towering very
well, after all. Yet shortly after they
had Powered, the leaves began to
rust, a sign of too much water.
Now the point is this: The recent
continued rains. during which thou
sandfold more water struck those
beds than they received from the
hose, only served to make the gladi-
olus foliage green and healthy look
! ing.
Perhaps the varieties that rusted
would have done so in any event,
probably ripening early. Some bulbs
are healthy enough to bloom properly,
| but contain in them the seeds of dis
ease, SO that they will rot later.
| Yet the amateur grower has no sure
way of knowing, and he must trust to
luck, in large part, in the matter of
| watering, If Nature does not give a
normal, we'll spaced rainfall during
| the Summer.
| Moonfiower and morning glory
vines climbed with renewed vigor, as
the result of the big rains, the foliage
positively cleaning with luxuriant
greenness. Vines like to go up. not
sideways, and will go over the top
of your house, If you give them the
| chance, and do not have too tall a
| house.
moon vines ought to be blooming
pretty soon now, opening their great
white flowers at dusk-a pretty sight.
Morning glories have not done so we'll,
in the matter Of bloom, as during the
two preceding seasons, but this may
be a purely local matter not general.
Rain Is good for small ornamental
pines, despite the opinion of many to
the contrary. Such heavy downpours
as were experienced here served not
only to water the plants, but also to
wash away the obnoxious red spider,
which turns the branches brown. One
may rid his evergreens Of these pests
by placing the spray at the base of
the trunk. and allowing the water
to wash up, from bottom to top.
! Water is good for grass at any time
of the year. and will make 1t green
and luxuriant, or save 1t when the
hot suns of Summer have done their
best to ruin 1t. 1t will work miracles,
but cannot make a fine lawn out of
an Indifferent one.
| Rain washes the streets and the air
of great cities, and seems to help
everything except the human family,
which it sometimes causes to become
blue" and petulant. The fault, how
ever, lies with us, and not with the
rain.