Evening star., 1928-03-07

, adhering particles. and allowing what
| food value there is present In the clay
to be utilized by the growing plant.
Humus in a sense unlocks what food Is
stored in the ground. That Is its main
| function. Some folks use ashes for this
purpose. but their use is dirty and un-
pleasant. and spoils the appearance OF
the earth. The looks" Of a garden bed
or border Is worth considering There
| will be number of weeks. even after
| Spring comes. when the bare dirt will
stare at the world. uncovered by any
soft green OF vegetation or bright
beauty Of flowers.
Especially unpleasant to some Is the
ugly red Of clay soils. Humus shines
In ameliorating this condition. Its
dark quality blends nicely with the clay
making pretty soil. Why not pretty
soil? II one wants pretty flowers, all
that goes to make a garden should pos
sesS similar aspects Of beauty. Some
gardeners are more finicky, of course
about such things. but certainly no one
can admire an cxpanse of red clay from
the standpoint of beauty.
~ II
Another thing the gardener should
keep in mind at this season Is the
place OF ANIMALS In a we'll regulated
garden. While the perennials and
shrubs must form the background OF
the planting, the ANIMALS also have a
large part to play. 1t is possible, nc
doubt. to do without them. Success
full and beautiful gardens composed
solely of perennials are to be found
wherein every other factor has been
made secondary TO permanence.
The fast-growing ANIMALS, however
hinScnFnC 11oh ,p1, int1 "a
be found in any other plants, and the
garden without some OF them Is the
poorer for 1t. What is Surer and more
beautiful for the average home yard
than the petunia. the zinnia. the sweet
pea. the portulaca. the cosmos?
The new gardener especially, the man
or woman who hesitatingly plans to
go forth this Spring for the first time
VIII do we'll to stick to ANIMALS almost
entirely.
Not only will this plan give the home
and It's grounds far more flowers than
1t could possibly have from any other
paintings. but 1t will help get the soil
| into good condition for more intensive
work next year. There are many house
| holders who feel. after many years. that
the best garden they ever had, all in all
was that first one in the new home
when the zinnias and the asters and
the marigolds worked their magic along
cement walk and fence.
Because the ANIMALS must do great
deal In a little while. they do 1t with a
vengeance. This Is why the latest recruit,
to the ancient art Of gardening NAV
have as fine yard as his neighborhood
boasts. He must select ANIMALS. how
ever. to do it. Any seed catalogue will
give him long list of them. ANY gar
den friend will be delighted to tell him
about the good ones. We have given a
very short selection of some OF the very
best here.
For the older hand the ANIMALS have
cnarm that cannot be resisted, and 1t
Is tnat OF experimentation. Trying
out perennials is more laborious and
oiten much more expensive process
Usually they are more difficult to grow.
Seed OF ANIMALS. however. are cheap
and how they do grow! They allow the
average home owner to experiment To
his hearts content. And what garden
JOY Is there greater than to discover for
ones self flower that very few other
gardeners seem TO know anything about
II one has a big enough lot. he might
purchase several ounces of what arc
usually described in the catalogues as
California wild flowers" They might
be planted behind garage. or in some
out-oi i-tte-Way place. and their develop
ment watched with something Of the
JOY that the astronomer knows when he
sees new star swim into his ken.
Whatever you do this Spring, do not for
get the ANIMALS