Evening star., 1932-03-29

CaSpar Milquetoast is a famous char
acter, but We would hate to see his
garden.
He would be afraid to give his plants
adequate fertilizer, afraid to spray them
enough, afraid to prune them properly.
Yet all of us are Milquetoasts. to
some extent, and nowhere more so than
in the garden. perhaps.
1t is curious what great timidity
seizes hold of the gardener, when moth
ing more is at stake than the appear
ance of things.
Flower perfection depends upon those
three factors more than any other nm
less 1t is that Of good stock to begin
with. Granted a normal, large sized
shrub or plant. the gardener can have
| floral beauty if he is willing to pay for
it and to work for it.
This means that he-or she, and
more often than not it is she-must
overcome the natural heSitancy which
arises in the mind of so many amateur
horticulturiSts.
No doubt the price equation has
something to do with it, The chemical
fertilizers so widely sold today are ex-
pensive, as such things go.
The natural tendency it to minimize
the amount necessary for any one bush
or plant. 1t will be found. however.
that in this matter, as in that of plant
ing grass seed, one will do well to put
in as much as one thinks necessary
then calmly proceed to do it all over
again, and then maybe a third time.
This procedure would not be neces-
Sary II liberal hand were used in
such matters, but common experience
proves that the average home gardener
will motor at least often does not
use half as much fertilizer on his
shrubs and plants as he should.
Especially is he niggardly with the
shrubs, all those sturdy things which
seem to get along very well by them
selves. They do; indeed, Nature made
them So But they would grow and
bloom better If they were fed properly.
In such cases great deal of fertilizer,
Of one sort or another, is called for.
Consider the favorite lilacs.
Here is a bush which never gets fed
from one years end to another. Yet
those who have worked with the lilac
most say that it is one of the great
est feeders among plants. If it does
as well as it normally does with no
attention at all, and probably in very
poor soil, what dividends of glorious
blossoms would it not repay the gar
dener who would fertilize it according
to the dictates of the experts?
These declare that the lilac should
have plenty of old bones and shoes
buried at its roots. We read once of
a man who poured in several gallons
OF garbage at the roots of a lilac be-
fore piling in the dirt at planting
time.
Others say that lilacs love lime and
that each bush should be given at
least four quarts of lime year. How
many tablespoons of lime do most of
us give our lilacs per year?
Now. four quarts is a pretty sizable
quantity. As far as we have been able
to find out, the chief benefit of lime
to the soil is to put it in better me-
chRnical condition, but no doubt there
are plain benefits to be gained from
the lime itself. Lime is akin to bone
meal, and bonemeal remains one of
the most deserving of our common fer
tilizers.
Bonemeal and plenty of water are
recommended by the experts as the
perfect receipt for good grass under
trees. From our own personal experi-
ence we believe that to be very sound
advice. Some way we have always had
partiality toward the use of bone
meal OF the type which is commonly
recommended for rose bushes. (This
Is not the smelly" sort sometimes en-
eounteFed, but bonemeal which has
been steamed until the rank part OF
its odor has been remoyed.)
The old-time "bonedust" smell added
nothing to the fertilizing powers of
good bonemeal, and undoubtedly helped
Keep the home owner from using it.
No wonder! Bonemeal smelling to
nigh heaven around home Is not the
same as "honedust" doing the same in
wide open field.
Most OF the benedust sold today for
city trade has spicy, tangy odor' one
which suggests pleasant antiseptic
powers. There is some reason to be-
lleVe that one Of the benefits of the
use OF bonemeal on the lawn and