Evening star., 1933-10-07
r WITH the end of the grow

~ IL
season in view, one of the
wv chief operations remaining is
that of cleaning up the gar
den area This task Is nec-
essary not only because OF appearance,
but more to destroy plant diseases and
insect eggs. Sometimes the burning OF
old stalks and such material Is deplored
as waste of organic matter that would
replenish the soil, but it Is more to the
point to get rid Of the diseases. The
home garden Is not like farm where
certain crops need not be grown on the
same soil for several years. In the gar
den the same crops, flowers or vege-
tables as they may be, are in practically
the same location year after year, al
fording a wonderful opportunity 1or
pests to accumulate. Cleaning up Old
stalks and rubbish IS a desirable step
in garden sanitation.
Late Fall spading is beneficial in I'M
proving the texture OF the soil, especial
ly if the surface is left rough SO that
frost and rains have ready access. Where
the land slopes greatly, such spading is
not advisable because it opens the way
to erosion Sloping soil should be plant
ed to Winter rye or wheat to aid IN
holding the surface soil.
AS an alternative to burning, burying
Of plant refuse is successful means
of getting rid of the pests and at the
same time preserving the organic mat
ter. If some nitrogen fertilizer ana
some hydrated lime is scattered In the
pile with the refuse, its decay Will be
speeded.
Rose Exhibiting.
~ AVID LUMSDEN, in recent lee
ture presented before the Potomac
- Rose Society, set forth some I'M
portapt considerations with reference to
exhibiting roses which are particularly
timely because of the forthcoming rose
show in the New National Museum on
next Friday. It is entirely conceivable
that a superior rose may be surpassed
by a less beautiful specimen If improp-
erly prepared for display. Prof. Lums-
den points out that flowers should De
regular in form, of color characteristic
of the variety and supported by upright
stems supplied with clean. healthy
foliage. Blooms, no matter how large,
if weather stained or containing spnt or
mutilated petals cannot be expected to
win Labelling the rose correctly ana
clearly is an important detail.
Among the practices OF the success
full exhibitor are the protection OF
blooms designed for exhibiting from
heavy rains. the holding of cut flowers
in a cool location and the tying OF
niece of soft wool around each good
bloom as its center petals open to help
retain its shape and encourage the oe-
velopment of inner petals.
Blooms should be cut the evening or
very early the morning preceding tne
exhibition. Stems should be as long
as possible and here is where lspuo-
ding early in the development OF the
buds is a factor. Where a bloom ap-
pears very promising two or three days
before the exhibition day, it may be cut
lust as the first petal begins to unfurI
and placed in cold location. perhaps
the home refrigerator.
Mr.. Lumsden emphasized that it is
the little details that aid in successful
exhibiting A wealth of experience IN
growing flowers and in handling large
exhibitions stands back of Mr.. LunlS-
den's suggestions.
Grated Roses.
NNE argument that appears to be
without hope of end is that
covering the relative merits OF
roses grown from cuttings and roses
grated or budded on wild rootstockS.
The reason for the lack of agreement
is that few people have actual figures
to bear on the subject. Some years
ago Guy E. Yerkes of the United States
Department of Agriculture found roses
on certain roots other than their own
to be much more fruitful. There seems
little doubt but that budding the
everblooming bush roses Is worthwhile,
particularly in the case Of naturally
weak varieties. However, with strong
varietis, such as the two radiances,
the cuttings are very satisfactory. The
superiority of the budded rose lies in
the greater yigor of wild rootStocks.
With their large root systems, they are
able to gather water and minerals over
a greater area and naturally support
better top. In the face of the evidence
set forth by Yerkes, it would seem that
the slightly greater cost of the grated
or budded plants IS warranted.
Sometimes shoots arise from the
rootstock. These can be identified by
the number of leaflets, usually seven,
rather than the five generally present
on improved varities, and also by the
increased number of thorns.
Seed Storage.
~HE seeds of many shrubs, fruit
trees and nuts require special
l. treatment In order to germinate.
Instead of being dried and stored IN
this condition, 1t is necessary to bury
them over Winter in sand In recep-
tacles placed where fully exposed to
L. af