Evening star., 1932-03-29
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL.

around shrubs and plants lies in its
mower to diSinfect the soil Some call
this sweetening the soil, but 1t is not
exactly the same.
Whatever fertilizer one chooses. one
should use a great deal of it, much
more than he thinks proper. In al
most every case the individual garden
er has a very low estimate of what he
thinks will be sufficient.
Milouetoast gardeners do a very Door
lob of spraying If they spray at all
And no wonder! The average small
hand pump is one of the most tiresome
instruments to use in the world, not
alone In the small world Of gardening
There is something about the attitude
which it constrains the gardener to as
sumo which is tremendously firing. We
have seen athletes wilt under half an
hour Of hand spraying Of nicotine So
luton on rose bushes.
Then there is the fact that most
sprayers do not hold enough. SO that
the operator is forced to mix up an
added amount Of liquid and pour it
into the can before he can go on with
his work. This enforced rest comes
just at the wrong time usually.
A third handicap to the use of the
small nand sprayers is the fact that
their rigid construction prevents one
from putting the spray at various points
on bushes and high shrubs where the
solution is needed most. One of the
greatest difficulties found with the rigid
type sprayer is that one almost has to
stand one ones head to spray the un-
derSides of leaves Hence it will be
found that plant lice and other aStute
insects seek refuge there, and wait un-
til the artificial shower of lnsecticide
is over. Milquetoast gardeners should
try compressed air Sprayers.
Timid gardeners are more afraid to
prune than to fertilize or spray in
secticides. All, that is, except the rare
individual who has pruning on the
brain. as 1t were. To him a bush
is Just something to be ''cut back. "
Evidently he waits for it to grow
up so he can cut it back after it
has got there. This is curious
garden complex usually confined to
males. The feminine counterpart
is the "cut flower" enthuiast who
never sees a perfect blossom in the
garden without Immediately seizing
large pair of garden shears and max
ing bee line to the bloom, which she
snipS off with an almost indignant air,
as If rebuking the beautiful thing for
daring to remain on its plant for SO
many minutes. With a triumphant
air she bears it away, to shine for a
few hours in a vase, when it would
have lasted several days, maybe two
weeks in the garden.
Such careless shipping properly may
not be called pruning, although it is
1n1 a
Summer bloomers require pruning" by
the removal of their flowers day by
Gay, in order to make room for more.
Sweet peas and nasturtiums, among
many, are examples of this. This cut
ting is not pruning in the real sense,
however. Expert pruning is entirely
another matter. Mostly it has to do
with the shape and size of shrubs and
other bushes. It deals with both ends
OF the plant, the top and the roots.
Proper pruning calls for root pruning
as well as limb trimming, but this can
not be done except at planting time, of
course. Ordinarily pruning must be
confined to the portion of the plant out
OF the ground. When shrubs grow "out
OF bounds" as homeowners say, they
must be cut back Offhand, this would
seem easy enough, but actually 1t Is
one of the most dificult of garden
operations. The average amateur can
not be blamed much for being a Caspsr
Milquetoast in this respect. His atti-
tude seems to be that he would rather
suffer o great and sprawly bush than
prune II back to a shape he knows
not Of" to use Shakespearean Ian
guase. Happily, the genius Of the gar
den Is large. It usually brings plants
out very we'll, whether We prune or don't
prune, whether We spray properly or let
the aphids spoil much foliage, whether
we give our plants sufficient food or
permit them to struggle along ON what
poor soil, fresh air. Sunshine and the
rains of heaven bring them. Our part
IN 1t Is very small one, after all. Per-
haps 1t is because it is SO small that
We should try TO do the best we know
and to helm the nlaptx the ,,.,.t -. -