Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-06-23
Weeds.

Yet it pays to keep weeds under control.
In fact many recent Investigations point
20 the fact that the control OF weeds
is the principal gain from cultivation
and is. even in dry weather, much
more important factor than the preven-
ton of moisture losses.
In competition with ordinary cult
waited plants. the weed, because Of its
adaptahility to unfavorahle conditions,
can usually take the major share OF the
plant food and moisture, 1t pays, there
fore. to hold them in check and the
easiest way to do this is never to allow
them to get well started. Frequent TIL
LACE is the road to easy weed control
Weed control takes on another aspect
when one considers the long life Of weed
seed. Some years ago the United States
Department of Agriculture buried at
Arlington Farm various species Of seeds
both of weeds and of cultivated plants.
Samples were taken up at two or three
wear intervals and tested for gernllra-
ton in the greenhouse. Surprising TO
relate, after 81 years some of the weeds
were still going strong. one species ger
nlinating 745 per cent. All of the Gull
tivated plant seeds had long since per-
ished. This interesting paper. The Vi
tality of Buried Seeds" by DR.. w. l..
GoSs, vas published in the Journal of
AGRICULTURAL Research. volume 80 No. Z.
Surely it presents sound evidence in
favor of weed control and also tells us
why it takes several years to free new
gardens from excessive weed growth.
Rose Culture.
The success of rose growing depends
on keeping up an interest in the plants
during the interim periods between
blooming II black spot and mildew
are allowed to strip of the leaves one
need not expect flowers. And once the
reserve food Of the plants becomes ex-
hauSte6 in trying to put out leaves the
plants may be expected to ole. II
would be interesting to know how many
thousands of fine roses are lost each
year in this locality alone due to ne
glect. 1t is frankly admitted that
keeping the rose plant healthy is no
easy task. II means frequent spraying
or busting, plenty of food in the form
Of manure, bone meal or good grade
complete fertilizer.
Roses have many enemies in both the
insect and disease lines. Apparently
the fresh young leaves offer an I'm
usually attractive food for many par
aSites The only solution Is to keep
the leaves well protected. Massey dust:
nine parts of sulphur and one part OF
arsenate of lead, has proved an excel
lent aid To rose growers. This Is now
offered for sale ny rose growers. but
may be manufactured at home, using
powdered arsenate Of lead and very
finely divided sulphur such as the col
loidal form.
Some pruning of the old flower
stalks is desirable on monthly blooni-
ers to encourage strong new growth
but it is always well to remember that
heavy pruning means less growth ana
less flowers. A. 81
Color Inheritance.
II one stops 20 think about it. there
are remarkably few flowers that may be
counted upon to reproduce themselves
true 10 color Take. for iIlstances5 the
aquilegia or columbine. Seedlings arts-
ing from a pink lowered plant may be
blue, pink or white. Perennial phlox,
seeding itself, viii produce multiplicity
of colors. BY process of careful isolation
and selection seedsmen succeed in de-
veloping varieties Of annual flowers
which are true for certain colors. How
ever, when planted in the flower garden
and not prevented from crossing with
other different colored varieties OF the
same species, color purity Is soon lost.
There is a tendency for flowers 70 re-
vert to the stronger and usually less
beautiful ancestral types. This accounts
for an apparent degeneration and ex-
plains the need of going back to the
seedsmen for new stock.
Certain plants, like sweet peas, rarely
hybridize or cross. and hence maintain
true colors, but the great majority Of
plants, both ANIMALS and perennials.
cross readily when visited by bees ana
other insects. With woody plants. such
as roses and fruit trees. this tendency
to variation Is overcome by using cut
tingS and buds for propagation.
Fruit Thinning.
The cold, wet weather during bios
mining probably removed enough Of the
blossoms 50 that fruit trees need little
Slainning this year. It is poor policy TO
allow fruit trees and plants TO carry too
many fruits. In the first place, the size
of fruits is greatly increased by thin
ming, the drain on the trees reserves is
iessened and, strange TO say, the total
corp per tree Is usually net reduced.
Thinning fruits is considered by many
commercial growers as essential as
pruning and spraying. Insects and dis
eases are easier TO control, since each
fruit can be covered better and insects
and diseases cannot pass from fruit to
fruit as easily as where the fruits touch
one another. Perhaps the greatest
benefit Is in encouraging annual pro-
duction rather than one heavy crop
every alternate year.
The Beets.
The garden beet is really a sur
prisingiy useful vegetable when one
considers that the young leaves have
merit as spinach and the root, OF
course. is a valuable food. In fact,
many gardeners take advantage Of this
dual usefulness by planting seed thick
IL With the idea of consuming the
young plants taken out In thinning
the rows II is difficult 10 grow beets
without thinning sirce each seed. as
we normally speak OF beet seed, con-
tains several seeds Thus there are
usually three or more plants coming
up in one spot. ard hence thinning
Is essential 70 tne development OF
good roots.
BeetS have another interesting pc
cuiiarity in that they are very fond
Of growing in a sweet or rather a
may expect but poor results In acid
The beet Is 50 sensitive 70 acldity in
the soil that IL is often recommended
as z test plant for this condition. How
ever this obstacle may be easily over
come by applying lime TO the soil.
MIGRATED lime. three pounds 10 100
square feet. may be expected 70 give
good results. Ordinarily the lime
should be put On the soil after spading.
but before the final smoothing previous
20 planting
The well known Swiss chsrd is
beet selected for IT'S leaf development.
The roots Of the Swiss chard do not
enlarge as in the common beet. This
plant deserves greater confederation
In many gardens II Withgtands
some shading by trees. II grows
well throughout the season unless
the soil becomes excessively Dry. and
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