Evening star., 1928-04-26

mC:c one lives, and especially the more
he knows. the more he realizes that
there is a great decl more to learn.
In backyard horticulture especially
the need for observation and comparison
Of what one sees Is paramount. Expert
ence. In a word Is necessary.
Some persons are a great deal more
observing than others. This Is a tru-
ism which applies with peculiar force
In a garden. Nowhere Is 1t easier to
overlook the little things which make
the difference between success and
failu1G.
One very good reason for this Is SIM
ply because the aforementioned little
things are so very little!
Tase plant lice, for instance.
Unless the wary gardener sees them
about this time In the Spring. he Is very
likely to find that they have gone good
way toward running his rosebushes by
blooming time.
Nature has so camouhaged them that
the unobserving gardener. giving his
bushes superficial glances, does not see
them at all
Sometimes even the expert passes
over them---theX are so minute and so
green. exactly the shade OF the new
shoots. buds and leaves which they
aspire 10 eat away entire.
II was some observing scientist gar
dener who first observed that wherever
the aphids appeared there also were
plenty OF ants.
So we have the entertaining story of
how the ants use the aphids 0ice) as
COWS" md deliberately place them on
plants in order to grow fat with the
secretions used by the ants as milk"
~ u
During the continued dry spell Of
| last week new leaves of rosebushes ap-
peared To be curling up.
It took an observing gardener. how
ever. TO notice the change. Most anna
| teIrs passed the curling by without so
much as a notice. II happened that the
dry weather was responsible for il. and
the ensuing wet spell righted matters
completely The little leaves uncurled,
became normal
Suppose. however. the weather had
kept dry? In that event those who did
not notice the curling would have all
| lowed their newly planted bushes to
suffer a severe setback. whereas the
| observing might have been able tn put
I two and two together, as the saying Is,
| and give their rose beds artificial water
| ing in time to prevent harm,
| We say might have because the ''fine
! discrimination" of which Prof. Van
| Meter speaks is not as easily attained as
| the power of observation, Some men
/ are born observing, others attain OBJ
servation. some have it thrust upon
| them.
/ For every born gardener there are at
! least 10 who work up their own powers
of observation. and at least hundred
who have observation thrust upon them
by the very necessities Of the garden.
So of III gardeners one Is boi.i
gardener~~that is how rare he tor shel
is. Let the remainder of us not despair,
| however. II We believe at all In Prof.
Van Meters statements VIC will realize
! that the powers of observation may be
increased, and that from them will arise
the necessary discrimination.
All the garden operations must be
adjusted TO the need of the plant. flower
or Vegetable. shrub or evergreen. One
has TO observe-and to remember. Only
the born gardener will find this recol-
lection easy and natural.
The rest Of lis will do we'll tn keep a
garden record something tangible IN
black and white, to which we may refer
frcm season to season to refresh our
minds In reference to the plant pecu:
liarities which otherwise would escape
our minds,