Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-02-03

Every one wanted to get out and
dig that afternoon recently when the
thermometer struck a high point Of
rs degrees. approximating Summer
temperature in January.
There was a certain lushness to the
ground that beckoned to gardeners.
Come here and dig me"' Borders pre-
viously stiff with cold looked abso-
lutely mellow to the practiced eye.
Everywhere In the air was the call
of the garden. Duties, which one had
thought on the shelf for two or three
months, at least, suddenly assumed
the most important air.
Kochia bushes, Drowned and ugly,
ought to be torn up at once. Visions
even flashed across the mind of plant
ing grass seed Sober thought, how
ever declared that, even If 1t sprout-
ed. it would be killed by the next cold
day.
SO there was no use, then, in get
ting excited just because Nature, in
a queer mood for this latitude, in
sisted on presenting us with a Spring
day in the middle of January.
y y X x
Average yards are not things of
beauty in Winter.
Ordinarily. one never gives the
yard so much as a thought from De-
cember through March, but this mild
day, almost a record, forced house
holders into giving the immediate out
doors the "once over"
The rosebushes, for one thing, need
pruning. That best of growers,
Radiance, sprawls over the window
sill. as if trying to get into the house.
There is even a tinge Of pink yet In
a cold blasted bud. This bush pre-
scented real rose in December, which
was the admiration of all lady-agents
who passed this way. They sell all
sorts of things, from fiavoring ex-
tract to magazines, and are not so
obnoxious, as a general proposition,
as tse men, many of whom fondly
imagine that they are "high-pressure
statesmen" High pressure applied in
the form of good stout boot to the
seat of their trousers is what some
of this gentry deserve, especially
when they attempt to stick their foot
in between the door and the jamb.
Many a wouldbe "high-pressure"
salesman has lost toe by that pro-
cedure, and, we hope, many another
toe will suffer a like fate, so long as
house-to.house canvassers indulge in
such crude tactics.
The lady statesmen, however, who
admired our December rose. were in
a different category. Two of them
were working" the block, one on one
side. the other on the other. "Oh,
Mable, look at this rose" cried the
one on our side of the street. That's
the first time / ever saw a rose in
December" said the other. all en-
thusiasm.
In truth. 1t was not much of a
rose, but pretty good for Christmas
time, undoubtedly. There are not
many fullblown roses seen outdoors
in Washington at Christmas. The
Radiance is one bush to throw them.
If any will. This rose and it's sister,
Red Radiance, admirably fill all needs
of the average home owner, who
simply wants good roses. The two
Radiances are sturdy growers, Wig
orous and healthy, and, with a pre-
Iiminary early Spring spraying of
nicotine solution to kill the aphids.
will go through the Summer and Fall
in the best of shape. If one pays too
much attention to the lists of rose
Diseases" in the magazines, he is
apt to be scared out" of planting
this queen of flowers, especially if he
is a newcomer to the gardening world,
but there is no real reason for fear so